Unresolved Technical Issues Led to Unjust Deactivation of My Account
I have been a Spark Driver for quite some time, and I’ve always had a positive experience—until recently. My account was deactivated on April 28, 2025, due to an unresolved technical issue that prevented me from linking my primary earnings provider, which I was repeatedly told was an issue on Spark’s side.Despite submitting multiple emails (about 40) and making several calls over the course of two months, I have not received a satisfactory solution. My attempts to link my account were unsuccessful, and after being told this was a technical issue, I was left without work for over a month, resulting in a financial loss of approximately $3,500 per month.What’s more, my account was deactivated without any prior warning or resolution being offered. I was never at fault, and yet, I find myself with no way to reactivate my account.Spark’s internal system error has caused significant financial and emotional hardship for me, and despite following every instruction from their support team, my account was still closed. I feel my situation has been mishandled, and no effort has been made to resolve it in a timely or fair manner.I hope Spark will take responsibility for the issue and work toward a fair resolution, especially since the issue was clearly caused by their internal errors.
Pinar
Biggest heap of junk ever made
Biggest heap of junk ever made. After 1,500km's the bike has stopped working. There has been a lot of problems with this bike. At the start when I ordered it as part of a crowd sourced fundraiser it took nearly 10mths to get the bike and they supplied the smaller battery not the larger one I had ordered. I was told I had to send the battery back at my expense. When the bike was working, when the battery was fully charged the motor would run but then stop working within minutes. I would have to turn the bike off an on to get it to go, and sometimes had to remove the battery and reinsert which seemed to fix it. The only way to get the motor to work was to use the throttle. After about 15 mins the bike would then run normally. Customer service was hopeless, I got bumped around people, and most responses were curt and unhelpful. Right now it is only fit for the dump. Be warned, buy local so you can get help when you need it, and STAY AWAY from this company and its products!
Keith Blakely
This might be the biggest con out…
This might be the biggest con out there. They shipped me a “stock” bike 4 months later. Then it was a different bike than what I ordered. They told me I could ship it back but I had to pay for shipping. Then there were missing parts that have still yet to show up 5 months later. No bike shop will touch these bikes. They will blame you for everything wrong. They stole my money.
Colby Bergeron
sad simply sad
The bikes (i ordered two) came via FedEx more then a month past the date i was told to expect them. upon arrival the bikes were damaged from poor packaging and possibly choice of shipper. after getting a chance to ride the bikes i noticed preexisting damage from when the bikes where build. i had other professionals look at the bikes to confirm what i was seeing. i can not find a shop to work on the bikes due to compatibility and availability of parts. the customer service with the company is dismal and the provided information is general in nature much sky of what is needed to maintain my bikes. the company is not willing to inform me of the parts i need and has stopped all communication with me in regards to these two bikes. one of which i have never been able to use the electric component of. very sad maybe my expectations where to high
Dayton
BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY - UPDATED
Continued troubles - the $200 store credit they promised has been completely ignored. I understand problems with stock levels but multiple emails have received no response (and they claim their CS is great??). Much of what they responded to here in my original review is incorrect or doesn't clearly address my issues. I know how to adjust a bike seat. My point is the seat is uncomfortable and required purchasing a new one. And, as I stated, we had to take my boyfriend's bike to the shop twice. He's very familiar with bike assembly so we found this annoying and unacceptable.They also claim we didn't sent videos or photos. Several were sent and including photos of what they had to do to make the key work (shaving the top plastic portion of the key down so it could fully be inserted into the key hole).Again, they refuse to take any ownership of their multiple mistakes & horrible customer service (not to mention fully admitting they aren't aware of their owner's own IG page). How about saying "I'm sorry"?The weight of the bike has also become cumbersome. We recently took them upstate New York to ride some trails and the weight was an issue. I am still super happy I covered up all the signage on the bike so I'm not freely advertising this thing. And to be clear, it was to cover up the signage, NOT to protect a paint job.I am really looking forward to my next ebike which WILL NOT be from this company. Yeesh._________________________________________I'll start with the positive - the bike looks cool. Now for the rest...First, the attitude of this company is ABSURD. I thought I had done a lot of research while shopping for a new bike but unfortunately not enough because after multiple problems I was forced to deal with their "customer service". Because of their non-reaction I started doing more research and discovered a VERY POOR BBB rating as well as law suits, all stating pretty much the same problem. We have your money so now the rest is your problem.As far as design - the bike is SUPER HEAVY. It rides pretty well so far but I've had to make my own adjustments such as a new bike seat and a few other little DIY things as the overall design is