addmotor - Reviews and experiences

I wrestled the crate into my garage, wiped a bit of packing dust off the frame and thought, okay, this might work. Before buying I was on the fence — photos looked solid, the three-wheel idea made sense for stability, and I’d read a few decent-sounding posts. Still, I was worried about build quality and spare-parts availability. Those doubts didn’t just linger, they ended up being the main story.

I paid over $2,000 months ago for an AddMotor SPYTAN e-trike that was supposed to arrive fairly soon, and I'm still waiting. What started as mild impatience turned into a weird mix of disbelief and annoyance. The strangest part — and the thing I keep going back to when I tell people about this — is that one of their official reasons for delay was an "upgrade" they decided to add: a little wooden board in the front basket so a tiny dog can ride along. Seriously. That's the thing they say is holding up production. I didn't order that. I never wanted that. I don't have a dog that would fit on it, and even if I did, a little wooden plank in front of a moving trike sounds sketchy safety-wise. It just doesn't compute. I can almost picture some product meeting where someone thought, "People love dogs, let's slap wood on the basket," and then they announce to customers that all pre-orders are delayed. Not great. The communication has been patchy from the start. After the initial purchase, there was radio silence for weeks. When I reached out, they'd say there's a delay, not their fault, new estimated delivery mid-to-late May. May came and went, no trike, no tracking, nothing. I bugged them again and then they said mid-to-late June, again blaming an "upgrade." I asked, more than once, why the continual delays and whether any SPYTANs had actually been shipped to a customer. Their reply: no, none delivered yet. They uploaded new photos to their website showing the "upgraded" trike — you can see the tiny pooch perched on the wooden board, leash tied to the bike. That image alone felt absurd and a little tone-deaf. Would anyone actually tie a dog's leash to their bike? Maybe some would, but I don't think it's a great idea or widely requested. The other thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the tone of their chat support. Their messages were vague and oddly worded, like they were trying to stall for time. I saved the transcripts because it looked like I was chatting with a bot or someone reading from a script. The answers were unhelpful, sometimes broken English, often repetitive, like they hoped I'd give up. That matches a few other accounts I read online. To be fair, a couple of reviewers said they'd had good experiences with AddMotor, and hey, good for them. I don't want to paint everyone with the same brush. But my experience matches other frustrated buyers: money taken, product not delivered, and communication that leaves you more confused than reassured. There's also a practical concern: prepaying for a product and waiting months gives a company a lot of float — interest, loans, whatever. It makes me uncomfortable to think they might be sitting on a pile of customer money while not producing anything. I don't want to get conspiratorial, but it's a real worry when timelines stretch with odd excuses like pet platforms. I mentioned one previous good experience with a different e-bike company where delays happened but they were upfront, sent regular updates, and delivered within a reasonable adjusted window. That difference — transparency and steady communication — is what matters. AddMotor hasn't shown that so far. Emotionally, it's wearing. At first it was just annoyance: okay, delays happen. Now it's a mix of irritation and a bit of distrust. I had plans around having that trike: outdoor errands, a road trip, a gift idea turned into a scheduling mess because I'm counting on something that hasn't materialized. I get that manufacturing is complicated, supply chains are wild lately, and companies pivot their features, but as a paying customer I don't want surprise "upgrades" forced into my order months after I paid. If they wanted to add a pet plank, fine — make it optional for new buyers. But don't delay everyone without consent. Also worth flagging: the Better Business Bureau rating for AddMotor popped up in a search and it wasn't flattering. That didn't make me feel better. I'm considering next steps — a formal complaint, asking for a refund, maybe connecting with other buyers to see who else is stuck. I don't want to go nuclear right away, but I'm not going to be passive. If you're thinking of ordering from them, just be cautious. Ask direct questions about shipping dates, refund policies, warranty, and whether you're being charged interest-bearing prepayment. Keep screenshots and chat logs. I can't recommend them based on my experience so far. There's a sliver of hope — maybe they actually will deliver and maybe other people already got theirs — but until I have a trike in my driveway, I'll keep telling the story like this: paid up front, promised soon, met a wooden dog board, and still waiting. If you had a different experience, tell me — I'd genuinely like to know someone got a normal, timely delivery. Because right now it feels like we're being strung along, and that stings more than I expected.