Focus Jam2 LTD Charging problem

[BigFoot]

Steve
2 question?
What are your serial numbers?

And what are the rubber bands, rubber ties that come in the Tec battery pack?

 

[highpeakrider]

The rubber ties just allow you to fasten tools etc when the water bottle mount is used.

 

[steve_sordy]

Excellent stuff BigFoot. I have sent a copy of your posts to the bike shop that is dealing with this. They of course currently have no way of replicating the 0degC conditions.

 

[BigFoot]

Excellent stuff BigFoot. I have sent a copy of your posts to the bike shop that is dealing with this. They of course currently have no way of replicating the 0degC conditions.

Please put the tec pack battery in the refrigerator or freezer once it is below 10% or fully depleted and then charge with your charger that would be close.

Can you send the serial numbers of both your chargers to see if there’s a pattern

 

[steve_sordy]

Please put the tec pack battery in the refrigerator or freezer once it is below 10% or fully depleted and then charge with your charger that would be close.

Can you send the serial numbers of both your chargers to see if there’s a pattern

A freezer! Excellent suggestion! I'll pass it on.

I don't have the serial numbers of either charger as they are both with the LBS.

 

[steve_sordy]

The good news is that for the first time, the LBS (JE James in Sheffield) has confirmed that there is definitely a problem! I told them that it's not just me and that Focus should take this seriously.

I related the tale of the new Speccy Levo and its motor bunging up with muck, and also noisy motors. That Speccy responded to the Forum and had a representative. That representative was very helpful to Speccy I'm sure in managing the issues and damping down alarmist posts before it got out of hand. The LBS guy I was talking to said that Focus will not do this and that Speccy have been told not to do this in Europe. So the Speccy person who has been responding to this Forum may be in the USA.

The LBS are still testing the charger and have come to the same conclusion that BigFoot has done. That may have been helped by my emailing his suggestion, but I suspect not. All week they have been trying various combinations of warm/cold charger with warm/cold bike with different chargers. Apparently they have an unheated and un-insulated area of their shop and it gets cold. So, not zero then! I reminded him about the fridge idea. They are producing a report for Focus. I will keep you informed as and when I get any new info.

 

[OldBean]

For what it is worth my Jam is a 2017 model and the charger is 4A
Never had any problem .even during the cold spell , garage about
0 degrees. .he says crossing everything and touching much wood

 

[billwarwick]

It seems amazing that Focus are not all over this . Don’t they realise that lots of people come onto these forums looking for advice about which bike to buy . A quick read of this thread, and that would be Focus off the list.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I did ask in an earlier post if anyone knew why Focus pulled out of the US last year.
The US consumer is notorious for giving a manufacturer a kicking if they are found lacking or unresponsive if things go wrong.
Just saying.

 

[R120]

Well Levos's sell like hotcakes in the US and they are the most problematic bike out there

 

[steve_sordy]

Well Levos's sell like hotcakes in the US and they are the most problematic bike out there

Consumers are fickle!

 

[Peaky Rider]

Well Levos's sell like hotcakes in the US and they are the most problematic bike out there

Well maybe they're not "lacking and unresponsive" like some are finding Focus.

 

[steve_sordy]

I remember being told by the Customer Service guru at the company I worked for at the time: "It is not the problem itself, it how you deal with it that makes the difference."

We all know that problems can happen, I'm sure that even Rolls Royce get a problem from time to time, but if you are given short shrift, that maybe the last roller you ever buy. Contrariwise, even RyanAir have discovered that a little bit of genuine Customer Service can go a long way.

Companies that take quality seriously and deal with customer complaints as an opportunity to impress and to convert, rather than as a problem to be minimised or made to go away at zero cost, will always do better. I have never run a business and had to face the bank manager every week, but as a wage slave with some small influence in the company I worked for, I always stuck to the ethical approach as being the best way to do business. It contributes to my puzzlement as to why Focus are not "all over this" (quoting another forum member).

 

[highpeakrider]

I remember being told by the Customer Service guru at the company I worked for at the time: "It is not the problem itself, it how you deal with it that makes the difference."

