Bolt

Bolt has been a huge win for TYLER'S. From the quick and easy integration to their on going development efforts to ensure a fast, secure, simple checkout. We used to waste tons of time scanning for fraud orders with our old, inherited checkout, but now we're able to double down on true customer base. Any issue we've had has been resolved quickly by the Bolt support team, and they've come in clutch on more than one occasion for our customer support team. That's easy to say from a high level perspective, but my team constantly mentions how responsive and professional their staff is. This has easily been one of the smartest solutions we've deployed since I've been managing the e-commerce department at TYLER'S. We run an extremely lean team so finding solutions like Bolt is crucial to ensure we beat our customer expectations, while also maintaining strategic long term growth.

I think this boils down to perspective. Anytime I've had a notion that maybe I should change something or see another feature added on, Bolt has come through with a mindful solution that keeps the end consumer as the focal point of our mission. Our account manager has been stellar at ensuring we understand why one idea might seem good on paper, or at first glance, but that it could ultimately deter a customer or increase cart abandonment. The solution we were using before, would barely even respond to our requests, nonetheless give that level of detailed insight.

There is nothing positive I can say at this stage.

I had a really disappointing and frustrating experience with Bolt.
I scheduled a pick-up from the airport at 1am, as my flight was landing at midnight and I was really anxious about being stranded, so I was happy to pay the extra fees for the peace of mind.
In the days that followed, I kept checking the app for details of this scheduled ride, but all it said was that someone would arrive at 23:50pm and would wait till 1:05am.
Then when the day came, my flight arrived a bit early, so I was so relieved that I wouldn't be late for the ride. I checked the app just after midnight and no new details had been added still. I made my way to the car park and when I checked again the scheduled ride was gone. No message, notification or explanation. It just wasn't showing anymore. My heart dropped. My fears of being left at the airport in the freezing cold, in the early hours of the night were actually coming true. I was frantically checking the app and there was just nothing.
I decided to wait until 1am anyway, just in case someone DID show up. I was told I would be fined if I was late or didn't turn up so I braved the cold, watched everyone else around me get picked up by their taxis and at just after 1am (after waiting for 30mins) I finally ordered an Uber which thankfully arrived at 1:05am and took me home.
Halfway through my ride however, after just managing to relax after such a stressful time, I received an email from Bolt, telling me that on top of my £60 booking fee for a ride that never materialised, I had also been charged a cancellation fee because I didn't turn up.
I was furious. But thought, I have proof of everything - time stamped screenshots of the scheduled ride when it DID show on the app and also when it didn't (just 20min before it was due), as well as my Uber receipt, showing that it picked me up at 1:05am from the very spot where the Bolt ride was meant to start. I thought, I'll email them everything in the morning and all will be sorted. How wrong was I...
What ensued was a very long email chain between me and a number of Bolt staff who all refused to give me a refund and who were cold, rude and flat out patronising.
I was told that the driver had to be compensated. That he waited for me. That he called and messaged me. That I didn't know how to use the app. In response I said they should check my account to see there are no messages or calls from anyone at all. There isn't even any record of the ride at all. I asked them, why would I pay for an Uber instead of getting the already prepaid ride? I showed them proof that I was there at the time when the driver was claiming he was also there and messaging me.
They just kept saying that the driver had to be compensated and that next time I should "keep an eye on the app for messages and updates". This, after I had told AND shown them repeatedly that I had no information of the car or driver at any point in time.
In the end I paid £80 for a ride that never happened. I have also wasted hours writing emails to no avail. But worst of all, I never got an apology from them for the distress that I went through that night.
I believe that the driver did show up and waited and for this, of course he should be compensated. But not by me. He never messaged me. I so wish he had!
I was left distressed and scared then, and now just exhausted and deflated after being treated so badly and unprofessionally by them. Needless to say, I am now deleting the app. If you are looking for a reliable, professional and understanding taxi service app, I suggest you do the same.

What we liked about Bolt is that you get an all encompassing solution. Competitive rates, checkout widget that you can plug into your eCom store, and fraud protection built in. Their rate Agreement also is straight forward and easy to understand. You know exactly what you are getting charged.

There isn't much we dislike except for the speed that new features get implemented.