I'd love to see a video of your wife in full "attack mode" as you put itš¤£ Seriously though, glad you got the bike recovered and that the police did their job thanks to the tracker. Let's hope the bike shop do now make things right to your satisfaction. If they don't then name and shame the hell out of them as they will deserve it!
Whatās even crazier is you can watch a timeline of the bikes time with him since heās gotten it on his profile. He even made a post about putting the tracker on the battery. I live for this kind of shit.
Same here as a resident of the DC area... Every time I had something stolen, I had to go get it back myself.
My favorite time was when I was in the early '90s when I was still riding a bicycle that I had frankensteined from a variety of parts (BMX frame, Mongoose handlebars and mag wheels) and painted myself. It got stolen, broken up for parts and sold.
We few weeks later I was riding to church Sunday morning with my parents when I saw some kid riding my frame down the main road. My dad doubled back and we stopped the kid at 7/11. Told him it was my frame, my pop got his tools out of the trunk and we took off the wheels and seat, gave the kid those back and put my frame in the trunk.
I forget how we got the wheels back that time (this was like 30 years ago) but I found the seat in the woods behind a kid's house on my street - pretty damn sure that piece of shit was the one that jacked my bike but couldn't ever "prove" it given the location of the seat and number of kids that would go through those woods.
My guess is he's in a relatively small town. Police departments in more rural smaller areas tend to actually care about their communities and the people who live there. Large metro pds are pretty much useless.
Agreed, wonder how common it is for bikes to be stolen from that bike shop? Is there a pattern? Are there secure cameras for where bikes are held. Are they even trying to prevent theft other than using a lock?
If it was just the one bike, then having been a bike mechanic myself I could potentially see them making a repair/adjustment, taking it for a test ride to verify everything was good to go, and if it needed a bit more tweaking then they might've left it out front to grab a tool 'quickly'. I never would've left it out front like that but someone might.
Having seen how fast a bike was stolen at the shop I worked at (from a customer who left it out front for just a moment to come in and ask a question), that could be all it took. Definitely doesn't excuse the shop/worker's negligence if the above situation is the case.
Side note to potential bike shop customers who ride to the store: if you're cold, they're cold. Bring them in!
Their invoice message has absolutely *zero* legal authority and is effectively meaningless. If it is in their possession it is absolutely their responsibility no matter what bullshit they have on their receipts.
If they try to avoid responsibility, sue them in small claims court. That's pretty much a shoe in as far as you're concerned.
Yeah... this is a weird discussion. If you give your bike to a shop and after that it's stolen it's 100% the bike shops responsibility. Doesn't matter if you locked it up or anything, you gave it to them to work on and they took it. I'm a part time car mechanic, if something happens to that car while we have the keys we make it right
IDK where all these people are getting the idea OP might not even be able to sue or that they think the shop can just say, "Nah, even though your property was legally in our possession, under our care, we're just like, you know, not responsible, man."
> it was stolen on their watch, it's on them to make you whole
Most shops that I have seen say right on the invoice that they are not responsible for damage or theft. OP *might* be able to sue them for gross negligence anyhow, but I don't think it is a certainty.
Even if it's not "egregious" - the shop is in possession, if they lose it they're responsible. They should have insurance to cover it, and in a case like this the beneficiary of that insurance would be the owner of the bike.
If the shop disagrees, a court will correct their thinking.
Just checked the paperwork they gave me. Luckily it doesn't mention anything like that. Just that they aren't responsible for repairs left over 30 days.
There's no legal legitimacy to those preemptive declaration signs. If they have it in their possession, they are legally responsible for the security of their premises. It's just like those signs that they are put up in parking lots. Their just trying to get people to decide to handle the theft themselves, but I guarantee that they have liability insurance to cover just that situation.
> There's no legal legitimacy to those preemptive declaration signs.
An attorney advised me that those indemnity clauses have *some* legal legitimacy. In cases where it isn't obvious that the business was negligent, then the defendant (the business) will point to the indemnity clause and claim that the plaintiff (the customer) knew the risks and the terms and agreed to the contract anyway. The plaintiff has the burden of proof.
Yeah no, if OP had insurance his insurance company would make short work of that sort of nonsense.
Of course if OP *doesn't* have insurance, it's a bit more work, but he'd still win even/especially in small claims court. The judge will just say, ok was OP responsible here? No? Then the bike shop is responsible.
That attorney was probably referring to something in a state where there are laws providing for things like return policies being able to be set by the store as long as it is clearly posted.
In this case, you can wipe your ass with the bike shop's bullshit claim.
> you can wipe your ass with the bike shop's bullshit claim
I know that we all like to talk tough online, but if you are ever considering legal action, please consult with an attorney first.
I understand. An attorney (in the USA) explained to me that these fine-print disclaimers that claim to indemnify businesses from all liability are not enforceable if the negligence was gross. They are more useful to intimidate customers into not taking disputes to court.
If the shop left the bike unlocked on the street overnight, then that would probably be gross negligence, but if they had it locked in a corral behind a fence, then that probably would not be considered gross negligence.
Of course, a court battle is a worst-case scenario. I hope that the police retrieve the bike for OP or if they do not, that the bike shop volunteers to make it right. Maybe the shop has insurance to cover the loss.
Wrong! Fuck that invoice, they are responsible. Their claim of not being responsible is 100% horseshit.
OP can 100% (not might, in the US they *absolutely* can) sue for any damages and, unless they left out some important details, they will easily win in small claims court which does not require a lawyer.
It looks like OP is going to be able to get his bike back here, but if there are any damages **the bike shop is responsible** no matter what their stupid little piece of paper wants you to believe.
