Buying new access period / setting auto-renew

[icecreamqueenParticipant]

I bought a week’s access with my key to try out the scheme, and as I’d had good experiences (up to that point!) wanted to get a year’s access. I thought I could have done this during the week’s access, but was annoyed to find out I had to let that lapse before I could get a year’s access, which I then did online.

I have not been sent a new key and my existing key still seems to work although I have been getting a lot of long amber flashes then red situations, thankfully just about enough green lights to pretty much keep me going.

[mdParticipant]

I too have experienced this. When I signed up for my key and 24-hour access it wouldn’t let me select auto-renew.

I first used my key (already with one block of 24 hour access on) on Thursday morning. I hope to use it again this evening so checked the site to make sure it will work. My ‘Access status’ on the home page showed as ‘Expired’ and ‘Status’ on the ‘Cycle access details’ page registered as ‘Expired.’

‘Auto-renew cycle access’ was showing No so I clicked Change. I ticked the box to auto-renew and a notice appeared telling me to “Please check the following and try again. Your access period has expired.” I tried a few times and it still said this. Then I clicked ‘Cycle access details’ and the ‘Status’ still showed as ‘Expired’ but ‘Auto-renew cycle access?’ said ‘Yes.’ Meanwhile the Home page still shows ‘Access status’ as ‘Expired.’ Therefore I really wasn’t sure what the status was!

I, like all the other people on this forum, thought clicking ‘Buy new access period’ would work (and hopefully allow me to do an Oyster style prepay top-up) but as everyone else has found, that forces one to buy more keys!

So I rang them. All operators were apparently very busy and so they took my name and number, the girl said they’d ring back in 24 hours, so once again I explained I needed access this evening!!

I thought the Oyster site was badly designed! Don’t get me wrong I love the bikes and the scheme as a whole but it’s a pity this wasn’t sorted out as soon as it became apparent.

[Dan ThomasParticipant]

Can’t believe this thread is a month old and the issue is still occuring. You STILL cannot buy a new access period without maddeningly being forced to buy new keys.

This happened to me last week and when I rang the call centre it was the first they’d heard of it and they refunded me the undelivered key. How the hell a mistake like this can last longer than a day on a commercial website is beyond me.

[mdParticipant]

Needless to say, no return call as of yet but just logged in again. ‘Cycle access details’ now showing ‘Auto-renew cycle access?’ as ‘No’ again. Will ring them again.

UPDATE:

Just rang them again, pressed option 4 (billing) and got through to Aisha! She said they were aware of the problem, then tapped into her computer and it should all work fine now. I’m not going to log in to the site anymore!

[mdParticipant]

I had a successful trip through the City, along the Strand, around St. James’s and Westminster. Therefore I can only conclude that it’s all working; not going to use the website again.

[Dan ThomasParticipant]

Well irritatingly I now have a 7 day hire period that runs out at 9:10 tomorrow. I can’t buy another period until that runs out, but by the time it runs out I’ll be on a bike or looking to pick one up, and away from a PC. lol.

[Mandi_1990Participant]

The exact wording is “I would like ___ Barclays Cycle Hire keys on my account.” When I bought my second 24-hour access period, I left it as 1, because I only needed on key “on my account”, the one I already had. I was not charged for an additional key, and the access period was activated normally.

So… Maybe you’re just reading it wrong? Granted, I did not do this a month ago, so maybe it charged you for an extra key then, but has anyone RECENTLY been charged for an additional key when buying another access period?

[teflonParticipant]

Mandi – I see what you mean by that, but it’s still not very clear. My girlfriend tried to set up auto-renew the other day and was so bamboozled by the website that she did it by phone instead.

[Dan ThomasParticipant]

Mandy,

I thought the same as you, so I selected one. It then promptly debited me £4 for 1×24 hour access.

I’ve just bought 12 months over the phone – as if I’d taken a bike out this morning I would’ve been stung for £150 when I brought it back.

Way I see it, a year costs as much as 2 months and 1 week. I’m hoping there will still be enough BoBis to go around by the end of the 2 months when casual use will have swung into force.

[solarbodParticipant]

10 months on and STILL problems with 24 hour access on auto renew and with mixed messages from telephone help line. I just sent this to TfL. . . . sorry, it’s a bit of a rant but I’m fed up with what could be such a great scheme failing me dismally.

GENERAL PROBLEMS USING 24HR ACCESS WITH AUTO-RENEW

I am an infrequent user of the bike hire scheme but need to rely on it from time to time to get around town quickly when I don’t have my own bike. For that reason I chose to join as a member and set up 24 hour access with auto-renew. That way, even if it was months between uses, I could just pop in my key, safe in the knowledge that payment would always be ready and renewed, and quickly take a bike.

This hardly ever happens! About 90% of the times I have tried to use the scheme, my first attempt to remove a bike is met with a red light (I think the only exception was on 18th July this year). I try neighbouring bikes and neighbouring docking stations (where I can) and – still red lights.

I always end up phoning your number from my mobile (I would be interested to know how much I am charged for these calls) and always get given different advice and mixed messages. Here are a sample:

“There must be a problem with your key” (there isn’t)

“It’s because you haven’t used your key for so long” (should that make a difference when I am an infrequent user using auto-renew?)

“We need to reset your key” (Why?! I set up auto-renew)

“Your account needs to be reset” (Why ?)

I also receive mixed messages about how the system copes with the situation where the first bike I attempt to take gives me a red light for whatever reason. I have been told by one of your call-centre agents that if I get a red light (for whatever reason) then I cannot attempt to take another bike for 5 minutes. However, when I put that to one of your staff who happened to be at a docking station, I was told that this was not correct.

Can you please confirm: If I get a red light on my first attempt to tale a bike, am I effectively locked out for 5 minutes from trying any other bikes? If that is the case, it is quite frankly ridiculous! I understand the 5 minute dock-in / dock-out rule as it stops people taking a new bike immediately after docking another, but why would this rule to apply to the situation I’ve described?

All I want to do is turn up, infrequently, at a docking station, use my key and take a bike dropping it off within 30 minutes somewhere else. What I don’t want to do is get red-lights from every bike I try, be forced to call your phone-line (costing me ???) and end up wasting about 15 minutes while someone “resets my account / key” so that I can eventually get a bike.

The scheme is failing me and I would love to hear what the plans are to resolve problems such as the one I’ve described.

Many thanks in advance for your clear answers.

[jacklocdingParticipant]

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