So that’s bad news! Erwin Lambrechts, a resident of Puurs (province of Antwerp) had a very bad surprise after buying a bike from the Decathlon store in Schelle.
An electric bike worth 2,100 euros. Not nothing. This Saturday, it was therefore with a big smile – and his 2-year-old son – that Erwin went to the sign after receiving a message telling him that his new toy was ready.
“Without checking my identity, they took my bike out of stock,” the 36-year-old told Nieuwsblad. “Then a colleague came to explain to me how the bike and the battery worked. In the meantime, another employee tore off the paper hanging from the bike, to confirm that it had indeed been removed”.
In the aftermath, Erwin went away to get a spare tire and suitable shoes. But what was his surprise when he came back to the checkout to find that his bike had disappeared. Quickly, the surveillance cameras confirmed that the two-wheeler had been stolen… “But since I had already paid and the ticket had already been scanned, Decathlon decided that it was already mine. So they couldn’t do anything for me…”
Disappointed, Erwin resents the store managers: “They didn’t even try to find a solution and didn’t make me any offer,” he regrets. “How is it possible that someone takes a bike from the store and goes out without being stopped? “.
Erwin has filed a complaint with the police but, at the time of this writing, the thief is still nowhere to be found.
On the Decathlon side, we deplore this incident but we confirm that legally, the sales process was over when the various security systems present on the bike were deactivated. The store contacted Erwin to try to help him and collaborated with the police. Erwin was given a bicycle on loan.