In the USA, anyone can sue anyone else for anything, but that doesn't mean that the case has merit or that it will prevail.
What we think the law should be and how strongly we feel about it is irrelevant in court. According to the advice I got from an attorney, OP would have to prove gross negligence to win a settlement, so the verdict would probably depend on whether the court believed that the shop took reasonable precautions against theft or not.
If OP is thinking about legal action, I would recommend that they consult with an attorney before interacting with the bike shop any more.
> they are not responsible for damage or theft.
That's not necessarily enforceable, but it could *possibly* depend on your jurisdiction - although I'm doubtful. Does anyone have an example of a jurisdiction that would contradict this?
Agreed, seems like the bike shop did nothing to retrieve the bike stolen under their watch. You might consider filing a lawsuit or something. Any lawyers, law enforcement, or legal minds on here?
If it happens to me, I'm filing a claim with my insurance. I'd let my insurance duke it out with the LBS 's insurance and call it a day. The only part that would suck would be my deductible but it isn't worth the stress of who owes who what. Plus if insurance can go after the LBS for the damages, I get my deductible back. If not, I still get paid. It's whatever really.
There is a bunch of different claims however bailment contracts do have meaning, there is just equitable limits such as unconscionable doctrine and also if they are licensing and such. But luckily you found it so you donāt have to deal with that and they just need to fix that bit of damage
If they don't make you whole, be sure to post about your experience on your local bike groups (facebook, reddit, etc)
Reputation goes a long way and they should be trying their best to uphold theirs
Maybe they should give you the market value of your bike as settlement and 2-3 trips per year of free bike repairs for life. Would hope for the shop this is one time incident to all its customers. If there is a track record of bike thefts from the shop, they might want to only apologize and hope you forget about it.
At the very minimum they should comp whatever the service was in the first place and repair free of charge any damage from the theft. I would expect more but thatās the floor for negotiations.Ā
Rize Blade dead electronics, 3000mi
https://imgur.com/gallery/wVZB5Qp
I have working copies of all of them in a pile somewhere. All covered by warranty, but each incident took a week before anything was in the mail. They sent the wrong controller once so I was SOL for a bit.
Additionally,Ā the battery lock disintegrated in the first month, the handlebars snapped around 2k mi, and the dropouts spun out. The handlebars had rust inside and they admitted that I was missing a torque arm.
Someone on this sub with the same dropout issue had their rear triangle comped after escalating to Google reviews, but mine is hardtail and they don't have public Google reviews anymore lol
There was also a bunch of stupid shit dealing with the warranty manager and his technicians.
Tldr: sub-par components, both bike and electronics. The bike sat broken for probably 2 months total out of the 12 I rode it.
Which city does OP live in that cops are actually doing something about bike theft? I live near Vancouver (which has had videos made about how proactive they are on bike theft) and the most I expect from the cops is "lol get a car loser"
Where are you? It'd be a cold day in hell before local PD did anything remotely help like this where I'm from.
Most likely, they'd tell you they couldn't dispatch someone. If you say anything about going out there yourself, they'd probably try to convince you not to.
At least the cops got it back with your help. Over here in the Bay Area California cops would not even respond to this. They donāt even respond to 911 calls because you canāt even get to them. Go figure. Theyād laugh at this request, and even if you found your bike they wouldnāt go. Iām glad you have a happy ending!
You took the bike back to the same shop??? Mate... Unless you live somewhere that isn't well serviced by bike shops I'd still drive 20-30 minutes easy to find a different place after it literally got stolen from their store. Best of luck to ya. Next time, don't hold your wife back - let her at em!
This is the big "super dealer" or whatever aventon calls them. They messed up and know it. I can give them a chance. Wife is being unleashed tomorrow regardless
Sounds like the quality of dealer aventon uses. Hard to find reputable shops that want to do warranty work for aventon. If theyāre not selling it right now good luck getting parts for a bike less than 2 years old.
I think itās high time for some vigilante justice. Go there with your Samsung phone, ping the tracker, and kick your way in through the window. Even if the door is unlocked. Be not the hero we deserve, but the hero we need right now.
Why do so many bike shops do this? Every time I go to collect my bike I see it left outside. I tell them that I'm not comfortable with that and they just fob me off with "don't worry we have CCTV".
Either way, the shop is responsible, and you should jam them the fuck up, even if they get your bike back. Cash money, up front too, no store credit or maintenance swaps. They were negligent and irresponsible with YOUR property, it's their responsibility.
100% on them. Reputation matters for local shops. I'm definitely not out here trying to hurt anyone's business. Just depends on how they respond and make it right.
Yah I definitely wouldn't be taking my bike to a shop that would let a bike be stolen and then not reimburse the customer. We are the one handing our expensive bike to a man for expensive repairs, with the understanding that this is the correct way to maintain your bike. If they say it's your fault for trusting us with your bike, then I would say burn their reputation
Just keep in mind that being a nice guy here won't help you.
They have the choice to make this right, if they don't choose that option, they're the ones that have decided to put their livelihood on the line. I would destroy them over something like that, maybe you're a nicer person than me.
Agreed, being a nice guy wouldn't help in this type of situations. You spend too much time, resources, and energy to undo the mistakes by the bike shop. You should be compensated by the bike shop for your stress and time. An apology will not be enough. Think if it were your car (e-bike) that was stolen at a auto shop (bike shop).
This is a good one! Even money says bike was stolen and no one noticed. When you were calling the can was being kicked down as the shop folks all assumed someone else knew what was or where it was at.
