Revel: All-Electric Rides Reviews

by Andymon

Seemingly overnight a plethora of rental scooters has taken over Queens and Brooklyn. People ride them on the sidewalk, park them anywhere, frequently taking up much more room than necessary, which eliminates the very little street parking there is to begin with. They also seem to be magnets for vandalism.

Despite all this they look fun and I would be willing to try one out. I even went through the process to sign up. I got all the way to the part where you wanted to charge me $19 to run my license. Listen, I get it, you don’t want just anyone riding these things, but I’m not going to pay to rent the scooter and for the check. You wanna check, that’s on you. Don’t nickel and dime me.

Final conclusion...these things are trash and bring no value to the community. They should be removed immediately.

by MROD11

Seriously. Since you updated it this week, two days in a row I’ve somehow been able to ride a scooter even though it doesn’t show I’m riding it in your app. Then I have to call you guys to shut off the bike when I’ve reached my destination. This is not a “WiFi connectivity” issue. The bottom line is your app now has a new flaw that allows me to rent a bike without you apparently knowing about it. And then I have to call you, wait on hold for customer service, and then ask you to turn off the bike so no one steals it. That’s ridiculous. I’m a longtime customer and use your bikes daily for my commute, but that’s over now.

What’s even more frustrating is your deflection and lack of responsibility. No apology from either customer service representative. Today the woman essentially blamed me for having WiFi issues, which is ridiculous and untrue. Also, you don’t see it as a sound business decision to maybe credit the ride? It’s only $3 but it would’ve at least acknowledged that, as I told the rep today, having to call you to deal with this issue made me late to a meeting.

Honestly, given the weird customer service vibes, the lack of responsibility, and the fact that this has happened twice in a row, I’m reluctant to use your app again. Please retrain your customer-facing staff and please update your app. Thanks.

by Gaztherat

The service itself is fantastic. Being able to grab a scooter when I need has been great. However, I noticed that every time I ended my ride, my receipt would show an extra minute. I started taking note every ride and lo and behold, every ride it was happening. I alerted this app giving them the benefit of the doubt that there was some issue with Revel . But the customer service reps who messaged me back gave me every excuse under the sun(contradicting themselves too) and gaslighting me in the process. Sure, a 50 cent charge isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But for people who use Revel regularly, that can add up quickly. And the fact that they have been super shady about it instead of perhaps listening to my concerns, they continue to just dig their heels in deeper, probably thinking nobody else will notice. I would have less of an issue if they were the least bit honest. But they have not been. And yes I have been saving and documenting every interaction. I used to be really excited about this company being in my area and I would LOVE to continue to use them. But I don’t appreciate their dishonesty and manipulative CS tactics. So, use this if you want. But just expect those rates to add up.

by Kittywalk

This should not be legal at all without formal motorcycle training. It weighs at least 10 times more than the weight of a bike or an electric bike and it’s extremely fast even with a gentle throttle. I signed up for it for a quick trip to Starbucks and went through their training online and it’s impossible for me to hold up and walk the scooter. As I tried to walk it out of the parking spot then gently turn the throttle the scooter ran out with me attached to it and fell on my left leg. Now my left elbow is completely bloodied and my left leg covered with scrapes, blood, and mud. It’s unfathomable how anybody could possibly let this be littered all over the street as legal bikes without any motorcycle training or license.

Their insurance adjuster called me and let me know that they have ZERO personal injury coverage in California. The POLAR OPPOSITE of what they advertised. Sue them for these death traps and consumer fraud.

by EricGHA

When this company first got here it sounded great. I have been with this app since it started in my city. When it came the service sucked
I thought it would get better it did not. Sad it’s clear who they want using these scooters by how they move then to area where they aren’t used. My account was revoked due to me riding in the same area to long. Even with my history showing me riding the same route repeatedly. When I called everyone was not helpful and push stuff off on management who was not in the office at the times. I called 3 different times during the week and management was never in. Even The Director was rude and refused to help me. It’s showed me how unprofessional and unorganized this company is from the top down. I will definitely tell people about how bad my experience with this app was!