a bit awkward. For example, attaching a water bottle and other needed accessories is tricky. My boyfriend and I both bought this bike and we tried to purchase accessories directly from them so something would fit. Even though they showed items in stock, once we contacted them for the millionth time they said they were out of inventory for 45+ days. Why not state that up front so we could see that instead of wasting time shopping on the site? And it only got more ridiculous! Even though the CEO clearly states on their blog that no custom fees will ever be charged (I even took a screenshot to prove it), we ended up having to pay. This was clearly a lie. They said they would investigate and then ghosted. I have since seen this on other reviews out there (along with the poor BBB rating). My boyfriend's bike turned out to be a lemon. The first battery didn't work and their response was to blame and accuse him of tampering with it and insinuate that he didn't know what he was doing. He provided them with video of proof that it didn't work. Out of frustration he wrote a poor review and they threatened him that if he didn't take it down, they wouldn't help him and void the warranty. He needed a working bike. It would have been too much trouble and money to return so he took down the review. We were stuck with dealing with them. After 2+ weeks he received another non-working battery. A THIRD BATTERY finally arrived and surprisingly worked until he tried to take the battery out of the bike. The key that was made for the battery didn't fit properly and we had to take the bike to a bike shop for them to shave down the key to remove the battery. The port on the side of the bike also didn't work so there was no other choice. They offered no help and were actually quite rude and accusatory throughout the entire process. I eventually reached out to the CEO via Instagram because I thought he would want to know how the company that bore his name was reacting and treating his customers, especially since his name is EVERYWHERE on the bike (total overkill). I wasn't rude or outrageous but honest. Instead of responding, he immediately deleted my comment and blocked me. HA! What a baby. When I'm out on the bike, 9 out of 10 times someone asks me about it or makes a comment. It was making us extremely uncomfortable to give them free advertising so we ordered vinyl tape and covered up every part that said "Stark." IT TOOK A LOT OF TAPE but I feel so much better about riding it now. Fortunately my boyfriend has a lot of experience with bikes and knows how to fix and tweak little things (which we've had to do too much of IMO) so I never have to deal with these people. So overall I give it a solid YUCK.
Kelli Cienkus
Stark Drive offers a solid form of…
Stark Drive offers a solid form of transportation for anyone looking for a reliable way of commuting to and from work without the fatigue associated with a long bike ride.
Dylan Granquist
had it for over a year
had it for over a year. use it to commute to work (20miles roundtrip)Goods: 1) looks good2) battery lasts for up to 40miles3) decent price. although not a fan of hiding $200 shipment fee!Needs improvement:1) Super heavy. doesnt feel like a bicycle. make it lighter roadbike like pls.2) parts were finicky: i had to get replacement brakes, readjust paddle (came apart during ride!), and tighten the latch that folds the bike (came apart during ride!).Get the powerful motor because mine (350W 9amph) feels slow and heavy.
Adham Davlatov
amazing experience
amazing experienceI ordered my bike at starkdrive.bike and it was delivered to me in portugal in just 4 days! it was the perfect bike for me with a really powerful motor that seems to be made by stark drive because it has their name on the motor. it really helps me to get around town and the hills to the center are no longer a problem and i just glide right up them. its a night and day difference to my old bike where i would be struggling to get my weekly shopping done. I also love that i was easily able to add components to the bike like the throttle which was not included on the default bike, i guess due to rules in the EU about this but the add on was simple to install and took my bike shop only an hour to do so with the help and guidance of the professional and hard working folks at Stark Drive. The white color i was sent really stands out from the crowd and i have a smile on my face whenever i use it not to mention that it does attract a lot of attention and its a great conversation starter. these styles of bikes in my area were more than double what i paid for the stark bike and dont look nearly as good nor do they offer the same features so im impressed at what the company has sold me for little cost. im really looking forward to the future bikes that stark has coming and i want to get one for my family which seems possible as the new bike lets you share it with anyone by using your fingerprint which is amazing, now fingerprints on a bicycle! the service has been excellent with most of my questions being answered in MINUTES. Thank you for your help!A very satisfied and dedicated stark fan!
rebecca
VERY NICE
VERY NICE............................
Jason Gong
Fast and accurate
The support team of Starkdrive answered to my doubts in minutes... on Saturday!!! Very pleased.
Jaime Hidalgo
Fantastic Experience!
I can not say enough about the outstanding customer service I received from this company! We ordered a bike for my husband for Christmas but did not realize that due to timing he did not have the opportunity to customize the order to meet his needs. Customer service personnel retrieved the original order before it shipped and worked with us to identify the bike he wanted. Everyone was very helpful and went beyond all expectations to finalize our order. The bike shipped immediately and we received it today. What an awesome company with fantastic people!
