Dutch e-bike brand VanMoof is offering a €1,000 discount for customers whose bikes were not delivered by the company before it declared bankruptcy and was taken over by Lavoie.
Lavoie – which is backed by McLaren Applied – acquired VanMoof in September 2023, one month after it declared bankruptcy due to high maintenance costs and issues upholding generous warranty policies.
Since the acquisition, Lavoie has been pumping millions of pounds into the brand. This new initiative is for customers purchasing the VanMoof S5, A5 or any future product to support those who were ‘let down by the old company’.
“This gesture is not about loyalty, it’s about getting people riding,” VanMoof Co-CEO Eliott Wertheimer told Zag Daily. “We, as the new VanMoof, are doing everything we can to help get people on the road. We are aware that this is a gesture that does not constitute full resolution but we are trying to support every single customer of the old VanMoof to the best of our ability.
“We talked to many victims over the last months and the picture that emerged was that this will ease the pain for many – though not all – people and we decided that this is worth the investment and time.”
A big priority post acquisition has been to ensure repair kits and instructions were sent to bike shops and the retail network, after a lack of wider regional service coverage left customers of the old VanMoof with little after-sales support.
“VanMoof has built and trained a network of over 120 service partners across Europe and the UK; kickstarted its supply chain for spare parts; built on its software architecture; improved quality checks and safety standards; and refined the VanMoof S5 and A5 before restarting sales.
“We have also published the blueprints for older unsupported VanMoof models to show riders how they work to help them fix their bikes.”
This discount does not replace the existing claims process for customers affected by the bankruptcy, and those customers can still receive compensation through their claims process with the bankruptcy trustees.
