Stark varg support is the worst

[jasonjm]

There is no phone number

There is no chat

Just emails where they take 3 days to respond always with excuses

My bike has been sitting for 1 month now at a dealer while stark does absolutely nothing about it except blame everyone else.

 

[jasonjm]

"
Thank you for your feedback.
We recognize that, in some cases, customer expectations may go beyond what is reasonably feasible, not necessarily justified by an issue our product may be experiencing, but rather due to individual perspectives. While we are committed to building a high-quality product, it is inevitable that it may experience issues at some point or another. If this type of experience is not acceptable to you, it may simply be that this product is not fit for you.
We remain dedicated to continuously improving our services and providing the best possible support engaging in constructive dialogues with our customers.
If there’s anything else we can do for you at this moment, please let us know. We'll provide you with an update regarding your bike once we have any.

Best regards,

Stark Future Team"

so the bike will not turn on, dead for 1 month so far, ive complained to them over the prior months im having battery issues, their response is that the issue isn't the bike, its my expectations........ or my perspective .

 

[F451]

"
Thank you for your feedback.
We recognize that, in some cases, customer expectations may go beyond what is reasonably feasible, not necessarily justified by an issue our product may be experiencing, but rather due to individual perspectives. While we are committed to building a high-quality product, it is inevitable that it may experience issues at some point or another. If this type of experience is not acceptable to you, it may simply be that this product is not fit for you.
We remain dedicated to continuously improving our services and providing the best possible support engaging in constructive dialogues with our customers.
If there’s anything else we can do for you at this moment, please let us know. We'll provide you with an update regarding your bike once we have any.

Best regards,

Stark Future Team"

so the bike will not turn on, dead for 1 month so far, ive complained to them over the prior months im having battery issues, their response is that the issue isn't the bike, its my expectations........ or my perspective .

That is one f-ed up response from them. Wow.

I can't believe they are letting their people send out communications like that. I worked in call centers for years in various roles, primarily training and training course development for customer service reps, tech support reps, sales and marketing staff. A communication like that would be a huge red flag for us and after discussions around not communicating like that, if it continued, that person would be let go.

If you haven't already done all this, my advice would be to try to communicate as calmly as you can and ask them for a status update, ask them next steps, ask them if there is anything you can do to move things along. Politely reminding them again how long your bike has been down.

They really should be bending over backwards to help you out.

I have heard that Stark does not pay out appropriately for warranty repairs to dealers so dealers do not do warranty work with any urgency, basically leaving the bikes to sit until they can get around to them. Not sure if this is true, or is just isolated to a few dealerships.

Stark's remote "we'll get back to you when we can" customer support with no direct phone calls is one of the things that has me hesitant to buy one. Although of course there are many that are getting good customer service and warranty support from them.

I'm sorry you are dealing with all this and I hope you get some resolution soon.

 

[jasonjm]

ive wasted 10 hours of my life so far trying to get my bike fixed. Calm is out the window unfortunately, i am just too frustrated. at this point id like to get a refund on the bike.

Stark recommended i take the bike to the dealer btw so they can troubleshoot it more easily / comfortably whatever they phrased it as. ive asked stark at least 5 times in writing to pick up the phone and call the dealer - the guys there are so easy to get hold of..... nope.... nada

the dealer is more frustrated than me btw, as soon as i went into the dealer with the broken bike they already rolled their eyes like ah shit another broken stark and now we have to deal with stark support, they warned me right at the start dealing with stark is a nightmare.

 

[F451]

ive wasted 10 hours of my life so far trying to get my bike fixed. Calm is out the window unfortunately, i am just too frustrated. at this point id like to get a refund on the bike.

Stark recommended i take the bike to the dealer btw so they can troubleshoot it more easily / comfortably whatever they phrased it as. ive asked stark at least 5 times in writing to pick up the phone and call the dealer - the guys there are so easy to get hold of..... nope.... nada

the dealer is more frustrated than me btw, as soon as i went into the dealer with the broken bike they already rolled their eyes like ah shit another broken stark and now we have to deal with stark support, they warned me right at the start dealing with stark is a nightmare.

That's outrageous. I wonder if there is a lemon law or some other type of relief you can get?

Again, good luck, I hope something can be worked out.

 

[jasonjm]

yes there is a law specifically that addresses when manufacturers refuse to honor warranties, ive used it before.

 

[Chadx]

To be fair, we have no insight into any of the communication leading up to that response. No excuse for that response, either way, but I imagine there were quite a few exchanges building up to that one. Ha.

