Having succumbed to the temptation of the offer of Angell electric bikes at knockdown prices at Carrefour and Veepee, some customers are unfortunately unable to recharge their battery. They don’t currently have a solution to this problem. We take stock of the situation and the official response.
Probably the most tantalizing deal of these 2023 summer sales was the insane discount on Angell electric bikes. Originally sold for 2,490 euros, the first-generation Rapide saw their price plummet to 999 euros at Carrefour. Such a reduction can generally cause doubt, but Carrefour is not a foggy site and Angell is a famous French brand that has been in existence for a few years.
Angell bikes at a bargain price, but unusable
However, feedback from customers who have ordered their VAE is bad, very bad. Several of them have reported that the Angell’s battery is totally inoperative, impossible to recharge. Too bad for an electric bike, which can certainly be used in muscle, but with a hard single speed and therefore almost unusable.
We were able to collect the testimony of Nicolas, a customer who ordered the model a few days ago at this reduced price at Carrefour, all delivered in 4 days. After a recharge, his bike did not turn on – black screen – and had no electric assistance. Same observation after new charging attempts. Another customer confirmed the same phenomenon to us, and Veepee customers, having had an Angell offer at a reduced price, are also concerned.
Angell explains why some batteries don’t work
Nicolas contacted Carrefour, in vain, and Angell. Carrefour has for the moment not communicated publicly on this affair, but Angell replied to the customer and broadcast the same message… to say the least aggressive towards the partner of the distributor in charge of orders.
ANGELL x CROSSROADS
If you recently bought an Angell bike from the Carrefour distributor, it is possible that your bike was delivered with a battery that could not be charged.
The bicycles distributed by Carrefour are first-generation bicycles,
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— Angell (@AngellMobility) August 9, 2023
“The bicycles distributed by Carrefour are first-generation bicycles, manufactured in 2021 and delivered to Carrefour in the winter of 2021-2022” specifies the brand, which continues: “Like any electric vehicle, the battery of our bicycles must be recharged regularly in the event of prolonged non-use, in order to avoid a deep discharge phenomenon. »
“It appears that during the storage of these bicycles with Carrefour’s partner logistics provider, this protocol was not respected” Angell says. “Some bikes may therefore have been delivered with a battery in deep discharge, requiring its replacement. » Yes, the manufacturer admits that the fault lies with Carrefour and its service provider, not having regularly recharged or even checked the bikes before shipment. Note that the bikes are still on sale on the Carrefour site, at 999 euros.
No replacement battery, and no solution before September?
But that’s not the worst. For the unfortunate customers with a dead battery, there is no solution. “We do not have sufficient stock to ensure the replacement of out-of-use batteries” adds Angell, because the brand designs “a future model whose battery technology will be different from the current one”.
If the distributor must first take charge of failures and after-sales service, Angell is “in connection with Carrefour to try to find a technical solution”. But she will not communicate before… mid-September to give ample information as well as “possible solutions”. At the time of this writing, it is not known the default rate or the number of customers affected.
For a new cyclist wanting to use their bike on a daily basis, that means a month of fog. After VanMoof’s bankruptcy, it’s another blow to the confidence in connected electric bikes…
Angell: Veepee also affected by Deep Discharge, and already supported
Angell Mobility contacted Frandroid following the publication. Confirmation from CEO John Mollanger, the concern also concerns the offer that took place at Veepee, because it came from the same provider. As a result, deep discharge also concerns bicycles delivered by Veepee.
Other important information, we learn that “several hundred bicycles” would be impacted by this battery issue, i.e. a “significant minority » at Veepee as much as at Carrefour, “ it’s statistical » says Angell’s boss.
He specifies that he made contact upstream, in the spring, well before the sale at a reduced price, because “having a doubt on the application of the regular recharging process, which was ultimately not carried out. Having first become aware of the concern at Veepee, Angell contacted all customers following the sale, and proceeded to replace the discharged batteries.
Angell: an upcoming battery replacement solution for Carrefour customers
However, this operation exhausted the manufacturer’s stock of batteries, before the case of Carrefour. Thus, we understand why Angell cannot replace the batteries of the customers concerned by the offer at 999 euros at the major distributor. There would be 15 to 20 known Carrefour customers, but these are good “ several hundred»in theory that would be.
Good news, a solution is on the way. “In order to replace the batteries, we contacted the factory to reproduce old generation batteries»informs John Mollanger, confirming “the exhaustion of the stock, because we are stocking up on the next generation of battery for our future bike». This is reassuring news, but customers will have to be patient. “We will try to beat this date [de mi-septembre]our customer satisfaction being the priority»adds the leader.
As for Carrefour, we have spoken with the communication department, which will relay an answer to us very soon. Upon receipt, we will publish it in this same article.
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