Honestly. Ivueit wouldn't open ($140); can't make Customer Impact's app work ($95); couldn't get Gulf Pay to work ($250); couldn't get PrestoInsta to open ($400).

Boy, do I envy you youngsters who are so very comfortable with tech, and use apps as a matter of course! I know many seniors DO successfully use them, but I just can't seem to get it through my thick skull!

Sorry to hear that! Do you know any tech savvy young people who can help you with these apps? My pup and I broke my old android phone lol, and I upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy A10. It was on sale for $75 at Assist Wireless w my lifeline plan. It handles all the apps I have tried and great doc and photo storage. I struggled a lot before on my old LG K7 trying to app and shop.

sbobgal
I just got the A10e which is almost the same as the A10. How do you like it and does it work well on your lifeline plan as I also have a lifeline plan but through safelink although I got the phone on a special with two months prepaid service through verizon at which point I will get a sim card so I can use my old number and service with safelink.

Ceasesmith
I am sorry to hear and think you should try a new smartphone as there are cheap options with great phones out there. I use digital camera myself and very little apps to shop and do everything through websites on laptop.

Thanks for the tip on ivueit! Never heard of it. Will try.

Find a young kid.... they will give you a quick lesson and no judgement... they are proud to help...

Love ivueit..super fast payment..mostly all photos. App worked well on my old Samsung S7 and on my new S10e. Maybe your phone's memory is full???? I don't know why apps wouldn't open for you.

"No cellular data network available". I live/shop rural areas.

One of the towns I shop actually has a major billboard outside town: "We Have A Cell Tower!"

Hi Cease,

I believe you may be the victim of sparse/spotty cellular coverage and maybe not phone or app issues?! If your phone doesn't have a cell signal, then NO app is going to work regardless of which phone you have. This is a separate issue from app problems.

Maybe you can map out places on your remote routes that have good cell coverage and plan your timing to stop there to do all of your app reports at one time. This won't work with apps that require you to interactively capture pics and answer questions while onsite, but that should also be a problem for any other shopper trying to do that shop, on that app, at that location with no cell coverage. Maybe explaining the issue to the MSCs will result in a work-around solution to allow you to fill out the surveys when in an area with cell coverage.

Another possibility is that the cell provider you have selected just doesn't have good coverage in the areas that you shop whereas maybe a larger provider does have better coverage? You are more likely to have better coverage with maybe ATT or Verizon, than some of the smaller cell providers (although even the smaller providers should lease space from the "Big Boys" in remote areas).

Just some things to consider...

@msimon-2000 wrote:

Hi Cease,

I believe you may be the victim of sparse/spotty cellular coverage and maybe not phone or app issues?! If your phone doesn't have a cell signal, then NO app is going to work regardless of which phone you have. This is a separate issue from app problems.

Maybe you can map out places on your remote routes that have good cell coverage and plan your timing to stop there to do all of your app reports at one time. This won't work with apps that require you to interactively capture pics and answer questions while onsite, but that should also be a problem for any other shopper trying to do that shop, on that app, at that location with no cell coverage. Maybe explaining the issue to the MSCs will result in a work-around solution to allow you to fill out the surveys when in an area with cell coverage.

Another possibility is that the cell provider you have selected just doesn't have good coverage in the areas that you shop whereas maybe a larger provider does have better coverage? You are more likely to have better coverage with maybe ATT or Verizon, than some of the smaller cell providers (although even the smaller providers should lease space from the "Big Boys" in remote areas).

Just some things to consider...

Correct. Updated phone (less than 2-3 years old) with lots of memory & Verizon or AT&T is the way to go.

I have Verizon. Most of the places I drive to, AT&T has the coverage, and my Verizon phone just won't work. Not even to send/receive texts or phone calls!

And my phone is too old. I believe it's an iPhone 6. Even some guidelines I've seen say shoppers need an iPhone7 or newer.

See if your public library has a technical assistance person. Pre Covid, mine did all free of charge twice for my laptop and once for my Android phone.

Hi Cease,

I know the feeling. All of that could be true.

Also keep in mind that older hardware meets newer software is never an ideal combo.

The obsolescence of the hardware, the wear and tear on a processor that is outdated takes a toll and can lead to inefficiencies in the interface of the software and hardware in general. At some point, older hardware can no longer support operating system updates, etc.

Whether or not your phone has ever been dropped as much as mine have been can be an issue. (I swear by the liquid nano glass and military grade cases for anyone that splurges on more expensive phones).

