Frequently Asked Questions
We are asked a number of questions about the tags and the app, we have tried to address some of the more commonly asked questions in the listing below. If you have your own question, drop it into the form on the left and we will look forward to answering it personally.
The tags are made from a special self-destructable material which, whilst not completely tamper-proof will come away in microscopic pieces thus making it a pain to remove. The tag is also designed to be high visibility and will not fade or be destroyed by the weather or UV. We have tested the stock on rough weather environments and the tag is still as bright and clear as the day it was applied.
Nothing, but the tag is able to be wiped down with an alcohol wipe to make it visible to the scan function on the app on smartphones
If you (or a dedicated bike thief) wants to get your bike and run the risk of destroying the frame with heat gun or with strong solvents then they or you can certainly do that. We would not recommend attempting this once you apply the tag as solvents and heat may effect both the paintwork and the overall integrity of your bike.
"Double" taging (when a new tag is placed over an existing one) will not work as the tag is linked to you, the bike and the frame number of your bike (entered when you register the bike). Any attempt to add the frame number in again will be denied. Furthermore, if you want to run the risk of purchasing a bike from someone who has clearly defaced or scraped/filed off the frame or serial number you (like us) would probably want to avoid this.
On the Veloeye website (well here as it happens) you can log in and use the "transfer my tag/bike" option which will allow you get the new owner's Veloeye User ID (issued to you when you register with Veloeye) and enter this in the "transfer code" box and this will then send the transfer invite to the new Veloeye user who can then accept ownership and the bike will then be moved from your account into their account (make sure this is the last thing you do when selling your bike!) If you are buying a bike you can also scan the tag and this will tell the status of the bike for your satisfaction.
Yes! Moreover we really want people to scan your bike, so please don't get annoyed or worried if someone does scan your tag - remember we are developing (and you are part of) an emerging community of cyclists and interested parties (including the Police) who are keen to monitor bike theft and increase the opportunity of getting a stolen bike reunited with its owner. We are, through social media also making scanning bikes a fun thing to do with occasional prizes to be won for anyone who scans a hidden "special" bike, thus increasing the scanning of bikes. Don't be paranoid about this, we're all surrounded by cycle theft so if we work with each other we can try and increase the chance of bikes being found.
The apps which will be available for Apple and Android smartphones are all currently free for personal use. We are keen for as many users of the Veloeye system to get their own copy of the app from the various app stores and market places, even if they are not cyclists they can still use the app to scan tags. We have also asked local Community Police Officers to get a copy and will be trying to get Parking Attendants and other agencies like Transport Police and Campus Security Officers to use the app to scan bikes which are labelled. There may be commercial versions of the apps for fleet and cycle hire companies and these are likely to be charged, but not the personal edition.
The app will work on iOS7 + and most versions of Android OS on mobile smartphones. The app doesn't take that much space up on the phone either, typically 20 Mb of available storage on the device. The only realy thing that the phone must be capable of is GPS location for tracking where any tag was scanned and all smartphones will have this feature. You must make sure that the app has permission to use your location and if it is running the background that notifications are turned on to enable any messaging service to send you updates (particularly important in the case of a stolen bike as any scanned stolen bike will send the owner a notification which relies on the app being running in the background)
No, we never send any personal details out with any notifications. The only time anything identifiable is released is when you are transferring ownership of a bike to another Veloeye user. Scans (active or stolen results) are completely anonymous, we only track the time and location of the scan, really just for interest and statistical purposes. Scans of tags are logged in the database and are accessible by virtue of a map for any user who wants to see when and where their bike was scanned. This also helps to reinforce the whole "community" side of things, we want you to know how often and where your bike has been scanned, it shows the spirit of Veloeye.
We really want to know if Veloeye is working as it should - as a community-based tool to reunite bikes with their owners. When a bike is flagged as stolen and (hopefully) is successfully retrieved we ask four simple option-driven questions. 1. How soon did you get your bike back, 2. How far from the stolen location was your bike retrieved? 3. Is your bike usable? 4. Did you get your bike back as a result of Veloeye? We capture all the answers to help us gauge how effective the Veloeye system is and any data we can collate will be used for reporting to the community and also to the website and through social media. We also anonymise this data so no personal information is ever released as part of our data reporting.
tag packs are £10.00 which is inclusive of VAT and postage.
Yes, but this extends only to packs which are 10 or more in quantity. If you are a club or association then you can request a quote for a multi-pack of tags on our enquiry form, retailers look at the FAQ for retailers.
Cetainly, we offer a trade account for bike shops, hire companies and maintenance workshops. These bulk packs don't come in sleeves but in rolls which cuts down on the cost and we also provide retail PoS posters and postcards to let your customers know how to register their tag and become part of the community. Submit your enquiry through our retailers form to give us an estimated volume of tags you need and we will get back to you with pricing.
If you purchase your tag pack and decide against using the tag, you may return the pack to us unused and (following inspection) we will issue a full refund and any postage charge incurred. As the tag is essentially a one-way process and removing it after you have adhered it to your bike will render it as microscopic peices, we regret that we cannot issue refunds if you decide not to keep the tag once applied to your bike.
