LPisGood
New Member
- Local time
- 10:56 AM
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2008
- Messages
- 14
Fellow bikers,
I need to vent my frustration with this company. I'm sure there are several happy Golden Eagle customers out there. However, I'm NOT one of them, and I would definitely not recommend that anybody do business with them. Here is my story:
I placed an order for the Robin/Subaru 4-stroke in early July. After placing the order, I talked with a sales rep over the phone about NY state laws and I expressed concern about the legality of motorizing my bike. She informed me that there were several satisfied customers in NYC so it shouldn't be a problem. My worries were somewhat assuaged. I said that I wanted to think about it some more and that I would call back within 24 hours. I also mentioned that if I didn't call back in 24 hours, GeBe should just go ahead and ship the engine. She agreed and made a note to ship the engine in 24 hours unless I called back...fairly simple.
I decided not to call back... I really wanted that engine!
I waited several weeks, but no engine arrived. I finally received an email asking if I still wanted it to be shipped. Apparently they placed a complete "hold" on the order. Even after the conversation and the specific note, they managed to mess it up. So I emailed back and said yes, of course I want the engine.
It finally arrived, but I soon discovered that installation was impossible... they shipped the wrong drive ring. I had ordered the 32-spoke and they sent the 36. I consulted my invoice to make sure I ordered the right part. The invoice confirmed their mistake.
So I contacted them; left a voicemail and sent two emails. They finally got back to me and expressed doubt, asking me to go back and count my spokes again. I reluctantly did for the umpteenth time, and my count was the same. So I contacted them again...waited again. They said they would ship out the correct drive ring... BUT, they billed me for it... 50 bucks! I had to return the wrong drive ring, and pay for shipping OUT OF POCKET, in order for them to remove the $50 balance from my account! This was to correct the mistake that THEY made.
For my inconvenience, they offered to compensate me with an extra kevlar belt. But this, too, was contingent on me shipping the wrong drive ring back to them. What kind of customer service compensation is that? All I wanted was the correct drive ring with expedited delivery...but no deal.
So the RIGHT drive ring finally showed up (at my expense) and I began installation again. This time I encountered new problems. It turned that out my rear axle was not long enough for installation. They don't tell you this, but for most bikes you need a longer axle to mount the engine. So I custom ordered an axle from a nearby bike shop and waited another few days for its arrival. Once I got the new axle on my bike, I discovered that I still couldn't mount the engine unless I drilled and modified the frame. Now, over the phone I had been informed that the engine mount is universal and fits just about any bike. I even made sure to mention the specifics of my bike and they assured me that the mount would fit.
They were wrong.
I tried to roll with the punches a little bit. I had come this far and spent a lot of money. I wasn't going to let the mistakes of one company mess up my dream of motorizing my bike.
So I decided to forget the old bike and set my sights on a new one. I picked out a Marin Coast Trail (a nice, inexpensive ride) and had the bike shop fit it with the custom ordered longer axle that I purchased.
...but lo and behold, the engine STILL wouldn't mount on this bike either!
This was the last straw. My frustration had peaked. I contacted GeBe and asked for a full refund in light of their mistakes and misinformation. It took them two days to get back to me and I was told that there is a 20% re-stocking fee. Which means if I return the engine I lose $125.80! That's before shipping and handling!
I asked them to waive the re-stocking fee in light of their mistakes and misleading statements. Again, I waited several days for a response, so I sent another email. Finally they responded and informed me that they would not waive the fee, even though the engine is unused and in mint condition. (These delays in correspondence were a recurring theme. It was incredibly difficult to communicate with them. I would leave messages and emails, yet it would take days to receive a response.)
So that's pretty much the long and short of it (mostly long...apologies for the rant). Because of GeBe's misleading statements, shipping errors, inadequate compensation for their mistakes, and reluctance to provide remotely decent customer service, I must advise others NOT to do business with them. I am now in the process of trying to sell this engine because I do not want to deal with them anymore and I am unwilling to lose $125.80 (plus S&H) in re-stocking fees.
I have finally cooled off from the frustration of this whole escapade and this post is not out of anger. I post here to save you the time of dealing with the poor business ethics of Golden Eagle Bike Engines. Their product might be worthwhile, but I would never know. I was unable to ever use it.