I have two phones, both LG, one three and the other two-and-a-half years old. Workhorses yes, but I also know that they can get glitchy. Because I save my photos in original only and pay for storage (I take lots of other photos), if I do not manage the storage well, have adequate spare room, the apps will not function well.

One thing I got long ago, worth it to me for sporadic use and because of the kids, was a pocket WiFi. I do not have unlimited data, but it comes in handy when I am doing anything in a Target, even just regular shopping. It is worth it to me for the reliability of a strong signal and steady uploads.

My mother-in-law recently got a WiFi adapter for her car. She travels a lot by car--an 80-year-old who can still drive cross country and drive through the night. I think many carriers may have these as an option for the car adapter port. I just do not know how well they can work to fortify a signal if you are already in a spotty area. There is only so much that can work well near a national forest or through mountainous areas.

But don't give up. The apps are great filler "work." With practice, they become familiar.

If you google it online you can see the coverage maps across the country for the different providers. I did that recently when my daughter moved to a different state. Another option is to ask around while you are out on the road next time what cell coverage works in their area. Then after you have taken a poll of many of the places you have had issues you can decide if it is worth it to change carriers. Aside from that a better phone can access a weaker signal. I have a cheapo phone and there are some areas even in my big city I have trouble getting a signal in but friends with the same carrier and a better phone have no issues.
Just put in google coverage map verizon, coverage map sprint etc.

When was the last time you updated your phone? An over the air update will connect older phones to new towers. Just dial *228 .

My parents have a 2nd home in a rural area. My Mom updated her iPhone 5 and got a strong signal.

@ceasesmith wrote:

I have Verizon. Most of the places I drive to, AT&T has the coverage, and my Verizon phone just won't work. Not even to send/receive texts or phone calls!

And my phone is too old. I believe it's an iPhone 6. Even some guidelines I've seen say shoppers need an iPhone7 or newer.

What in the world is a "pocket WiFi"?

Oh and do not forget the tax laws will let you wrote off a hot spot that is needed for work if your cell phone needs another carrier to work or get reception. Also, get a Google voiced number so that you can make calls through your hotspot by getting online. go [voice.google.com] <-unsecure site or [voice.google.com] <-secure site I got one a few years ago and it registers in a town about 60 miles away from me. Thank god there are no long-distance charges anymore. I also have a phone on Assist wireless. But I have gotten bad phones from them water damaged i6 what I get for trying apple or gently used phones from T-Mobile that were given to Assist Wireless or pawned off to them.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2020 10:49AM by 2stepps.

I had to switch service providers once I started doing rural routes. It sucks paying the higher rates, but it pays for itself.

Talk to your tax guy maybe some can be written off. As it is needed to do your job.

@mystery2me wrote:

I had to switch service providers once I started doing rural routes. It sucks paying the higher rates, but it pays for itself.

Love the Samsung A! Feel like I am finally using some modern tech lol.

My last Samsung did not have a case. I dropped it numerous times on hard surfaces, and even left it submerged in a parking lot rain puddle for 20 minutes. There was no damage to my phone on any ocassion. The phone was very slippery though.

I did buy a case for my new LG. I like the fact that it has a kickstand.

@CABZmom wrote:

Whether or not your phone has ever been dropped as much as mine have been can be an issue. (I swear by the liquid nano glass and military grade cases for anyone that splurges on more expensive phones).

If the lost $800 in end of quarter app fees was a one-off situation, that is not likely to be repeated in the future, then that is just bad luck I guess on the lost revenue.

However, if the $800 in lost fees would be roughly the same for every end of quarter, then you are leaving $3200+ in potential lost fees on the table, every year, by not adding a newer phone and better cell coverage plan.

Pretty sure the $3200 in potential income would more than offset a new phone and AT&T service contract without even factoring in any tax advantages. Plus, this would also open up all other app fillers during non end of quarter bonused times creating additional income opportunities throughout the year.

Perhaps it is time to consider upgrading your phone/service plan/apps to take advantage of these missed income opportunities instead of lamenting over lost chances?!

Worth considering I would say....

msimon, all worthwhile considerations.

What I'm also pondering is the entire industry's move toward tech.

I think working apps is the thing of the future.

I am currently successfully using Merchandiser, because they have a website with all the training and paperwork on the site. So I can prep at home, take the photos on my phone (because I have a print out of all the required photos with me), and upload the report from my home when I'm using my home wifi. I even did a route for them last week, and uploaded reports at gas stations with free customer wifi.

