Gadget Show tonight

[RobF]

There was a commercial comparison of the two bikes, with the implication they were comparing two road legal machines, which they were not. The implication is there because 1) the volt is a road-legal machine, and 2) the number of people who possess sufficient private land to make a serious and legal market of 25mph bikes, is countable on your fingers and toes. In light of that it's what the ordinary viewer would have assumed from the section.

You may be right that there is no regulatory question but I think you may be wrong too and it's certainly not stupid to suggest there is one.

You may be right that anybody (not just Volt) could have standing to make a complaint about this, however, standing may figure in whether a complaint is taken seriously. It is a principle of many tribunals that you must have skin in the game to make a complaint. I don't think it's a pointless complaint though. A few commenters above have said they feel sorry for Volt and I think the reason they feel sorry is because the bike was mis-portrayed as being the slower of two road legal bikes, which it wasn't.

Both the bikes - and those stand on contraptions - were used on a test track.

I didn't pick up any inference from the programme those gadgets or the bikes were legal or not.

Seemed to me the programme ignored that question, therefore it doesn't arise - even if some viewers think it should have done.

 

[jonathan75]

Seemed to me the programme ignored that question, therefore it doesn't arise.

That's a very strange argument. Perhaps you could tell me how that works?

 

[shemozzle999]

It appears Volt Bikes managed to create some pre-screening positive PR from the exercise:

http://www.voltbikes.co.uk/blog/volt-ebikes/volt-e-bikes-takeover-gadget-show-film-set/#more-582

 

[tillson]

I don't think that consumer type programmes work on commercial television. The commercial broadcasters rely on advertising revenue so it's difficult for them to revue a product that either is, or is a potential revenue generator for them.

The Beeb are better placed to make product testing programmes because they aren't funded by makers.

 

[JohnCade]

I’d be moaning if they were legal and one of them knocked me over on a pavement. Some of the old folk on mobility scooters are bad enough. Talk about Hell’s Grannies.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/12/pedestrian-injured-mobility-scooter-attack-southampton

Just saw this piece about a Hell’s Granddad on a mobility scooter deliberately running over someone on a pavement and putting them in hospital.....

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Here's the video of what actually happened. Compare that with what they showed, which you can see on Demand 5 27th April about 38 minutes in.

http://www.channel5.com/shows/the-gadget-show/episodes/episode-9-375