Sitting for that long is really odd. Have only heard of one issue of a bike sitting that long and it was a combination of shipping, multiple parts replacement (entire battery, then entire battery and motor) and dealership dragging their feet.

Curious to hear more info on the issue, what Stark's first responses and attempts at solutions were, when the dealership got involved, how long the bike has been at the dealership, what they have tried to replace/fix, what parts have been involved or ruled out, etc. And, basically what Stark is saying regarding why it's not working and not being fixed in a timely manner. Or, have they actively been having dealership replace things and this is drawing out because of the time it takes to receive different parts and the dealership making time to install them?

 

[FYR]

To be fair, we have no insight into any of the communication leading up to that response. No excuse for that response, either way, but I imagine there were quite a few exchanges building up to that one. Ha.

Ditto. Something about all of this situation just smells... wrong.

 

[Chaconne]

I agree something doesn't sound right here and there is missing context. If I was the OP I would take the bike back to the dealer and demand they address this. It is unlikely that Stark would address the dealership directly it would more likely be the dealer rep.

There has always been a potential problem in having the direct channel and dealership model simultaneously --in the US at least-- and this seem like one of those cases. This model leads to problems with pricing, service, and communication and Stark isn't the only company having issues like this.

 

[chrismx72]

I agree something doesn't sound right here and there is missing context. If I was the OP I would take the bike back to the dealer and demand they address this. It is unlikely that Stark would address the dealership directly it would more likely be the dealer rep.

There has always been a potential problem in having the direct channel and dealership model simultaneously --in the US at least-- and this seem like one of those cases. This model leads to problems with pricing, service, and communication and Stark isn't the only company having issues like this.

It is the same for the UK. I took delivery for my bike in March 2024, 30mins after riding it at home the powertrain module failed. it took stark 3 days to get back to me, they connected to the bike and told me it was the power train failed, they would send me a new one and they gave me the option to fit it my self or have closest dealer to me fit it. I purchased the bike directly from Stark, this is where is got a bit complicated. I got in contact with the dealer and they didn't know anything about it, they also immediately got their back up because they couldn't see why my bike was their responsibility (which i did agree with) the dealer "at the time" wasn't being reimbursed for the hours work he was doing on my bike which he hadn't even sold me. Bare in mind this was very early days of stark. A few calls + Emails back and fourth with country manager and they got these hiccups ironed out. I assume this has now improved as is been well over a year.I now do all the work my self, its really not hard it just left me a sour taste in my mouth that id literally spent £11k on a bike which broke with in 30 mins of using it so i didn't think it was right for me to perform the work.... and the powertrain is a bit of a pain to fit.

I can sympathize with your frustrations, i come across rude at times, especially in a situation where iv spent my hard earnt money and im not getting what i was told i would get . I did keep my cool with them and to be honest they really have done what they said they would do in regards to the warranty , it is bloody annoying though, we all ride these bikes for "fun" and when you cant ride it starts to really irritate you especially after the amount they cost and the fact you have possibly paid track fees. Hang in there, try be as polite as you can be, end of the day the people who answer your email are employees they are not the designers or pocket the money from you personally they are just there to help and i for one wouldn't want to sit behind a computer every day and deal with a shed load of irritated motorcyclists.

 

[Foss]

This sounds like a dealership problem to me. Dealership is tucking this under the rug. I have first hand seen my dealership fix 3 starks at hand where the customer did not want to own the repairs theirselves.

As far as Stark support, they are following their workflows. If you want to take on the responsibilities of your repair you must meet their guidelines. If they find the issue to be within the warranty scope they will literally send you a brand new bike in pieces.

EDIT: Now that I think of it, I would not be surprised if there is a section in the contract which Stark and the dealership have agreed upon. Meaning, in order for the dealership to sell these bikes at their location, they must meet these expectations for repairs if a customer faces an issue. Now if this is a second hand bike this may not apply. I’d think authorized dealerships are bound to repair the issues in order to display and sell these bikes. If they refuse for any reason I would bring this to Starks attention.

Overall something does not sound right here, I need more context. I’d channel your frustration towards the dealership, but don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Starks customer service has been exceptionally above standards; from multiple stories here and elsewhere.

 

[Foss]

I added a bit more information on authorized stark dealerships contractual agreements thoughts.

If you do not have possession of the bike, I would let the authorized dealership establish the communication and address the issues. These dealerships have a point of contact that is assigned to them, which allows them more resources and addressing your bike.

