Enthusiastic customers who helped boost the electric skateboarding company Boosted are now gathering to help each other with the collapse of the startup.
After the company announced in March that it had laid off almost all of its employees and was looking for buyers, customers and fans quickly flocked to r / boostedboards to start organizing.
Current (and some potential customers) customers of Boosted's electric skateboards and e-scooters have removed subcomponents with tips and tricks on the best way to fix and maintain their products. One user started a shared Google Drive to host the owner's manual and other reference material and is considering opening a service center. Another company has launched a new potential business to offer the kind of electric motor repair that Boost was free of charge.
It's a support show reminiscent of what happened after Fitbit bought and died the crowdfunding smart watch company Pebble. Boosted like Pebble is a good comparison as it is one of the kickstarter's biggest hardware success stories. And the time has come when a handful of people left in the company left dozens of customers with radio silence. In the dark For pending orders and repairs
California-based entrepreneur Alex McInturff said he would apologize for $ 1,500 back to his wife the first time he boarded his neighbor's Boosted board two years ago. He couldn't find a fast and long board that uses electric motors and belt drive systems to reach speeds of over 20 miles per hour. McInturff also said he was stunned by quality.
“I'm a dirt biker, but I've been a skateboarder all my life,” he says. The budge. “When I bought one of these, I was able to tell. very Other products, and it very It's a different market than a typical skateboard. ”
Founded in 2012, Boosted prides itself on making "vehicle-class" quality electric longboards. However, in the early days, small startups focused entirely on the board, and nothing else. So McInturff decided to establish a company that makes the best accessories for the board. "Most people who buy a car want to customize it," he said. "And when you want to put your butt on a long board, you need to mount bigger bearings, bigger wheels, and more."
McInturff said the business called eBoardStuff did pretty well. However, when Boosted announced layoffs and sales, there were no clear plans for boards, especially those who needed motors. McInturff said, "Sacred garbage, no one will do this anymore."
So he decided to do it himself with a $ 100 pop. Boost didn't have a market because it had done these repairs for free before. But as soon as Boosted disappears, we need it now. ”
He posted the news on Instagram and Reddit and said the immediate response was surprisingly positive. “People are crazy about it. McInturff said. One Reddit user said, “Motor repair costs are $ 100. Not bad. You only need to send a few for backup. ”Was it $ 100 to repair the motor? McInturff now says it will open a "full service electrical board repair facility" by the end of May.
McInturff is only dealing with specific requirements, at least for now. However, anyone who wants more general information about the Boosted board can switch to the “Save Boosted” project, a shared Google Drive shared by Fear_Shock_1 users. We have already collected instruction manuals for all Boosted products (multilingual), safety and compliance documents, usage and other documents.
Fear_Shock_1, who requested a referral in the name of Michael, is originally from Hong Kong The budge After moving to England, he discovered the lack of public transportation, and then fell into the boost community. However, Michael quickly discovered that there was more to the Boosted board than physical experience.
“Every time I went, all the riders who owned Boosted products shared a sense of community and hype. So when Boosted closed the store, Michael said, "Fat."
Michael was also a Pebble user, so I went this way. But instead of being led to the loss of another famous hardware company, the so-called Rebble Alliance was "inspired to endure the legacy of Boost as much as possible" in the same way as Pebble.
So Michael returned to the popular Boost Subreddit and brought in weapons.
“Okay, everyone. Now is the time to do what we have. ”Read the title of the article. “Considering the brand's uncertainty, we need to take precautions to preserve the life of our beloved board.
Michael began adding riders around the world to each shared board (as well as Boost's electric scooters), measurements, information about wear and damage of various parts, repair guides, and other related information to the shared Google Drive. The folder is called & # 39; & # 39; Save Boosted & # 39; Project & # 39 ;.
Michael's answer was "overwhelming."
“People who have the means to diagnose, repair and support the brand jumped in a few hours in my post. Websites, mismatch servers and official vendor / service centers are also starting to support the community, ”said Michael. “This actually shows what kind of community Boosted has built. It is actually a product that is interested in preserving the product. I think there is a service team (now fired) to thank you for. ”
However, one problem that these community efforts cannot solve is customers who have orders pending or who sent the board to Boosted for repair. Instead, those people now seem to be fickle with the people who buy the company's leftovers. Even at this point, it seems to be uncertain, and now the world economy is struggling with the new coronavirus epidemic. Nevertheless, more and more Twitter users and YouTube commenters have tried to persuade Elon Musk to buy the company in the past two months.
Until the sale is made, or until Boosted officially file for bankruptcy, those unfortunate customers will fall into limbo. At least they will still have a vibrant Boosted community.