Ukrainian electric bike manufacturer accused of unfair crowdfunding
8 July 2024 09:05
An American consumer has won a lawsuit against the Ukrainian company Delfast, which produces electric bicycles. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to electrek
A man from New York named Jonathan Rapoport participated in a crowdfunding campaign on the Indiegogo platform, where he paid for a new Delfast California electric bike. However, the company did not send him the promised product.
Initially, Delfast promised to refund the money, but then stopped responding to the customer’s requests. Rapoport filed a lawsuit, where a representative of Delfast argued that the crowdfunding participants only supported the company, not bought the product.
The court found that Delfast had breached the contract for the supply of the e-bike. The judge ordered the company to pay the plaintiff $2,198 (the cost of the bike) plus $100 in court costs.
The case highlights the legal nuances of crowdfunding campaigns, which are often used to pre-sell products but are not technically legally binding sales agreements.
Delfast
Delfast is a Ukrainian electric bicycle manufacturer founded in 2014. The company is known for its electric bikes with a long range. Delfast is headquartered in Kyiv and has production facilities in China.
The company’s most famous model is the Delfast Top 3.0 with a range of up to 320 km.
In 2021, Delfast raised $3.4 million through crowdfunding.
Electric bikes from this manufacturer are used by police in some US cities.
Delfast is committed to creating environmentally friendly transport for cities and off-road use. The company continues to develop and expand its product line.
