The Return Process Changed My Opinion of Himiway
I purchased a Himiway D5 Cruiser 2.0 expecting to enjoy it for years. Instead, what followed was several months of frustration trying to resolve what I believed to be a battery-range issue. When I first reported that I was getting significantly less range than I expected, I wanted to return the bicycle. Instead, I was encouraged to continue testing it to determine whether the battery was functioning properly. The problem is that the only practical way to evaluate battery range is to ride the bike, yet every mile accumulated while following Himiway’s recommendations made returning it increasingly difficult under their return policy. Over the next several months, I worked primarily with Leon trying to reach a reasonable solution. During that time I was presented with a series of offers, but every meaningful option required additional time, money, or both on my part. Among the proposals were: • Purchase a larger 20Ah battery at 50% off. • Accept a 10% refund and still purchase a larger battery. • Pay approximately $100 to send my battery in for testing, while being without the bicycle during that process. • Wait for an open-box replacement battery that might become available. • Accept a free replacement battery only after months of unsuccessful negotiations. • Return the bicycle while paying approximately $300 in return shipping and, initially, a 50% restocking fee before that fee was eventually waived. None of those proposals addressed what I had originally requested: the opportunity to return a bicycle that I did not believe was performing as expected. Every proposed solution required me to spend more money, wait longer, or assume additional risk. After months of going back and forth without a meaningful resolution, I finally involved both Affirm and the Better Business Bureau. Only then did the negotiations begin to move. Within about a week of BBB involvement, Himiway’s position changed significantly, additional concessions were made, and a larger partial refund was offered. Ultimately, I accepted the partial refund—not because I was satisfied with the outcome, but because after everything I had experienced, I no longer felt comfortable shipping the bicycle back and relying solely on Himiway’s inspection to determine whether I would actually receive the agreed refund. Right or wrong, after months of unsuccessful negotiations, I simply no longer had confidence in that process. Today, the bicycle has only 88 miles on it, nearly all of which were accumulated while testing the battery at Himiway’s direction. It has not been ridden since early April and is now being sold so I can recover the remainder of my investment and purchase from a company I have greater confidence in. My biggest takeaway from this experience is the return process. In my opinion, it made returning the bicycle nearly impossible in a battery-range situation. The only way to determine whether the battery was performing as expected was to ride and test it, but every mile accumulated while following Himiway’s recommendations worked against my ability to return it. I found myself in a Catch-22: I had to ride the bicycle to evaluate the battery, but riding it made a return increasingly difficult. If you’re considering purchasing a Himiway bicycle, I strongly encourage you to do your research, carefully read and understand the return policy, and compare it with other manufacturers before making your decision. I also recommend reading both positive and negative customer experiences so you understand what the process may look like if something doesn’t go as planned. I appreciate that Himiway eventually made concessions, but I remain disappointed that it took several months, numerous unsuccessful proposals, and the involvement of both Affirm and the Better Business Bureau before any meaningful resolution was offered. Had the same flexibility and urgency been shown when I first reported the issue, I believe this entire experience could have been resolved months earlier.