X-Treme wagging the dog again?

Rant mode ON:

Well, at least the "brand" X-Treme still continues to exist. Here in Germany/Austria it appears to be more opportune for E-Scooter startups to first do just that, start up with great fanfare, maybe even exist for a year, two years, even four years, and then, without further notice, not even to their Chinese supllier, let alone their dealers, they simply go underground, disappear! It happened just about a year ago with "V-Rider", and it appears even the importers of my ride are now following the same principle :-(
What do all three have in common? The same Chinese supplier. Might the cause for all these failing businesses lie in their common supplier and his not always straightforward business practices or faulty products ...???

I am pi.sed off beyond measure with all this criminal business behaviour §$%!!!

Rant mode OFF

I started up a company in 1999 and we imported electic scooters from Taiwan.
I could only afford being part of this company for 3 years (without salery), another guy ran it for two more years before going bancrupt.

I do believe that in most cases these companies are started up with good intentions, but quite quickly they realize that the profits are not big enough to make a living.
It could be for many reasons, but mainly bacause of low sales and not expecting the cost of guarantees, marketing and keeping a stock of spare parts beeing so high.

It will take higher gas prices and a real change in peoples attitude before electric vechicles is commonly accepted and potential sales volumes higher.
I think by now (13 years later) this is not very far away...

OK, it is now official: The Austrian (-German) Importer of my Fury (Thunder), WMI Wilhelm Motor Int. GmbH with their E-Scooter brand "E-Sprit" have filed for bankruptcy on 12. Oct. 2012, after 4 years and 7 months in the 2-wheeler business. All remaining unsold new E-Sprit scooters may not be sold until further notice from the liquidator...

The E-Scooter sector is REALLY suffering around here, as this is the second insolvency this year after the younger startup V-Rider also quietly closed it's doors in April 2012.
Both these bankruptcys may in part be attributed to the very aggressive entry into the E-Scooter market of "Masini", and particularly the demise of E-Sprit, because they sold almost exactly the same two models from the same Chinese Supplier, but with much fanfare, and fake "test reports" with false statements placed at about half a dozen or more different web portals. They are still in business, so I may be forced to go through THEM if I should need any spares...
Not good, not good :-(