8Fun BBS-01 kits

[Cyclezee]

We have decided to stop selling the BBS-01 kits and have removed them from our website.

The reason for doing this is not because of the kit it's self, but lack of availability of individual spare parts.

One kit we had arrived with a broken LCD display which I could not get a replacement for, a customer damaged the throttle on another and a customer from Belgium is having problems with a motor fault and so only way I can replace parts is to take them from a new kit.

We would end having to stock several kits just for spare parts and their sales are not big enough to warrant this.

We don't have these issues with any other bikes or kits that we sell.

 

[amigafan2003]

I know what you mean John - unless you're Chinese national/seller then spare parts are hard to come by - even EM3EV (Cellman) are having trouble with spares/support/trade prices - he's based in China but he's English.

Probably a good idea to drop the BBS units regardless, now that we've figured out a way to custom program the units on ES ;-) Queue lots of busted units with people upping them to 40amps and stripped gears!

 

[Cyclezee]

I know what you mean John - unless you're Chinese national/seller then spare parts are hard to come by - even EM3EV (Cellman) are having trouble with spares/support/trade prices - he's based in Chian but he's English.

Probably a good idea to drop the BBS units regardless, now that we've figured out a way to custom program the units on ES ;-) Queue lots of busted units with people upping them to 40amps and stripped gears!

Hi Amiga,
Basically it comes down to me not being able to offer reliable support for them which is why "I'm out" as far as the 8Fun BBS is concerned.
I had 2 calls this morning from people wanting to buy but I had to turn them away.
After I started the thread I had a call from another dealer and ex forum member who is also not going to be selling them.
I never have any of these sort of issues with eZee who offer great support to their stockists and Ken Ching's English is better than mine

Regarding Paul (Cellman), I did consider going to visit him along with Justin from ebikes.ca when I was staying with eZee in Shanghai 2 years ago, but I didn't fancy the idea of cycling across Shanghai in the middle of the night which is what he did

 

[amigafan2003]

Yeah - the support model between the Ezee kits and Bafang kits are a world apart, I can understand your decision. It's a testament to how much you stand by the Ezee kits.

As they say - "you pays your money, you takes your chances".

 

[hech]

We have decided to stop selling the BBS-01 kits and have removed them from our website.

The reason for doing this is not because of the kit it's self, but lack of availability of individual spare parts.

One kit we had arrived with a broken LCD display which I could not get a replacement for, a customer damaged the throttle on another and a customer from Belgium is having problems with a motor fault and so only way I can replace parts is to take them from a new kit.

We would end having to stock several kits just for spare parts and their sales are not big enough to warrant this.

We don't have these issues with any other bikes or kits that we sell.

Really sorry to hear that as to me at least , this is the kit of choice for, well every ebike, i guess.
With your influence, standing and experience of the UK ebike market combined with Bafang's dedicated engineering expertise, maybe there hasnt been an ango/sino marriage opportunity made in heaven since well, the opium wars.
No, seriously I think alot of these great Chinese products really need the experience of old established UK dealers like yourself for further refinement, and without that kind of alliance we havn't a rats chance in hell of ever competing with our German buddies.

 

[trex]

it just goes to show how difficult it is to sell and support kits.
I am a fan of crank drive kits, still think the BBS01 is the easiest to fit and best at preserving the feel of the donnor bike.
Broken LCDs and throttles are not 8-Fun's own faults, the problem with the motor unit in Belgium is a concern for the future of this kit but it may be a small percentage.
There is also a perception that kit buyers are tight a*ses. The BBS01 kit is certainly not expensive, about £550-£600, d8veh XD kit costs about £500, both with a 15AH battery. There can't be much margin in it for the dealers.

 

[Cyclezee]

Please don't get me wrong, I am not criticising the kit itself.

 

[trex]

the low cost of the BBS01 doesn't help you though.

 

[Cyclezee]

the low cost of the BBS01 doesn't help you though

Hi Trex,
Hope you are not suggesting that I am in this to make a profit

I would also be concerned if I weren't in the trade about buying a single kit for myself and not being able to get spares easily or at all.

 

[trex]

I'd like to see more kits as the way of giving us the perfect e-bike at lowest possible cost and we all owe you a big thank for the help and support you give to self builders on this forum over the years.

I think that the role of the dealers is to bring in the kits, provide initial support and keep spares and that the customers have to accept to take some financial risk in buying a kit, a bit like buying a flat pack from Ikea, that the traditional warranty is reduced. Such warranty is limited only to visible manufacturing defects - which should be easy to detect when you open the parcel.
The aim is to leave the dealers with some profit at the sale and not burden the dealers with on-going support like one would expect from buying a ready made bike.
With regard to the BBS01, I think Woosh still support it.

 

[Cyclezee]

Those are interesting points that you make Trex.
We do offer ongoing support and warranty for kit buyers against manufacturing faults.

I had a recent issue with a customer who bought a Falco kit and although I offered to install it free of charge the customer wanted to do it himself.

After a few weeks a fault developed which it turned out was down to the installation. I collected the bike from the customer and took it down to Team Hybrid, the UK Falco distributor for them to examine.

The outcome was the motor was replaced at no cost to the customer, but in future Falco will only give warranty on kits that are installed by authorised dealers

 

[hech]

I'd like to see more kits as the way of giving us the perfect e-bike at lowest possible cost and we all owe you a big thank for the help and support you give to self builders on this forum over the years.

.

I would add my vote of thanks for all the help and insight the various professionals on the forum bring.
I think Cyclezee has been here for 7 years par example, that's alot of bad jokes for any organisation even with a strong humour resource department in Shanghai.

 

[Arbol]

Cyclezee, I have a reference to this thread at:

http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/european-regulations-one-more-time.17389/

Might I ask your input there, please? Thanks.