DieLucas!
05-05-2005, 02:04 PM
Just sharing my experiences...
last month, I ordered a HID light for my bike from BatterySupply.com. The light assembly is from TrailTech and is nearly identical to the Moonshine HID light sold by Topeak. I purchased the light with a Li-Ion battery pack from BatterySupply.com for $220. Nearly $200 less than what it would have cost me from Topeak.
Why does it cost $200 less? Customer Service. BS.com sucks balls.
When I ordered the HID light and battery pack, the kit was in stock. That is why I ordered it; 3 days earlier is was out of stock...so I waited until it was in stock. Since I ordered it on Saturday, it should have been shipped Monday and delivered by Wednesday. On Monday, I received an e-mail with the tracking number and later that morning, confirmation it had been shipped. Wednesday came and passed; no light. I contacted BS.com and they told me it had not shipped; it was still out of stock.
WHAT?!!!
I wrote back and asked them how an "empty box that was never sent could be considered as shipped." I further told them that I was not so much angry that this item was out of stock, but the principle in that I had to contact them to find out for myself that it was out of stock. And oh, yeah, YOU GUYS TOLD ME IT WAS SHIPPED! Good grief.
So, the light finally arrives the next week, with this whole customer service SNAFU behind me. The light works fantastic. I call up Todson (Topeak's US distributer) and purchase a bike and helmet mount kit for the Moonshine HID light. Since the housing's between the BS.com/Trail Tech light and Moonshine light are nearly the same, this is what I need to properly mount my light to the bike.
I receive the mount kit towards the end of April, mount everything up and begin to use it.
I used the light on 3 rides until the Li-Ion battery pack dies in the middle of the 3rd ride; just shuts off. Maybe 2.5/3 hours total use with a recharge in between. I've used this battery 3 times!!! :shaking:
So, I call up BS.com, tell them the news. While I'm on the phone with customer service, I use my digital multi-meter to check voltage and continuity. Zero voltage and zero continuity. I request a NiMH water bottle battery pack as a replacement, as there is some rumors about Li-Ion batteries being finicky; even BS.com recommends the NiMH for the HID kit. It also took me 10 minutes to explain that a NiMH replacement battery would be cheaper than a Li-Ion battery. Completely ridiculous. Anyway, the customer service person tells me they will ship me a replacement battery, along with a mailing label to return the defective battery.
The next day I get a phone message from a different customer service rep who tells me that the problem with the battery is a protective circuit on the PCB. I need to unplug it from the charger for 30 seconds and plug it back in...then it will work :shaking: What am I? An idiot?
If this were the solution, it would have reactivated the battery any of several times the battery had been connected and disconnected from the charger over the course of the previous 3 days. Were these people even listening? This should have fixed the problem when I was on the phone with customer service the first time; it didn't. So why would it work coming from a second customer service rep?
Well, I spoke to customer service this morning and the exchange was less than positive. I was also informed that I need to send the battery pack to them, where they will then evaluate it and determine if a replacement should be sent back. I tell them this is great news :rolleyes: since it's further going to prevent me from my evening commute by bike, and that this is contrary to what the 1st customer service rep told me. After I expressed my unhappiness with their disorganization, while informing them what I was going to do (posting this message was part of that explanation; the BBB was the other part), she hung up on me. Hey, the customer is always right. To make things more interesting, I ventured back to their website and discovered that returns required a RMA approval and number. And while the 2nd customer service rep was correct about their policy and the 1st customer service rep didn't have a clue what she was talking about, neither of them gave me a RMA number or directed me to the correct avenue of returning this battery.
So, where am I left? I purchased a NiMH battery pack today. I can't wait for their company to dick around and send a replacement out to me. I'll send the Li-Ion pack back, and when the replacement returns, it goes on EBay...along with a description of my experience with BS.com.
Hey, batteries fail. I can't predict that a similar Li-Ion pack from BS.com will do the same, but after 3 uses, it's obvious that my battery was defective. No real sense of urgency to help a customer, even though you sent the customer 8 pieces of sh!t, soldered together and shrink-wrapped. I could understand the lax attitide if this occurred after 10 months of constant use...it didn't. It occurred after 3 uses and 1 charge.
Overall, the Trail-Tech lamp, using the Topeak mounts for the Moonshine, is a superbe light. I absolutely love it and have no problems with it.
