Trouble for the e-scooter provider Voi. And also for some messengers from Lieferando or Wolt. They used a flat rate offer from the e-scooter provider to deliver their orders. But Voi did not want his flat rate to be understood that way, terminated the contracts – and received a warning
“An unlimited number of journeys at a fixed price,” is how the e-scooter service provider Voi recruits new customers for its day and monthly passes. But the number of trips per day with the company’s electric scooters is limited according to the usage agreement. A certain total period of use must not be exceeded within 24 hours. The consumer center Hamburg has therefore now warned the Swedish Voi Technology AB for misleading.
“Get a day or monthly pass and drive as much Voi as you want, at a fixed price.” With these words, Voi advertised the scooter flat rate, according to the consumer advocates. Perfect for suppliers who do not have to worry about their own bikes or scooters and can park the two-wheelers on every street corner when the battery is empty. Voi apparently exceeded the calculation. Because the batteries of the scooters are empty so quickly – and due to the continuous operation, they are not available to other customers.
FLAT RATE WITH FAIR USE THROTTLE
The result: According to the consumer center, Voi wrote to at least one customer with a monthly pass at a price of 39 euros by email that he had violated the sharing provider’s usage agreement. The company wrote: “We have found that your use of the Voi Pass exceeds the limit stated in our Fair Use Policy (…). The limit for fair use is 9 trips per 24 hours or 200 minutes of use per 24 hours. “
Voi therefore advised that the pass should be deactivated or suspended without prior notice if the user did not end the violation. Voi provides information about these conditions in a so-called Fair Usage Policy. “It doesn’t work like that,” say consumer advocates. “Voi cannot lure with an unlimited number of trips if the use is actually limited. In our opinion, such business conduct is unfair, even if possible restrictions are listed in detail elsewhere. ”The result for Voi: A warning.
THIS IS HOW VOI REACTS
In a statement published by mobiflip, Voi is only partially understandable. With the restrictions, you have an eye on delivery services and customers who treat the e-scooter “more as a toy than as a transport service”. It goes without saying that “such irresponsible behavior is unacceptable to us”. For this reason, the decision was made to update the terms of use with a limit of 240 minutes of use or 10 journeys that were started and lasted longer than 2 minutes per day.
With regard to the communication of these restrictions, however, improvement is promised. Terminated customers would get their money back for days that were no longer usable. You could still rent scooters – but without a monthly pass. It is doubtful whether this is attractive for the customers concerned. Because every loan process costs 99 cents, every minute 19 cents. The supposed flat rate costs 39 euros per month.
