‘The bikes have become worthless' - brand facing legal action after over 9,000 complaints

A Dutch cargo bike company is facing the threat of legal action after it issued a mass recall due to safety concerns. 

Authorities in the Netherlands ordered Babboe to stop selling certain cargo models last month after design defects came to light. Existing owners were told to stop using their bikes, with an extensive recall in place, understood to affect about 10,000 people. 

Over the past week, Dutch law firm Birkway has been collecting testimonies from Babboe owners, in preparation to mount a legal case. So far, more than 9,300 people have gotten in touch. 

"We’ve had many, many emails from people with complaints," Birkway lawyer Quirijn Bongaerts told Cycling Weekly. "The frustrating part for many of these people is that, even if their bicycle is subject to the recall, Babboe says, 'Look, you may be eligible to receive a replacement or repair, but we don’t have a foreseeable time path to effectuate that.'

"What we’re doing is we’re investigating whether there is really demand for some form of representation, and then from there we will take it further. We have sent a letter to Accell, the parent company."

So far, Birkway has put forward one owner’s case as a "model" to follow for future complainants.  

"His bicycle is simply a disaster," Bongaerts explained. "He’s got plenty of expensive reparations, which are totally improper. His saddle has broken, and things like that, which happens a lot."

The lawyer added that his firm has asked for "a few thousand euros" in compensation for their client, to cover the inconvenience and cost of repairs. 

A spokesperson from Babboe told Cycling Weekly that the brand will "offer customers a replacement or suitable alternative, plus compensation for the inconvenience". They did not specify how much the compensation would be. 

Babboe extended its recall earlier this month to its City, City-E, Mini and Mini-E cargo bikes, which the company revealed had manufacturing errors. 

According to Bongaerts, accidents have been common among owners. "We’ve had many complaints of people who had a bicycle with a rusting saddle pillar. Then, because of the rustiness, it broke," he said. "Some people have suffered broken frames, at the front and the back - both are dangerous.

"We read a couple of stories of people who experienced a technical problem, and then were launched out of their bicycle," he added. 

"The thing is, their cargo bikes have essentially become worthless. Now, it’s a bike with an issue, and nobody wants to buy that. You purchase a bicycle for €3,000 and now it’s effectively useless." 

Birkway has set up an English-language complaints portal - cargobikeclaim.com - for those affected by the Babboe safety issue and recall. The manufacturer is currently preparing details of a recall in the UK.