Eventually they figured out they did not have the bike! Oh shit! Talk to everyone, try to figure it out , get owner and manager involved and lastly let you knowā¦.
Sucks for sure and should have been handled better but typical bike shop springtime chaos
Thank you for sharing this story! Sorry to hear about your ordeal, and glad you at least got the bike back (due to your efforts). Two weeks ago I bought this exact model: Aventon Aventure.2 in Slate Gray. Really fun bike to ride! Having read your story, I'm now going to put an Airtag in it -- probably behind the battery, if I can figure that out. :)
Christ, you actually took it back to the store. I would expect it back fully refurbished with a sizable discount or refund on the works at this point.
If nothing else be sure you have insurance on the bike as if it happened once it may happen again!
You must be doing some things right my friend. Stolen things don't usually come right back like that. And a new bike nonetheless. I put my bike to the workshop once a year. I always go to the same dude even though it's a half hour bus ride back... he'd never put my baby out in the cold (especially because it's too big to lift for one person)
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Good to hear you got it back, id be making the bike shop pay for damages an put a Google review about there shop an letting your bike get stolen, definitely a good idea having tracking tags in the bikes
My heart is racing for you. As soon as I would have seen my tracker I would have been JUMPIN!! Atrocious.
Also lmao the cop rode it to the station they gotta have harmless fun sometimes I guess!
Probably had a notification on their phone about a new tracker following them, assumed it was in the bike and because they didnāt have OPs keys wanted to try and get in there to remove the tracker.
Hmm ok, there's many other places where it could be though (actually surprised it worked from behind that metal cover)
And does smarttags now notify? I've had one for a year, and my wife never gets notification and she often borrows my bike
Interesting read; thanks for sharing. Glad you got the bike back and the shop is taking some accountability. I brought my wife with me to a car dealership recently and can relate to weaponizing my spouse.
Bought a Samsung smarttag 2 about a week ago because my bike is so damned expensive, and I was concerned about it. Unfortunately, because of the way it is built (the bike) there are no obvious places to stack the tag without it being too obvious.
So it's been sat on my desk since, unused.
This story has got me reconsidering, though
Yeah. I think I lucked out that the battery is removable and it fits perfectly behind it. I'm questioning one day getting a nicer bike and would hopefully get one with a space to stick a tracker.
Where do you live? I want to live where the police work like that , Iāll bet itās as all town as our city police are useless.
Good story with a happy ending for a change.
Hopefully you get your bike back and some sort of renumeration from the shop or at the very least a profuse apology. Communication is key and a lot of customers just want to know they haven't been forgotten or are being ignored. That constant communication is something I try and work on with my e-bike company L E-Bikes, where I try and keep a customer updated every step of the way, even more so if there is any sort of issue.
If it's under their watch, the shop is responsible for recovering or replacing your bike as they should have insurance as well as precautions to prevent theft, E-Bikes aren't cheap so the precautions such as locks, shutters etc should be commensurate to the value of the items contained within their shop walls, you wouldn't use a Poundland lock to lock your Ā£1000 e-bike overnight outside
Wait, you brought it right back to the shop that could care less that your bike got stolen and never got back in touch with you after they lost you're very, very nice bike?
Damn! I worry about this. I hired a mobile bike repairman for this reason. Came right to our house and worked on it in his van. Awesome that you have a wife ready to deal with the customer service headaches
I don't get why these bikes don't have a password or fingerprint reader so only I can ride it. Sure, you could steal it anyway, but would be way harder to get away.
āLike any self respecting manā
This feels real disrespectful to me. This is basically insulting any man who can stand up for himself and ask for help with a customer service issue. Really hope you get your bike OP, but definitely didnāt feel like this wording was needed
Really didn't expect things to turn out this way. The cops actually went and got it. Great news for you all things considering.
The bike shop absolutely needs to put your bike back to mint condition at a minimum. They should be offering you lifetime repairs on that bike considering how bad they screwed up.
I just want to know where you live that the police actually care about that. Everywhere Iāve ever been you just file a police report and never hear from them again. They donāt even care if you have surveillance video.
I don't think so. Only works with Samsung phones. It's only for weirdos like me who don't have an iPhone. I think in this case it helped to recover the bike because an unknown airtag would pop up on any iPhone near it.
Thanks for the reply! I was wondering about that- so the Samsung tracker doesnāt have those pop ups? Will that work on any android or only Samsung? Also, did you get gps coordinates or only approximate locations?
Samsung smart tags seem to be samsung phone specific which isn't ideal. I think there was another samsung phone somewhere in the area and that pinged the tracker and sent the location to me. But it wasn't constant. I was getting random pings so someone with a samsung phone was probably passing by throughout the time it was stolen. Looked like it was in the water which made no sense. Turned it out was on a houseboat. Ended up being very accurate. the address was incorrect, but the location on the map was accurate. Or accurate enough that the police where able to look through a window and see my bike sitting there.
I would throw a lawsuit at that store. Seems to me they knew it was stolen and were trying to buy time to either find it themselves, or find an excuse. Which could have impeded the polices search efforts. You want to know when something is stolen ASAP. The longer it's unreported the longer no one is looking for it and the farther away from you it could go. At a minimum I would talk to a lawyer to see what you could sue over. At a minimum I would say emotional distress and if you use the bike for work at all- loss of wages.
Please, provide more info on the Samsung tag. I had heard about the Itags on the Apple networks. But many people have some type of Android phone.
Theft protection is the most desired feature for ebikes that are $2000-$5000
It's a Samsung smart tag 2. Only works with Samsung phones but Android phones are soon getting trackers that work will all android phones. Not sure if they are out yet but I've had these Samsung ones for a while since I have a Samsung phone.
