“It’s not the first time that we have tracked down a bike stolen in Germany to find it abroad,” affirmed a pleased Sebastian Stoll, who coordinates searches for stolen bikes at IT’S MY BIKE. “We’ve already managed to bring bikes back from Belgium, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.”

In this particular case, the owner had parked his bike in a Berlin underground garage. The thief struck in the early morning on 7 May. The rider didn’t notice his bike was gone until a few days later, on 11 May, and then reported the theft to IT’S MY BIKE via the app associated with the GPS tracker.

Using the movement data, which are tracked after a theft is reported, the IT’S MY BIKE recovery team saw that the thief was underway with the stolen item in Berlin first of all. However, on 12 May, one day later, the tracker was already transmitting signals from Podujeva, a town in north-western Kosovo, on the border with Serbia. Sebastian Stoll immediately got in touch with the police there. “Coordination with the local police was excellent,” he sums up.

When the team received signals on 14 May, two days later, Stoll immediately forwarded the current position data and the Podujeva police gave pursuit. Around 30 minutes later, they seized the e-bike they were looking for. The insurance company then took charge of transporting it back to Germany.

“Unlike conventional bike insurance policies, the prime objective of Alteos e-bike insurance is to retrieve bicycles. This is particularly important right now since many retailers are reporting delays in deliveries and victims of theft sometimes have to wait months for a new bike. Another advantage is that the customer is also protected against vandalism, battery wear and accident damage,” explains Dominik Wittenbrink, Director of Sales and Partnerships at ALTEOS. “If the bicycle cannot be recovered, the insurance company will reimburse the customer the value of a new one.”

The Berlin-based insurtech Alteos has been an IT’S MY BIKE partner since May 2020. Users are able to take out insurance packages suitable for them directly from the bicycle dealer (Alteos shop partner) or at a discounted price in the IT’S MY BIKE app.

 

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