OK, downloaded the app. Lots and lots of $14 shops available, the little purple pins. A couple right here in my town!

But even sitting on my couch, what I get from Presto is "You have either a weak signal or no signal. Please try again later."

If I can't get the app to work sitting on my couch, with 5 bars of service and a strong wi-fi, how do you guys make it work on site for a shop?

I haven't been able to access the "ShopSafe" quiz and/or training; it just does that little "symbol turning round and round" thingy, for "loading", I guess; then back to the above statement.

And if I do manage to access the training, what if the app doesn't work at all on site, and I've already claimed the assignment? It looks like the consequences of accepting, then not completing, are fairly dire.

What have you guys done to make the app work? Suggestions, ideas, work-arounds, any input welcome.

Oh, also, the store they want shopped has changed hands, and is no longer under that name. I'm reluctant to shop McDonalds when the assignment is for Burger King (if you get my drift; store is still there, but has changed from one major brand to a totally different brand). How do I contact them to even ask?

TYIA.

(And apps is not my forte, anyway!)

Hi friends, going out to do two of these new IShopSafe shops for Ipsos today. But I've never used Presto before and I'm confused how it works. All I see are time in, time out and 'done.' Is that done just to move on to the next page or is there a survey somewhere I've missed? I've been slow to do reports on my phone but I think with Presto you have to. Any help gratefully received!

I don't know about these particular shops but normally with Presto shops when you put in the time in and time out part the report will expand.

Thank you!!

Also you have to "check in" on the app using the phone GPS when you get there to "unlock" the survey.

Welcome to the teeth-gnashing, hair-pulling, mystical world of Presto. It often does not work. Even with full bars of reception it will often say you are offline. Not a good sign but if you've got nothing to lose you might go to the assignment and try. Not sure about the store brand change though.

If you don't complete it, it falls off your list when time runs out without consequence.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2020 07:14PM by sestrahelena.

Hm, I'm seeing that I also have to put in time finished before I say "done" so that can't be the way to access the survey. I guess I'll just have to go and see what happens. It seems odd that they almost expect you to be at the location when you accept the shop but if the shop is 30 minutes away, there's the risk that someone else will choose it before I get there so the shop really needs to be chosen in advance. Speaking ignorantly now, hopefully after I do a few I will have figured it out. Thanks, friends!

@pambam wrote:

Hm, I'm seeing that I also have to put in time finished before I say "done" so that can't be the way to access the survey. I guess I'll just have to go and see what happens. It seems odd that they almost expect you to be at the location when you accept the shop but if the shop is 30 minutes away, there's the risk that someone else will choose it before I get there so the shop really needs to be chosen in advance. Speaking ignorantly now, hopefully after I do a few I will have figured it out. Thanks, friends!

I would accept the shop first and make sure it's in your box. (I wouldn't want to drive 30 min out and have nothing!) Then, I think the instructions say to call the location because they won't offer traveling fees if the location is closed.

I haven't done this specific shop, but in the past when I've done presto shops, a whole bunch of questions will pop up as soon as I start it. Sometimes that means clicking the button to "check in," or entering in the time started, or something else at the beginning.

If I have trouble with the app, I just use the web version on my phone. Same thing.

@pambam wrote:

Hm, I'm seeing that I also have to put in time finished before I say "done" so that can't be the way to access the survey. I guess I'll just have to go and see what happens. It seems odd that they almost expect you to be at the location when you accept the shop but if the shop is 30 minutes away, there's the risk that someone else will choose it before I get there so the shop really needs to be chosen in advance. Speaking ignorantly now, hopefully after I do a few I will have figured it out. Thanks, friends!

For this shop check in first. You will get a message that you are close enough to start or you will have to check in again. The locator is s little temperamental. Then put in the start time, ignore the finish time for now. Then answer the question were you able to complete the shop, answer yes. That will expand the rest of the questions. Don't touch the "I'm done" until you're finished totally uploading your receipt, putting in the finish time and answering all the questions.

Hi pambam,

Thanks for becoming a Presto shopper!

There are a few steps to doing a Presto Instashop:

1. If you decide you want to do a shop, and *can* do it in the time allotted, you claim it.

2. Go to the shop location and "Check in." This will unlock the shop for editing.

3. Fill out the shop. Depending on how the MSC has built their survey, most of the questions may be hidden behind a "Were you able to do this shop?" kind of question. If you are able to do the shop and answer "Yes" then the rest of the questions will appear.