We all know that problems can happen, I'm sure that even Rolls Royce get a problem from time to time, but if you are given short shrift, that maybe the last roller you ever buy. Contrariwise, even RyanAir have discovered that a little bit of genuine Customer Service can go a long way.

Companies that take quality seriously and deal with customer complaints as an opportunity to impress and to convert, rather than as a problem to be minimised or made to go away at zero cost, will always do better. I have never run a business and had to face the bank manager every week, but as a wage slave with some small influence in the company I worked for, I always stuck to the ethical approach as being the best way to do business. It contributes to my puzzlement as to why Focus are not "all over this" (quoting another forum member).

Maybe it’s a minor problem in the U.K. and not a worldwide design issue like Specialized are facing?

 

[BigFoot]

I started this thread and I’m in the USA with a problem charger ,

My dealer LA Fly Rides got me two new chargers when I bought a tech pack, the new chargers work great .

 

[highpeakrider]

Well maybe they're not "lacking and unresponsive" like some are finding Focus.

Has anyone tried calling them?

In all other cases you can reach us via our contact form below or via the hotline (+494471 966-401745, from Monday to Friday from 10am to 5 pm CET).

 

[steve_sordy]

Progress report:
JE James in Sheffield (the Focus dealer) have had the bike for two weeks (I was on hols for one of them). They have done repeated tests on bike and charger. They are convinced that the charger is the problem. Low battery charge + cold charger = charge fail. This is whether the bike (ie the frame battery) is warm or cold. They had two batteries to play with and they swapped them over repeatedly and got the same result (both 4.5 Amp chargers).

They contacted Focus with the details and were told very clearly that Focus have a process to follow and they did not want to listen to what JE James had been doing. Focus have sent a new frame battery that they know is fault free. The new battery is to be installed and tested according to a Focus test regime. The mechanic told me that Focus are difficult to deal with and all he can do is to wait for the new frame battery checks to show the same faults and only then will he be able to get them to listen. (Personal note: I have dealt with many Germans and I can fully understand why Focus do not appear to be in listening mode; they have a test process designed by their experts and they must follow it! Otherwise what are experts for?)

I thought Focus would be only too keen to dump this problem on Shimano, whose name is all over the battery, motor and chargers. But in fact Focus are probably following a Shimano fault diagnostic. So if they don't follow it, they may not be able to hold Shimano responsible!

In the meantime, I have collected my bike because I want to ride it. JE James have given me a brand new charger that is the earlier model, ie the 4 Amp model. The bike is charging right now, but I would have expected that with the old charger, because it is warm.

When the new battery arrives from Focus, I will book in the bike for more tests. What an arse-ache! But I am doing this for all you Focus bikers out there. Also I don't want to be in a position where when if get the same problems again next winter, I don't want Focus to be able to say "well you didn't co-operate last year, so we can't help you!

It occurs to me that Focus owners in warm countries, or those that keep their chargers in the house will have experienced zero problems, even if they have a faulty charger. They must be wondering what all this is about. But let them take their bike away overnight in the colder weather and where the charging point is outside in the shed and they may discover the same problems.

Winter is fading now in the UK and we are unlikely to get much more cold weather, but in the meantime, keep your chargers indoors.

Another thing has occurred to me. The components being tested are all Shimano, why aren't other Shimano batteries/chargers having similar problems?

 

[Shaun]

Hi Steve,
Thanks for the update and hope your problem gets sorted ASAP.

 

[bissona]

Another thing has occurred to me. The components being tested are all Shimano, why aren't other Shimano batteries/chargers having similar problems?

Not so, neither the battery nor the charger are Shimano, or even Derby if I remember rightly. I'm sure the name of the actual battery manufacturer has been posted on here somewhere but, regardless, both of those components seem to be the weak links in the system. Not surprising given Shimano's reputation and the relatively cutting-edge nature of the bikes.

Console yourself that all other brands suffer issues too, some more worrying / serious than the cold/wet charging issue.

Good luck in your explorations and thanks, on behalf of all northern-European Jam2 owners, for sticking with it until it's solved!