Best of luck, and all responses are welcome.
I need to vent my frustration with this company. I'm sure there are several happy Golden Eagle customers out there. However, I'm NOT one of them, and I would definitely not recommend that anybody do business with them. Here is my story:
I placed an order for the Robin/Subaru 4-stroke in early July. After placing the order, I talked with a sales rep over the phone about NY state laws and I expressed concern about the legality of motorizing my bike. She informed me that there were several satisfied customers in NYC so it shouldn't be a problem. My worries were somewhat assuaged. I said that I wanted to think about it some more and that I would call back within 24 hours. I also mentioned that if I didn't call back in 24 hours, GeBe should just go ahead and ship the engine. She agreed and made a note to ship the engine in 24 hours unless I called back...fairly simple.
I decided not to call back... I really wanted that engine!
I waited several weeks, but no engine arrived. I finally received an email asking if I still wanted it to be shipped. Apparently they placed a complete "hold" on the order. Even after the conversation and the specific note, they managed to mess it up. So I emailed back and said yes, of course I want the engine.
It finally arrived, but I soon discovered that installation was impossible... they shipped the wrong drive ring. I had ordered the 32-spoke and they sent the 36. I consulted my invoice to make sure I ordered the right part. The invoice confirmed their mistake.
So I contacted them; left a voicemail and sent two emails. They finally got back to me and expressed doubt, asking me to go back and count my spokes again. I reluctantly did for the umpteenth time, and my count was the same. So I contacted them again...waited again. They said they would ship out the correct drive ring... BUT, they billed me for it... 50 bucks! I had to return the wrong drive ring, and pay for shipping OUT OF POCKET, in order for them to remove the $50 balance from my account! This was to correct the mistake that THEY made.
For my inconvenience, they offered to compensate me with an extra kevlar belt. But this, too, was contingent on me shipping the wrong drive ring back to them. What kind of customer service compensation is that? All I wanted was the correct drive ring with expedited delivery...but no deal.
So the RIGHT drive ring finally showed up (at my expense) and I began installation again. This time I encountered new problems. It turned that out my rear axle was not long enough for installation. They don't tell you this, but for most bikes you need a longer axle to mount the engine. So I custom ordered an axle from a nearby bike shop and waited another few days for its arrival. Once I got the new axle on my bike, I discovered that I still couldn't mount the engine unless I drilled and modified the frame. Now, over the phone I had been informed that the engine mount is universal and fits just about any bike. I even made sure to mention the specifics of my bike and they assured me that the mount would fit.
They were wrong.
I tried to roll with the punches a little bit. I had come this far and spent a lot of money. I wasn't going to let the mistakes of one company mess up my dream of motorizing my bike.
So I decided to forget the old bike and set my sights on a new one. I picked out a Marin Coast Trail (a nice, inexpensive ride) and had the bike shop fit it with the custom ordered longer axle that I purchased.
...but lo and behold, the engine STILL wouldn't mount on this bike either!
This was the last straw. My frustration had peaked. I contacted GeBe and asked for a full refund in light of their mistakes and misinformation. It took them two days to get back to me and I was told that there is a 20% re-stocking fee. Which means if I return the engine I lose $125.80! That's before shipping and handling!
I asked them to waive the re-stocking fee in light of their mistakes and misleading statements. Again, I waited several days for a response, so I sent another email. Finally they responded and informed me that they would not waive the fee, even though the engine is unused and in mint condition. (These delays in correspondence were a recurring theme. It was incredibly difficult to communicate with them. I would leave messages and emails, yet it would take days to receive a response.)
So that's pretty much the long and short of it (mostly long...apologies for the rant). Because of GeBe's misleading statements, shipping errors, inadequate compensation for their mistakes, and reluctance to provide remotely decent customer service, I must advise others NOT to do business with them. I am now in the process of trying to sell this engine because I do not want to deal with them anymore and I am unwilling to lose $125.80 (plus S&H) in re-stocking fees.
I have finally cooled off from the frustration of this whole escapade and this post is not out of anger. I post here to save you the time of dealing with the poor business ethics of Golden Eagle Bike Engines. Their product might be worthwhile, but I would never know. I was unable to ever use it.
Best of luck, and all responses are welcome.
