The much-awaited Bevq app was released last week amidst hype among people. The Bevq app has crossed 1 million downloads on Google Play Store within five days of the launch. The Bevq app generates token and the relevant QR code using which customers can purchase liquor from the nearest store. The Kerala Government has handed over the Bevq project to a Kochi-based startup Faircode Technologies. However, the 1 million downloads app faced several glitches such as the inability to receive OTP, app crash, and much more.
The customers had to face several problems during the initial days. The customers took to social media and complained that they are not receiving OTP within the stipulated 5 minutes. Moreover, customers were assigned to outlets, which is far away from their homes. The Bevq app doesn’t provide any option to select the brands and outlets. The system automatically assigns customers the outlets as per the Pincode. They have to purchase the item available there without any choice.
We don’t drink but we tested the Bevq app out of interest. The first few days were plagued with technical problems. The app hanged and displayed connection error for an extended time. However, we managed to book a token on the third day and was assigned to the nearest hotel. The app is designed in such a way that you can only book tokens once in four days. If you are unable to visit the outlet due to any reason, then you have no option to change the date and time.
In a bid to save face, the Government reportedly deployed a team of engineers from Kerala IT Mission and Technopark to rectify the issues on the Bevq app. The official spokesperson revealed that the app is functioning well now despite a huge surge in traffic. The system was able to handle SMS OTPs very well. However, the reports suggest that the app for QR code is not yet functional. We don’t know for what purpose the QR code and we hope that the app will be ready by this week.
Faircode has posted a newspaper report about the resolution of the problem on their Facebook page. The customers are not posting positive reviews about the app even after the company claims that they have resolved all pending issues. The app only received an overall rating score of 2.5 on the Google Play Store. There are still complaints that people are being forced to visit bars instead of the BEVCO outlets to buy liquor far away from their home.
The development of the Bevq app looks like a setback for the company because they can’t show this app to other clients even though the app has recorded 1 million downloads. The ratings and comments are poor and they will have a tough time to convince the clients in future unless all customers provide four and five stars reviews going forward.
