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1 Jun 2023

A new Cycle to Work Scheme that launches this week is claiming to offer partner bike shops the lowest commission fees in the industry at 4%, with an introductory offer of 3% until 31st December...

31 May 2023

A report published by financial institution Claro Money’s wellbeing division on the effects of money worries for retail workers found that 73% of retail workers feel negatively about their...

31 May 2023

ACT partners V12 Finance, who are headline sponsors for this year’s National Cycle Show, have an allocation of free tickets that they would like to share with you!

30 May 2023

ACT Gold Member ICE Trikes is looking for high quality independent bike shops to become new agents or dealers. The company already has dealers and agents in over 32 countries all the way from...

18 May 2023

A lobby group has warned of the “startling rise in the cost of accepting cards” for small businesses after the European chief of Mastercard defended the fees it levies on merchants.

18 May 2023

It has been reported by This Is Money that HMRC now holds 55 billion items of taxpayers' data, including email and bank records, as it cracks down on tax avoidance. The data is held on its...

18 May 2023

Sustrans is working with local businesses to provide bike maintenance stations and pumps at key stops along the National Cycle Network in Scotland, which, it says, will support more people to...

16 May 2023

Cycling UK has opened nominations for its annual 100 Women in Cycling list, which celebrates the inspirational women working in the cycle sector.

16 May 2023

Bike sales in 2022 were lower than 2021 throughout Europe's main markets, Bike Europe has reported, but e-bike sales continue to thrive - although the UK seems to be the exception.

9 May 2023

A mixed picture is emerging about the effect of the Coronation weekend across the UK's retail sector.

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Fire Brigade warns about dangers of e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

A recent article in The Telegraph warned about the dangers that e-bikes can hold when purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.

A fire, believed to have been started by a malfunctioning battery, has destroyed the ground floor of a house in East London, with two women, a man and two children being taken to hospital after inhaling smoke during the incident.

Investigators for the London Fire Brigade (LFB) believe the fire started accidentally after the batteries of a converted e-bike malfunctioned.

The LFB said that knock-off chargers for e-bikes could be potentially hazardous and warned they were seeing a significant rise in the number of fires involving the devices.

They urged people not to charge bikes overnight as the fires caused by malfunctioning batteries could spread rapidly and with “ferocity”.

An LFB spokesman said: “It’s incredibly concerning that we are continuing to see a rise in incidents involving e-bikes and e-scooters.”

This year alone fire crews have already attended 32 fires involving e-bikes and another seven involving e-scooters.

So far in 2022, there have been a further 17 fires involving other lithium-ion batteries and last year, in total there were more than 100 fires in the capital involving lithium-ion batteries.

The spokesman continued: “When these batteries and chargers fail, they do so with ferocity and, because the fires develop so rapidly, the situation can quickly become incredibly serious.

“Lithium-ion batteries are susceptible to failure if incorrect chargers are used and there is a significant risk posed by e-bikes which have been converted, such as in this case.”

The spokesman said that the majority of the fires were started by e-bikes purchased from online marketplaces, which may not meet correct safety standards.

With customers being warned of the dangers of buying e-bikes from online marketplaces, it is important now for IBDs to appeal to the market and educate consumers on the importance of buying certified e-bikes from a responsible seller.

 

Help your customers to purchase their e-bike safely

As e-bikes from a reputable shop can often seem overly expensive to consumers, it is also important that IBDs present them with opportunities to spread the cost, through services such as retail finance.

Various consumer surveys show that customers are more likely to spend a higher amount if retail finance is sold correctly, and for many customers, having the option to spread the cost was the main reason the purchase was made.

Whilst retail finance certainly has the potential to be your business’s most powerful sales tool, unfortunately, it is not one that sells itself, so it is up to you and your staff to let every customer know the benefits of using finance in today’s economic climate.

The Retail Finance Training course will teach you and your staff how to encourage customers to make purchases, as well as maximising their spending through techniques such as financial promotion, Point of Sale (POS) and bundling.

The course retails for just £150 including VAT. Members of the ACT and ActSmart receive up to a 50% saving off the RRP.

To get started visit: indieretail.training.

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