by Tyler W 8084

Anyone that lives in NYC knows how convenient a service like this could be. But what this app fails to mention is that 75% of Manhattan doesn’t have the “service” necessary for this app to work. So if you need to go 2 miles to say Tribeca for example, they have roughly 90% of Tribeca “outside of the service area”. Same thing with Midtown and many other neighborhoods. What does that mean? It means that, despite the fact that you’re liable for parking for 24 hours (which when you consider street cleaning is insane and borderline impossible if you’re driving past 12pm on a weekday), AND they won’t let you park in 70%+ of Manhattan, meaning you then have to drive away from your location to find parking .5-1 mile away. It’s guaranteed to take longer than walking or taking a citi bike, so I highly recommend avoiding this app.

by Eazy-one

There is no navigation options and the scooter is both too slow for certain streets and too conspicuous to be ridden on bike paths. Terrible customer service as well. Got turned around riding this (my fault) and had to get on a bike path to get back into the city. Got charged a $25 safety fee to have the account suspension removed. (Along with the $40 cost to ride and push the scooter back into the city) The account was put back on suspension (haven’t ridden it since paying the $25 fine) call in to ask what was happening with the account. “Customer Service” states that the account is suspended I ask for the $25 back then they say sure then end the call. this app then calls back to say “yeah, the account is going to stay as is just wanted to let you know. You can call back later.”

by Stangogh

I was excited about the potential of this service when I saw these scooters in my neighborhood. This could be a great alternative to car2go.

I downloaded Revel and went through the signup process, handing over all of my info and a photo of my id, only to arrive at the final step of registration to see there’s a $19 sign up fee. Not only if the fee excessive considering other competing services allow you to sign up for free, it’s deceitful that I gave them all of my info before being disclosed of this fee. It’s a bad sign as I wonder what other kind of fees are going to be hidden if I were to start using this.

Advice to app developers: get rid of this silly fee, or be honest about it upfront.

by Aaronmb7

I’ve spent probably over $1000 with this app over the last year. Their system occasionally double charges for rides. In the past I just ignored it but a few months ago I reported the charge on my card for $5.72. this app revoked my account. I called and talked to a manager who was absolutely incredibly rude. She said my account is revoked until I reverse the charge on my card. I sent my bank statements proving the charge and it got lost in the mix. I called again and received no help. A third time I talked to the manager and she was equally as unpleasant.

For real this app? I was an early adopter and a frequent rider and you treat me like this. Pathetic. Show your customers some loyalty. If I report a charge it’s because it’s real. Don’t always assume your system is working fine. I was double charged at least 4 other times but chose to ignore it so I didn’t have to deal with the hassle. You need to rethink your policy about account revocations and consider a new support manager. The actual support team was great. The manager was either having a bad day or just terrible at her job.

Please fix this and treat customers better. You have a good thing going. Don’t ruin it with poor hires.

by SpeedwayRN

Revel needs improvement. It does not always let you park where you been parking for 6 weeks. Connection errors. They say you have to have you WiFi turned off on your phone but that does not make any difference.
Now the scooters....they are heavily abused. They are put into service with low tire pressures, bent forks, missing mirrors, missing passenger foot pegs, broken or missing phone holders. You can count on the plastics being all rashed up. You can count on brake levers being bent. You can count on the mirrors being adjusted so there is no possible way you can adjust the mirrors to see behind you if you have any mirrors. Control pods spin around on the bars. Often lacking hair nets in the trunk to prevent head lice. I have literally seen the trucks servicing the bikes at night. All they do is swap the batteries out and move on. No tire checks. No function checks. The steering head bearings are crap even on the ones with lower mileage. They really should have tapered roller bearings instead of ball bearings in the steering neck.
In general you are renting a scooter that has been beat all to hell and no maintenance done. If it’s rideable it’s in service. Even if you have to point the bars left or right to go straight.
The good news is it is cheaper than Uber...

by Dlo7

First: Create your account. Link payment. Upload drivers license, watch a 4 minute video. Answer the same 21 questions 2-3 times, unlock the helmet case, put on helmet, take a picture of yourself wearing the helmet, run through another safety check...by this time i just deleted Revel lol. Helmets look disgusting even though they say they clean them. Revel makes you guess which this app you’re standing next to if there are more than a few in the next to each other because there’s no scan thing like the stand up scooters. Also, don’t go over a bridge...like what?😂...Just get on a Lyft or Bird scooter. Much quicker and more fun, less costly.

by ThYrd_eYe_prYing

Great product, love the scooters. Revel is ok too. Use it all the time. Price is reasonable especially during half prices events.

