Why Kudos (and others) will not join BEBA
The following is the BEBA Code of Practice copied from the BEBA website.
BEBA Manufacturer/Importer Membership Commitments
Members must agree to and be able to demonstrate that they:
1. Only make sales through dealers / retailers or directly to the end user through flagship stores and not exclusively online
This would eliminate Cyclamatic,Woosh,Burisch plus probably 10 others from BEBA membership,it is there to stop trading via the internet with its obvious price advantage and benefit those BEBA members who have set their business model via dealers,it is a restrictive practice which I just cannot agree to. Kudos is a free trading company who will trade by whatever means it considers appropriate,not be told by some self elected organisation as to how to distribute our product.
2. Manufacture or have the UK exclusive agency to a brand of electric bicycle
So if Kudos chooses to sell a product that we dont have exclusivity to,then we cannot sell that product-ridiculous.
3. Have an after sales support program available to all dealers
This is sensible business practice,we dont need to be BEBA members
4. Hold a full spare parts inventory to enable on-going support for product in the market
This is also sensible business practice,but so many importers do not hold spares stocks,many in the industry use Kudos spares to sort customer warranty problems
5. Not manufacture / distribute electric bikes that the BEBA board determine to be replicas
I just cannot understand how BEBA have the right to determine whether a competitors bike is a clone of another. The Woosh,Oxygen and Wisper bikes all have similar appearance-why not? I have been offered similar style bikes from at least 5 suppliers in China,its not my style so I am not interested but I dont see why BEBA should restrict my choice of what bike I sell-if copyright issues are involved we have courts to resolve such issues,not a trade body overeaching itself.
6. Only market models that meet the current legal requirements
What are the current legal requirements? Thats a very difficult question to answer,which has been discussed at length on this forum. What would be sensible is to insist that all BEBA importers produce bikes to EN15194-but do all current BEBA member's bikes meet EN15194?
7. Offer full technical training to retail outlets
This is sensible,but its not happening-talk to some of these retail outlets and its obvious that they dont have the knowledge to accept such training
8. Provide retailers with marketing materials
Agreed
9. Provide retailers with manuals for all bikes
Agreed
10. Provide full service literature
Agreed
11. Offer an effective complaints procedure to the end user
No business would survive for long without listening to complaints from its customers.
BEBA Retail members
Retail members should:
1. Stock at least one brand of electric bike from a member of BEBA
Why? Why can't they stock whatever bikes they choose,why does it have to be a BEBA members bike-I think this may be illegal under the competition act?
2. Be technically capable and have the facilities to maintain any electric bicycle they retail
Agreed
3. Hold or have immediate access to a full spare parts inventory to enable on-going support for product
in the market
Agreed
4. Commit to having at least one BEBA Key members electric bike in store for demo at all times
I would say that they should have a selection of ebikes of any marque available for demo but I dont see why these have to be BEBA members bikes. There are some beautiful bikes out there for sale by quality manufacturers and importers who choose not to be BEBA members,its all about freedom of choice.
5. Not retail electric bikes that the BEBA board determine to be replicas
Have dealt with this one already,this is restrictive practice by BEBA,it is not a court it has no legal right to determine what bikes a retailer sells.
6. Agree to PDI all electric bikes
Agreed but its not happening,I have several retailers who are BEBA members who get me to drop-ship most bikes direct to the customer. They cannot PDI the bikes because they never see them!
7. Be prepared to co operate with BEBA in resolving any customer dispute bought to the attention of
the BEBA board
I just cannot understand how any independent retailer would allow BEBA to intervene in any dispute between retailer and customer. If I was a retailer and BEBA tried to intervene they would be told very quickly to mind their own business.
BEBA stands for the British Electric Bike Association. If it is there to do a job on behalf of the British Electric Bike Industry then all well and good and I would be very supportive of its efforts but as long as these restrictive Code of Practicies exist,which clearly are of self interest I want nothing to do with it.
Dave
Kudoscycles
The plug is fully justified and appropriate, I happily second the sentiment. The whole industry benefits from the work that BEBA does, so it's entirely reasonable to expect all those commercially involved in the industry to get involved in BEBA. I understand that there are some who don't like all the rulings that BEBA have made, but as with any political process, the most effective way to change that is from the inside.
