BlueSG customers have expressed frustration at the problems they continue to face when accessing the car rental application since December 2023, crossing into Christmas Day and New Year's Day when they need it for their festive plans.

They are also frustrated about the lack of a response from its customer service during the Christmas and New Year's festive period.

BlueSG had apologised to customers multiple times through e-mail, and on Jan. 10, 2024, offered all users a subscription waiver for January 2024 and said they are considering compensation for those significantly affected.

Given the bookings of cars that were not there

Sylves (not his real name), 29, told Mothership that he made a parking reservation on Christmas Day, Dec. 25, only to find the parking lot empty of BlueSG cars.

He had taken the Light Rail Transit (LRT) to the BlueSG car station at Damai after making sure there were BlueSG cars available for use on the app, only to find that the station was devoid of any cars.

However, when he checked the app, it indicated that there continued to be a car reserved for him.

In addition, he tried calling customer service for half an hour, but there was no answer.

Due to the "last minute letdown", Sylves said that he "was already running late for [his] Christmas plans and waiting for a taxi or GrabCar booking would have definitely made [him] late".

Hence, he chose to book a rival rental car, which was available beside the BlueSG parking lot.

He ended up having to pay S$101.54 for a full-day rental, in comparison to the BlueSG's premium package of S$18 per month he is currently subscribed to.

He encountered a similar issue again on Dec. 30, 3:42pm, when he was given the serial number for a car that did not appear at Punggol as indicated.

He said that BlueSG's customer service couldn't "do anything to help aside from asking me to fill a form".

"Unless they officially post that all issues have been resolved and provide reasonable compensation for premium subscribers who have been paying and getting charged for no fair reason, (there will be) no more BlueSG for me," Sylves said.

Sent the bill for a car he could not use

Peter Thang, 53, was billed for reserving a car he could not use on Dec. 16.

On that day, he could not access the car he reserved due to "a booking system error" when he tapped his card on the kiosk.

He called customer service, but no one answered, so he "had to give up" trying to access the car.

On Dec. 24, a bill of S$5 was emailed to Thang, presumably for the reservation of the car he could not access.

According to the BlueSG site, customers will still be charged the reservation fee even if they choose to cancel the reservation later on. However, the site does not mention cases where customers are unable to collect their cars to begin with.

The site also tells customers to call its customer service hotline in the event they encounter technical issues with the Bluecar while driving.

"I don't know what to do because I'm unable to contact them," Thang said.

In the meantime, Thang said he would he would "try to avoid" using the app until the glitches were resolved.

Updates from BlueSG

When Mothership contacted BlueSG on Dec. 27, they replied, "our technical team is diligently working to implement corrective measures to rectify the situation, and we have no further updates as yet".

Later on the same day, some BlueSG customers shared in the Telegram group chat that they had received an email from BlueSG apologising for "service disruptions that have been arising from recent glitches" in their new app.

The email explained that the disruptions were "due to unexpected technical complexities stemming from the systems migration updates from Dec. 19, 2023".

Apart from the system migration updates on Dec. 19, BlueSG's email also highlighted "integration challenges" with some of its external vendors.

BlueSG also acknowledged the need to be transparent with their customers, as well as the importance of responsive and efficient customer service.

They promised to provide "regular updates on our progress with these corrective actions" and are "investing in additional resources to improve and strengthen our customer service team to ensure that your queries and concerns are addressed promptly in the future".

The latest update on BlueSG's Facebook was Dec. 31, where it stated that their "tech squad is on the case, working around the clock to fix the issues to ensure a smoother experience".

On Jan. 9, another statement was sent to BlueSG customers via e-mail and app at around 6pm, where it stated that they will have a "temporary suspension of personal details change".

They said that "it will be a six-day process from 9th Jan, 6pm to 15th Jan, 6pm" and "car rentals will not be affected during the data migration".

A day after, on Jan. 10 at around 11am, customers were notified via e-mail and app that BlueSG "appreciate [their] trust during challenging times" and "are fully committed to making things right".

The statement continued that as a gesture of their gratitude, BlueSG will offer "a January 2024 subscription waiver for all users, covering billing cycle from 1st to 31st January" and that they're "also exploring compensation for those significantly affected, including Premium Subscribers".

Top screenshots courtesy of Peter Thang and Sylves, Photo by Joshua Lee