Two stars because although it is not completely unusable the app is missing core features (e.g. the ability to update ones payment details) and is full of stupid bugs (e.g. any navigating in the app while chatting with support will disconnect the chat.)This combined with the complete disaster which are the lockers, which will fail to scan a returned bike and then will refuse to allow you to open the door again to try to re-seat the bike—never mind the need to make a return reservation, which the app should (but doesn't) invite you to do when you make the hire reservation!—make this service next to unusable.Like many other reviewers I wanted to try out a Brompton before deciding to purchase, but my initial experience with the hire service is so bad that, altough I enjoyed the bike I am honestly much more reluctant to consider purchasing one now that I was before.

Cumbersome verification process remains so you have to go through the call desk.If an issue occurs, even if you have the bike out, you are instantly locked out of your app. A more common sense approach would be to let you either update card details (as was needed in my case) or return the bike. Instead it flashed up a warning that you have an inactive account, and no other details. This is the helpful text I redirected several times a day:“A recent payment has failed and you will not be able to hire bikes until this is resolved. Please contact BBH”You have to go to the website and find the number to contact the support desk.The experience contacting the support desk varies, last time I had a very helpful lady after the bike I got was scuffed and scratched all over with very worn breaks. This time, I had a ‘computer says no’ person who would rather spend time arguing over me than just listen to my requests to update the card details and pass a suggestion to the app team. Even had the cheek to sarcastically state I was wrong about there not being any notice on how to get in touch with the help desk since everyone she’s seen it all the details were there. If instead of trying to get one over others in pointless arguments, she actually tried to help then the service could be drastically improved.Fantastic bikes, poor app design, patchy service, and sadly sometimes even worse customer service.

I really want to like this. The actual service is a great idea and convenient. Sure, more lockers would be better but the ones that exist are in useful places. However, the app seems like it was designed to be as unhelpful to users as possible. Alongside the comms that they send out, which seems designed to be downright frustrating it makes it hard to live with. Every credit card has an expiry date, but the app won’t let you update your payment details. You only find this out after you’ve hired a bike and then for some reason they think the best thing to do is to lock you out of your account so you can’t bring the bike back. I would love to have sat in the design meeting when that went on the whiteboard and everybody nodded, “yeah that’s the way we should do it.” If you make it hard for your users, your users will go elsewhere.

The app does work, I guess, but the service is awful. Hired a bike from Portsmouth Harbour, took several attempts to unlock the door, rushed for the train so didn’t check the bike. Unfolded the bike at Waterloo and not only was the rear tire flat, but the tire was obviously perished. Found a local bike shop and got the tire pumped up. It lasted a day so I thought I’d chance a second day’s hire. Sadly the next day I made it half way to work before the tire popped. Had to take it and leave it at a bike shop. They called later in the day to say the tire needed replacing, which I declined to have them do. It cost me £15 to get just the inner tube inflated enough to get me back to Waterloo. I had a similarly frustrating experience returning the bike back to the racks. Watch out for the back tire on the bike in bay one at Portsmouth Harbour, I guess. Have since ended up buying a burner bike to leave at Waterloo. Leave the Bromptons to the Lycra clad middle aged white dudes.