The View from The Shard Reviews

Went up there on a summers evening. It was gorgeous, views as far as the eye can see. Only down side was the price of everything. Expensive for what it is.

Expensive only for a view. OK, I knew that. But they also make pictures. When I wanted to buy one of the picture it was 17 pounds(3 pictures 27 pounds) and they said the whole package was cheaper(The book, keyrings and 3 pictures for 22 pounds) Very strange...but it gets stranger! When I asked for the digital pictures they gave me a scancard. I could scan it at home and get the digital pictures. When I scanned it it turns out that the digital pictures cost another 15 pounds??? Someone is getting really rich over there....they should call it "THE SHARK". The printed pictures are very bad quality aswell! A lot of money for some fake-pictures in bad quality!

Today my daughter in law and myself visited The Shard - 17/06/22. I can only say for a start I recommend anyone visiting London to have this experience its amazing.. But what I really want to say is about the staff - they are amazing, so patient, so friendly so helpful. I cant remember any names and for that I am so sorry but hopefully they will recognise themselves from these comments - the young lady who was scanning everyone in, my daughter in law was having problems with her phone it had locked and wouldn't show the bar codes - she was calm and helpful and offered my daughter in law advice how to access what she needed to do and was so enthusiastic when we managed to get what we wanted for admission - and for the gentleman on the top floor clearing away the glasses and cleaning the tables who informed us which floor was what and was so nice and informative- the gentleman serving drinks on the top floor - so professional, and the young lads on the second from top floor. But we loved the young man who was taking his break (he had a champagne logo apron on from) and was joining us all in the lift going down and he was taking his break - he was so polite and happy an absolutely gem of a bloke.

I took a very important lady in my life on a date to The Shard.

Booking the tickets was easy and all the staff were polite and friendly.

At the top, the view was amazing. There was a photographer at the top who spotted we were a couple and to my surprise- a grand piano which I was allowed to play to serenade my special lady! Romance definitely is alive and well at the top of rhe Shard.

We were both then surprised to find there a tour of the view where every building worth viewing was explained. Our tour guide with long blond fizzy hair was funny and even entertained my date’s question about there being another basquel bridge in the Isle of Dogs other than Tower Bridge.

We both had a great experience.

Thank you to all who made our day special.

I ordered gift cards never received paid extra secure delivery no response avoid this company

I found the experience of booking a visit to the Shard View and the actual visit polar opposite’s. The booking experience is less customer focused. I found the staff for the actual visit to be more customer focused, nice and pleasant. But, I found ringing customer services when you have an issue with your booking really poor, I don’t blame the customer service person you speak to, but more the processes, which are very rigid and inflexible. It’s like the booking is taken care of by a shoddy back street operation, who just need you to buy tickets, because once you brought tickets they can wash you hands of you and the visit is taken care of by professionals that take pride in the customer’s experience.

However, writing the above, I think visiting the Shard in Summer May bring it’s own problems, which are not customer service related. I visited on the 19th Feb 2022, when the weather wasn’t too brilliant, but there were still quite a few people there. I think the problem is, the Shard limits the amount of people that can visit the Shard at any time (15 minute intervals), but rely on people leaving to ensure people numbers are contained. But, what I found is people that found the best spots lingering there (much longer than the 15 minutes entry intervals), which I don’t blame them, but that meant people that came later, didn’t get as good as an experience. Luckily the top floor was empty due to the poor weather, which meant the place where you took pictures wasn’t that very busy, but on a summer’s day I can imagine you’d need to queue for a bit at that spot.

I don’t understand why the Shard doesn’t limit the amount of time people can spend there and thus ensuring the best spots are not taken for extended periods. You could do this by having it written on their website what the maximum stay is (I didn’t find anything about maximum stay on their website). Give people necklaces with a certain color when they entry and if they don’t leave after an a certain time politely ask them. That why you can ensure what the maximum number of people is at any one time and also the best views are not taken for extended times.

I know the Shard likes the experience to be unique and special by offering a drink, but it doesn’t work if there is a mass of people there. It is a shame because the views are definitely the best in London, just the overall experience just match the views.

My advice would be the following, hope when you book you never need to call customer services because that will leave a sour taste (although that may be harder than you think, because I found when I used the website - theviewfromtheshard.com - it was glitchy) and if you book make sure you book early and are the first people there to get the best out of the visit.

Finally, this bit I may be wrong but I doubt it, when walking around i noticed tables with reserve written on them, which I’m guessing are for the people that paid extra; they are dotted around where else one else walks to get views, so if your expecting a private area with other people that paid extra for tables, nope it’s the same place as everyone else. I was considering paying extra for the reserved tables but luckily I didn’t, because I would have been disappointed. I think the Shard should have given the people that paid extra for reserved tables their own private areas. Also, not all the reserved tables are by the window view some are on the back wall, so you won’t be getting a better view when seated then someone that paid less, your just paying to have a seat. For, this final paragraph, if I am wrong about the reserved tables, someone from the Shard let me know and I will happily delete this paragraph, but I doubt it, because I don’t understand why else these tables would have reserved written on them.

Terrible customer service with conflicting advice.

We booked to go in October as part of a trip to London but unfortunately we both came down with covid so couldn’t go.

I initially emailed asking for advice in terms of rebooking given we didn’t know when we could reschedule our trip to London. I received an automated response stating they had a backlog so couldn’t respond in a timely manner (fair enough). So I phoned and was told I would have to claim through the ticket plan insurance. I then initiated the ticket plan claim.

