Babboe wanted to keep problems with cargo bikes under wraps: staff had to lie to customers

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“We always had to lie,” an employee of Babboe BV told RTL News. “I made a story to the customer: ‘this never happens’, and gave them a free rain tent and free pillow.” Another adds: “A new guy came to work for us. He told a customer: ‘this happens every day.’ Then they said, ‘You should never say that.'”

Someone also states: “Managers and directors always told me to keep my mouth shut, or people would laugh stupidly.”

From the conversations conducted by the investigative editors of RTL Nieuws, the impression emerges that the problem of frames was also known to the top of the company. For example, eleven of the twelve employees stated that management was aware of the frame breaks. Within the company, the problem seemed to be the most normal thing in the world, sources describe. For example, every week an old ironmonger came to collect the broken frames. “In my role I had access to HR files and have seen that an employee has been reporting this for years,” says a former employee.

When asked, Babboe does not elaborate on what the staff shared with RTL News, but says: “We take the situation very seriously and all aspects are part of our ongoing investigation.”

Duty of confidentiality

The names of all employees are known to the RTL Nieuws editorial staff, but they only want to talk to us on the condition of anonymity. The employees’ employment contracts contain a confidentiality clause, as appears from several contracts that RTL Nieuws has seen. “The employee is prohibited from making negative comments about Babboe to third parties,” it reads. This clause applies both during and after the end of the employment contract. The employer threatens a fine of 5,000 euros per violation and 500 euros for each day that the violation continues.

Several current and former employees indicate that they have once delivered flowers to a customer who was injured after a fall caused by a problem with the Babboe cargo bike. At such times they did not admit that such problems occurred more often. “No, no, I didn’t say that, your income depends on it, your rent, your children have to eat. You are actually in a closed circle with your secret,” regrets an ex-employee who left because of the quality of the product. “I wasn’t allowed to say whether it was our fault or the customer’s fault, that remained a secret.”

‘Tears on the face’

Frustrated, the employee then reported to his manager as ‘very angry’. I felt like I was lying because I wasn’t allowed to say what had happened. Then you have someone standing in front of you with their entire face damaged, tears on their face, but it is your job.”

Katelijne’s cargo bike also broke: “My handlebars suddenly started to shake,” she says in the video below.

Responsibility:

In the past period, the investigative editors of RTL Nieuws spoke one or more times with 12 current or former employees of Babboe. The names of all employees are known to the editor-in-chief. Several employment contracts have been viewed and documents shared, which establishes that the employees worked at Babboe.