BevQ, Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, is ‘on the rocks’ with a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store

• Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, BevQ, has fallen to a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store.
• Even though BevQ was able to garner more than 100,000 downloads in less than 24 hours, many users have since reported multiple glitches in its functioning.
• From issues of OTP generation to liquor delivery time slots on being available been 3:45 am to 9:00 am, more than 60% of the BevQ’s reviews at rated 1-star.

Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, BevQ, has fallen from grace in record time. Currently, it holds a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store with more than 60% of its over 30,000 reviews giving it only 1 star.

BevQ was launched with a lot of fanfare by Kerala Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan on May 26 as a way of avoiding overcrowding at alcohol shops. It even crossed over one lakh downloads in less than 24 hours of going live. In the past four days, it’s been downloaded over a million times.

However, since then users have reported multiple glitches with the app from the receiving OTPs on time to delivery slots being switched out with any alerts. “I keep receiving messages that ‘something went wrong’ after I have added my name, cellphone number and pin code,” complained one user.


"In order to maintain the social distancing especially in this COVID scenario this app will be usable and the client can book a queue number and token for assuring his place in the queue in the specified time slot," the app description on Google Play reads. Yet users report that the only ‘time slot’ that’s available is between 3:45 am and 9:00 am even though government guidelines dictate that bookings should only be available between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm.


Even if a user concedes to booking between the available timeslot the app shoots back saying, ‘token not available’. One of the lucky few who was able to book a time slot said, “When booked you get a far away outlet. Instead of using the nearest location, the app is using the nearest pin code.”


The app is built by a Kochi-based startup called Faircode Technologies Limited, which claims to have 256 clients on its site. Yet, three days into the launch of the app many of the issues remain unresolved. Users on Twitter and Facebook have been trolling the apps for its false promises. The spokesperson for the company has said that they’re working on resolving the issues with some external help.

SEE ALSO:
Coronavirus cases in Kerala news and updates

Woman dies of COVID-19 in Kerala, toll rises to ten; 61 new cases reported

‘Remove China Apps’ races to 1 million downloads within two weeks as anti-China sentiment gains momentum