Tonight however Revel glitched and I couldn’t shut the bike off. No answer from support. Meter ran for 30-40 extra minutes. Got charged the whole time. Hope to have it resolved soon. But I was sad there was no help available. Granted it was 12:30am. Sat out in a dark alley way uninstalling and reinstalling Revel to solve the problem.

Overall I will still use, but please get better real time customer help

by Roncredible

I enjoy using this app and it’s good that you require the training to start riding again but you guys really need to come up with your own in-app or complementary GPS for roads. The existing ups apps (Google, Waze, etc.) don’t account for this app’s road travel limitations. If you try to use bike as an option on these apps, it will assume you’re a car because of your speeds are too high. Then you did yourself getting on highways where you don’t belong. Someone is still gonna get hurt unless you devise some GPS of your own for Rebel riders to use that limits the routes to roadways with less than 40 mph. Get on it.

by Jeremy Irons

It’s cheaper than an Uber and you get to zip around like you’re in Bermuda. The only misleading fact is with taxes or whatever it’s actually .37 cents a minute not .25. Still you can’t beat the convenience and ease. Only feedback is these bikes are super quiet and the horn is pretty wimpy. Bicycles and pedestrians don’t really hear you coming so be prepared to smash the horn button or spontaneous stop on a dime. If you are complaining about parking spots or congestion etc you are a dinosaur and are very tired. I grew up here and have been patiently waiting for this city to go bike / scooter heavy.

by Apple_alw

Rode a this app moped after dinner with some friends, parked, and everything was great… Till the next morning when I couldn’t find my wallet and remembered I left it in the this app helmet trunk.

Text this app support and less than 10m later they text back, told me how many people rode the moped after me, locked the moped and gave me its location for me to go check it when I had time, and already started to reach out to the people who rode after me.

The way their team anticipated what to do next was BEYOND! My wallet was there, and I happily rode the moped back home!

by Arenchu

I signed up for this app a few days ago. I was quickly approved and was able to attend a free lesson soon thereafter. Since then, I’ve been using it everyday to speed up my commute around Williamsburg. The sign-up is $25, but I made it back with the sign up credit. It’s very convenient to get to your destination quickly without having to wait for subways or walk to and from the station. Plus the electric moped is so much fun to ride, and parking is easy to find. I can’t wait for it to expand to the rest of Brooklyn! I highly recommend this service.

by .Gypsy.

Using this service around 6 months, so much fun, amazing service Even sometimes taken my wife with me to explore together neighborhood.
People are complaining about broken mirrors, crack on helmets, missing cell holders, look, you are basically complaining about each other, who is damaging all this items, I used to start with this guys, everything was brand new and nice. So just be just careful with scooters and items.
If you not sure sure about your driving skills , this app offers you opportunity to get a free riding course , go for it.

by Revelinbrooklyn

This is the first time I’ve ever written a review on the AppStore..

this app is a complete life saver for me, and has completely changed the way I get around the city. I’ve been using it for a year in Brooklyn now, and can’t imagine getting around without it. Revel is easy to use, there are always plenty of revels around, it’s cheaper than an Uber (and as fast or faster if stop and go traffic), and faster and more reliable than a citibike.

I also feel really safe on the Revels, and appreciate the new safety training they provide, and am glad they verify that riders are wearing a helmet. Good job! Safe + super fun to ride is a good combo.

I recently got a car in the city with this whole pandemic going on, but I still use this app all of the time. There’s a lot of trips where reparking my car is just too annoying, time consuming, or expensive with tickets, so I just take a this app instead. Thanks guys! Highly recommended!

by Spondon4343

I live in Brooklyn and I own a car. But Revel and the scooters just makes living in this great borough even better. It’ll result in me using my car less. Revel is well done and super easy to use. The scooters are easy to maneuver as well. Whoever complains about these scooters blocking their parking space has to chill. They’re parked sideways and don’t take up much space. Also this is not the same type of overkill such as citybikes for example. My issue with the bike racks on every corner in Brooklyn is much bigger than the this app mopeds. I’m all for easy and cheap mobility and this just makes a ton of sense. Way to go New York.

