Recova 19Reviews 

I agree with almost everyone here that the service provided by Boots/Recova is very poor
I could not upload my results on the portal, I could not go past my email address and couldn't bypass this, my brother said he had the same problem. My result was negative, I could not get through to an 0345 customer number for help after 30 minutes of waiting (which I think was done on purpose so you give up and hang up), the instructions are confusing, the qr code takes you to Recova portal, when it should take you to the test section.
This is just a money making scam by Boots, do not buy this service, I will be going elsewhere

Inconsistent, confusing instructions. Managed to send in a photograph of a result that was clearly negative. Result came back that it was positive!!!
Tied to phone up to ask someone to check it. No customer service contact number. Had to phone the Boots general enquiries number. After 5 levels of menu selections and 3 minutes of standard messages, waited 15 minutes for someone to pick up the phone, before I gave up.
The person responsible for this service should be ashamed of himself.
If I could give this service a minus number of stars I would!

BOOTS are appalling!!!! Please join me in boycotting ALL THEIR PRODUCTS and ALL THEIR STORES! I have called three times and hung up three times after an hour on the call each time. Like the review I just read, I cannot upload my results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Boots, you are a NATIONAL DISGRACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heads should roll. I am contacting my MP and the CEO of Boots.

Ordered a Covid Fly Out Day 2 Test via Boots and registered myself on the boots/recova website without problems. However the problems started when I was to register the actual test kit and test result on their site. First of all the instructions said I had to scan the barcode or QR code on the "sample tube". It turned out they ment the item that in the instructions was called the "cassette". The cassette didnt have a barcode only a QR code. When I tried registering it on the website the following error kept coming up: "Barcode scanner. Error initializing camera". I tried on both my iphone (with the latest IOS) and with a Macbook 2019, without any luck. There was no help pages on the boots/recova site, no telephone number, no email address and no chat line, so I googled both Recova and Boots. I first emailed Recova who emailed me back saying they would not deal with me as a customer, that was for boots to do. I then called Boots, sat in a telephone queu for about 10 minutes whereafter I was told that my Order number didn't exist. At this point I was worried I had been scammed, but as I had received the kit and I was registered on their site I assumed it was Boots and/or Recovas mistake. over the next 3 (!!!) hours I was transferred to other departments at Boots, dropped off the call, called again and explained everything to a new person several times etc. I finally spoke to someone who went through the process on my phone and on my Macbook. For a long time they assumed there was something wrong with my phone and Macbook, and they kept wanting to send me a new kit (!) (as if a new kit would make any difference...). I finally spoke to a Manager at Boots who again offered to send me a new kit (?!!). I offered to send them the cassette per post and the picture of the result as an email attachment, but they said they couldnt register it. He then offered to pay for a new test with another company..... by this time I just didnt trust that I ever would get that money back from Boots. I had totally lost faith in them. Anyway a long story short. Neither Boots or Recova would take responsibility for their faulty website which is really poor. I am wondering if I will be contacted and/or fined by the NHS as I havent been able to register my Negativ test.

This review is about the Day2, lateral flow, home test kit experience on 5th November 2021.
I agree with other reviewers; it is inexcusable for the instructions to be anything other than crystal clear. So, as others have found for "sample tube bar code" read "Test cassette QR code".

Then, even if you've guessed that it's the test cassette, you go into a blind, jet-lagged panic when scanning the QR code from the Android browser doesn’t work, unless you happen to have defaulted to Chrome. So, I was in jet-lagged, blind panic until I stumbled on the great advice on this forum. Note that the work-around to pre-scan the QR code and enter manually didn’t work using copy and paste and reported invalid bar code. Try typing in the code instead or use Chrome browser to scan directly into the form.

As a chartered engineer I agree that the lack of attention to detail by Boots / Recova makes this a poor experience and is inexcusable.

UPDATE. Having ultimately uploaded my wife's and my results, we both got confirmation and certificates within 20 minutes.
I should also point out that my Boots / Recova in-store fit-to-fly test on 22nd September 2021 went well, with results within 20 hours.
So, I have to give some credit for that.

I ordered it on time day 2 has passed still have not received it/ apparently Royal Mail is to blame. I have tried all channels to get in touch with customer service. Is there one ? NO!! Went to the local boots in Uxbridge. Was told by the assistant manager i should not worry. Its a waste of time and money. Reading all these reviews makes me wonder. I have no clue who to get in touch with and how.

Upon reading all the bad reviews, I came across Lucie McHattie advice which made perfect sense to me. Now why is the recova-19 portal saying my qr barcode is invalid!?! This is ridiculous and a waste of time and money! Right now I'm stuck and I refuse to pay any fine!

Ordered, paid for and received Day 2 tests for self & partner. Order process was fine & tests arrived in good time. Took tests and both showed negative results. Problems with activating and uploading results using Chrome on Android phone. First photo eventually uploaded but when attempting second upload the system appeared to submit results for review before second photo was uploaded.
Received results 3 hours apart. First was successful negative result with certificate available for download.
Second test result was reported as inconclusive. Guidance on re-test and payment very poor and unable to find voucher for re-test kit payment.
After reading all of these poor reviews have decided to retain all documentation but not pay to re-order test kit as clearly system is not fit for purpose.