 

[bissona]

A quick read of this thread, and that would be Focus off the list.

I'm not so sure. Both of the bikes on my shortlist had known issues (highlighted on this and other forums), but I was willing to roll the dice as the benefits outweighed the risk. As it stands I have had some charging issues with my Jam but I know it would take weeks/months to even try to resolve them 100%, and I didn't buy it for it to sit in a dealer acting as Focus's test mule.

The important distinction here being my issues are rare and / or have viable workarounds (bring it inside to charge when <10 degrees C) so it's not spoiling my enjoyment. Where it does have an impact is in recommendation, as I don't specifically recommend Focus bikes on the grounds that I don't need my friends bending my ear over buying a bike that doesn't work! On those grounds I guess there is a sales impact.

 

[highpeakrider]

My bike is dead.............
Cut out on a ride, dealer has diagnosed the problem as zero volts from the battery.
They suspect they have to return it to Germany and await a replacement.
The wait commences, I'm walking the Peak District rather than riding it..

 

[Peaky Rider]

Steve

In your update you advise to keep the charger inside in cold weather.
My charger was always inside in the warm.
What it didn't like was being asked to charge a cold battery and it had a bit of a hissy fit a couple of weekends ago when we had a bit of a cold snap where I live.
Otherwise, it is now behaving itself.

 

[Andy A]

I have just emailed Focus head office asking them to come on the forum and offer some help and customer service so let's see if they do!

 

[steve_sordy]

Not so, neither the battery nor the charger are Shimano, or even Derby if I remember rightly. I'm sure the name of the actual battery manufacturer has been posted on here somewhere but, regardless, both of those components seem to be the weak links in the system. Not surprising given Shimano's reputation and the relatively cutting-edge nature of the bikes.
...................

I didn't expect the actual manufacturer to be Shimano, but they are branded Shimano, not Focus. I am correct to deal with Focus as it is their package I bought. But Shimnao must carry some responsibility somewhere. As I said above, maybe Focus are following Shimano's test procedure.
Thanks for the good wishes and the thanks.

 

[highpeakrider]

I didn't expect the actual manufacturer to be Shimano, but they are branded Shimano, not Focus. I am correct to deal with Focus as it is their package I bought. But Shimnao must carry some responsibility somewhere. As I said above, maybe Focus are following Shimano's test procedure.
Thanks for the good wishes and the thanks.

Mines branded Derby Cycles.

 

[steve_sordy]

You are absolute correct! And so is mine!

I confess to being led astray by the label "...for Shimano E8000..."

I must do more checking!

 

[Russ]

My bike is dead.............
Cut out on a ride, dealer has diagnosed the problem as zero volts from the battery.
They suspect they have to return it to Germany and await a replacement.
The wait commences, I'm walking the Peak District rather than riding it..

I feel your pain , my battery is dead too, same problem , no voltage from battery . I'm still waiting on a new battery turning up, it's been nearly a month now since ordering . Not sure I will ever be confident in the bike when it does finally work again. Time will tell.
Russ.

 

[steve_sordy]

After today's session with JE James, I now know that a new battery from Focus takes ten days to arrive, if it's not delayed for some reason.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I feel your pain , my battery is dead too, same problem , no voltage from battery . I'm still waiting on a new battery turning up, it's been nearly a month now since ordering . Not sure I will ever be confident in the bike when it does finally work again. Time will tell.
Russ.

So much for German efficiency.
Would it really be asking too much for each dealer to keep a couple of batteries in stock just for such eventualities. I'm not blaming the LBS as Steve's dealings with J E James would suggest that Focus just do not trust their competence.

 

[Russ]

So much for German efficiency.
Would it really be asking too much for each dealer to keep a couple of batteries in stock just for such eventualities. I'm not blaming the LBS as Steve's dealings with J E James would suggest that Focus just do not trust their competence.

It will be one month tomorrow since ordering a new battery , still no word on arrival, dealers having any spares for these bikes seems to be non existent.
I think the 'JAM' In focus jam is abbreviated for ' just awaiting malfunction' ?