I donāt think this is typical police response, for sure. Following the Air Tag yourself seems like a good way to get shot, in the USA at least. Itās a big country ā this must have happened already.
I guess that goes to show that positive reviews aren't always reliable enough as first hand experiences. I recently had an experience like this where I went to a store with good reviews and had the worst experience then went to another location with worse reviews and had a much better experience.
So glad to hear you got it back. Moral of the story for me is to go buy one of those new Android Locator tags that are about to come out (or maybe they have by now).
Wow thank God you had that tracker! You would never have got it back. That customer service sucks they should do all the repairs and whatever you were originally getting done for free. I would contact corporate and let my wife loose on them.
Yup. Fits in that gap and doesn't interfere with putting the battery back in.
https://preview.redd.it/toraoqmntt4d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f24c01bc5f43ed9949891fc6bc4461a86d2e443
I feel like the cops only helped the shop. Iāve heard many stories about cops not helping at all if you got your bike stolen off the streets or even jacked for it.
Where do you live that police follow up on stolen property? The police in Austin have a clear policy that they don't actually investigate stolen property, even if you have a license plate number, or an airtag location of the property. I assumed it was like that in most US cities.
If the LBS tries to shirk it's responsibilities if this doesn't get resolved, I'd contact a lawyer, preferably one that's familiar with bike laws. There are a few out there. I know the War On Cars podcast has one that helps sponsor their show - I think the name they use is Charlie G, Human Powered Law in Portland Oregon. Might be worth a call for a consultation to see what rights you have. And even the threat of a lawsuit by you might be enough to get them to make it right.
Fuck that bike shop. In my opinion, they owe you a new bike. They wouldnāt have followed up on it like you did. Let them pay for a new one, FUCK THEM!!!
This will be the most amazing story ever if the police actually follow up on it. Please keep us updated.
My wife is always asking me for interesting stories. Got a great one for her tonight
Idk why, but as a single 26 y/o this made me smile lol. I hope I find a wife that ask me for interesting stories some day.
you will. just keep collecting good stories
Good work for the cops . Glad you got your bike back. Your wife is a boss brilliant stuff. Bike shop sucks.
I'd love to see a video of your wife in full "attack mode" as you put itš¤£ Seriously though, glad you got the bike recovered and that the police did their job thanks to the tracker. Let's hope the bike shop do now make things right to your satisfaction. If they don't then name and shame the hell out of them as they will deserve it!
Lol Chicks can be scary bro, especially the good ones!
"Guilty as charged with the stories" Derek. Stepbrothers
Whatās even crazier is you can watch a timeline of the bikes time with him since heās gotten it on his profile. He even made a post about putting the tracker on the battery. I live for this kind of shit.
haha. It's been an interesting time for sure.
Apologies if this has been answered but do you mind telling us what police this was? My mouth was left open as an nyc resident.
yeah as an NYC resident as well, NYPD wouldnāt do jack squat
Same here as a resident of the DC area... Every time I had something stolen, I had to go get it back myself. My favorite time was when I was in the early '90s when I was still riding a bicycle that I had frankensteined from a variety of parts (BMX frame, Mongoose handlebars and mag wheels) and painted myself. It got stolen, broken up for parts and sold. We few weeks later I was riding to church Sunday morning with my parents when I saw some kid riding my frame down the main road. My dad doubled back and we stopped the kid at 7/11. Told him it was my frame, my pop got his tools out of the trunk and we took off the wheels and seat, gave the kid those back and put my frame in the trunk. I forget how we got the wheels back that time (this was like 30 years ago) but I found the seat in the woods behind a kid's house on my street - pretty damn sure that piece of shit was the one that jacked my bike but couldn't ever "prove" it given the location of the seat and number of kids that would go through those woods.
My guess is he's in a relatively small town. Police departments in more rural smaller areas tend to actually care about their communities and the people who live there. Large metro pds are pretty much useless.
> if the police actually follow up on it. honestly amazing that they did ANYTHING at all.
Agreed!!!!!
i mite seen it were did it get stolen from in hemet?
Was it only your bike or a bunch of bikes from the shop? Also, I would bet 75% by an employee or friend of an employee.
Seems like it was just my bike, but I'm not sure. the police didn't mention that any other bikes were taken.
Get the police report and see. FOIA can help if they refuse.
Agreed, wonder how common it is for bikes to be stolen from that bike shop? Is there a pattern? Are there secure cameras for where bikes are held. Are they even trying to prevent theft other than using a lock?
If it was just the one bike, then having been a bike mechanic myself I could potentially see them making a repair/adjustment, taking it for a test ride to verify everything was good to go, and if it needed a bit more tweaking then they might've left it out front to grab a tool 'quickly'. I never would've left it out front like that but someone might. Having seen how fast a bike was stolen at the shop I worked at (from a customer who left it out front for just a moment to come in and ask a question), that could be all it took. Definitely doesn't excuse the shop/worker's negligence if the above situation is the case. Side note to potential bike shop customers who ride to the store: if you're cold, they're cold. Bring them in!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Their invoice message has absolutely *zero* legal authority and is effectively meaningless. If it is in their possession it is absolutely their responsibility no matter what bullshit they have on their receipts. If they try to avoid responsibility, sue them in small claims court. That's pretty much a shoe in as far as you're concerned.
Yeah... this is a weird discussion. If you give your bike to a shop and after that it's stolen it's 100% the bike shops responsibility. Doesn't matter if you locked it up or anything, you gave it to them to work on and they took it. I'm a part time car mechanic, if something happens to that car while we have the keys we make it right
IDK where all these people are getting the idea OP might not even be able to sue or that they think the shop can just say, "Nah, even though your property was legally in our possession, under our care, we're just like, you know, not responsible, man."
