Failures at Drive Electric

[disappointed]

I'm bummed. Was psyched to get my car for a great spring and summer. All I have gotten are unreturned emails, calls and empty promises from those who get stuck on the phone with me. Every month its a different dance. I just checked the website and they even screwed up the color on the theoretical car. what happens when they eventually show up with the wrong car? is t his legal? What to do?

[roady89]

We've been round and round with that deal. Your gut feeling is probably right. We have watched the whole thing unfold and its pretty ugly really. I feel for the people who still haven't gotten their carts, more than 6 months is plain ridiculous. Then there is the quality issues.....but hey, it was FREE right.....

[gornoman]

The carts are Chinese manufactured and final assembly happens in California. The reports so far speak of terrible assembly, loose bolts, dead circuits, grinding rear ends, crappy stereos, poor roof designs, and on and on. Parts are not the same from week to week, motors get hot, etc. DE has been on the burner for 8 months now and it isn't getting any better other than 1 ray of sunshine - carts ARE being delivered to customers. They are the worst retail operation I have ever witnessed. I could go on, but what's the point? Good luck when yours arrives. Plan on tightening everything you can reach, and be prepared to troubleshoot your own issues.

[disappointed]

After all those commercials did you know the car isn't even street legal to drive without buying a compliance package?

You mention all of these problems - is there a good place to go where I can hear from others that have had such issues?

[roady89]

Originally Posted by disappointed

After all those commercials did you know the car isn't even street legal to drive without buying a compliance package?

You mention all of these problems - is there a good place to go where I can hear from others that have had such issues?

Yea, and they came out with a kit YOU HAD TO BUY to meat state requirements....but were advertised as legal. Just plain ridiculous. There were any topics here but they have mostly been hidden from the zone TROLLS. At one time, there was mention of a "cancellation fee" that IMO, more than covered the price of the cart. Dont know about now because it seems they changed the agreement after the fact......then theres the warranty.....which is covered by the MFG of the components....have you ever tried getting warranty from your typical Asian country? Good luck with it, hope your luck is better than others.

[SpoiledRotten]

The free cart deal was one of those things that is described perfectly with the statement "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is". When the government gets involved, things usually go sour. Another example was the free housing for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The government supplied those free travel trailers and the users ended up in court due to formaldehyde in the building materials that made many people sick.

[dr.gib]

After a 228 day wait, I finally got my Zone vehicle today. It looks good and the initial drive around the neighborhood went okay. Maybe after a long wait, I got lucky with a decently assembled model.

[herbsgolfing]

I got my cart in three months. Wrong color but that was okay. It was suppose to be ready to play golf with. No bag carrier, no sand bottles, no ball washer and no split windshield as ordered. The first carrier they sent would not fit and they new it. Said they sent the wrong one by accident. When I asked about the proper one it had to be custom made. 4 more weeks waiting. The carrier came but you couldn't get the clubs out of the bag because the roof over hung in the back to far. I called, they said move the roof forward 9 inches. Now I can't find a rain cover for it. Radio never worked, only static. Found out the antenna was broken. The instruction booklet was only written in chinese. I went to best buy to get it fixed. They couldn't figure out the problem and called the mfg. they were told that unit was only sold in china. We could get US channels. Bought my own and sent theirs back. very hard people to deal with. Oh and the cart rides like a Truck. very rough on the course, beats the heck out of you. Let most of the air out of the tires and it rides a little smoother.

[gornoman]

Originally Posted by herbsgolfing

I got my cart in three months. Wrong color but that was okay. It was suppose to be ready to play golf with. No bag carrier, no sand bottles, no ball washer and no split windshield as ordered. The first carrier they sent would not fit and they new it. Said they sent the wrong one by accident. When I asked about the proper one it had to be custom made. 4 more weeks waiting. The carrier came but you couldn't get the clubs out of the bag because the roof over hung in the back to far. I called, they said move the roof forward 9 inches. Now I can't find a rain cover for it. Radio never worked, only static. Found out the antenna was broken. The instruction booklet was only written in chinese. I went to best buy to get it fixed. They couldn't figure out the problem and called the mfg. they were told that unit was only sold in china. We could get US channels. Bought my own and sent theirs back. very hard people to deal with. Oh and the cart rides like a Truck. very rough on the course, beats the heck out of you. Let most of the air out of the tires and it rides a little smoother.

Originally Posted by roady89

Then there is the quality issues.....but hey, it was FREE right.....

Same old story, over and over again. I suggest you chat them up on Facebook and see what they have to say.

[dougmcp]

These carts although based on a golf cart chassis were not designed for the course, they were sold as an LSV. Most of the items sold to convert to golf were mostly afterthoughts. They and all of the Chinese carts ride like a truck because they were made with rear springs designed for a 6 passenger cart.