Bike Angels Community AMA 2023
UPDATE: This is thread is closed for new AMA questions. Feel free to add kudos to any unanswered questions! We’ll continue to monitor this thread, and of course the community is always open for membe...
Forum Discussion
How long do we have to return a bad bike to the same station before getting hit with per minute charges, particularly with e-bikes?
When I come across a bad battery (even when the app says it has many many miles on it) I give it a chance to kick in, especially as I normally bike where there are a lot of hills. I recently got charged for having the e-bike out six minutes before I returned it to the same station. Reviewing my recent history, I see I’ve returned drained e-bikes up to four minutes without any per minute charges.
Customer service refused to make any adjustment on the charges for that returned bike and kept ignoring my question about what is the specific rule or cutoff. That there is a time limit would make sense, but I’d like to know what it is, so I don’t get caught out again.
As mentioned, I frequently enough come across such weak or dead batteries (despite the app saying they are loaded for miles). And while a weak battery might be manageable for a short ride in some neighborhoods, I often am biking on hills.
Thank you.
If a ride started at a docking station, we only look at duration until the ride ended at the same station. If a ride did not start at a docking station (this only applies to where we have bikes with a cable lock), we look at a combination of distance traveled and time.
I can't find the exact thresholds for these in the code/configuration right now, but even if I could, these are subject to change, and I would not be permitted to share this publicly. You should definitely wrench any bike that needs attention and submit the report so our mechanics know what issue to investigate.
Regarding your recent support experiences, we appreciate your callouts, and we’ve shared feedback internally about these specific interactions to ensure they are reviewed appropriately.
Thank you for some clarity. I do always wrench defective bikes, unless I am too slow in getting to the button before the bike locks in.