However, I then actually received a response to my initial email that contradicted what I was told on the phone. I was told that instead of claiming on the ticket plan, they had kept my details on file and once we had rebooked our trip, I simply needed to reply to the email with a preferred date and time. Great! I cancelled the ticket plan claim.

Roll on a few months and we’ve rebooked our trip, so I followed the instructions on the email, replying with a date and time as to when we’d like to go.

I then received a response, ignoring the email response that I had quoted, stating that I could not rebook and needed to make a ticket plan claim. I reminded them that I had it in writing that I could.

The response to this was nothing short of unprofessional calling out that the member of staff who told me this had received a telling off for doing so and that I must make a ticket plan claim.

Out of the many venues, experiences, etc that we’ve had to rebook, this has been by far the worst company to deal with.

I will be reinstating the ticket plan claim but I will not be rebooking to go there as I dread to think what their customer service on site will be like given their online/phone customer service.

I bought a view from the shard with buyagift voucher, didn't use as didn't travel to London from the North. Been unable to get refund as the shard said buyagift had to request refund. They apparently have and not had a response in over a month, except to say my voucher was redeemed. Absolute rubbish. Do not give them your money

Placed order 2 days ago online and cannot get tickets out of them! After 2 phone calls and an hour of my life lost they said my order wasn't on their system so they rebooked it and sent me a link to the tickets twice but both times just sent a leaflet! Customer services couldn't explain why and said 'just turn up on day with ID you'll be fine'!! Not acceptable. This is a surprise treat for family so don't want an embarrasing situation on the day if we're refused entry. Think twice before placing an order online with them or you too could lose £200 as I probably have.

Be careful of the sales tactics used here. My two nephews visited last week and only wanted the tickets to go up, however they were sold the champagne deal and fast track as standard at a cost of £115. These are almost like a commission based sales tactics! I have contact the customer services but no response. I will try to escalate this further and report to the trading standards.

Very long queues in the cold outside. Queues to get into the elevators, queues for using the restroom. Overpriced drinks at the bar. A very expensive and not particularly worthwhile experience. I definitely don’t recommend and I would suggest booking the Sky Garden in advance for free and you get a similar view of the London skyline.

Horrible experience. Booked it at 18:45 or my partner birthday and they did not let us in, because apparently they changed the opening time, shortly after another couple had the same problem. I asked for a reimbursement and they could not give it to me because I booked a deal with a third party. The whole customer service was a joke. The rude blonde lady at the entrance and the Manager Jade were unprofessional and not very helpful. The view might be amazing, but if that's the treatment you have to receive it's definitely not worth it. Oh I then contacted the customer service email As useless as the previously mentioned member of staff. Well, at least they're keeping same standards in every department.

Visit to The View from the Shard and Three Course Champagne Celebration Dining with Sides at Marco Pierre White's London Steakhouse Co for Two.

This is part of a package booked via Virgin Experience Days. Be warned, and always read the small print!

Tourist Trap Alert: You are selling tourist, as well as locals, a Champagne deal for £28.00 pounds, saving £4.00 pounds, compared to prices at the top. PLEASE explain to your customers that the price is for 2 FLUTES or GLASSES!!! and not for a Bottle, to save embarrassment when asking for the drink, as experienced with your Cuban waiter, whose facial expression made me feel like I am stupid, and should not be allowed to enter the Shard. Don't reserve a table, unless you want to show off and pretend that you are minted, in front of everyone. The reason I say don't book a table, is because we felt that we were invading people's space when taking photographs. This is a tourist site converted into a money making bar on both floors. The views are amazing, and you can see a lot of places from up there. The fun is spoilt by your Bars, and the long queue of people trying to get a drink. You don't see this taking place in Tourist Buildings like NYC, Shanghai or Chicago. Have a separate space for those who enjoy paying "Sky High Prices" for a drink that costs next to nothing on the ground. There's a Tesco nearby, as well as bars where you can buy drink once your visit is done.
On the ground floor, I experience another tactic used at your counters, as I was waiting for a manager to authorized my refund (As Teresa was not going to refund me), I noticed that the next two customers only wanted the tickets to go up, however Teresa mentioned the champagne deal to this couple about 4 to 5 times, she was very pushy, almost like a commission based sales tactics! The commission on a daily basis must be out of this world, having said that, you need to stop damaging this buildings reputation. I am glad I got my money back, and I feel sorry for anyone that takes this offer up. London is a very expensive City to visit, and places like this should be taking care of our visitors, not ripping them off.

On a serous not though, it has been much disorganised from the onset. It doesn’t seem right how I’ve paid for a table and expected to sit by the wall when someone else hasn’t paid a penny and gets bird’s eye view by the window. I want an explanation as to why tables are not reserved and we been told to queue when we needn’t have to.
Been an absolute sham from the onset, and I want an explanation as to why a Princess from Taiwan Vists unexpectedly and gets preferential treatment whereas the rest of us who have paid get disregarded.
COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE AND UNPROFESSIONAL
3/11/21

Myself and my partner have visited your establishment this evening and are appalled at the fact we have been charged two different prices for the same alcohol purchased. On the 69th floor we were charged £24 per glass for white wine and downstairs £8 this is simply unacceptable and quite bizzare are far as pricing goes. We will not be visiting again due to the simple fact we feel fleeced by your establishment and will refuse to recommend the shard to any friends and family as this is completely unacceptable.