Bubbleology Bullring — Restaurant in Birmingham

Bubble tea isn't something I get often at all, only very occasionally. But at the time, I wanted to try something new and went to Bubbleology. I asked for 2 Large Boba teas, 1 Matcha and 1 Brown Sugar.

Usually the staff at boba tea places ask or offer if u want this or that cuz it's a lot to think about just looking at the menu and the many options available - milk or fruit, hot or cold, ice or no ice, and so on.

The cashier guy didn't ask any questions as you'd expect. I specified I wanted them cold but forgot to ask to get plant milk instead of dairy milk. He asked me to repeat what I said-I don't think he was really listening or thinking as well as he could have.

I gave him a £20 note, and the guy didn't give me my £10, just the 52p change and had typed in £10 for cash on the receipt. That was a mistake I presume, but it genuinely made me think twice and wonder if I actually gave him a £10 note instead of a £20 note. I called him back and asked about it and the female staff member told him he did make the mistake. So I got the £10 (and later my sister reassured me it was definitely a £20 as well).

2 customers before me got their orders. I waited about 10mins so the timing was alright.

After I got my order, I noticed there were ice cubes in the drinks, which I don't think I've seen or had in a boba tea before. I didn't think about ice or no ice. I'd thought it was the default to get a cold bubble tea without ice unless you specified otherwise. Previous bubble teas I've had have been cold without ice in there anyway?

Surprisingly, our drinks leaked before we opened them even while holding them up straight because they were not sealed properly. Furthermore, both me and my sister got sprayed when trying to pierce our drinks with our straws. It was difficult and the drink started coming through the top. It was bad whether you pierced it gently or strongly because the boba was filled to the brim and not tightly sealed.

Appearance-wise, I'd say they were pretty much like the images on the menu. Flavour-wise, it was a different story. The Matcha one just tasted like strong tea. Then the tea flavour disappeared and the last third of the drink just tasted like milk. Not like Blank Street matcha at all. The Brown Sugar one tasted like milk, then tasted like honey towards the bottom.

Overall, Bubbleology's service as well as product was a bust, honestly appalling. From customer service to handling receipts and payments, from formulation and drink making to sealing and packaging, they seem in dire need of improvement. I imagine it's a result of lacklustre recipes, equipment, staff recruitment and staff training to be honest, perhaps more. Complete L to Bubbleology Bullring.

Looking back at my evening, I'm shocked and disappointed. You'd think they'd want to compete with Mee Cha and make moves with their brand. I feel like I've taken Mee Cha for granted now lol. I don't believe Mee Cha are even the best bubble tea brand in the country. But obviously much better than Bubbleology as I've witnessed now.

Unfortunately, as a first-time customer the experience was bad enough to put me off ever going there again. Quality is everything. You can try new brands as much as you want, but only a couple or a few will offer you products and service with decent quality and value.

Going forward, I hope they take this feedback onboard and set themselves straight if they value their business or their...

I've bought drinks a few times here where the service was good but today 16.12.23, the service was awful !! I ordered 4 drinks but the cashier made a mistake and ordered 5, ( realised only once I got the receipt) but then I let it go in order not to bother her as she seemed bothered working there perhaps! I asked her different times if all drinks would have boba tapioca to which she said yes so I only added some extra popping balls. I even went back to check again when I saw "no tapioca' in my receipt and the same cashier affirmed that it was just written like on my receipt but that they'll see in their end that all drinks require Tapioca! The same cashier was very cold, like being forced to serve us! The wait was over 30 min as all people coming after my order were served. I had to go and ask them how come we were waiting for so long when they're supposed to prepare them in order, and only then, they started preparing our order after more than 25 min! Then, once I got home, not all drinks had tapioca and a few were tasteless, just some bland coloured cold water! The ones which had tapioca, the tapioca started getting hard less than an hour after buying it (by the time we got home. While waiting, one of the servers kept licking her fingers every time constantly she touched something and at times the back her palm!! How hygienic! Even if there's a splatter don't they have tissues to wipe!! Very bad and disgusting experience today!! Beware of who you're hiring when people don't have basic hygienic habits and good customer service!! Also, to the manager, think of turning the volume down for the music playing or give a mic to the server for the order number as it's very loud and whilst waiting, some other customers and I had to ask several times if the number called was ours as we couldn't hear clearly due to...

Disappointed with Service and Quality at Bullring Branch

I visited the Bullring Bubbleology branch on 28th June and was quite disappointed with the experience. Upon arrival, I was greeted by an older gentleman standing at the counter with the menu turned off. He informed me, rather abruptly, that “we only have fruit teas.” I accepted that and proceeded to place my order. However, the drink I received was room temperature and tasted like tap water with some popping boba – not what I expect from a £5 bubble tea. It was so underwhelming that I ended up throwing it away.

Hoping this was just an off day, I returned during the following week and had a much better experience. I was greeted politely by a young lady with glasses and a long name, who was professional and courteous. This time, I ordered a mango milk tea and it was cold, flavourful, and actually worth the money.

I understand if a store is running low on ice or ingredients – these things happen. But being served a warm fruit tea at 4pm, when the store closes at 8pm, just comes across as careless and lazy. I hope management ensures a more consistent level of quality and service...