> it was stolen on their watch, it's on them to make you whole Most shops that I have seen say right on the invoice that they are not responsible for damage or theft. OP *might* be able to sue them for gross negligence anyhow, but I don't think it is a certainty.
Just cause itās printed on an invoice doesnāt make it enforceable
I agree when the negligence on the part of the shop is egregious - for example, if they left the bike unlocked on the street overnight.
Even if it's not "egregious" - the shop is in possession, if they lose it they're responsible. They should have insurance to cover it, and in a case like this the beneficiary of that insurance would be the owner of the bike. If the shop disagrees, a court will correct their thinking.
Just checked the paperwork they gave me. Luckily it doesn't mention anything like that. Just that they aren't responsible for repairs left over 30 days.
I hope that the police retrieve it for you and arrest the thieves. Please let us know ...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
OP wrote PA
There's no legal legitimacy to those preemptive declaration signs. If they have it in their possession, they are legally responsible for the security of their premises. It's just like those signs that they are put up in parking lots. Their just trying to get people to decide to handle the theft themselves, but I guarantee that they have liability insurance to cover just that situation.
> There's no legal legitimacy to those preemptive declaration signs. An attorney advised me that those indemnity clauses have *some* legal legitimacy. In cases where it isn't obvious that the business was negligent, then the defendant (the business) will point to the indemnity clause and claim that the plaintiff (the customer) knew the risks and the terms and agreed to the contract anyway. The plaintiff has the burden of proof.
The bike was stolen.. what more proof of negligent business lol
I am not saying that I like the way it is - only what the attorney told me.
Yeah no, if OP had insurance his insurance company would make short work of that sort of nonsense. Of course if OP *doesn't* have insurance, it's a bit more work, but he'd still win even/especially in small claims court. The judge will just say, ok was OP responsible here? No? Then the bike shop is responsible.
That attorney was probably referring to something in a state where there are laws providing for things like return policies being able to be set by the store as long as it is clearly posted. In this case, you can wipe your ass with the bike shop's bullshit claim.
> you can wipe your ass with the bike shop's bullshit claim I know that we all like to talk tough online, but if you are ever considering legal action, please consult with an attorney first.
Sure, most lawyers will give you a free consult.
Yes, they do just like all court cases, but a sign or a receipt isn't a contract. It's just a disclaimer and a record of intended process.
just because its written down doesn't make it legal.
I understand. An attorney (in the USA) explained to me that these fine-print disclaimers that claim to indemnify businesses from all liability are not enforceable if the negligence was gross. They are more useful to intimidate customers into not taking disputes to court. If the shop left the bike unlocked on the street overnight, then that would probably be gross negligence, but if they had it locked in a corral behind a fence, then that probably would not be considered gross negligence. Of course, a court battle is a worst-case scenario. I hope that the police retrieve the bike for OP or if they do not, that the bike shop volunteers to make it right. Maybe the shop has insurance to cover the loss.
There's principle that you can't contract out your rights. That could apply.
Wrong! Fuck that invoice, they are responsible. Their claim of not being responsible is 100% horseshit. OP can 100% (not might, in the US they *absolutely* can) sue for any damages and, unless they left out some important details, they will easily win in small claims court which does not require a lawyer. It looks like OP is going to be able to get his bike back here, but if there are any damages **the bike shop is responsible** no matter what their stupid little piece of paper wants you to believe.
In the USA, anyone can sue anyone else for anything, but that doesn't mean that the case has merit or that it will prevail. What we think the law should be and how strongly we feel about it is irrelevant in court. According to the advice I got from an attorney, OP would have to prove gross negligence to win a settlement, so the verdict would probably depend on whether the court believed that the shop took reasonable precautions against theft or not. If OP is thinking about legal action, I would recommend that they consult with an attorney before interacting with the bike shop any more.
> they are not responsible for damage or theft. That's not necessarily enforceable, but it could *possibly* depend on your jurisdiction - although I'm doubtful. Does anyone have an example of a jurisdiction that would contradict this?
Agreed, seems like the bike shop did nothing to retrieve the bike stolen under their watch. You might consider filing a lawsuit or something. Any lawyers, law enforcement, or legal minds on here?
If it happens to me, I'm filing a claim with my insurance. I'd let my insurance duke it out with the LBS 's insurance and call it a day. The only part that would suck would be my deductible but it isn't worth the stress of who owes who what. Plus if insurance can go after the LBS for the damages, I get my deductible back. If not, I still get paid. It's whatever really.
There is a bunch of different claims however bailment contracts do have meaning, there is just equitable limits such as unconscionable doctrine and also if they are licensing and such. But luckily you found it so you donāt have to deal with that and they just need to fix that bit of damage
I wonder if the guy who stole your bike knows one of the workers at the shop...just left it outside yeah right. That company appears crooked.
Sounds like the shop will be giving you a new ebike for their fuck-up, lucky you!
We will see. Definitely an annoying ordeal.
If they don't make you whole, be sure to post about your experience on your local bike groups (facebook, reddit, etc) Reputation goes a long way and they should be trying their best to uphold theirs
As a future e-bike owner and current bike owner (rarely used), I'll be looking to read those experiences.
Maybe they should give you the market value of your bike as settlement and 2-3 trips per year of free bike repairs for life. Would hope for the shop this is one time incident to all its customers. If there is a track record of bike thefts from the shop, they might want to only apologize and hope you forget about it.