by Carter B

Simply the best idea in ride share. Beautiful, fast, zero carbon foot print fleet of teslas ✅. Professional drives that are not racing against the clock to meet some incentive or exhausted from being forced to drive 24 hours. Drivers that care about you and your safety. Drivers that are paid a good wage and offered benefits and get to keep 100% of their tips ✅. Add on top of that my trusted resource for electric scooters to zip around my neighborhood and I will have to say this app you are going places and I can’t wait to see you succeed. You are what NYC needed.

by Eneslibohova

If you are going to put a sign up fee at least make sure to give an equal (or more) sign-up credit to new customers. I understand the overhead is high (mopeds cost, insurance, etc.) but the customer acquisition cost is way too high considering also the competition will be fierce soon (Birds, Lime coming into town) and besides a higher speeds and the possibility to bring another person on board it doesn’t really doesn’t have much of an advantage. Not a new idea, but definitely new for NYC. I think you should focus more on getting people onto your revels than try to break even ASAP. Just my 2c. When you drop that fee be sure I will sign up. Cheers

by MMRGreenpoint

These scooters are dangerous! They’re difficult to operate if you’re on the smaller side (I stand at about 5’1”) due to how large and heavy they are. I could hardly balance on one and keep it upright, which is very scary when in use, especially at stop signs or red lights.

I’ve only taken two rides and each time there was something wrong with the scooter and it’s accessories (ex. broken mirror, broken helmet, and missing phone holder to name a few) which is super disappointing as it’s expensive to ride!

Brooklyn has almost no traffic laws so maintaining these at a safe speed while trying not getting run over by cars or hit cyclists is enough to keep me away from these.

by UnnDunn

Revel earns -1 ⭐️ for requesting payment information without using Apple Pay.

The this app service is quite nice. I own a car in Brooklyn, but for trips within the this app service area, I’ll often opt to take a this app scooter instead of my car. They’re so fun to ride, especially on warm summer and fall days, and the price is right. Definitely worth checking out if you live in the service area.

by Lmoe.t

I live in queens, so when I heard of this service I quickly signed up. I’m always looking for ways to get into Brooklyn since the Subways only go into Manhattan.

PROS: Fun to ride. Easy to park. Helmets are clean and comfy. Cellphone mount for navigation. Can fit 2.

CONS: Very few scooters in queens so may need to walk a bit to find one. Costs is pretty high $0.25/minute+tax adds up quick. Compare to car 2 go which is $0.41/minute but you get an actual car. Battery drains quuuick. The two I tried had less than 15% charge left.

by Reeces Wanter

Just rode my first scooter in BK from McCarran park to Clinton Hill. App was incredibly easy to set up and use. It took me about 5 minutes from download to approval and I was riding only minutes after that.
The provided helmets were great and the holder for a phone is a great addition, and makes navigation very easy. And, it was a very fun ride!
The distribution of scooters in BK and Queens seems very good and I am excited to use the service more as summer continues.

by Merlin's Tome

I heard about these one morning and then noticed them all over Ft Greene / Clinton Hill. Since I used to ride a motorcycle in Michigan, the idea that I could zip around a bit for fun without retaking the motorcycle exam in NYC (seriously a pain) was exciting.

After my first ride I’m totally hooked. I’m actually excited to commute now! Commuting has been my least favorite part of living in the area I do, which I otherwise love. this app will keep me sticking around here for longer :-)

by Bkzipster

My experience so far with this app has been top-notch. It took me some practice, but now everything is becoming second-nature: getting the bike on and off the stand, turning, riding in traffic. I’ve lived in Brooklyn for 8 years and I felt like seeing it on a moped was a whole new experience. Customer service is friendly and gets back to you quickly even about small issues. App is simple and easy to use. I wish it would let me see the map of my whole trip, but otherwise it’s fantastic.

by Odyssey Stunts

I was actually very angry when I saw these scooters taking up parking spots for my truck in my neighborhood. But after a day or two of people using them the disappeared. Now when I lived in China for over a year. E bike was my main transportation. I created an account and tried this app. I love it. So convenient when I don’t want to take my truck somewhere! Easy to drive. Very fast and super safe! I plan to use this this a lot!