4. When you're done, click the "I'm Done" button to submit.

- Colleen (from Presto)

OK, tech is NOT my strong suit.

Are you saying there's a website, like what is it, Presto.com, something like that? So if the apps not working, I can pull up my browser, and just type in it, and go to the website? Can I submit my report through the website, instead of through the app?

Pardon my ignorance. I'm learning.

Once you claim the shop, you have 12 hours to do it. When you open the shop, there is a link to the guidelines which tell you what you need to look for. Also, once you claim it, you can see the survey. I did two today (a big box store and a convenience store) and both have already been approved. I would do more, but I wanted to test one first, and when I was done with that, almost everything else in my area was gone

The website is prestomap.com. If you are doing the "ShopSafe" jobs and the app is not working, you can take pictures with your phone and upload them later when you are on a strong wifi. You need the app to record the shop start and end, and for the app to recognize that you are at the location. The app's GPS, however, can be a little wacky. I have been at the front door of a shop and the app tells me that I am too far away.
You need to take the training first before you can do a shop.
If the app is not working for me, I find if I shut it down and start it up again, it will generally work. Sometimes I need to turn my wifi off and let the phone use my data plan.

If you use this link. You can check in and everything right on the spot.

[insta.prestomobilesurveys.com]

Pambam, did it all work out?

Thank you so much, everyone. I appreciate the help!

How did it go?

I did my 2 today. (Wish they would tell you that there's a limit before wasting time trying to figure out where all the shops went) Pretty straightforward except for nothing letting you know that you need to take pictures until you fill out the survey. Had to walk back into the store and wander around like an idiot.

@kojak666 I also did 2 today, and all the available shops have "disappeared" from my map as well. I do remember reading that we can only sign up for 2 at a time, so I guess that means that we are still "signed up" for 2 until those 2 are accepted/declined...even though we've submitted them.

I agree it was pretty straightforward (although the questions seemed designed more for grocery stores based on the terminology used). I anticipated having to take some photos, so I tried scrolling through the whole survey before actually going inside to start my shops. Problem was that some photo requirements don't appear until you've answered an applicable question (e.g. after selecting "yes" for a question about whether the store has floor markers inside for social distancing, a required photo upload of the floor markings appears in the survey). It seems like some answers to questions "trigger" the survey to ask for a photo upload. I guess that makes sense, since they couldn't ask for a photo of something that doesn't exist at a given location (like if a store did NOT have floor markings, you wouldn't have anything to take a photo of). But it would definitely be nice to know what POTENTIAL photos you'd be responsible for, if they exist at the location being evaluated. I was nervous that I would miss something/a required photo, so I re-checked the survey several times before leaving/submitting, which took longer than necessary and made me worried someone might notice. Luckily, I don't think anyone was paying particular attention since everyone is focused on their own shopping/needs right now!

There is one other thing and that is that the pictures have to be taken in Landscape mode so that they will be upright in the forms. It does not work so well on a tablet when outside in the sunlight. I tried it on my phone but I get not enough memory. I remember it saying that after you have done two up can pick another two but once I log in I get the same thing that we get for the Walmart gas stations. We have enough of these, or sorry we have reached our limit on these shops.

There's a video on the website. If you watch it, you'll see that you can do 2 this weekend. That's the limit. Not 2 at a time. 2 per weekend (Friday counts as the weekend).

@SoCalMama Thanks, that's good to know! I didn't see a video...I was going by an email they had sent titled "iShopSafe Assignments Now Available" which stated: "Find & claim the purple “iShopSafe” pins in Presto. You can claim up to 2 pins at a time, but don’t start shopping until Friday."

I'm not in any rush to do any more at this time. I'm fine with the 2 I completed and am actually happy to wait and see if they are approved before moving forward with any more in the future. I'm also pretty certain a good potion of the "available" shops are for businesses that are currently still only doing drive-thru or pick-up (no entering of the store allowed) in my area, at least.

Yikes. Landscape mode? What the heck is that? I have an iPhone6.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Yikes. Landscape mode? What the heck is that? I have an iPhone6.

Landscape mode is where you have the phone on its side when you take a picture. If you do any burger shops for Intellishop they have a description of the way to hold it. But what it amounts to is that you are holding the phone up where the picture button is on the bottom and then you tilt the phone to the left so that the picture taking button is on the right side. Then when you take the picture it is in landscape mode with the proper up and down. They have gotten tired of looking through the keyhole when the phone if in portrait mode. They want it to look like what you actually see.

Thank you. Your explanation was exact, concise, and easy to follow.