Prius Battery Replacement Kit (GenII/GenIII) with NEW custom cells

Since qlak did not update all his posts as he said he would... What happened was that he ordered a battery. It was marked as shipped and delivered in our system. He uses a VPN and details don't match his order info, so was banned as a bot. Next I hear is him spamming the PriusChat forums on all posts about how I and my batteries are horrible. Within 2 days I was able to track down that his battery was delivered but he didn't get it. I then issued him a full refund which he received.

He has not updated his many posts or updated all the complaints he made. We are out an entire battery (that was lost/stolen) delivered to his address as well as the entire product price he paid which we refunded voluntarily. We still have shipping expenses, payment capture expenses, etc. The next time someone asks why things are so expensive nowadays, this is why. Over $3k out of my pocket because people steal. I believe he genuinely didn't get his battery because why else would he post so much. But it is not something we did wrong. We made it right 2 days after finding out about it and he hasn't corrected his many incorrect posts after taking the nuclear option.

Both are good options. Hopefully people live places where things don't get stolen all the time or have the good foresight to ship to a pick-up point that is manned. And if it is stolen, try not to blame the company. I am not out in the middle of the night taking packaging off the porch.

 

No we don't ship with insurance. Only when it is shipped to a store is a signature required which is a UPS rule for pickup not at the registered delivery address. And that is a GREAT suggestion to ship to a UPS store of you cannot have a secure area. I fully support that and recommend it anytime someone asks. This particular box was delivered outside the window where we could get any details past "delivered" or even instigate a claim ($100 max anyways) as it was over 3 months old and the window is 30 to 90 days depending on delivery. I'm not sure how to prove something was stolen or not delivered to a place we have no affiliation with. Generally when it happens I get an email or text that evening that "hey the package was delivered but I don't see it". Not months later.

Anyways, I wired him out of my pocket for what he was out pretty quickly, sorry if that isn't enough. Maybe he'll be back to explain. Maybe not. He received the funds before I even sent a message saying it was sent which was in like 10 minutes!

And that's part of the issue. We ship a lot of batteries. Almost nobody has an issue. Those that do, make a huge stink about it and usually very publicly. Some times it's our fault. Some times outside our control. If someone needs a battery we try to pack it up and ship it just as we did with your order (hopefully). The fact that you don't see a few thousand angry people means we have a pretty good success rate. And any issues that happen, I try to make right. For example I have shipped people Gen2 harnesses instead of Gen3 which is entirely my fault. Sometimes it happens, less than a handful ever, but hey. When it does, I overnight with early Saturday delivery if needed the proper harness. I've had people during install make huge mistakes and essentially weld 2 modules together with the wrong bus bar locations. Not only did we change the design so that doesn't happen anymore I overnighted modules for free to those customers too. I don't brag about all the stuff we do, but these are just examples of how when I am aware of a situation I try my best to make it right.

With individual orders, like one battery at a time, we're over 1000 people. Bulk orders are separate and are 50-100 packs at a time in most cases. It's very frustrating when we do 99.9% just fine and 0.1% go nuclear. This isn't my job. This is a side project to keep Prii on the road. I employed a couple people pre-pandemic to help out and I would unload tons, literally, of batteries monthly myself. Post pandemic it's all different and it's setup straight to consumer now. I don't answer the phone unless you have an emergency of some kind. Texts are usually responded to quickly if I'm not traveling. I've had mostly positive reactions to our phone message, some people that message us just to say they love it and we answer their question over text as should be normal in 2023.

Anyways, I'm sorry you feel that way, I just try to put out the details. I do not sugar coat things and people do find that abrasive. Glad your pack is working, it should continue to work for many years. We have numerous repeat customers so I take comfort that not everyone is offended by how we operate.

As for a general update, we have packs in stock at the factory now. If you order, as a few people have today, your order will get shipped via air freight to California or Ohio then loaded onto a UPS or FedEx ground truck to your door. Total time is about 10 days average. This means everyone is about 10 days out versus 2 to 5 days once we received and sorted locally which is the biggest shift from pre-pandemic. We are hoping this new direct method of shipping is more transparent and easy to follow than our bundling of orders via sea, air and ground previously.

I'm grateful that PriusChat exists for everyone. If there are things I can do to do better without consuming all my time or increasing the price even more, I will absolutely try to do it. I'm always grateful to receive feedback, harsh or praise.

 

It's $240/package for the insurance unfortunately. But if anyone wants it, I will gladly add it. I would suggest the UPS Store pickup. It's usually free, sometimes only $10. Goes to a manned location kept securely. Obviously more of a hassle to pickup but if your area has porch pirates, it's an excellent option.

Yes we send an email when shipped with a tracking number. It's automated. Label rate is calculated, pdf is generated, printed to paper, order status is updated, and tracking number is attached to order. It's one click.

 

They should route normally. Do you have a photo?

They don't bend so easily but some very mild warm air to heat them up a tad helps wonders with routing. Never too hot to touch, just generally warm

 

It's not ideal, but copper does bend. Some cables are shorter than others but yours seem to have enough slack to route out straight and wrap around? Or on top?

Yes he does. There are a few good posts. Generally routing them out straight is the best option. Some of them are a bit longer than usual and some are a bit short. If too long, you should get extra in the ecu area. If too short that's where you see some strain. It's just part of the tolerances of the OEM cable as that's one we do not replace unfortunately

 

For those that don't live in crime riddled areas it's just an annoyance. I get thousands of packages a year, no issues. If something ships to me signature required, I don't get it. I'm not ever there during delivery hours. Even the batteries I get come delivered freight with nobody there. And they (used to) get picked up by my awesome UPS man with nobody there. Everything is on camera and it's not individual people that you have to worry about where I am.

I strongly hate signature required delivery so no I won't be making that standard. The option is if you are somewhere that needs it, it can be added. Or ship to store.

 

Bit easier to see from this angle, but the wire has thick insulation and then a plastic sheath as well. It is meant to go in and around the metal casing. The internals of the battery vibrate mostly together. Meaning the wire vs metal wont be moving across themselves as much as you might think.

I wouldn't add foam as that is just a loose piece unless you can sandwich it somehow. But again, none of that is needed, it is designed to be that way.

 

I see where you're coming from but it isn't happening. I get lots of things much more valuable shipped without signature requirements. I absolutely won't make that a requirement. And again I am not changing my entire model because 1 person had a bad time with their neighbourhood when thousands of others have had no issue. For those who want to have a signature required, just ship it to a UPS store. It is usually free. Then you can pick it up anytime with only a 1 day delay.

Good suggestion.