The rental price of six euros per hour without subscription seems reasonable, but only if the service functions properly.
Renting bicycles and scooters has become a popular choice in urban areas. The ease and speed with which one can move are undeniable advantages. However, sometimes it turns out that more is needed than a regular bicycle or scooter. This was exactly the case for a grandfather who wanted to give his grandchildren a promised ride on a Cargoroo electric cargo bike.
The grandfather had long promised his grandchildren a ride in the cargo bike, and a promise is a promise. Cargoroo's electric cargo bikes are an ideal solution for transporting more than just yourself, especially now that they are easy to rent. According to the grandfather, Cargoroo made it cheap, easy, environmentally friendly and actually quite fun to travel longer distances with extra passengers. Picking up the cargo bike was easy, with a reservation option available 20 minutes before departure. The grandfather picked up the cargo bike, ready to pick up his grandchildren and give them an enjoyable ride.
However, upon arrival he discovered a major disappointment: the safety belts in the cargo bike were broken. All three straps intended to secure the children safely were unusable. This was not only a missed opportunity to make his grandchildren happy, but above all a sign of poor maintenance of the equipment by Cargoroo. “You pay about six euros per hour without a subscription, and you expect the cargo bike to be safe,” says the grandfather. The incident called into question the reliability and safety of the rental service.
Offering unsafe cargo bikes is unacceptable when it comes to transporting children. Safety should always have the highest priority.
The advantages of a cargo bike in the city are clear: they are often faster than cars in busy urban areas and make hard-to-reach places accessible. A well-maintained cargo bike offers the possibility to place a Maxi-Cosi for babies, which is ideal for parents who want to test whether a cargo bike is a suitable investment.
After picking up the cargo bike, a walk of just a few minutes, everything seemed fine. However, upon arriving at his grandchildren's home, the grandfather was faced with a nasty surprise.
This incident with the grandfather is not an isolated incident. Other customers, especially those with subscriptions, also express their dissatisfaction with Cargoroo's service. The company offers a subscription for €20 per month, which seems attractive for frequent use. However, users repeatedly report problems such as uncharged batteries and lengthy repairs. “A flat tire took three weeks to get fixed,” complains one subscriber. And if alternative cycling further down the road seems to be an option, it turns out that those bicycles also often have an empty battery for weeks.
The limited rental of Cargoroo cargo bikes in some parts of the city may be directly related to the poor condition of the equipment. It is crucial that the company recognizes this issue and takes immediate action to regain customer trust and ensure safety.
According to users, Cargoroo's customer service also leaves much to be desired. Responses are not forthcoming or are not very informative. A frustrated customer said: “I of course immediately stopped taking the most expensive subscription. If an alternative provider appears in South Rotterdam, I will switch immediately.” The most common complaints are about locks that do not work properly and slow or unclear customer service. All of this leads to a poor customer experience and lost revenue for the company.
experience
Our experience with Cargoroo was unfortunately disappointing. After completing our attempt to give the grandchildren an enjoyable ride in the cargo bike, we contacted the company's customer service. To our surprise, it turned out that one euro more had been debited from our account than the amount indicated in the email confirmation. This difference seemed to be related to the reservation of the cargo bike in advance, although this was not clearly stated anywhere during the reservation process. The lack of this information caused confusion and questions.
We also reported the defective seat belts, which prevented us from using the cargo bike as planned. Unfortunately, customer service did not go further than apologizing for the inconvenience. No concrete solution or compensation was offered, which only increased our feeling of dissatisfaction. The potential of Cargoroo is great, but there is clearly work to be done to make the concept successful.