Sue
It’s been far too long that I have not…
It’s been far too long that I have not left some comments about my stark bike i managed to get to Russia. I bought this bike as a "last mile" solution to commute to work on our local light rail system. I take public transport and the restrict any bike that does not fold so stark was perfect So far it has been great. My first test loop was over 17 km with barely any pedaling and I got back with over 60%, probably a little over, of battery life. I'm a heavier rider so that's great in my opinion. Maybe one day I'll ride the full distance straight to work, but I have no doubts the battery will last.I put a rear disc-brake compatible rack on it with a pannier to carry my work stuff and it fit perfect, great clearance and no compatibility issues. I also love the bike computer that’s included , as electric bikes are a bit of a gray area on local bike paths, with a 25km speedlimit being the accepted in the EU but no such problems in Russia. The only thing that might be a downside (to me), and I'm not taking off stars, is this bike gets a LOT of attention. People commenting on it, saying "wow that's electric?!", asking how much I paid and where I got it. I fee like an electric bike evangelist. I'm a quiet guy and would rather not talk to people on my commute most days, but some people might like that. So thank you stark for making something I could afford. It was even tax free for me in Russia as it’s purchase was under $1000 and I took it in as personal.
Vlad
Got my bike back in the spring
Got my bike back in the spring. Been riding it all summer. I actually went for the low model due to the taxes that I have to pay here. It arrived to my door with just having to put a few piece on. Love the assist when traveling in the hills around my place. The price was 599 plus taxes which is super cheap. Had to adjust some parts here to get it working perfect but it was easy as the bike came with a multi tool feee in the box. There is a lot of competition right now in the cheap end of the engines and I was never interested in spending 2000 on a bike. I’m looking forward to the new models they have planned and want to get the mini railhead about for even less but I think this will not work so well on hills.
Marcus Boberg
Stark Drive City Review
Update Stark Drive Advanced Review(see my other review -> Advanced 500w, destroyed before delivery) Order #259 Batch 1This review needs to considered in the context of the previous review in which the 500w 17ah bike was purchased but was destroyed at the port by Australian Customs because of non-compliance with Australian ebike laws.To my surprise, 9 months after the failure to import the Advanced model, I received a phone call from Stark offering me a (Australian law) compliant City version at no cost. I accepted and have now received and test driven the City bike a couple of times. I consider this to be a generous offer by the company. It is true that the City bike is not what I previously paid for (half the price) including the smaller motor and battery, and no fenders, pannier rack, panniers and rear light, but I now have a bike. I'm not suggesting that the company would do the same thing for you, but I am gratefull to have been given a bike as replacement and without pressure. So, what about the bike? I am rating the City in the context of the bike which was destroyed, and the bike I eventually bought as replacement for the destroyed bike (see other review), although this is somewhat unfair because the other replacement is a much better model and much more expensive. Unpacking the City bike was easy enough. All components were in good condition. Nothing broken or bent. Putting the bike together did not require a lot of thought or skill which is good because there was little to no instructions. The trickiest part was the direction of the front forks (which were turned backwards in packing - I note a YouTube clip where someone thought this was the correct position), but this is common sense. The tools provided were good enough for assembly. The front wheel fitted and there was no real rubbing of front or rear disc brakes. Someone less skilled may want to ask a bike shop or mobile mechanic to put it together for them. Check the tighteninf/tension, particularly after a few ridesThe bike rode well immediately. It's was already charged and the battery charger worked when I recharged. The motor torque is good enough, but not great for really steep hills. I have some steeper local hills @ +15% nearby and those hills are still hard work, but the various power levels are good for smaller 5-10% ramps and cruise for flats - easy cruising. The city has no throttle (Australian laws do not permit a throttle - only pedelec). The charge was sufficient for an easy commute and return (my usual commute is 30km each way). That's the purpose of this bike, isn't it. It's not for off-road. It's for roads and paths and comfortable easy rides. It's so that you don't have to work so hard and can arrive without much of a sweat. The bike is lighter than the other ebike I have, but it's not a 29er and is a hub (not mid-drive) motor and is 36v 9Ah (not 36v 17Ah) battery and has no rear rack, but is much heavier that my carbon fibre road bike. The bike is less comfortable than the other bike given that the front shocks really don't have much compression and there is no rear suspension. I will consider upgrading the hand grips to something more, ergonomic. The tires probably reduce the bumps more than the shocks do, but it's comfortable enough. The components are bottom of the range but that's what you pay for. I'd prefer a 10 or 11 speed with a single front chain ring rather than the 7 x 3 configuration. But you can cruise in the middle chain ring easy enough for most of the way. I generally do think it's better to buy from a local bike shop because they are experienced in maintaining the make and model, but there are similar types bikes around and the components are generic such that repairs will be easy enough (fingers crossed). I hope that the hub motor will go on and on. There are YouTube videos of hub motors being reasonably low maintenance and long lasting. Let's hope or hope a replacement is available if I need it. Keep the tires pumped to avoid a puncture. The lack of a quick release on the rear will complicate repair. The disc breaks are adequate but 180mm would provide better stopping (rather than 160mm). Brake maintenance will need research. The website has no detail on the disc break pads. Ebikes are hard on disc brakes pads. They'll need replacing. In time I will probably replace the tire with an ebike ready tire like Maxxis Re-volt. Thicker continuous tread with protective casing (maybe add a kevlar lining). In summary, the Stark Drive City is a solid affordable entry level ebike and that's how it is sold. I'm gratefull that Stark Drive offered me this bike as replacement for the bike that failed to be delivered (so other review). That was a decent thing for them to do. Time will tell how the components hold up, but that's the same with any bike. I will need to link with a local bike shop for ongoing maintenance and repair. That might be challenging as some don't like to maintain cheaper bikes that they don't sell.Thanks again for the bike STARK DRIVEBut then I sold it. I kept the better mid drive bike with bigger battery and local bike shop support.
