EZEE Torq for $1400 - free delivery

[Griswold]

Hello,

Noticed this on Ebay (a sposored link when I did a search on EZEE bike)

Rapid Electric Cycles Limited - The world's best electric bicycles delivered to your door
They are based in Spain - importer for Ezee in Europe.
An excellent price it seems compared to this country - and free delivery
They only seem to take a wire transfer for payment though!
So Im a tad hesitant!
What do you think?

 

[Miles]

Looks like a scam based on the 50 Cycles site........

Compare:
Rapid Electric Cycles Limited - About Us - Electric bicycles delivered to your door

To:
About 50cycles UK - specialists in advanced electric bicycles

I'd expect a "Harvard graduate" to come up with a better name than "Rapid Electric Cycles"

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

Hello,

Noticed this on Ebay (a sposored link when I did a search on EZEE bike)

Rapid Electric Cycles Limited - The world's best electric bicycles delivered to your door
They are based in Spain - importer for Ezee in Europe.
An excellent price it seems compared to this country - and free delivery
They only seem to take a wire transfer for payment though!
So Im a tad hesitant!
What do you think?

The wire transfer shouldn't pose a problem as long as the trader is bona fide on eBay, a more secure method would be SWIFT, do beware if this is new eBay operation, can you check with Ezee in the U.S. to ensure this is really their approved representative ? email them in Spain and ask why they won't take plastic, or even PayPal, its only 2.5% for legit sellers ? caution is called for.

take care out there,
beeps

 

[Griswold]

Yes does look too good to be true!

I did wonder about the similarities between this site and 50 Cycles Web site.
They arent registered on Ebay I believe - it was just a link at the bottom of the page saying sponsored links!
Therefore I wouldnt be covered by anything if I sent the money by a wire transfer hence my nervousness!
A great idea though to check with Ezee themselves.

Regards


Chris

 

[Miles]

Looks a rather stupid scam, to me.......

 

[flecc]

Without any question a scam.

It's the old 50cycles site from several months ago. Look in "about us" and you'll see the wording starting from the reference to the Honda Step Compo is the history of 50cycles shown as the history of Rapide, all untrue for that name.

Definitely actionable.
.

 

[Ian]

The advise quoted from from ebays safety centre is "Never pay with cash or instant money transfers, such as Western Union or MoneyGram. These methods of payment are banned on eBay because they are unsafe". If someone is only accepting this payment method then my guess is it's dodgy, especially as there's no mention of them on the Ezee international dealers page.

 

[Ian]

Having veiwed the site it is as Flecc has noted without doubt a rip-off of the 50cycles site and undoubtably a scam. I have emailed details to 50cycles.

 

[ITSPETEINIT]

Torq for $1400

Is that USDollars? or what?
There is no safer way to pay than by CREDIT CARD.
I am puzzled by the similariity to 50Cycles website.
Another co-incidence is the Spanish on the (real) 50 Cycles website on the "Contact us" page:
" Lo mandamos a España. Por favor completos la forma?

for which Babelfish offers the translation " WE SENT IT TO ESPANA (SPAIN). PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM".

I seems to me a good idea to refer the matter to 50 Cycles who may not be aware that there are impersonators abroad.
But don't expect a speedy reply - they "are very busy at this time".
Peter

 

[flecc]

I had also mailed 50cycles. I understand the directors may both be away at present, that being the status at last weekend, with the staff holding the fort.

Perhaps they've done a runner to Spain.
.

 

[Ian]

I'd like to think it was genuine as they apparently have NiMh batteries in stock at $250.

I guess that's just more evidence that it's a scam.

 

[coops]

Another co-incidence is the Spanish on the (real) 50 Cycles website on the "Contact us" page:
" Lo mandamos a España. Por favor completos la forma?

for which Babelfish offers the translation " WE SENT IT TO ESPANA (SPAIN). PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM".

Well spotted Pete (where are these forum members' eagle eyes when we're trying to track down flecc's project clues, eh?! ).

The site certainly appears to be suspect, but if that link in spanish on the 50Cycles "contact us" page goes to the spanish "rapid electric" site, doesn't it suggest that either the spanish site is legit, or 50Cycles' site may have been hacked??

Do 50Cycles have a spanish representative that link may be for? There isn't one on the Ezee international dealers page Ian pointed out earlier...

Either way, better we let 50Cycles know - by phone or other direct means if anyone can, in case it needs sorting out, since as Pete said their email "inbox" seems fairly full right now...

 

[Haku]

Smells fishy, looking at the whois of rapidelectriccycles.com it's not registered to the address listed on their website but that of the domain registration service hostgator.com

A couple of times I've bought things off eBay sellers by using international bank transfer which has no recourse if the recepient runs off with your money, but they had practically perfect feedback and the items weren't your usual plasma tv/mobile phone type of things usually associated with scams.

 

[flecc]

The fishiest thing is only accepting credit card payments for less than $500, and that only for US citizens. If it was a genuine 50cycles outlet, they have credit card payments through HSBC which is a worldwide bank, the second largest in the world in fact.
.

 

[Ian]

I've just noticed the test results on the Torq are shown as being from "Bike Monthly". Seems A to B magazine have a clone as well.

PS "Bike Monthly" appears to be entirely fictitious.

 

[coops]

Does it strike anyone else as particularly odd that a spanish/mediterranean europe distributor is selling bikes for dollars??

I don't know if the Euro/dollar exchange rate is as favourable as for the £/$, if so selling in dollars is attractive for European buyers, but then again that may be the idea if it is indeed a scam?...

 

[Ian]

There's not much about that site that doesn't strike me as odd Stuart.

I don't think there can be any doubt that it's a scam, there's more clues scattered about than a Flecc project.

 

[coops]

If its a scam then its particularly worrying that the 50Cycles site appears to have a strange spanish link on the "contact us" page, when there are no known listed 50Cycles representatives nor Ezee bike distributors in Spain?

 

[Miles]

If its a scam then its particularly worrying that the 50Cycles site appears to have a strange spanish link on the "contact us" page, when there are no known listed 50Cycles representatives nor Ezee bike distributors in Spain?

This is a simple contact form, Stuart. Probably 50Cycles have supplied people in Spain, directly, before and are just making life easier for future customers.

Let's not get paranoid about everything

 

[coops]

Yes, you're probably right Miles thanks.

The presence of a Spanish link on 50Cycles site & the dodgy sounding babelfish translation just seemed very odd in the context...

I think it most likely translates as "we deliver to Spain, please complete the form" .

It does seem to link to within 50Cycles site too.

Stuart.