Dutch cargo bike brand Babboe, known for its family-friendly means of transport, is embroiled in a legal battle that appears to be getting bigger and bigger.
Law firm Birkway has filed a lawsuit against the company on behalf of 14.000 victims from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The victims are claiming compensation for the safety problems that have been going on for years with various models of cargo bikes. Lawyer Quirijn Bongaerts announced this in the Dutch consumer program Radar, where the scope of the case became clear.
Babboe has been under fire for months due to recurring complaints about the safety of their cargo bikes. Multiple customers have reported serious defects, including broken frames, making the bikes unsafe to use. The problem with the frames is said to have arisen in recent years, but it has only recently become clear that the company cannot guarantee the safety of some of its models. This has led to the recall of some 22.000 bikes in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the sales of these models have been halted in both countries.
security
In Belgium too, there is great unrest among the victims. Many Belgian families, who used the cargo bike as their main means of transport, are very concerned about the safety of their bike. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Babboe has tried to accommodate its customers by offering exchanges and other forms of compensation. However, according to lawyer Bongaerts, this "improvement plan" falls short. In the broadcast of Radar it became clear that many customers had to wait much longer for a replacement bike than originally promised. This has led to further frustration among many victims.
The dissatisfaction with the proposed solutions stems from the fact that many victims do not want a new Babboe bike, but financial compensation to be able to buy another bike themselves. Babboe does offer exchange campaigns, but these do not seem to be fast enough and for many this is not a sufficient solution. "The compensation is inadequate," says Bongaerts, who speaks on behalf of the victims. He emphasizes that it is mainly the uncertainty surrounding safety that makes many parents decide not to choose a Babboe bike anymore.
The problems surrounding cargo bikes do not appear to be limited to one brand or manufacturer. Deeper research into consumer experiences with cargo bikes shows that similar problems also arise with other brands.
To address the situation, Birkway has decided to take legal action. The law firm has begun preparations for a large-scale lawsuit against Babboe and parent company Accell Group, which acquired the cargo bike manufacturer in 2015. The legal procedure is intended to ensure that the victims receive fair compensation for the damage suffered. “We have decided to take the plunge and start a procedure,” Bongaerts said in *Radar*.
class action lawsuit
In order to better map the scope of the case, the website was launched at the beginning of this year bakfietsclaim.nl launched, where victims can register to participate in the collective lawsuit. Thousands of customers have now registered via the website, including a significant number of Belgians who feel disadvantaged by the way Babboe has dealt with the problems.
The problems surrounding Babboe cargo bikes are not new. Reports of broken frames and other defects have surfaced before, but it now appears that the extent and severity of the defects are greater than initially thought. Babboe, once praised for its affordable and practical cargo bikes, now has to defend its reputation amid a growing number of legal claims.
For many families, the use of the cargo bike is essential to daily life. The bikes are often used to transport children, and the uncertainty about the safety of these vehicles has led to great inconvenience and concern. The lawsuit that Birkway on behalf of the victims, could put further pressure on Babboe and Accell Group in the coming months to better compensate their customers and to definitively address the safety problems.
