2023-07-15 03:58:52
Bad communication, delivery problems, constant breakdowns and now deferred payment: the hip Amsterdam bicycle company VanMoof is in a bad position. NU.nl asked readers regarding experiences with VanMoof – and received a deluge of e-mails. Almost half of these were regarding non-delivered bicycles.
Provided: it’s not all bad. We also receive reactions from people who think that the bikes ride well and that they have few problems with defects. As a result, they also have little contact with one of the company’s weak points: service.
But that does not apply to Flor (pictured above), the twelve-year-old son of Tako Feron from Geleen. “He’s going to high school and needs a new bike,” says Tako. “He really wanted a VanMoof. He saved up for that for a year and a half by doing gardens in the area, washing cars, delivering brochures, occasionally working in a dish kitchen of a catering company. He has done something everywhere .”
Flor just wanted a VanMoof. “In April we went to Amsterdam for a day for a test ride. He thought it was absolutely sublime, there was no other option as far as he was concerned. So we ordered the bike online and paid 3,500 euros. It was supposed to be delivered before the end of June, but that soon became mid-July and then it went quiet,” says Tako.
‘They let everyone down hard’
Flor is moved by the situation. “He checked the app every day for an update on the delivery and had made a countdown calendar on the cupboard. But suddenly nothing and no one was available anymore. We are completely in the dark.”
And that is the worst thing outside of the financial part, says Tako. “The brand has been kept in the air by customers for the past few years and now they’re letting everyone down hard. It should be a little effort to get a message out with what’s going to happen. My son is extremely disappointed, to tears I get an app from him every hour if I’ve heard or read something.”
“I wanted to use it instead of a car”
Hakima Eskifati (31) from Rotterdam also no longer expects to get her VanMoof A5. “I ordered it on December 31, 2022. The delivery has been delayed several times. I should have received it in April, but then there were problems with the delivery of parts. The next delivery deadline was June 26, but I also heard then I nothing.”
Then I finally got it back and the battery died in early July. Then you can’t do anything with it anymore.
Rodney Nijbacker
For Hakima, the VanMoof would replace a car. “I want to use it to go from home to work. I work in Rotterdam, but also in Amsterdam and Utrecht. I wanted to use it instead of a car, because I don’t want one.”
She’s in the dark regarding what’s next. “As customers, we are at the mercy of the gods. Canceling to get your money back doesn’t help either, because they owe tens of millions. I think the best thing is to wait and see. I can’t buy another bike either, because imagine , they miraculously come out anyway. It’s just very uncertain, you don’t know what’s coming. It’s regarding a lot of money.”
“I had already lost the bike for two months for a repair”
Rodney Nijbacker (30) from The Hague has had a VanMoof for some time now, but that is not always fun. “I lost the bike for two months from March to May for a brake repair. Then I finally got it back and the battery broke at the beginning of July. Then you can’t use it anymore.”
There will have to be a bicycle.
Taco Iron
It takes a long time for Rodney to schedule another repair. “The first opportunity to bring it to VanMoof for a repair was August 10 anyway, but now it is unclear whether I will ever be able to ride it once more. I am still stuck with the lease contract for another year and I should just stay that way pay.”
‘No idea if I’ll get it back’
Koen Diender (25) from Zwolle also has a VanMoof, but it was for repair in a VanMoof center in Rotterdam when the news came through regarding the possible bankruptcy. “The whole engine stopped working, and the whole computer has to be replaced.”
“The annoying thing is that it was also replaced a little over a year ago, but then it was still under warranty,” says Koen. “That was fine. But a little over a year later it’s broken once more, and now I have to pay for everything myself. I was already less satisfied with that. Now it’s there in Rotterdam and I have no idea what the status is; whether it has already been repaired, whether I will get it back, nothing at all.”
For 12-year-old Flor Feron, the VanMoof dream is probably over, says his father Tako. “I think we should now orientate ourselves on another brand. There will have to be a bicycle.”
NU.nl tried to get a response from VanMoof, but got no response.
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