Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I pre-ordered an electric motorcycle from Sondors, completing payments totalling $5,000 in April 2022. The company has since stated that they won't be delivering my bike until 2023. I decided to initiate a refund, which they allowed. They told me in an email that it would be 3-5 business days to process and refund my money. Today is business day 10. They have stopped answering my emails. I did get in touch via phone but it wasn't the "right department" so I received no help. All other numbers lead to a voicemail inbox.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/03) */ SONDORS has looked into this and it would appear customer was within our 7-10 processing days prior to refund notification. However, we'll make sure our accounting team moves forward with the refund.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Original Purchase Date: 11/17/21 Paid: $5,000 + $250********** payment processing fee. I made an initial payment of $999.99, and 4 subsequent payment of $850.21. Initial Email Regarding Refund: May 10 First Response: May 12 @ 4:02pm, from *******. Was asked to reconsider my refund. Follow Up Response: May 12 @ 4:17pm I expressed that I still wanted to move forward with the refund. Response Email: May 12 @ 4:58pm, from *******. Again trying to persuade me to continue my order and forgo the refund. Follow Up Email: May 12 @ 5:47pm I still expressed my wish for a refund. Response Email: May 13 @ 2:53pm, from *******. I was informed my order had been cancelled, processing would take 3-5 business day, and once it was complete I'd receive an email of my refund. On May 19th I received 2 of my 5 payments from the********** payment system totally $1,700.37. I also received my official receipt for my refund from *******, and the receipt only showed 2 of my payments. May 20th Initial Partial Refund: May 19 - $1,700.37 through online payment service Parti.ly Follow Up: May 20, I sent an email to the ******* Help Desk asking why only 2 of my payments had processed. I sent another email on May 25 @ 8:09am, again asking why I had only received 2 payments. Response Email: May 25th @ 12:49pm, from **** (email names shows *************), he said because the payments were longer than 90 days ago, they had to manually process a check for my refund of $3,299.63. I was told that it would be sent to their accounting department, and I would see a check in a few weeks. I sent a follow up email on June 23 asking why I had yet to receive my check. Another follow up email June 29 @ 5:31am about my missing check. I received a follow up June 29 @ 11:59am, from*****, stating he would find out what was going wrong with my check. I have continued to follow up with *******, July 1, 6, 11, 18, and 27 concerning my missing check for $3,299.63, and have not heard back.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/03) */ SONDORS has sent this data over to our accounting team. The process of refunds for orders which were cancelled long after our financial platforms had established funds can only be refunded via secure AcH transfer. This process can take up to or exceed 90-days as our systems will not process refunds on orders requested cancellation after 6-months + of dormancy. However, customer will be refunded and follow up contact will be made. SONDORS forbids the use of personal names of staff in correspondence and recommends that BBB remove any names thereof for legal compliancy.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/13/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased an eletric bike from Sondors on 06/03/22 for the total price of ********* When the bike arrived at my location it required assembly, which was expected. Upon opening the box, I found: - No assembly intructions or parts manual Sondors told me to watch a assembly video for the bike, Rockstar model. I noticed my shipment packaging was not like the video. In an attempt to assemble the bike, I had spent 10+ hours trying to follow the undescriptive video. (Customer service did send an updated assembly video.) I had placed 2-3 phone calls, and was told to go to a professional bike shop. The bike was finally assembled, and I went for my 1st ride. Gear 2 would not engage and continually skipped to gear 3. This would also happen with gear 9, upshifting to 10. After another 10+ hours of researching the issue, 2 calls + 2 email with tech, and 2 calls with customer service they are unwilling to help with the issue. I have been told again-and-again that these are normal issues. I send this video to Sondors in attempt to fix the issues with the "new" bike: **************************** With this large 85 pound bike, I have no desire to ship it back. I rode it to a bike shop, Around the Cycle in Pasadena, CA. This bike shop technician investigated the bike. He: - manually bent the deraileur back in shape - reapplied tension to the cable - optimized the b-screw placement He advised me: - The deraileur was out of allignment - Misalignment in gears/chain leads to premature wear I am seeking compensation for the: - Bike shop service - Premature wear on the chain & cassette - Bent deraileur The bike works now, but I do like paying full price for a new unfinished product. Sondors is now unresponsive and blaim logisticss for any damage. An acceptable outcome would be replacment (parts/$): - Cassette - Chain - Deraileur + shop cost ***** This would make up for the damaged parts sent to me. Issues with logistics should be addressed by Sondors.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/21) */ SONDORS is currently working with said customer on requested items. However, it has been determined with documentation that the SONDORS Rockstar was operational and the parts requested by said customer were extras for back up. Quality control is something our business takes very seriously. Regarding the service repair invoice; reimbursement of a percentage will be applied and our team is reaching out to the customer to make sure he agrees with our terms. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/07/28) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.) I accept this solution because it does solve my issue. Although here are a few important details they dismiss in their resolution: Highly Advise to Read in Detail 1. The company stated the bike was in working condition when it arrived, and they shipped back-up parts. Truth: The bike was working, after excessive modification including 20+ hours of assembly and personal research. Although it was "working" it was very far from 100% new. The bike rides as if it were used or not in "new condition." 2. The company does not tell you parts were damaged during shipping and they did not take responsibility. I was told shipping is not their responsibility, so I did not know who to contact for a resolution. (Therefore contacting the BBB) Furthermore, I was provided with free shipping. I did not coordinate the logistics for pay for the delivery. 3. The damaged parts on the bike, lead to premature wear of connecting items. This was unfortunate. 