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18 Dec 2024

Director of the ACT Jonathan Harrison has praised the "resilience and adaptability" of the ACT and its members in an end of year message.

17 Dec 2024

UK bicycle retailers are set to benefit from a groundbreaking partnership between the ACT and Bikmo Cycle Insurance, offering a new revenue stream and competitive edge in the increasingly...

16 Dec 2024

Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new policy aimed at tackling the issue of irresponsible dockless e-bike and e-scooter parking across designated areas of London.

13 Dec 2024

The Government has published new statutory guidelines to help businesses produce and distribute safe e-bike batteries and reduce the risk of unsafe products being sold online or as part of a...

5 Dec 2024

A former British cyclist, a host of CEOs and industry leaders are sharing their thoughts on the future of the cycling industry as part of a revealing new series launched by the Ride to Success...

4 Dec 2024

As credit card fraud becomes increasingly sophisticated, taking these steps could help you stay ahead of the fraudsters…

29 Nov 2024

Scottish independent retailers, including those in the cycling sector, are urging the Scottish Government to provide crucial business rates relief in its upcoming budget, as the disparity in...

28 Nov 2024

Independent retailers back call for local leadership and simplified funding.

26 Nov 2024

Seven in ten cycle retailers across the UK will boycott this year's Black Friday sales event, according to a survey of the bicycle trade by the ACT.

21 Nov 2024

A local cycling club is raising money and seeking donations and assistance in order to teach bike maintenance to young people through a series of workshops in 2025.

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COVID-19 Operational Advice for Mobile Mechanics

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

Following the Prime Minister's announcement last night in which he stated non-essential businesses and premises must now close, further information regarding bicycle shops has now been published.

As bicycle shops are considered an exception to the measures and can remain open for business, it follows that mobile mechanics would also be included as an exception from our understanding.

You can read the Government guidance here.

The ACT has made the following recommendations for mobile mechanics staying open.

Adopt a contactless model

Following Government advice, you should eradicate all forms of contact between yourself and the customer and maintain a two metre distance at all times. Collections and deliveries should take place as follows:

Collections

  • When arriving at a customer's address maintain a two metre distance from the door and call them to alert them that you are outside. Failing this, ring the doorbell and then step back to the two metre distance.
  • The customer can then bring their bike outside the house and leave it in a suitable place before stepping back inside the house or to a two metre distance away.
  • You should then handle the bike wearing gloves and disinfect the entire bike- paying particular attention to contact points such as the handlebar, brakes, gears etc. - before loading it into your method of transport.
Deliveries
  • Again, call the customer when you are outside or ring the doorbell before stepping back to a two metre distance.
  • Disinfect the bike wearing gloves to make it as safe as possible for your customer to handle.
  • Leave the bike in a suitable place where the customer is able to collect it while maintaining the two metre distance.

Your workshop

  • All employees should be wearing disposable gloves in the workshop and whenever handling bikes.
  • You should remind all employees to wash their hands for 20 seconds more frequently and catch coughs and sneezes in tissues.
  • Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, using your standard cleaning products.
 
For more guidance on operating your businesses during coronavirus visit the Government website.
 

Avoid card-not-present fraud 

A major security issue at present is scammers taking advantage of card-not-present (CNP) fraud. We advise all merchants to follow CNP rules down to the letter, and to obtain important information from the card owner during some or all CNP transactions. This can include:
  • cardholder's name as it appears on the card
  • card expiration date (month, year) as it appears on the card
  • billing address
  • card security code
  • phone number and/or email address
  • account number
More information on avoiding CNP fraud can be found here.


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