That made me try the other apps. But they seem to be "pure" apps, without websites; I cannot access the training, the paperwork, etc., while on the road.

I have never gotten Marketforce's app (EyesOn? ), IPSOS, or any of the others to work.

Frankly, I always thought it was my thick skull, not inadequacy of my tech equipment.



PS: Customer Impact, Gulf Pay, and Presto were all end of quarter bonused heavily shops; Ivueit had $7 "vues" at many of the 22 stores I was already assigned. Each was taking outside photos of the store, and I reckoned an extra 5 minutes at each location would be well worth the $7. Alas and alack, at the very first location, I couldn't get the app to open, even though I had "played" with it at home, and felt comfortable and familiar with it. But if it wouldn't open, I was lost. The route was profitable anyway, but the $140 would have been pure profit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2020 02:40AM by ceasesmith.

I would go ahead and take the Pictures and then see if you can upload them later. If you needed the app open to see what to take a picture of then open the app at home and send yourself some screenshots of what you need, or even better just save it to your phone when you have it on the home wifi. But make sure you name it something that is easy to find. A file named 37568379346563ijbghuh.pdf is hard to remember.

2stepps, that's all way, way over my head. Don't know screenshots, have no idea what "saving it to my phone" means. And I have absolutely no idea how to name a file.

Like I said, my thick skull, LOL!!!

Check your local library or senior center. They routinely offer classes for computer literacy for free at my local library. Or get one of those "internet for dummies" books. Its not difficult to learn, it just doesn't come as second nature to our generation. My kids learned how to use the computer at age 2. I was in my 30's. Just keep an open mind. Taking a screen shot is usually pressing the key that says "screen shot", not difficult, you just have to know what key to press. Keep an open mind, think outside the box.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/05/2020 02:33PM by crookedtoez.

Or go to Amazon or ebay and search the books area for "apps" and "how to use apps." There are several e-books that deal with apps that are free with Kindle Unlimited and cost $1-$3 for kindle (download on your phone). ebay has several paperback books on apps that start at $4.

I have the same problem with my phone. It is a Tracphone. Whenever I leave my house I don't have internet service. The phone doesn't automatically pick up cell service when I get close to a business that has it. I have wanted to do one of those delivery service like UberEats, but, since I lose internet service, I can't as I need the service to do the job. I guess I need to bite the bullet and get a new phone and service.

You know how the large carriers boast 99% coverage? They aren't talking square miles, but people. Verizon has great signal where I live but will not initialize new service. Anyone who tries to fudge the system and use a friend's address somewhere else is likely to get cut off as the system sees too many phone calls are made in this area. A rep at a store explained that it had to do with some federal rule of monopolies. AT&T cuts off abruptly about ten miles from here and you might not even be able to make a phone call let alone use an app. Same for Sprint. Even Tracfone stopped offering service in our area.

US Cellular is the only major carrier in our area. If you cheerfully travel along West, from where I am in Southern Iowa into Nebraska, you will find those One Percenters that US Cellular does not offer service to. Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T may be the only service in their area. Throughout the rural Midwest you hit dead spots no matter what carrier you have because the "99% coverage" has to leave someone out. iPhone 8 and up are the best for roaming on varied bands but there are still dead spots where the roaming arrangement is not there.

@msimon-2000 wrote:

Hi Cease,

I believe you may be the victim of sparse/spotty cellular coverage and maybe not phone or app issues?! If your phone doesn't have a cell signal, then NO app is going to work regardless of which phone you have. This is a separate issue from app problems.

Maybe you can map out places on your remote routes that have good cell coverage and plan your timing to stop there to do all of your app reports at one time. This won't work with apps that require you to interactively capture pics and answer questions while onsite, but that should also be a problem for any other shopper trying to do that shop, on that app, at that location with no cell coverage. Maybe explaining the issue to the MSCs will result in a work-around solution to allow you to fill out the surveys when in an area with cell coverage.

Another possibility is that the cell provider you have selected just doesn't have good coverage in the areas that you shop whereas maybe a larger provider does have better coverage? You are more likely to have better coverage with maybe ATT or Verizon, than some of the smaller cell providers (although even the smaller providers should lease space from the "Big Boys" in remote areas).

Just some things to consider...

Ceasesmith you have posted in 4 different threads about your techno phobia in recent weeks! Looking forward to more of this schtick in the coming weeks and months...

Techno phobia?

Nope. I'm perfectly accepting of tech. It doesn't give me nightmares.

I'm just old, and my old analog brain isn't wired for digital!!!!