4. The company does not always follow through on what they say they will do. One of the hardest things I experienced was a bike (assembly required), that did not include any manual or instructions inside of the box. I was told I would be emailed a pdf manual of my bike. It never came... What was included was an assembly video received via email and hosted in VIMEO. This assembly video did not match the packaging of the assembly parts I received. Also this assembly video was not a current representation of the parts I received. In general here are the good vs bad points I would like to advise future buyers about this company. The good: - High quality and durable bike - As of 1-2 months of riding, this bike holds together through rough terrain - The bike aesthetic design is highly desirable - Lower price than known brand name competitors The bad: - No assembly instruction or product guide - Expect technical customer service to be poor to bad - What you receive is not always exactly what you thought you were buying (due to changes in the product and not advising current customers - they make changes, but don't tell you until you have an issue) - You will be on your own after you give your credit card number for the sale In general: I do like and very much enjoy the bike, after countless phone calls to the company, emails to technical, videos and pictures sent to SONDORS, and personal and bike shop professional extra modifications were made to get the bike back to 100%. I'm happy now, but I wish I would have read other reports on the BBB. This company had a F rating. I ignored this since the sales representative was very hard working and helped me with all my questions. My hope is you read this and make the best decision for you. I may or may not buy a SONDORS bike in the future. What would I do in the future? Likely I would go with a cheaper alternative since I had so many quality issues anyways if I wanted a low cost product. If you are looking for high quality, great knowledge source, and superb customer service, I'd go elsewhere. Hopefully by the time you read this review, SONDORS has increased quality in these areas. They have a smart team and are more than capable of doing so quickly, since their bike design works. The additional money you save will be more costly than the additional hassle that may or may not come with your Sondors product. My hope: That SONDORS takes this comment seriously and implements measures to improve the business in customer relationship seriously. In no means am I trying to harm SONDORS. Doing business is difficult, but I believe customer focus should be at the core of any business. I am trying to give honest and detailed feedback to both business and potential buyers, so both parties can be better informed and work towards a great win-to-win experience. Best of luck to everyone. - The company SONDORS - Future e-bike customers

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/15/2022

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I became interested in ******* metacycle in September 2021 after watching some YouTube videos about their concept bike. I went ahead and purchased two of them for ******* dollars. I was given the impression that they were going to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022. In December of 2021 I received a notification from ******* saying that the delivery is delayed. In April of 2022 I started to get frustrated, and I asked ******* how to get my money back. No-one ever replied. In June of 2022 I started to see new videos of the updated ******* metacycle and thought it looked very different from its original form. I didn't like the way it looked. After discussing it with my wife we decided to continue with the purchase and use the bikes as a base from which we can build our own bike that would look closer to the concept bike. We contacted ******* and asked them to confirm the delivery date and they stated that they didn't have enough bikes to fill their current orders and that they were only sending out the first ***** bikes and that I would have to wait for the next shipment from China. To date I don't have any information on which the next shipment of bikes from China will come. As of today - ********** I have been waiting 9 months since my purchase for a bike. I don't know why I was lied to or led to believe that I would be receiving a bike at the beginning of this year when it will most likely be next year before I get my order. In my opinion ******* is a dishonest company, and the public should be aware of this before doing business with them. If you have your own negative story about ******* please let me know in our blog and consider placing a BBB complaint. Hopefully if enough people complain then maybe there will be a change.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/06/17) */ Said customer was given options for cancellations and benefit of their SONDORS order. We never received an affirmative final decision on refunds -- only a previous request. Refunds must be processed carefully with clear approval from the customer. We'll work with said customer on this. However, we advise that customer is promoting a scam site in attempts to defame SONDORS with orders and sent us request for approval of this site. Which are denied as unethical. BBB should take into consideration our resolution with this customer but not tolerate promotion of blogs which defamation registered businesses as a breach in policy. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/06/23) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) according to the webster's dictionary the definition of a scam is a dishonest scheme; I feel like this is my case because I paid $****** Dollars and was not told that my bikes would not be ready with the first order and there is no current projection when the second orders will be ready. To add insult to injury they didn't even tell me this until around 9 months after the original order. I was given the false impression that the order would be fulfilled by the first courter of 2022. I feel like this is dishonest and by not telling there customers this vital information by definition is a scam.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've purchase a ************** from Sondors on Jan 24 2022. The bike was delivered on March. I used the bike for three days and the rear wheel gave out. The freehub body was not engaging the rear hub when pedaling. After doing research, its a common problem with ebikes if the manufactures uses 3 pawl freehub body vs a more sturdy Sprocket hub body to withstand the heavy torque output. I contacted support and submitted a video as request by *************. He then agreed with the finding of the video and ordered me another rear wheel. On April i decided to reach out to Sondors as ask for a status on the rear wheel. I was told 2 to 3 weeks estimate by ************. On Monday 5/9 ( approaching two months ) I contacted Sondars again for an update. I spoke to ********* who proceeded to state that i will be contacted later that day from someone in parts dept for a better understanding of the delay. Tues 5/10 I was not contacted and called again. This time i asked for a supervisor and spoke to ***. He apologies for my inconvenience and stated that i would be contacted by a person named ***** in the parts dept. I proceeded to offer purchasing a comparable rear rim from a reputably company and informed Mr *** reimbursement for trying to find a solution when its clearly Sondors responsibility for a faulty product they sold me. Mr *** took note of my solution and promised i will be contacted shortly. As of today 5/13 (Friday) i was not contacted. I call once again and spoke to Mr ****. I stated i demand a full refund. He informed me i was to be contacted by a person from that dept with instructions. No one has called me. I would like a refund from my purchase, time, and aggravation upon this matter. I'm afraid the refund process will be a long and dragged out process giving how Sondors lacks communication and customer intimacy.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/01/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/25) */ We appreciate the feedback and insight provided by said customer on their experience. We will reach out to said customer via phone and via our support email to work toward a proper resolution. Consumer Response /* (2000, 7, 2022/05/31) */ (The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)