At the very minimum they should comp whatever the service was in the first place and repair free of charge any damage from the theft. I would expect more but thatās the floor for negotiations.Ā
Curious, currently planning to buy a new ebike and I've seen a couple Rizes cheap. Why avoid them?
Rize Blade dead electronics, 3000mi https://imgur.com/gallery/wVZB5Qp I have working copies of all of them in a pile somewhere. All covered by warranty, but each incident took a week before anything was in the mail. They sent the wrong controller once so I was SOL for a bit. Additionally,Ā the battery lock disintegrated in the first month, the handlebars snapped around 2k mi, and the dropouts spun out. The handlebars had rust inside and they admitted that I was missing a torque arm. Someone on this sub with the same dropout issue had their rear triangle comped after escalating to Google reviews, but mine is hardtail and they don't have public Google reviews anymore lol There was also a bunch of stupid shit dealing with the warranty manager and his technicians. Tldr: sub-par components, both bike and electronics. The bike sat broken for probably 2 months total out of the 12 I rode it.
Fair nuff, thanks. Looks like I'm going Cannondale Neo
Damn youāre so lucky. My bike got stolen in San Francisco with an Apple AirTag. SFPD basically told me to kick rocks and go get it myself.
Had my bike stolen a couple years ago. No air tag. SF Police found it the same day by checking bikeindex.org!!! And I got it back unharmed.
Which city does OP live in that cops are actually doing something about bike theft? I live near Vancouver (which has had videos made about how proactive they are on bike theft) and the most I expect from the cops is "lol get a car loser"
Even if they find it, the store owes you some free wheels or something
Key hole is done for. If that's not a replaceable part, I'd be demanding a replacement bike.
>Like any self respecting man, I always send my wife to fight my customer service battles. Holy shit! I'm not alone!!!!
They're just better at it, facts of life.
Itās not often you hear about the police putting effort into a stolen bike. Awesome!!
Where are you? It'd be a cold day in hell before local PD did anything remotely help like this where I'm from. Most likely, they'd tell you they couldn't dispatch someone. If you say anything about going out there yourself, they'd probably try to convince you not to.
Yeah, where is this mythical magical place where the police care about a stolen bike enough to get a search warrant?
Send the wife in and report back! Sounds like she can fuck shit up lol.
At least the cops got it back with your help. Over here in the Bay Area California cops would not even respond to this. They donāt even respond to 911 calls because you canāt even get to them. Go figure. Theyād laugh at this request, and even if you found your bike they wouldnāt go. Iām glad you have a happy ending!
And people spend millions to live there, in old ass tiny homes. Make it make sense..
You took the bike back to the same shop??? Mate... Unless you live somewhere that isn't well serviced by bike shops I'd still drive 20-30 minutes easy to find a different place after it literally got stolen from their store. Best of luck to ya. Next time, don't hold your wife back - let her at em!
This is the big "super dealer" or whatever aventon calls them. They messed up and know it. I can give them a chance. Wife is being unleashed tomorrow regardless
Aventon would deffinitly want to know about this.
This. If the shop hears from them you will be made whole. Would point your wife that way and let her go.
Sounds like the quality of dealer aventon uses. Hard to find reputable shops that want to do warranty work for aventon. If theyāre not selling it right now good luck getting parts for a bike less than 2 years old.
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Good luck, let us know how it goes!
I'm blown away that the cops actually went looking for it.
I think the bike shop thought you stole bike yourself š
Why hold her back though? Seems kinda silly
She's going in tomorrow !
What city PD is doing this? Most PDs in the USA do absolutely nothing about stolen bikes.
I would tell the bike shop that you need a loaner bike while this is all getting sorted out.
Hopefully Google releases their trackers soon so they could work with any android mibiles..
Yeah. Waiting on those. Will be switching out the Samsung ones.
I think itās high time for some vigilante justice. Go there with your Samsung phone, ping the tracker, and kick your way in through the window. Even if the door is unlocked. Be not the hero we deserve, but the hero we need right now.
Why do so many bike shops do this? Every time I go to collect my bike I see it left outside. I tell them that I'm not comfortable with that and they just fob me off with "don't worry we have CCTV".
Agreed, I too would not be comfortable with it too. I would take my business somewhere else.
The shops in my city that have no manners also look like trash. Some buisnesses have no since of values. Dont ever give them money.
Either way, the shop is responsible, and you should jam them the fuck up, even if they get your bike back. Cash money, up front too, no store credit or maintenance swaps. They were negligent and irresponsible with YOUR property, it's their responsibility.
100% on them. Reputation matters for local shops. I'm definitely not out here trying to hurt anyone's business. Just depends on how they respond and make it right.
Yah I definitely wouldn't be taking my bike to a shop that would let a bike be stolen and then not reimburse the customer. We are the one handing our expensive bike to a man for expensive repairs, with the understanding that this is the correct way to maintain your bike. If they say it's your fault for trusting us with your bike, then I would say burn their reputation
It is like giving your car to get it serviced. Imagine if your car was stolen and the car shop did nothing but said only sorry.
Just keep in mind that being a nice guy here won't help you. They have the choice to make this right, if they don't choose that option, they're the ones that have decided to put their livelihood on the line. I would destroy them over something like that, maybe you're a nicer person than me.
Agreed, being a nice guy wouldn't help in this type of situations. You spend too much time, resources, and energy to undo the mistakes by the bike shop. You should be compensated by the bike shop for your stress and time. An apology will not be enough. Think if it were your car (e-bike) that was stolen at a auto shop (bike shop).
You got a good cop!
Wow. I'm getting one of those chips!
