The platoon continues to grow and so does his pains

“They have a lot to offer, but I don’t appreciate how they treat a good portion of their members,” Ms. Stier said. He sold his bike after receiving it, said Ms Stier, disappointed by the quality and overall experience with the company. He bought another brand.

Since last fall, Peloton has recognized logistical problems in keeping up with demand for its motorcycles, which start at $ 1,895 and are equipped with a display showing subscription training classes. The nine-year-old company has cited growing demand, shipping floats, especially to ports, as bicycles are transported to the U.S. from overseas manufacturers and weather disruptions. Pressures have not calmed down, as demand continues to rise from people wanting to exercise at home amid Covid-19.

“It’s hard to scale a company quickly during a global pandemic,” Peloton chief executive John Foley said in November.

The company, which reports financial results Thursday afternoon, expects sales of at least $ 3.9 billion for the June 30 final year, more than double the previous year. Its share price has risen 30% in the last three months and quadrupled a year ago, driven by a growing legion of bicycle owners and investors, who go to social media to defend and defend the company.

It is unclear what percentage of orders are affected by delays. Still, months of waiting times for Peloton bikes and treadmills are a common chill on social media and the company warns consumers about delays before making a purchase. A common annoyance based on social media posts and complaints to the Better Business Bureau: Customers receive a delivery date that is a few weeks or months away, and delivery is only canceled within hours of the scheduled arrival. Rescheduled dates may have months off.

Another complaint is that customers who fund a Platoon are paying, sometimes for months, before receiving their bike.

“They take the money from us, they don’t deliver a bike and then they keep selling and delivering new bikes to new customers,” said Laurie Donnelly, who canceled her order after hers was delayed at the last minute and the new date ended months. He was angry to see the accounts on social media of people receiving bicycles in much shorter windows and for the different explanations given by the company for the delay.

Peloton said it provides full refunds to anyone who wants them.

“Unfortunately, there are a number of port and pandemic issues out of our control that can affect our delivery schedule, and we are doing our best to ensure that affected customers have new delivery dates as soon as possible. said a Platoon spokeswoman.

He said the company “allows customers in most areas to schedule a convenient delivery date and time,” adding that inventory and delivery issues can lead to delays.

BMO analyst Simeon Siegel said Peloton could end its ability to thrive amid these logistical turmoil. “Before Covid, there were no big competitors that were largely funded, now there are more rivals that have secured a significant amount of capital,” he said.

Manufacturers in many industries have suffered production and delivery problems during the pandemic, and Mr. Siegel said that a year later, consumers are much more tolerant of the long wait times of coveted products. “It’s one thing not to have the units, but having so much mismatch in deliveries is what triggers so much frustration,” he said. “It’s a classic indication of a company that grew faster than its infrastructure.”

Peloton agreed in December to acquire commercial fitness equipment supplier Precor Inc., which will provide the company with additional manufacturing capacity in the United States.

The problems have given birth to potential angry customers. Some 10,000 people have joined a Facebook group dedicated entirely to delays in Peloton, while the Better Business Bureau has registered more than 1,100 complaints about the company over the past year.

In December, Ms. Stier, of Bellingham, Washington, began surveying people on Peloton’s Facebook delivery page and analyzing numbers using a Google data collection tool with the goal of tracking patterns and convincing the Peloton executives who had serious problem.

He recently presented his findings to a group of investors hosted by a stock analyst who follows the company.

“I started out frustrated,” he said. “Now I’m doing more to answer my own questions.”

Write to Sharon Terlep to [email protected]