Is it reasonable for repair to take three months?
 

I don't want to mention the name of my Segway dealer until I get some feedback from other members about my repair experience.

I bought two i2's in 2009, and rode them quite a bit until the summer of 2013. I just got super busy and they sat idle (but plugged in) for 12 months. A few months ago, in June, I decided to take them both out for a ride.

NEITHER SEGWAY HAS EVER BEEN CRASHED!

Segway #1 fired right up, and I went for a nice long ride.

Segway #2 also fired right up, and the info key registered a full battery, but as soon as I put weight on it, I got bucked off with that awful beeping sound. I also noticed that the steering column leaned about 10 degrees to the left, no matter how I adjusted it. I called the local dealer, and they came 15 miles to my house and picked up both Segways for $75 each. They only cleaned and adjusted Segway #1, but told me that both batteries on Segway #2 were bad, and if I replace both (for about $2,000), it will run just fine.

This seemed strange to me, since Segway #1 had no issues at all, and they had identical use and storage since new. Skeptical, I ok'd the battery replacement, and the $2,000+ charge. Two days later, they delivered both Segways to my home (for another $75 each), and my wife paid the repair cost with my VISA card. When I got home, I got on Segway #2, and it was no different than before. Same leaning steering column, same bucking and noise when I put any weight on it, and same error code on the info key.

I called the dealer to complain, because it's obvious that they didn't even test ride it. At this point, I suspect that they didn't even change the batteries. So they came back picked up, and a few weeks passed. When I called to get a status report, I was told that hey need to send it back to the factory, and that will cost me $199 each way. I ok'd this charge, and another month passed. When I called, I was told that the factory was 3 weeks behind. Finally, I got another $2500 estimate, whick I ok'd, and more time passed.

It has been 3 months, and almost $5000 in costs, and I still don't have it back, or any idea as to when I'll see my Segway #2 again.

Is this reasonable? Are all dealers like this? Does the Segway factory monitor or certify their dealers in any way? Am I getting the run-around, or ripped off? How can they expect to sell Segways when service is so unreliable and expensive?

Should I name the dealer here?

Chris Wolter

First question: Is your dealer listed by Segway?

http://www.segway.com/locator

Sir,

My personal opinion is that in this case it is currently irrelevant whom the dealer is. Obtaining the information on average repair times/costs can be done without disclosing that information. I would also strongly recommend that you sit down and address your concerns with a manager at the company before you get any more frustrated with the situation. Face to face is much better and commonly much more productive than phone calls or emails if you can find the time to do so. I know when customers post negatively regarding my company before giving us the opportunity to take corrective action it certainly is frustrating and commonly makes future conversations less productive. Once the dealer is aware of your exact concerns and solutions are/are not offered then I feel it may be appropriate for a review to be created in the dealer review section on this site and/or a BBB complaint to be filed for further mediation if necessary. I simply recommend to stay calm and make appropriate decisions to keep your best interests on the table at all times. Most dealers I work with are quite reasonable to speak to.

As for service times, other instances of extensive service times were reported from other customers here on the forums. Whether in this case the delay is with the local dealer or with corporate shall remain to be determined. Good luck and I wish you well with your Segway.

Yes, the dealer is listed by Segway, and I see lots of reviews on this site about their long delays and general unresponsiveness.

For the past month, they have not responded to any of my e-mails. I'll try calling them again today.

Question: Is the $199 each way a reasonable shipping charge from the west coast to the factory?

Is there a way that I can check serial numbers on the batteries to see if Ye were actually replaced. Does Segway record the serial numbers of batteries shipped with new units?

Given the battery's serial number, it can tell the exact date of the manufacture, since your Segway's original battery should be 2009, the serial number will determine if the battery had been replaced by the dealer.


Sent from my iPhone 6 using Tapatalk

BAttery Date
 

Hi,
Sure you have the date manufacturing on the Battery.
See my example (attached)
I know that in my country every Segway that is sold the company here writes the battery date in their computer
I don't know how this is done in the US
Hope it will be solved for you
Roee

Segway Repair time
 

Hi there,

Things are a little different for us here in Canada, but I feel that we can respond as we have had direct recent dealings with Segway Inc. But first of all I think it is fair to say that something is amiss with the dealer not giving you enough information about the diagnosing, repair, testing of your machine. Did they give you an idea of the costs you are possibly facing first. Example, did they quote you a $75 fee for the pickup and drop off first? Did they provide you with serial numbers of the new batteries? I agree that you should speak directly with the manager about your repairs and what transpired.

All that said the shipping costs might be a little steep, it depends on what they valued your Segway at for shipping. If they valued it at $5,000 which is reasonable then $199 is not out of line but if not then you should be made aware because if something happens to your machine during transport they will only cover damage to $100 plus whatever extra it is insured for (which means you could potentially be out a machine entirely).

Repair time. YES, it can take that long. Unfortunately Segway Inc. can have very long waits for repairs. We have had to have three machines returned for repair this year and it took in excess of two months for us to get them back..

Virtually all Segway repairs require the Segway be sent back to the factory. In the US, the only service center is in New Hampshire, and it always takes a ton of time and money to get them to service a Segway. Three months sounds pretty average to me.

The only part of your story that might be unreasonable is that they may have charged you a lot of money for an ineffective repair prior to sending it to the factory. If this is the case, then you might be entitled to a refund of that part of the cost. However, there is also the possibility that the Segways just had several problems, and maybe their initial repair actually did fix some things (just not enough to get it running), in which case you would have pretty limited recourse.

The answer to the question whether it is reasonable for repairs to take three months is a resounding NO!

People who depend upon their Seg for transportation (or security, or whatever), simply cannot afford to be without their ride for three freakin' months! Yet, stories of such lead times have not been uncommon, even as the years passed since first introduction. If Segway has taken actions to help resolve the situation, positive results are difficult to see.

In my opinion, the issues related to repair; dealers who cannot diagnose or make repairs, shipping issues that are largely left to the customer to sort out, exorbitant costs, and outrageous turn-around times, are like a millstone around the neck of Segway, Inc.

If Segway had any real presence in the retail market, the customer repair stories would negatively affect the reviews, and sales, of the product.

As far as back as when I was working there, repairs always took a lot longer than you'd expect for a device of this nature. I always felt, in my opinion, that the service side of the business was greatly understaffed and undervalued. At times, they had 2 techs to handle all repairs. Each repair is usually a time-intensive thing.

Now, is it reasonable for any modern technology to have to take so long to get repaired? Not if a company prioritizes service as a part of the Segway experience. I've never known Segway to do that, however (at least in my eyes).

Best,
John