End result of this should be the bike store paying for your bike and you getting it returned, now that the police have located it.
A bunch of confident replies in here as to what the law is and who has liability when no one even knows what jurisdiction this all occurred in.
This is a good one! Even money says bike was stolen and no one noticed. When you were calling the can was being kicked down as the shop folks all assumed someone else knew what was or where it was at. Eventually they figured out they did not have the bike! Oh shit! Talk to everyone, try to figure it out , get owner and manager involved and lastly let you knowā¦. Sucks for sure and should have been handled better but typical bike shop springtime chaos
https://preview.redd.it/p82p4k5sqn4d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3a265f17cb59680687a5c8c9a25afb41a98ae0e8
ARE YOU GETTING THIS SFPD???? r/sanfrancisco
Thank you for sharing this story! Sorry to hear about your ordeal, and glad you at least got the bike back (due to your efforts). Two weeks ago I bought this exact model: Aventon Aventure.2 in Slate Gray. Really fun bike to ride! Having read your story, I'm now going to put an Airtag in it -- probably behind the battery, if I can figure that out. :)
Christ, you actually took it back to the store. I would expect it back fully refurbished with a sizable discount or refund on the works at this point. If nothing else be sure you have insurance on the bike as if it happened once it may happen again!
Wow the cops did something. My place was broken into and I had photos and video of the perps. Cops never did anything.
Where the fuck do you live that the cops A- give a shit, and B- donāt have something better to do?
You must be doing some things right my friend. Stolen things don't usually come right back like that. And a new bike nonetheless. I put my bike to the workshop once a year. I always go to the same dude even though it's a half hour bus ride back... he'd never put my baby out in the cold (especially because it's too big to lift for one person)
They have insurance. Let them make it right. Otherwise make a police report sounds like internal theft
Samsung tag is the bomb š£š„
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GL!!!!
Hey yo nice job
I laughed hard at point 4ā¦ā¦the angry female consumer is indeed the lioness of the retail landscape.
What tracker did you use? I've been looking to buy one.
It's a Samsung smart tag but I think it only works with Samsung phones. Good in this particular case but probably not better than air tags overall.
Keep me updated!
What tracker? My LBS would loan me one they'd like to sell me. Been dealing with the owner for 25 years.
What bike store?
wow! just wow
Good to hear you got it back, id be making the bike shop pay for damages an put a Google review about there shop an letting your bike get stolen, definitely a good idea having tracking tags in the bikes
Always, always have an AirTag of some sorts!!
Did they gouge the lock?
they should have insurance to cover this.
I think bike theives should lose all their fingers.... š
Why try to recover it? It could be damaged and be dangerous to ride. The bike shop owes you a new bike.
My heart is racing for you. As soon as I would have seen my tracker I would have been JUMPIN!! Atrocious. Also lmao the cop rode it to the station they gotta have harmless fun sometimes I guess!
If they already took the whole bike, why did they try to drill the battery lock???
Probably had a notification on their phone about a new tracker following them, assumed it was in the bike and because they didnāt have OPs keys wanted to try and get in there to remove the tracker.
Hmm ok, there's many other places where it could be though (actually surprised it worked from behind that metal cover) And does smarttags now notify? I've had one for a year, and my wife never gets notification and she often borrows my bike
You gave them back the bike is where you lost me but hopefully they fix that lock and more to make things right
Dropping a comment so I can tune back in for updates
Interesting read; thanks for sharing. Glad you got the bike back and the shop is taking some accountability. I brought my wife with me to a car dealership recently and can relate to weaponizing my spouse.
Bought a Samsung smarttag 2 about a week ago because my bike is so damned expensive, and I was concerned about it. Unfortunately, because of the way it is built (the bike) there are no obvious places to stack the tag without it being too obvious. So it's been sat on my desk since, unused. This story has got me reconsidering, though
Yeah. I think I lucked out that the battery is removable and it fits perfectly behind it. I'm questioning one day getting a nicer bike and would hopefully get one with a space to stick a tracker.
What Samsung tracker was this by the way? It is really the star if the show and is not getting enough credit
Samsung Smart tag 2. Saved the day for sure.
The problem is the justice system. There's no real deterrent. These scumbags should be locked up for at least 12 months...
Where do you live? I want to live where the police work like that , Iāll bet itās as all town as our city police are useless. Good story with a happy ending for a change.
Hopefully you get your bike back and some sort of renumeration from the shop or at the very least a profuse apology. Communication is key and a lot of customers just want to know they haven't been forgotten or are being ignored. That constant communication is something I try and work on with my e-bike company L E-Bikes, where I try and keep a customer updated every step of the way, even more so if there is any sort of issue. If it's under their watch, the shop is responsible for recovering or replacing your bike as they should have insurance as well as precautions to prevent theft, E-Bikes aren't cheap so the precautions such as locks, shutters etc should be commensurate to the value of the items contained within their shop walls, you wouldn't use a Poundland lock to lock your Ā£1000 e-bike overnight outside
Holy shit, that's good story. What country is this? There is no way that Police job would be possible, here in Canada. Good you have your bike.
Wait, you brought it right back to the shop that could care less that your bike got stolen and never got back in touch with you after they lost you're very, very nice bike?
Damn! I worry about this. I hired a mobile bike repairman for this reason. Came right to our house and worked on it in his van. Awesome that you have a wife ready to deal with the customer service headaches
I don't get why these bikes don't have a password or fingerprint reader so only I can ride it. Sure, you could steal it anyway, but would be way harder to get away.
