Wasting Customer Loyalty with Terrible Customer Service

A bit before Christmas we got a Rad Power Bikes “Rad Wagon.” An electric cargo bike, for about 1/4th what I thought we could, in delightfully obnoxious orange even.

I would ride it constantly, but Graham sorta hates going on bike rides, so it’s a bit underused for the original purpose. But I generally love it, love that there’s a community, love the company — except they released an even better version now! — and so on.

I’ve modified it, to have a Wald basket on the front to make it even easier to use as an errand-running bike. Did some searching, found a hack to make it go faster (but I am in Kansas, still slower than the top legal speed so shush, you). I am committed to the platform and I highly suggest Rad if you need an electric bike.

Excellent review from Bicycling Magazine: https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a28690498/rad-power-bikes-radwagon-review/

Well, a couple months ago, the shifter went weird. Not the derailleur, the shifter. Indicator arrow went bad, doesn’t say what gear. Okay, whatever.

Then, maybe a month ago, I head out for an errand and the shifter is just flat broken. Out of position somehow so won’t go past 4th gear. This is an issue, makes my top speed like 9 mph which is deadly on streets.

Come home, poke at it, give up and contact Rad customer service. They respond very fast, with obvious humans. Good start.

Then… procedures. All but have you tried turning it off and on again. Which is sorta annoying as it’s still an enthusiast market item. When I start out referring to specific bits by their proper names, maybe jump ahead a bit?

Okay, get past that tedium, and… I need to prove it’s broken. With a video.

A video.

Of an operating bike.

And, I haven’t told you yet, but the CS rep by now knows: I have managed to get the shifter to almost work, but it takes several hands. And… so on. Proving everything is out of position is going to be tedious, some version of figure out how to make it run while stationary, have someone else film, while I run the bike.

Tell them.

Nope, DNGAF. Procedures are procedures.

It’s raining. For the week. So hang on.

A week passes.

Email from RAD.

My ticket is closed due to inactivity. They even let me fill out a survey in which I respond with what I’ll tell you:

Metrics is Not Customer Service.

I’ve seen this a lot. A lot a lot. Told a few friends who know exactly what I mean, tell their own stories.

What RAD has done, is what a lot of places have done, head to toe in the organization. Drive to metrics. Only.

So, customer service is judged on closing tickets fast. I have done customer service projects, I know this for sure from experience.

They are not judged on solving customer needs. At all.

So, I don’t respond for a bit: ticket closed.

Doesn’t matter that the problem clearly didn’t just resolve itself. They get a checkbox in “ticket closed.”

And now, I hate Rad Power Bikes just a little bit. And will remember to tell my friends the products are good, but do not be confused by US made nice folks. They are a company, who treats you like every other customer: badly. Metrics first.

Don’t Solve My Problem, Fix Your System

Also, if anyone from Rad is reading this: do not try to DM me or anything to solve my problem. This is NOT a gripe to raise the issue to a higher level. I am still gonna have to turn wrenches to fix it, so will, sometime, spend a whole $15 to buy the slightly nicer Shimano rapid shift thing, and put it on.

What I do want you to do is take this seriously, and throw away all normal expectations of how customer service orgs work in late stage capitalism. Toss them. Out the window. Have problems with that, easy solution: fire the customer service managers, at every level and start over.

No common practices in CS are actually best practices in any way. Deal with customer issues the way you build the iron. Useful, beneficial, responsive, and humans-first.