Scooter rental company , Bird , has formally boarded the struggle bus . The micro mobility supplier send off out emails to current and preceding customers requesting that they settle their lingering debt earlier this month . And the company leave alone no stone unturned in its seeking to recoup revenue .
“ This email is to inform you that we ’ve extend into an issue attempt to buck your requital method , ” begins the company ’s formal email . The subject matter then goes on to politely enquire that the recipient update their payment info and warns that , if they do n’t comply , they “ wo n’t be able to embark on any Modern rides . ”
@BirdRideI put in $ 20 and had a bad first drive experience . I wrote you about what snuff it wrong which you never reply to , and now you send me this picayune dunning letter of the alphabet for $ 0.55 . I ’m gon na fly the coop.pic.twitter.com/OQkDz5C2pe
Oh how the Birds have fallen; from scooter start-up sweetheart, to inbox dollar debt collection.Photo:Boycez(Shutterstock)
— Paul Hess ( @idea2go)December 7 , 2022
On top of the notably measly pay requests , Bird also appear to be contact out to client who had n’t used its service in years . free-base on tweet tag the company ’s @BirdRide bill , most of the appeal emails seem to have been sent on December 6 and 7 .
Hello@BirdRide . How is it that I abruptly owe you $ 5.10 when I have n’t used your avail since 2019 ?
Your immediate attention is appreciated.pic.twitter.com/yLlwNi7YmH
— Jake Fisher ( @jakefisher)December 7 , 2022
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1600524231363948544
“ Y’all must be strapped for cash rn,”one Twitter user posted , after receiving a $ 0.62 payment request . And they ’re proper . Though Bird did not immediately respond to Gizmodo ’s interrogation or petition for comment , it ’s safe to put on the society is probably middling desperate for investment firm .
Last calendar month , Bird report that it hadoverestimated its own revenuebetween 2020 and November 2022 in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission . The fellowship say it erroneously added up unpaid fare from account short on cash into its earnings totals . Though the total overappraisal resulting from that computer error is unclear , the scale of the troupe ’s problems is n’t . In Bird ’s third - quarter earnings , it reported net loss of $ 9.8 million and a free Johnny Cash flow of negative $ 1.2 million .
“ As of September 30 , 2022 , the Company had $ 38.5 million in unrestricted Johnny Cash and Johnny Cash equivalents which , without additional funding , will not be sufficient to meet the Company ’s responsibility within the next twelve months , ” Bird wrote in its November earnings sum-up . “ If the Company is unable to provoke extra capital … it may not be able to compete successfully and may necessitate to scale back or stop sure or all of its operations in social club to reduce costs or seek bankruptcy protective covering , ” the report continues .
And even before that barren financial statement to investors , the ship’s company was confront hard times . Birdaxed nearly a quarterof its staff in June . Those layoffs were just the most late ina seriesofcuts from thepast few year . In April 2020 , the company slashednearly a thirdof its full workforce .
But it ’s operose to see how digging through customers ’ proverbial couch shock for loose modification is going to assist much . accumulate spectacular payments of $ 0.55 hardly seems like enough to brood millions in release , and might just relieve oneself off customers enough to add weight unit to this Bird ’s leaded wing .
BankOperating systemssoftwareX ( Twitter )
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