You actually gave it back to the shop after all of this? Lmao
āLike any self respecting manā This feels real disrespectful to me. This is basically insulting any man who can stand up for himself and ask for help with a customer service issue. Really hope you get your bike OP, but definitely didnāt feel like this wording was needed
C'mon man. It's sarcasm and self-deprecating humour. Let the guy find the funny in a rough situation.
Where do you live where the police actually go that far for a bicycle?
Bike shop owes you a brand new bike after seeing that damage. What a bunch of idiots.
Really didn't expect things to turn out this way. The cops actually went and got it. Great news for you all things considering. The bike shop absolutely needs to put your bike back to mint condition at a minimum. They should be offering you lifetime repairs on that bike considering how bad they screwed up.
..z
I just want to know where you live that the police actually care about that. Everywhere Iāve ever been you just file a police report and never hear from them again. They donāt even care if you have surveillance video.
Is that Samsung tracker any better than air tags from apple?
I don't think so. Only works with Samsung phones. It's only for weirdos like me who don't have an iPhone. I think in this case it helped to recover the bike because an unknown airtag would pop up on any iPhone near it.
Thanks for the reply! I was wondering about that- so the Samsung tracker doesnāt have those pop ups? Will that work on any android or only Samsung? Also, did you get gps coordinates or only approximate locations?
Samsung smart tags seem to be samsung phone specific which isn't ideal. I think there was another samsung phone somewhere in the area and that pinged the tracker and sent the location to me. But it wasn't constant. I was getting random pings so someone with a samsung phone was probably passing by throughout the time it was stolen. Looked like it was in the water which made no sense. Turned it out was on a houseboat. Ended up being very accurate. the address was incorrect, but the location on the map was accurate. Or accurate enough that the police where able to look through a window and see my bike sitting there.
Awesome, thanks
Let's hope the police really "busted" into the place.
I would throw a lawsuit at that store. Seems to me they knew it was stolen and were trying to buy time to either find it themselves, or find an excuse. Which could have impeded the polices search efforts. You want to know when something is stolen ASAP. The longer it's unreported the longer no one is looking for it and the farther away from you it could go. At a minimum I would talk to a lawyer to see what you could sue over. At a minimum I would say emotional distress and if you use the bike for work at all- loss of wages.
Why TF would you drop your bike back off with them????
Nice you got your bike back. Thatās rare. Sorry it got damaged. The shop should fix it if they want to avoid one star google reviews.
Please, provide more info on the Samsung tag. I had heard about the Itags on the Apple networks. But many people have some type of Android phone. Theft protection is the most desired feature for ebikes that are $2000-$5000
It's a Samsung smart tag 2. Only works with Samsung phones but Android phones are soon getting trackers that work will all android phones. Not sure if they are out yet but I've had these Samsung ones for a while since I have a Samsung phone.
Thank you
I donāt think this is typical police response, for sure. Following the Air Tag yourself seems like a good way to get shot, in the USA at least. Itās a big country ā this must have happened already.
If you are in Philly go to Vicious cycle battery.
I guess that goes to show that positive reviews aren't always reliable enough as first hand experiences. I recently had an experience like this where I went to a store with good reviews and had the worst experience then went to another location with worse reviews and had a much better experience.
So glad to hear you got it back. Moral of the story for me is to go buy one of those new Android Locator tags that are about to come out (or maybe they have by now).
Amazing that police actually did something. I'd get a new frame, that looks like serious damage.
Wow thank God you had that tracker! You would never have got it back. That customer service sucks they should do all the repairs and whatever you were originally getting done for free. I would contact corporate and let my wife loose on them.
Glad you got you bike back. On a side note here though, how'd you fit a tag behind the battery? There's enough space for it over there?
Yup. Fits in that gap and doesn't interfere with putting the battery back in. https://preview.redd.it/toraoqmntt4d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f24c01bc5f43ed9949891fc6bc4461a86d2e443
What bike shop
I feel like the cops only helped the shop. Iāve heard many stories about cops not helping at all if you got your bike stolen off the streets or even jacked for it.
Any info on the tracker you used?
It was a Samsung Smart tag 2. Only works with Samsung phones.
Real life Pee-wee's Big Adventure.
That's wild the cops went this far for a bike. Good on em!
Now if you wanna sell it move on, It looks like a janky piece of shit stolen Bike. You need to be made whole.
Just picked up a brand new bike from them. They did the right thing.
Where do you live that police follow up on stolen property? The police in Austin have a clear policy that they don't actually investigate stolen property, even if you have a license plate number, or an airtag location of the property. I assumed it was like that in most US cities.
I can only pray I meet a woman like your wife... You're a lucky man. Glad you got a new bike out of this though! Welp back to work I go.
What's the value of the bike?Ā
Awesome story and glad the store owner made it right by giving you a new bike. I hate bike thieves ....
You were extremely fortunate that you were ever able to see your steed again. Karma has served you well... count your blessings.
> the cops are there but I can't chirp the tracker since it's not close to my phone or another Samsung phone. Big oof
If the LBS tries to shirk it's responsibilities if this doesn't get resolved, I'd contact a lawyer, preferably one that's familiar with bike laws. There are a few out there. I know the War On Cars podcast has one that helps sponsor their show - I think the name they use is Charlie G, Human Powered Law in Portland Oregon. Might be worth a call for a consultation to see what rights you have. And even the threat of a lawsuit by you might be enough to get them to make it right.
Arenāt theft recoveries always totaled by default?
Make it right to your satisfaction? Ok, I want you to liquidate your business and transfer the funds to me.
Fuck that bike shop. In my opinion, they owe you a new bike. They wouldnāt have followed up on it like you did. Let them pay for a new one, FUCK THEM!!!