Forum Discussion

Benscha's avatar
Benscha
Resourceful Rider
24 days ago

A glitch in the system

As i rebalance bikes for citibike, sometimes i end up being charged for taking an ebike when there are no available classic bikes. For short rides this doesnt amount to much money. But every now and then i take the trouble to call in or write to let them know and to ask to be credited the mistaken charge. Here is my response to lyfts latest response:

Oss

Youre missing the point. Im letting you know that your program is not working as it should. If a bike angel takes an ebike when there is no classic bike available, they're not supposed to be charged. I am well aware of the low assist option. If you had checked my profile you would have seen i had selected that option last year. 

Yesterday and today i rebalanced bikes for you but your system is not keeping track of it. 

I'm really not concerned about the $1.12 i was charged incorrectly. You are  nickle diming me instead of thanking me for making you aware of a glitch in the system. So now i will consider forgetting about being your bike angel. I have taken time to write you and call you about this situation. That i would calculate as worth $20 of my time. 

 

I dont think ill make the effort for you any longer.

citibike

3 Replies

  • Jess's avatar
    Jess
    Bike Angels Team
    22 days ago

    Hi, Benscha​, thank you for sharing your experiences here. I understand you have had some issues with the system recognizing when there are no classic bikes available, and that your support experience left you feeling unheard.

    Thank you for reporting things when they aren’t right, as other Angels have shared similar experiences regarding ebikes in the community. Looking at your support interaction, I can see the agent was confused about your root concern. I’m sorry we didn’t get it right this time.

    I hope you’ll return to the community to share your experiences with other Angels in the future. Community discussion helps us understand nuances of rider issues. If there are any rides that our team missed reviewing in your original interaction, feel free to reply here. We truly appreciate your efforts as an Angel and a reporter. 

    • mgai433's avatar
      mgai433
      Casual Commenter
      22 days ago

      It seems that there is a 1 minute delay built into the algorithm. So any bike docked or undocked will not show any thing on the app or system until a minute after. 

      whether this is intended as a way to account for other bugs, it doesn’t seem ethical since it will always result in deceptive overcharging automatically and customer service not only does not maybe know or understand but will actively penalize you for requesting too many refunds when it’s literally the most obvious provable bug penalizing the rider who is not at fault.

      And if it’s a busy station it can become a waste of time to just wait these 1 minute periods waiting for other people who are docking and undocking bikes 

      • Leslie52's avatar
        Leslie52
        Steady Solver
        10 days ago

        Yes, there can be a delay...but I have been charged for ebikes even when accounting for the delay and/or moving an ebike from an A spot to avoid the wait in order to access a traditional bike for a B spot.  The bikes are difficult enough to move around...but then to be charged on top of it all is extremely aggravating.  My old balance seems to be disappearing without my knowledge, despite the fact that I almost never borrow ebikes unless there are no traditional ones available and they are free.