The loss: bicycle stolen
When Berlin resident Heike Klein wanted to set off for work on 13 September, she had a nasty shock: her brand-new e-bike had disappeared without a trace. “A real shame. I had saved for three years to buy the bike,” attests Klein. “And now someone had stolen it from me after just two weeks.” She had locked it to the banister as she had no room inside her flat. Klein reported the theft to the nearest police station immediately. Luckily, the bike had been fitted with an IT’S MY BIKE GPS tracker. “My bike dealer recommended having one and fitted it for me,” states Klein. “The tracker not only provides me with security but also helps me to keep fit.” She pressed the Report theft button in the tracking app while still at the station, thus notifying the IT’S MY BIKE team. After just a few minutes, she received a call and the promise that the police would be sent out in search of the bike as soon as the first GPS signal was received. “I also posted a message about the theft on the nebenan.de neighbourhood network platform, asking people to keep an eye out,” says Klein.

Success: bike returned along with seven others
The GPS tracker emitted the anxiously awaited signal at lunchtime the very next day. The IT’S MY BIKE team immediately alerted the police. One of Klein’s neighbours had also already phoned them shortly before: he had seen three men load bikes into a delivery van, including the missing bike with its distinctive silver blue paintwork, he was sure. He even provided the van’s registration number. The police set off in pursuit and stopped the vehicle on the Berlin motorway in the Tempelhofer Damm area. The driver was apprehended. The missing bike was indeed in the van along with seven more bikes. The IT’S MY BIKE team immediately informed Klein that her bike had been retrieved. She was overjoyed. “Everyone was pleased for me – friends, work colleagues and neighbours on nebenan.de,” she affirms. “Without the tracker my bike would have been lost.”

Photo: stock image. Copyright: Stevens.