Warranty, How Long?

[Cyclezee]

What is the minimum warranty you would find acceptable for an electric bike, 1, 2, 3 years etc.?

What would you expect to be covered, battery only, complete electrical system or complete bike?

Would you be prepared to pay extra for warranty longer than 1 year or are you happy to accept the risk after expiery?

How much per annum would you pay for warranty if your bike did not come with any, £50, £100, £200 or another amount?

Would you be prepared to return the bike to the supplier or expect it to be collected?

Whilst a warranty claim is being dealt with by the supplier would you expect a free loan bike or be prepared to pay for one?

 

[funkylyn]

I think the minimum warranty that I would want is 2 years.....particularly with the battery, I would prefer longer, but would not buy a bike that only had 1 year warranty on the battery......so not prepared to pay extra for a warranty, I would be prepared to return it locally or the supplier to pay for transport to collect the bike at their expense ........I would expect that the problem would be sorted out immediately and returned, hence not necessitating a loan bike.
But would be prepared to wait, say , a week, without a replacement.....but then I am not using my bike for commuting every day....that would be more difficult, but if only used for leisure I think a week would be acceptable.

Lynda

 

[NRG]

I agree with two years to cover battery, electronics+motor+fittings, frame etc. I would consider the chain, tyres, possibly rims as 'consumables' and give a limited defect warranty for those.

 

[flecc]

Same as NRG.

 

[kitchenman]

I'd want to ensure that any warranty covered the charger especially if I owned a Schwimm Tailwind!
What about a subscription scheme? With warranty there is always that suggestion that the customer has done something wrong and I dare say that they usual have even if they didn't know it ... and the is it or isn't it still in warranty ... A subscription scheme would be great for the dealer as they get money in every year which may help stop them going bankrupt! ... and the customer knows that if anything goes wrong at all regardless then the dealer will happily sort it out ... would do wonders for dealer / customer relations? ...

 

[eddieo]

2 years but 3 would be nice......

 

[danfoto]

Same as NRG but to include the charger, and we'd expect the seller to organise collection for RTB.

 

[morphix]

What is the minimum warranty you would find acceptable for an electric bike, 1, 2, 3 years etc.?

What would you expect to be covered, battery only, complete electrical system or complete bike?

Would you be prepared to pay extra for warranty longer than 1 year or are you happy to accept the risk after expiery?

How much per annum would you pay for warranty if your bike did not come with any, £50, £100, £200 or another amount?

Would you be prepared to return the bike to the supplier or expect it to be collected?

Whilst a warranty claim is being dealt with by the supplier would you expect a free loan bike or be prepared to pay for one?

I would think a warranty on a bike should be at least 2 years as a minimum, and ideally longer if the bike is reasonably well made with decent components.

For the motor and electrical system, 2 years seems reasonable.

As the battery is a consumable item and its life/performance depends on its how its used and handled, I would limit the warranty to 12 months, unless the battery is expected to perform considerably longer and the price of it covers replacement... in which case, maybe 2 years warranty.

When thinking about warranties... Remember that 12 months you often see manufacturers quoting is a statutory warranty provided by law on many goods. However under the Sale of Goods Act, the courts have discretion and flexibility to decide what is a reasonable working life for a product, and often successful claims are brought on products outside the statutory 12 months. For example, you would expect a washing machine to work longer than 12 months, and if it breaks down after 15 months, the manufacturer might refuse to do anything. But under the Sale of Goods Act, the product should offer a reasonable working life..for a washing machine you would expect it to work for 3 years or more. So if it fails before then, you would expect repairs or replacement as it may be a manufacturing defect.

I think the same thinking applies to electric bikes. The bike itself should last several years if looked after and used under normal conditions. A bike manufacturers warranty period reflects the quality of the bike and their confidence in their product I always say.

 

[neptune]

This is a very interesting topic . As a guess , and only a guess , I would say that the majority of bikes come to a stop due to a failed battery . I think many people are put off buying an electric bike by the cost of battery replacement . Any supplier giving a 3 year warranty on the battery would be swamped with orders , but would probably go bust before 3 years . So , at the end of the day it is a balancing act .

 

[Cyclezee]

I would love to able to offer a 3 year no quibble warranty to customers, but as Neptune says, the battery is the most likely component to fail.
It's longevity, as with most things, is not only due to it's quality, design and manufacture, but amount of usage, care and handling.
I think it would be quite easy to offer a 3 year or longer manufacturers warranty on a complete electric bike and 2 years on the battery, subject to excusions for accidental damage and misuse.
Obviously warranty extensions could be added to the price at time of purchase.

 

[morphix]

This is a very interesting topic . As a guess , and only a guess , I would say that the majority of bikes come to a stop due to a failed battery . I think many people are put off buying an electric bike by the cost of battery replacement . Any supplier giving a 3 year warranty on the battery would be swamped with orders , but would probably go bust before 3 years . So , at the end of the day it is a balancing act .

Indeed, that's the problem I think with this industry and the business model of bike sellers. The battery is an uncertain or unknown variable..particularly with the technology being a bit experimental and new types emerging etc as has happened in past..

I think an open and sensible way to do it for businesses is to transfer the risk to the consumer as an option.. just offer a standard battery with a 12 month warranty against defects cheaper... and then offer a battery performance warranty which guarantees a minimum 2/3 year performance or whatever, for a price premium.. doesn't have to be a massive price increase, but obviously depends on expected sales... one would assume that the majority of batteries would perform ok to the end of warranty period..and the ones that don't, the cost of replacement will covered by the higher fees charged on those that do? Another approach might be to charge a price premium for the guaranteed performance warranty but linked to a lower guaranteed replacement cost on battery replacement..so the customer knows ahead what the battery will cost if it fails inside the 2-3 years.

I like this kind of flexible business with open optional pricing...rather than just charging one big high price for all batteries.

 

[Cyclezee]

Those are good ideas Morphix.
I'm thinking of sticking with eZee's standard 2 year warranty, then offering a replacement battery at 75% of the cost of a new one in the third year regardless of whether the original needs replacement or not.
How do those numbers sound?

 

[morphix]

Those are good ideas Morphix.
I'm thinking of sticking with eZee's standard 2 year warranty, then offering a replacement battery at 75% of the cost of a new one in the third year regardless of whether the original needs replacement or not.
How do those numbers sound?

That sounds like a good approach to me.. 2 years warranty on a battery as a standard makes you stand out and shows commitment...even if the price is a bit higher, customers would be more comfortable paying it.. I guess 3 years would be ideal, but that might be pushing into unknown territory as you don't know
what kind of rough handling they might have by that time eh?

I don't know how much your batteries cost but 25% discount from year 3 sounds like a good gesture to lower the cost... I think being locked into high battery replacement cost for many owners is an off-putting factor, especially if it comes less than 2 years into ownership.

It's the same problem in car industry I guess..you buy a new car and if it fails outside the warranty, you're often at the mercy of local dealers and parts can be expensive.

 

[jasono]

I would expect at least 2 years, particularly on the electrics, motor and battery. The option to pay for an extended warranty on these would be useful and possibly take the 'fear factor' out of unexpectedly having to stump up for a new battery!

 

[banbury frank]

Hi

Look out for the small print warranty on some battery's are as low as only 50% off capacity and if not sure ASK

So will the 10AH battery still do the job you bought it for if it ends up At 5ah after
one year



Frank