Test arrived promptly, that's where the trouble started. Done my test tonight, but nowhere to upload the result. In my desperation to have it online, I have uploaded it instead of my passport photo. Tried dozens of times, have taken screen shots - there is simply no way to link a purchased test to the profile you have created from one of the purchase confirmation email links!!!? Just asks you to reorder tests!? When NHS calls, I'll be ready!

Garbage. Uploaded a clearly negative test result and whatever image recognition software they are using to read the result is completely broken and returned Inconclusive. 21 quid down the drain. Not even interested in getting another one for free using some voucher they give you

Edit: I added a star because i tried it a 2nd time and it worked ok. First time i made the mistake of not using the photo area on the provided Boots card. I still think its bad that the entire test is failed with no retry if you upload a bad pic tho. i.e. you could upload a picture of a landscape and that'd be your money gone

No problem with the test kits, arrived promptly, but then experienced same problems as users below - only by following Lucy's advice (not far below this review) was able to complete the upload.
Maybe it works with some phones/software, not others (IP6 in my case).

TOTALLY DREADFUL! Having read other reviews, I've tried every which way and failed. As far as I'm concerned, I've bought 3 x Day 2 tests, done them on Day 2, proven we're all negative, but cannot upload. I too, have been online and on phone for hours and hours. Very stressful and not fit-for-purpose. Can't do anymore, so will refer NHS to Boots and these reviews if they contact me.

I wish I'd read the reviews before booking. Chose the Boots brand as a safeguard against the Covid Cowboys, but it turns out to be worse. No test received on my return to the UK, 14th day after ordering. Added stress and hassle and just what I tried to avoid in paying more for the brand.

Why isn’t this on the news? Boots fail at day 2 testing?

Completely and utterly pointless. The test arrived +1 day late (and this after 48 hrs), rendering it invalid.

And then the uploading portal doesn’t work. This a beyond a joke.

There must be many 1000s like us having this experience which serves no purpose at all, but nicely lines the pockets of Boots, and creates a load of plastic landfill as a bonus.

This service is shockingly poor, for what is supposed to be a “line of defence” against COVID-19 for those who have completed their travels and meticulously followed the government guidelines before returning to the UK.

Uploading test results via a qr code is not rocket science. Come on Boots and come on UK Gov - sort it out!

This product is terrible. I have tried and failed for three days to upload my test to the Recova 19 portal. I have an iphone 6 in perfect working order for all other QR codes, but Boots says that my phone is at fault rather than their system because I keep getting the same error message from their website, which doesnt work on Safari.
Worried that I will now face a £1k fine because I didn't get my test done in time.

Without finding out how to use this (thanks Lucie McHattie - you are a star) on this site it would have ended up in the bin.
So badly worded, so clunky.
First year Computer Science students could do a better job than whoever created this “portal” - does no one at Boots check it works?

UNBELIEVEABLE-
Both companies Boots/Recova are shocking. Managed to upload wife & daughters results CLEARLY showing NEGATIVE yet these incompetent companies come back with inconclusive results. This happened within 5 to 10 mins of my submissions. It is obvious to me whatever software they are using is hopeless, employ someone to actually look at the pictures & get proper results. Still waiting on my result which I sent first!!

I spent 3 hour trying to register for my day 2 covid test which I found impossible to do. I carried out the test as per the instructions & I have a negative result which was very simple.

Then on to your website & began the process of recording the result using my samsung phone which I have frustratingly been unable to do as per everyone else according to Trustpilot with exact same complaints. Before I read Lucie McHattie fix I too has managed to scan the cassette QR code but yesterday it wouldnt accept it. Now in the last few minutes it has done it & I am now awaiting the results from recova 19 who when I contacted them just washed their hands of the problems. Having read issues with inconclusive results from clearly reported negative test results I am nervously awaiting the response.

Yesterday I spent 30 mins on hold with no answer from Boots Customer Services which has cost me money & gave up (Probably because you have thousands of people trying to get help) but for me what is more annoying is I have wasted probably 3/4hours of my precious holiday time because your website is not working as advertised.

It should be simple & straight forward & its NOT!!!!

Terrible unclear instructions as per everyone else’s reviews resulting in a lot of frustration & stress! It’s mind boggling how something that should be straightforward has been made so confusing & unclear!!
Thankfully someone else’s helpful instructions on here under their own review explaining how they figured it out has saved the day.

Lucie McHattie, your instructions are great. Boots should give you a medal! I have spent 4 hours trying to sort this out. What a complete nightmare! No use in calling anyone about this, nobody in store can help and neither the customer service nor the lateral flow test helpline answer. Thank goodness YOU helped. I trusted Boots with this but they have disgraced themselves.

The instructions are extremely poorly worded. It tells you to 'scan the barcode'. You do not scan the barcode, you have to scan the QR on the test strip (cassette). In fact, what you have to do once you have completed the test is this:
1. Open the camera on your phone, scan the QR code on the test strip. (Do not do this through the Recova19 Portal, just scan the QR code as you would normally).
2. This comes up with a number letter combination (e.g. COVIDHUGHES12345678***** etc).
3. Copy that code, or make a note of it.
4. Now open the Recova19 Portal from the paper background that you rest the test strip on.
5. In the portal, it opens up with two spaces. Do not click the camera icon, it doesn't work. Instead type in the code that you copied or made a note of, in both spaces. Then Submit.
6. Once you have done that, the next screen then asks you to upload a photo of the kit.
I hope these instructions save people time, I spent far too long trying to scan the QR code on the test strip through the portal, and it just doesn't work, but the instructions are useless.