Craig (Brisbane)
Stark Drive has come!
Stark Drive has come!I have been hearing a lot of things about e-bikes. They say it is good for the environment and that it is pocket-friendly. However, I have also heard that its power is limited so it is not recommended for use in challenging terrain. Also, I heard people complain about you just need to take it as it is since there is nothing that you can customize about it. Still, because of a friend’s recommendation (and a bit of persuasion), I decided to give it a try. I got the same one as his e-bike – the Stark Drive.The reason why I need a bike is because the bust stop is a bit far from our home. I like walking but only when it’s just leisure walking. I usually get on the bus out of breath and out of style. I was thinking of what I can do to change that. Well, waking up earlier than usual is quite a challenge for me so I came up with another solution – get a bike that I can ride from the house to the bus stop. This is why I opted for the Stark Drive. It is foldable so I can easily carry it with me in the bus whenever I go to work and ride it again from the bus stop to my house.Highly AdjustableI am a bit shorter than most people so I find it quite hard to find a bike that I can ride comfortably. As I thought that I do not have any choice, I got a conventional bike even though I am not comfortable in riding it. I can raise its seat and I can lower its handlebars so I can easily reach it. PowerIt takes only about three hours to fully charge the Stark Drive’s empty battery. When fully charge, I can travel up to a total of 40 kilometers.SecurityThere are times when I have to work until the evening so it gives me peace of mind that my e-bike’s battery is locked. I know that I will never get out of the office, tired and stressed out, just to find out that somebody stole my bike.ComfortThis is what I love most about the Stark Drive – comfort. Its saddle is uniquely comfortable. One weekend, I rode my bike for hours but I did not feel sore at all. Now I know that I do not need to worry about such pains and just enjoy riding my bike.ServiceThere was a time when I had a question about the bike and I am amazed with the company’s customer service. The person I talked to clearly knows what he is talking about – product information mastery, polite and professional communication, and what I commend most is their active listening skills. I never had to repeat myself and hurt myself explaining my inquiry. I had a stress-free pre-purchase customer service and I also got a hassle-free post-sale customer service!
Ma. Angelica Maghinang - Domingo
Bike of the Ages
I've had two electric bikes before this and though they were nice, they're nothing compared to the Stark Drive City. This bike is superb and quite luxurious. The mere design is breathtaking and the performance is second to none. I enjoy long drives with the marvellous bike and nothing beats having the wind blowing through your hair on a cool afternoon.The locking mechanism is very clever and saves me time from worrying if someone will tamper with my battery. I'd definitely recommend anyone to try this and if their as happy as I am just give me a thumbs up.
Delllon
The wait is finally over
The wait is finally over. Got my stark bike delivered and I must say it was a good bargain. Such at that price!! Top notch
Kenneth
Cool Mini
The mini looks cool and robust! Nice to see this in the market!
Leopold Luna Ilag
Terrible experience
Terrible experience. Battery hasn’t lasted more than a few months. This product is cheap for good reasons. The Stark bike didn’t include delivery so became a very expensive ordeal with Customs duties etc. They ask for a delivery address then only deliver to the nearest port.
Steve
Solid bike - well built
Solid bike, very well built. Got it yesterday after a long wait - relatively speaking - 7 months.. Took it for my commute today and satisfy so far. Ride well and maintain a good steady speed. As i got the Advanced version with all bells and whistles, i am still learning how the whole things reacts and mostly, what button does what... I went through FAQ and not really found any links on « Getting started » with this bike.... any suggestions?Also, how do we modify that max speed!?
Dan Chretien
