Peloton customers are complaining about months-long delivery delays, last-minute cancellations, and poor customer service, as the high-tech fitness company grapples with growing demand

• Peloton seen sales surge during the lockdown as consumers that have been unable to access gyms and fitness studios have invested in its $2,000 bike. It ended the most recent quarter with a 94% increase in subscribers.
• But recent reports indicate that its explosive growth may be taking its toll on other parts of the business.
• Dozens of customers have taken to Twitter and Peloton Facebook groups over the past few weeks to complain about delayed and canceled deliveries and poor customer service.

Peloton is one of the few consumer-focused companies that has not only survived during the coronavirus pandemic, but thrived.

Sales surged 66% in the first three months of the year as consumers, unable to access gyms, flocked online to invest in its $2,000 bike (the company has temporarily halted sales of its $4,000 treadmill until its safe to resume its in-home assembly service).

It ended the most recent quarter with more than 866,100 subscribers that have bought either the bike or the treadmill – a 94% increase from the year before.

But recent reports indicate that this explosive growth may be taking its toll on other parts of the business.

Dozens of customers have taken to Twitter and Peloton Facebook groups over the past few weeks to complain about delayed and canceled deliveries and poor customer service, something that Peloton had prided itself on in the past:

A spokesperson for Peloton declined to comment on the specific complaints and why some orders had been canceled but acknowledged the delivery delays (which according to its website can take anywhere between nine and 12 weeks) in a statement saying that it "appreciated the patience" of impacted customers and that it encouraged anyone experiencing issues to contact its Support team.

It also acknowledged these delays a letter to its shareholders at the start of May and said that it working with its manufacturers to accelerate the supply of goods but said that it didn't expect to improve order-to-delivery windows before the end of the next quarter, or June 30.

While most customers are understanding of delays, they are less understanding of the last-minute cancellations and say they feel let down by the customer service team and ultimately, want more transparency on what's happening with their orders.

'The lack of communication from the 'Delivery leadership team' is absurd'

Two first-time Peloton customers, Robert Brinkman and Jamie Marquis, both encountered similar issues with their Peloton bike deliveries this month.

Brinkman, who was scheduled to receive his new $2,000 bike between 10 a.m. and midday on June 2, told Business Insider that he received an email at 7 a.m. on the morning of June 2 saying that "due to extenuating circumstances" Peloton would not be able to complete the delivery. This email was seen by Business Insider.

Marquis received a near-identical email the night before her delivery was scheduled, saying that it had also been canceled "due to extenuating circumstances."

Both customers were told they would be contacted by a member of the Peloton delivery leadership team within 72 hours to reschedule the delivery. When neither heard back within the three days promised, they contacted customer services themselves.

"The rep told me that my ZIP code was in an area with protests and the deliveries were limited but could not give me any information," wrote Brinkman in an email interview with Business Insider. Brinkman was having his bike delivered to his home in Brookhaven a suburb outside of Atlanta. While Atlanta was under curfew, Brookhaven was not.

Four days later, he received an email saying that his delivery had been rescheduled to June 22.

"Please note no earlier dates are available," the email read. "Should this date and time not work for you, please reply to this email to coordinate with a member of our Delivery leadership team."

Brinkman said he replied to the email asking to speak with someone about the delivery. Two days later, he received a note back saying that this was the earliest date available with no additional explanation.

"The whole situation has been extremely frustrating," he said. "The lack of communication from the 'Delivery leadership team' is absurd," he added.

Marquis had a similar experience. When she reached out to Peloton to find out what was happening with her order, a customer service representative said the curfew in her area had reduced the number of daily deliveries drivers could make.

When Marquis pointed out that the curfew in her area was between 10 p.m and 4 a.m. and felt it should not impact deliveries, a customer service agent explained that it had to take into consideration that the person delivering her bike would be driving back to the warehouse and then home after.

She was most frustrated by their lack of response, however.

"Nobody ever called me, and it was beyond that 72-hour window when I received an automated email telling me that my delivery was rescheduled for June 15 between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m," she told Business Insider in an email interview. "I've reached out via their chat and email to try and get somebody to call me, but nothing has yielded a phone call to discuss the matter."

Three other customers that Business Insider spoke to said they also experienced poor customer service from the company – waiting for days to hear back about canceled deliveries and on issues with the equipment they had bought.

Others have complained about their experience with customer service on Twitter:

"I 100% am empathetic to the times and the strain on demand that they are experiencing," Marquis said. "However, they are hiding behind recent events as excuses, as opposed to transparency to the real problem, which is probably my biggest issue.

"I'd be a lot more understanding if they were honest, instead of issuing the same canned marketing responses."