If you are seeking an inexpensive HID light for road or mountain biking, ask yourself whether the money saved will be worth the potential head-ache the BS.com customer service may service you with. You can always get the lamp from Trail-Tech (for the same cost as BS.com) and source the battery elsewhere.
last month, I ordered a HID light for my bike from BatterySupply.com. The light assembly is from TrailTech and is nearly identical to the Moonshine HID light sold by Topeak. I purchased the light with a Li-Ion battery pack from BatterySupply.com for $220. Nearly $200 less than what it would have cost me from Topeak.
Why does it cost $200 less? Customer Service. BS.com sucks balls.
When I ordered the HID light and battery pack, the kit was in stock. That is why I ordered it; 3 days earlier is was out of stock...so I waited until it was in stock. Since I ordered it on Saturday, it should have been shipped Monday and delivered by Wednesday. On Monday, I received an e-mail with the tracking number and later that morning, confirmation it had been shipped. Wednesday came and passed; no light. I contacted BS.com and they told me it had not shipped; it was still out of stock.
WHAT?!!!
I wrote back and asked them how an "empty box that was never sent could be considered as shipped." I further told them that I was not so much angry that this item was out of stock, but the principle in that I had to contact them to find out for myself that it was out of stock. And oh, yeah, YOU GUYS TOLD ME IT WAS SHIPPED! Good grief.
So, the light finally arrives the next week, with this whole customer service SNAFU behind me. The light works fantastic. I call up Todson (Topeak's US distributer) and purchase a bike and helmet mount kit for the Moonshine HID light. Since the housing's between the BS.com/Trail Tech light and Moonshine light are nearly the same, this is what I need to properly mount my light to the bike.
I receive the mount kit towards the end of April, mount everything up and begin to use it.
I used the light on 3 rides until the Li-Ion battery pack dies in the middle of the 3rd ride; just shuts off. Maybe 2.5/3 hours total use with a recharge in between. I've used this battery 3 times!!! :shaking:
So, I call up BS.com, tell them the news. While I'm on the phone with customer service, I use my digital multi-meter to check voltage and continuity. Zero voltage and zero continuity. I request a NiMH water bottle battery pack as a replacement, as there is some rumors about Li-Ion batteries being finicky; even BS.com recommends the NiMH for the HID kit. It also took me 10 minutes to explain that a NiMH replacement battery would be cheaper than a Li-Ion battery. Completely ridiculous. Anyway, the customer service person tells me they will ship me a replacement battery, along with a mailing label to return the defective battery.
The next day I get a phone message from a different customer service rep who tells me that the problem with the battery is a protective circuit on the PCB. I need to unplug it from the charger for 30 seconds and plug it back in...then it will work :shaking: What am I? An idiot?
If this were the solution, it would have reactivated the battery any of several times the battery had been connected and disconnected from the charger over the course of the previous 3 days. Were these people even listening? This should have fixed the problem when I was on the phone with customer service the first time; it didn't. So why would it work coming from a second customer service rep?
Well, I spoke to customer service this morning and the exchange was less than positive. I was also informed that I need to send the battery pack to them, where they will then evaluate it and determine if a replacement should be sent back. I tell them this is great news :rolleyes: since it's further going to prevent me from my evening commute by bike, and that this is contrary to what the 1st customer service rep told me. After I expressed my unhappiness with their disorganization, while informing them what I was going to do (posting this message was part of that explanation; the BBB was the other part), she hung up on me. Hey, the customer is always right. To make things more interesting, I ventured back to their website and discovered that returns required a RMA approval and number. And while the 2nd customer service rep was correct about their policy and the 1st customer service rep didn't have a clue what she was talking about, neither of them gave me a RMA number or directed me to the correct avenue of returning this battery.
So, where am I left? I purchased a NiMH battery pack today. I can't wait for their company to dick around and send a replacement out to me. I'll send the Li-Ion pack back, and when the replacement returns, it goes on EBay...along with a description of my experience with BS.com.
Hey, batteries fail. I can't predict that a similar Li-Ion pack from BS.com will do the same, but after 3 uses, it's obvious that my battery was defective. No real sense of urgency to help a customer, even though you sent the customer 8 pieces of sh!t, soldered together and shrink-wrapped. I could understand the lax attitide if this occurred after 10 months of constant use...it didn't. It occurred after 3 uses and 1 charge.
Overall, the Trail-Tech lamp, using the Topeak mounts for the Moonshine, is a superbe light. I absolutely love it and have no problems with it.
If you are seeking an inexpensive HID light for road or mountain biking, ask yourself whether the money saved will be worth the potential head-ache the BS.com customer service may service you with. You can always get the lamp from Trail-Tech (for the same cost as BS.com) and source the battery elsewhere.