Thanks for that clarification. Let me guess; you're a lawyer ;-) I mean that only in jest, you're clarification is very useful and a distinction I'd never thought of. If and when I do use an ESC for an eBike purchase, I'll double check to verify,hopefully in writing, that the whole cost of the bike, or repairs is indeed covered.
A problem with mail order bikes,especially the low end ones, is that local bike shops don't want to work on them. Maybe they'll work on the analog bike parts like brakes,handlebars etc, but they don't want to touch the electrical systems.
I haven't looked yet, but if returning the whole bike is a requirement to take advantage of the ESC, WalMart might be a good online place to purchase since a faulty bike could hopefully be returned to a local store. Again, I'll look into it further if I go that route.
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Brewerpaul - You bring up a good point about Local Bike Shops (LBS) sometimes being reluctant to work on low-end E-Bikes. An item to add to one's shopping/purchase criteria should be an e-Bike that has components, including drive components, sourced from a reputable or widely used manufacturers. Point about buying through a vendor with a better customer service rep is also good.
I can understand the reluctance to service some of the low-end e-Bikes can relate to designs and components that can be a bit sketchy, warranty compensation from less-known manufacturers - slow to non-existant, and the required repair parts difficult to come by or not available at all. Of course that's a legit upgrade/upsale opportunity for the LBS for new, better components if the customer is willing to pay for them.
As an example, Bafang, could be considered more reputable than most due to the volume of units produced and sold world wide, even though they are offshore they do have USA component sales. Luna Cycle on the west coast is/was an e-Bike pioneer and also sells Bafang, Luna is well regarded by many. The Bafang systems are relatively straight forward in design, while not perfect, keeps making design upgrades, and there is identifiable parts and component support. There is also a lot of troubleshooting and repair information on the web, so you could also get parts/make upgrades, or repairs in the event there was no willing LBS, warranty, or ESC coverage. Just a thought...
BTW, I'm not a lawyer but a very experienced consumer. Were I younger, I'd add a law degree to my wall of sheepskins ;-).
Ride On!