Flecc,I would agree with your posting except I am not sure you have studied the BEBA Code of Practice which we are being asked to agree to,if it was just detail that we need to change but it is the whole basis upon which BEBA was established and the constraints that these Code of Practices put upon this industry that I cannot stomach.The plug is fully justified and appropriate, I happily second the sentiment. The whole industry benefits from the work that BEBA does, so it's entirely reasonable to expect all those commercially involved in the industry to get involved in BEBA. I understand that there are some who don't like all the rulings that BEBA have made, but as with any political process, the most effective way to change that is from the inside.
The following is the BEBA Code of Practice copied from the BEBA website.
BEBA Manufacturer/Importer Membership Commitments
Members must agree to and be able to demonstrate that they:
1. Only make sales through dealers / retailers or directly to the end user through flagship stores and not exclusively online
This would eliminate Cyclamatic,Woosh,Burisch plus probably 10 others from BEBA membership,it is there to stop trading via the internet with its obvious price advantage and benefit those BEBA members who have set their business model via dealers,it is a restrictive practice which I just cannot agree to. Kudos is a free trading company who will trade by whatever means it considers appropriate,not be told by some self elected organisation as to how to distribute our product.
2. Manufacture or have the UK exclusive agency to a brand of electric bicycle
So if Kudos chooses to sell a product that we dont have exclusivity to,then we cannot sell that product-ridiculous.
3. Have an after sales support program available to all dealers
This is sensible business practice,we dont need to be BEBA members
4. Hold a full spare parts inventory to enable on-going support for product in the market
This is also sensible business practice,but so many importers do not hold spares stocks,many in the industry use Kudos spares to sort customer warranty problems
5. Not manufacture / distribute electric bikes that the BEBA board determine to be replicas
I just cannot understand how BEBA have the right to determine whether a competitors bike is a clone of another. The Woosh,Oxygen and Wisper bikes all have similar appearance-why not? I have been offered similar style bikes from at least 5 suppliers in China,its not my style so I am not interested but I dont see why BEBA should restrict my choice of what bike I sell-if copyright issues are involved we have courts to resolve such issues,not a trade body overeaching itself.
6. Only market models that meet the current legal requirements
What are the current legal requirements? Thats a very difficult question to answer,which has been discussed at length on this forum. What would be sensible is to insist that all BEBA importers produce bikes to EN15194-but do all current BEBA member's bikes meet EN15194?
7. Offer full technical training to retail outlets
This is sensible,but its not happening-talk to some of these retail outlets and its obvious that they dont have the knowledge to accept such training
8. Provide retailers with marketing materials
Agreed
9. Provide retailers with manuals for all bikes
Agreed
10. Provide full service literature
Agreed
11. Offer an effective complaints procedure to the end user
No business would survive for long without listening to complaints from its customers.
BEBA Retail members
Retail members should:
1. Stock at least one brand of electric bike from a member of BEBA
Why? Why can't they stock whatever bikes they choose,why does it have to be a BEBA members bike-I think this may be illegal under the competition act?
2. Be technically capable and have the facilities to maintain any electric bicycle they retail
Agreed
3. Hold or have immediate access to a full spare parts inventory to enable on-going support for product
in the market
Agreed
4. Commit to having at least one BEBA Key members electric bike in store for demo at all times
I would say that they should have a selection of ebikes of any marque available for demo but I dont see why these have to be BEBA members bikes. There are some beautiful bikes out there for sale by quality manufacturers and importers who choose not to be BEBA members,its all about freedom of choice.
5. Not retail electric bikes that the BEBA board determine to be replicas
Have dealt with this one already,this is restrictive practice by BEBA,it is not a court it has no legal right to determine what bikes a retailer sells.
6. Agree to PDI all electric bikes
Agreed but its not happening,I have several retailers who are BEBA members who get me to drop-ship most bikes direct to the customer. They cannot PDI the bikes because they never see them!
7. Be prepared to co operate with BEBA in resolving any customer dispute bought to the attention of
the BEBA board
I just cannot understand how any independent retailer would allow BEBA to intervene in any dispute between retailer and customer. If I was a retailer and BEBA tried to intervene they would be told very quickly to mind their own business.
BEBA stands for the British Electric Bike Association. If it is there to do a job on behalf of the British Electric Bike Industry then all well and good and I would be very supportive of its efforts but as long as these restrictive Code of Practicies exist,which clearly are of self interest I want nothing to do with it.
Dave
Kudoscycles