Update: spare parts availability
It’s our mission to get riders back on the road. Over the last few weeks, we’ve received many questions from pre-bankruptcy VanMoof bike owners about the availability of spare parts and waiting times in our partner network. To keep you updated, we'd like to share the progress we are making here today.
Before we dive in, it’s good to flag that our re-engineered S5 & A5 bikes from the new VanMoof can be serviced at any relevant partner. With these bikes under warranty, we expect minimal waiting times and all parts to be readily available.
What’s at the top of our list right now? Getting pre-bankruptcy bikes back on the road. That goes for our S3 & X3 and our S5 and A5 bikes – all from the old VanMoof. At every stage, we’re focused on avoiding past mistakes. We want to do things right, rather than fast. So, sometimes this means we’ll decide not to distribute parts that don’t meet our quality standards. Instead we’ll create new solutions from the ground up – which may cause delays.
The latest update here is that all parts are now being produced and are travelling through our logistics channels. We’re ramping up production as quickly as possible to meet demand.
It’s going to take us until the end of summer to have enough parts in stock and a smooth distribution flow. Now, we’d like to explain why that is.
When we acquired VanMoof there was nothing. The production at suppliers had ceased, the supply chain was dismantled and the service network was shut down. Normally, it takes years to build such a complex infrastructure. We’ve given ourselves months – and we’re making significant progress.
We’ve restarted the production of all 500 SKUs’ (the separate parts of all VanMoof products from the SX3 and newer), successfully engaged transport partners to bring these parts from our production partners to our warehouses across Europe and are continuing to expand our partner network – now with 120+ partners and counting across 10 countries. However, navigating the path between restarting the supply chain and getting your pre-bankruptcy VanMoof bikes back on the road does involve an incredible amount of logistical, legal and operational roadblocks.
This ranges from obtaining the right permits to transport batteries across European borders to dealing with Brexit complications. We’ve had to set up a partner portal where partners can order new parts easily and integrate a new infrastructure to label and track each part. As a new company, it means we’re building everything from scratch.
Currently, our new partner network is experiencing longer-than-ideal waiting times, especially in places where VanMoof is well-established. This is primarily due to an eight-month backlog of repairs accumulated during the bankruptcy. Coupled with the busy summer season, this may lead to frustratingly long wait times. Nevertheless, we’re onboarding new service partners every week and expect to clear this backlog by the end of summer.
We’re working tirelessly to resolve these issues and are confident we will get there in the next few months. We understand that it can be incredibly frustrating not to be able to ride your VanMoof bike, but we promise you that our entire organisation is working around the clock to get you back on the road – fast. This is our top priority, and we're committed to doing it sustainably, ensuring we can support you not just with a quick fix, but for years to come.
