Is anyone having issues with presto today?

Same here. When I open the website map I get lots of database errors and then the app just hangs. I think they're having some issues...

I’m having the same problem.

Same problem here.

map booted up but no shop listings loaded into the map

As a website person, it looks like there may be some connection issues on their end. The site is back up and I see the map, but then no task "balloons" appear or they're slow to load. This probably means they have some outside data connection that needs to be fixed as well. My guess is the site being down like this is why I haven't been paid yet for some Insta Shops I did on Sunday. I would usually get approvals and a PayPal deposit by now. Just be patient I guess...

Same with me. Really irritating considering how I made a whole post, a while back, related to the requirement of always having to check-in before doing presto shops in a different thread. As mentioned in that thread, I had asked both an editor, and a project manager, what should we do about checking in if the Presto app is not working. (Perhaps the question wasn't considered particularly relevant at the time that I had asked it, but lo and behold, now the app is not working and the question is relevant.)

That question was never answered by either by the reviewer or the project manager despite an initial email from them to contact them if I have any further questions, of which I did precisely with that particular question in mind. Because I thought something like this could happen, and sure enough, it has. This is, in the words of ShopperBob, what I would consider a "deplorable lack of communication". People want and need to work, but don't know what to do.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2024 06:39PM by Mr. JM.

@Mr. JM wrote:

Same with me. Really irritating considering how I made a whole post, a while back, related to the requirement of always having to check-in before doing presto shops in a different thread. As mentioned in that thread, I had asked both an editor, and a project manager, what should we do about checking in if the Presto app is not working. (Perhaps the question wasn't considered particularly relevant at the time that I had asked it, but lo and behold, now the app is not working and the question is relevant.)

That question was never answered by either by the reviewer or the project manager despite an initial email from them to contact them if I have any further questions, of which I did precisely with that particular question in mind. Because I thought something like this could happen, and sure enough, it has. This is, in the words of ShopperBob, what I would consider a "deplorable lack of communication". People want and need to work, but don't know what to do.

It's technology, it's election day, @#$%& are bound to happen, just like you could have a broken down car on the day you go to work. Doesn't give you the right to not follow their guideline, which mean checking in on site, especially when the app was fully functional.

What does Election Day have to do with mystery shopping?

I did 2 blue/red gas shops today. I had a heck of a time trying to get the site to open. Thankfully, it finally did and I was able to complete both shops. I just noticed on the website there is a banner indicating the map is down due to an overload issue at around 11am today. They are investigating with no time frame for resolution.

The weird thing about my 1st shop is that the cashier told me another guy had just been there 1/2 hour before me and completed the audit. He showed me the LOA from the same MSC. I was worried that I couldn't open the report because the shop had already been completed by someone else. How does that even happen? Well, as it turns out that wasn't the reason anyway. I wonder if the other guy was at the wrong location. I know I was at the right place.

@BozoReader wrote:

What does Election Day have to do with mystery shopping?

I believe @kisekinecro is alluding that anything unforeseen can happen given the conditions. In this case it could long lines or high traffic.

Oh my, glad that I submitted the last of my shops last night.

I tried to claim a debit card shop, but it kept disappearing after I would claim it. Then when I tried to check in, it refreshed and said because I never submitted within 24 hours, I was now in the cool down period. Definitely something buggy about it since I had signed up only a few minutes prior!

From Presto: "At around 11 am US/Eastern time on November 5, our system came under heavy load. We are still investigating the cause, but we know that it involves map searches. The Presto map is down while we resolve the issue. Unfortunately, we do not currently have an estimated restoration time"

This was on my Presto screen after coming home and after having one heck of a time trying to just check in.
But, after waving my phone around like a crazy person, I was able to get my shops checked in and subsequently opened up.

And now I'll have a glass of wine!
Cheers!

@BozoReader wrote:

What does Election Day have to do with mystery shopping?

Some (many?) businesses have closed early today. I didn't realise this. I have a considerable number of shops due today (no reschedule option) that I'm apparently flaking on. Yikes!

@MsJudi wrote:

...
The weird thing about my 1st shop is that the cashier told me another guy had just been there 1/2 hour before me and completed the audit. He showed me the LOA from the same MSC. I was worried that I couldn't open the report because the shop had already been completed by someone else. How does that even happen? Well, as it turns out that wasn't the reason anyway. I wonder if the other guy was at the wrong location. I know I was at the right place.

I have that happen sometimes, and I'm not always sure why. Sometimes there are add-on inspections, like checking the diesel elements. But lacking that, I usually assume they were at the wrong address -- I've done it enough times myself.

There's an update on the app that says they were under heavy load yesterday and still looking into it but maps are currently down. My app was working fine yesterday afternoon but this morning it only showed 3 shops on the list.

It was down for a good chunk of time. Just reloaded the app on my phone and all would appear to be normal: plenty of shops I have no interest in doing in my area!

Hmmm I just checked again and the pop up went away but the list is still limited.

Well, even if we do not have clear instructions on what to do with shops when this type of thing happens, at least the problem is only temporary. Hopefully.

I was at a location yesterday for an hour fooling with the app. I finally left and will have to let the station drop of my page. It would've been nice to take pictures and upload them later when the app was fixed.

Is there a way to bypass the check in and enter the shop hours later in a situation when the site is down?

@mshelliep wrote:

I was at a location yesterday for an hour fooling with the app...

Same here.

@mshelliep wrote:

... Is there a way to bypass the check in and enter the shop hours later in a situation when the site is down?

As far as entering information directly into the app, I don’t think there is a way to bypass the check-in feature as the survey will not unlock until you do.

As far as collecting the information you need through any sort of note taking app, and taking pictures on your phone to later be submitted through Presto, without using the check-in feature (prior to the shop) -that used to be possible, but no longer is. If you do that, my understanding is that not only will your shop be rejected, but other shoppers on the forum will also condemn your actions as the utmost unforgivable sin upon finding out about it.

Since I noticed the app appeared to not be working on my phone, what I did was drive to the nearest public library, and try to access Presto via my laptop. I noticed intermittent connectivity when I did this, and was able to use the check-in feature on all my shops from there. This meant the location of my check-in was off, as it was from a public library, and not from the locations being mystery shopped, but this ensured that the check-in was done PRIOR to the shop. And according to a vaguely worded email I received from one of the editors a while back, they don’t care from where you check-in at, as long as the check-in is done before the shop starts.

I don’t know for sure if this will work, as those shops have not been reviewed yet, but that’s what I had tried, and other than just not doing the shops at all, this is the only thing that I could think of as a possible work around. That’s assuming you have at least intermittent connectivity to the Presto platform. Otherwise, I don’t know of any way to do the shops because they want to be so strict about the check-in feature these days.

I have always had issues with Presto. I doubt that Presto will ever remove all their bugs!