If the dealership is not an authorized stark vendor and sold this bike secondhand I would look closely at the fine print and make sure they disclose this information to you before they sold it. That being said, they are also not authorized to repair your bike so this could be a possible finding which stark could argue and void your warranty if they are not well experience and trained in the repairs. But seeing you may have upset Stark, their warranty repairs can be at their discretion and may not sympathize with your situation.

 

[FYR]

"Overall something does not sound right here, I need more context. I’d channel your frustration towards the dealership, but don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Starks customer service has been exceptionally above standards; from multiple stories here and elsewhere."

I agree with Foss. If what you seek here is to legitimately obtain support/information/help from your Varg peers, or if you are trying to educate us with valid concerns and issues you are experiencing, then be honest and spill the entire story without the selective and negative twist.

 

[Chaconne]

On another thread I asked this same OP to post the dealer's name and got no response. It seemed to me since the OP was posting about Stark the dealer in question should be named as well. But the OP never did that which made suspicious about this whole story at least without more context.

 

[jasonjm]

I am not burning the dealer because of stark. End of story.

 

[Chaconne]

I am not burning the dealer because of stark. End of story.

How would you be burning a dealer who won't do your warranty work after selling you a bike? They should have a legit reason or not. They can't just cry it is Stark's fault and their dealer rep should be able to back up or deny any story they have.

The only way your dealer could get burned would be if they sold you a bike under false pretenses and they are getting exposed. Which TBH is what it sounds like. Otherwise a legit dealer should have no problem being named and standing by your story.

 

[jasonjm]

I am not even going to waste my time arguing with any of you. You all welcome to believe whatever you want. Makes zero difference in my life.

But wait until your bikes break I mean truly breaks so no remote diagnosis is possible., especially out of warranty.

Then you can come back here and tell us how your experience goes, you will figure out what it's like dealing with stark then.

 

[FYR]

I am not even going to waste my time arguing with any of you. You all welcome to believe whatever you want. Makes zero difference in my life.

But wait until your bikes break I mean truly breaks so no remote diagnosis is possible., especially out of warranty.

Then you can come back here and tell us how your experience goes, you will figure out what it's like dealing with stark then.

Every inquiry and suggestion here has been cast as an effort to understand how your situation developed and possibly help you towards getting it resolved. You choose to be unreceptive to that and unforthcoming with pertinent information.

If you do ultimately choose to pursue legal action against the manufacturer, I hope you will keep the forum posted on the progress and result of your case.

 

[jasonjm]

i paid on amex platinum for the bike, i just contested the entire charge - no idea if this will work or not, who knows. seems like my best option at this point.

I have no idea how i would pursue legal action since stark is in Spain it will be tricky.
the only way i can think of is to levy the judgement against their payment processor here in the USA, if you manage to get a USA judgement against stark.

an update to the dealer, I spoke to them at length today, they have now had 3 zoom calls with stark regarding the dead bike, they have gotten nowhere and the speculate stark seems to be doing everything possible to try avoid having to ship expensive parts to fix the bike, and the dealer is obviously irritated.

since i started complaining to stark of my bike being close to unusable in nov 2024 and dead in beginning of dec 2024, i still have no working bike, 3 months now.

when it worked it was the greatest dirtbike ive ever ridden. but at this point id rather own any bike that works

 

[UKLee]

I am not even going to waste my time arguing with any of you. You all welcome to believe whatever you want. Makes zero difference in my life.

But wait until your bikes break I mean truly breaks so no remote diagnosis is possible., especially out of warranty.

Then you can come back here and tell us how your experience goes, you will figure out what it's like dealing with stark then.

I share your frustration, seems much like me you tell it as it is.

I think it right to let others who might be considering buying a product I have got, how ownership is going, good, bad or indifferent but some just can not accept it I assume they think you are some kind of influancer for another brand. For what it is worth I think influancers are scum and should be taken outside and shot!

As I have said in other posts I think stark are stalling purposely to help soak up some of the warranty period, (or even get you to buy the parts to fix it yourself !!!) at first they seemed fast to send out new parts to fix problems but as that word is out and customers have some confidance in the warranty they are now turning it around in the hope that they did enough early on.

As you imply out of warranty could be hell, I can see what is going to happen now! "We can not connect with your stark but from the issue you discribe it usually turns out to be a issue with the drivetrain" Will be the standard reply which is exactly why you can only buy a complete drivetrain at £3200 not parts (except reduction gears and shaft kit) which is madness, like replacing the whole engine on your 450 because the stator coil packed up.

jasonjm keep up the good work and tell it as it is Ignore the haters, half of them use there starks as garage queens to show off this weeks latest graphics kit and bling so not suprising they never had any problems

​