This geocache is not fully downloaded disappointment

[+tallpete]

Hi,

 

I just purchased the premium subscription inside the app, what a very disappointing experience this has proven to be for the large $ I paid. And I am an app developer myself!

 

On getting premium, clicking on he navigate button for any geocache I get the message "This geocache is not fully downloaded - some of the waypoints may be missing." No descriptions are showing for any cache.

 

I did some searching, and found out that logging out of the app and logging in may resolve it.  Why should I have to do this? 

 

I did log out and log in, and behold, the descriptions for the caches near me started showing. But as soon as I moved location, the caches in that location started not showing descriptions. I would get a spinner for a second, and then no description would show, and again clicking on the navigate button would show the previous message. What happened????!!!!

 

This time I deleted the app from my device and reinstalled and re logged in, and still nothing.  I get no text description. 

 

This is a really disappointing experience, it feels like an exercise in money making and junior on the cheap programming, and has taken the fun out of my reignited interest in geocaching that I am battling an app instead of caches.

 

The whole point of me paying the $ was to get away from debugging stuff.

 

Please help!

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by tallpete
grammar

[+kunarion]

It seems to take a while for the account update to happen,  maybe two hours? I'm not sure exactly what the timeframe is because when this comes up and someone makes a topic about it, they never return, although the membership change occurred.

[+tallpete]

I have returned, and the caches in the local area are now showing Description, Activity etc. I'm not sure what will happen if I move or go to a remote location and randomly try and find a cache - will it take 2 hours before I can find caches in the area?

 

Important - Devs and managers - Please add a notification dialog on subscribing that describes this extremely unexpected behaviour - even something simple like "It may take 2 hours for cache data to become available" although something more detailed saying the caches may be available but the descriptions won't be would be more appropriate.

 

Please manage expectations as this was a great disappointment, especially as I upgraded to go to a local cache and the data was not made available to me after I upgraded, so I could not visit this cache.

[+thebruce0]

Keep in mind, you've purchased the premium membership so you do have all the perks immediately available on the web. And if the profile tab in the official app shows you listed as a Premium Member, then all the API content should be reflecting that. So the issue seems to be its effect within the app itself. If it's still an issue now, you could try another app until the official one decides to start working (your PM will be recognized in those apps as well).

 

Right now, I can tell you it shouldn't be a trickling down to individual geocache listings. If one cache has all its info downloaded as a PM, then all caches should. It sounds more like there's an odd memory caching problem.  At absolute worst, you can also use the website interface. Not sure what to say. Hopefully someone at HQ helps troubleshoot.

[+Viajero Perdido]

2 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

you could try another app

 

On iOS, Cachly is a highly regarded caching app.  They're an official partner, so it's totally legit.

[+kunarion]

11 hours ago, tallpete said:

Important - Devs and managers - Please add a notification dialog on subscribing that describes this extremely unexpected behaviour - even something simple like "It may take 2 hours for cache data to become available" although something more detailed saying the caches may be available but the descriptions won't be would be more appropriate.

 

Please manage expectations as this was a great disappointment, especially as I upgraded to go to a local cache and the data was not made available to me after I upgraded, so I could not visit this cache.

 

Your payment through the App goes first to Apple who must process it, and then the credit gets passed on to Geocaching accounts, where it's processed, and then the membership is upgraded and sent to unlock the App.  If you instead pay on the web site, the process is different.  Sometimes the Apple payment part has a pretty serious delay, and that is an Apple thing, out of Groundspeak's control. Also the price structure seems to be different between App and web, maybe due to VAT or something, particularly for overseas App upgrades.  Pay on the web site, see if that works better for you.

[+tallpete]

Thank you for all your advice, but clearly I already paid, so advice to pay somewhere else is not useful at all.  Also I paid in this app, I expect it to work, I shouldn't have to use another app!! 

 

Also, as I said in my first post I am also an app developer, so I understand how the payment system works.

 

I understand that part of this is time to process by Groundspeak, so my original suggestion still stands - I am coming up with solutions here, not impractical advice -

 

Cut and Paste from my post above - 

Important - Devs and managers - Please add a notification dialog on subscribing that describes this extremely unexpected behaviour - even something simple like "It may take 2 hours for cache data to become available" although something more detailed saying the caches may be available but the descriptions won't be would be more appropriate.

[+GeoTrekker26]

You misunderstand what has happened. The app is free. You paid for a premium membership which provides many features none of which have to do with functionality of the app. 

Edited December 1, 2019 by GeoTrekker26

[+Viajero Perdido]

Right.

 

For enhanced enjoyment of the game, you can also pay a small amount, one time, to buy a 3rd-party app with more functionality than the default app that's free.

 

Your choice.  The app I use was the best few bucks I've ever spent on software.

[+kunarion]

2 hours ago, Viajero Perdido said:

For enhanced enjoyment of the game, you can also pay a small amount, one time, to buy a 3rd-party app with more functionality than the default app that's free.

 

Your choice.  The app I use was the best few bucks I've ever spent on software.

 

Yes, and another benefit is you pay for membership directly on the web site, so whatever App you run will work immediately.  But if you expect a "one-time payment" for any App, beware.  Apps go away.  Then there's a "one-time payment" for another one.  Which goes away.

[+The Leprechauns]

On 11/28/2019 at 11:57 PM, tallpete said:

 I get the message "This geocache is not fully downloaded - some of the waypoints may be missing." No descriptions are showing for any cache

 

I get this message when I have poor cell reception - 1 bar, maybe 2.

 

When this happens, I get upset with my cellular provider, not the developer of the app I'm trying to use.

[+tallpete]

In this thread: A whole pile of people making up excuses for an app for features  that didn't work for two hours, after paying a premium price for those features.

 

It seems this is a very consistent experience as it appears this has been reported before, and it was ignored then as well.

 

If you think that paying for premium features that don't work for two hours is a good for the app, or beginning users you are very much mistaken.

 

STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR A PREMIUM FEATURE THAT DOESN'T WORK FOR TWO HOURS.

STOP SUGGESTING I SHOULD HAVE PAID SOMEWHERE ELSE.  DOES IT SAY IN THE APP I SHOULD PAY SOMEWHERE ELSE?? NO!!!!!!

STOP SUGGESTING THAT AS IT IS AN OPTIONAL FEATURE IT DOESN'T HAVE TO WORK - THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR IS A SCAM.

 

I am providing feedback to you.

 

Cut and Paste from my post above - 

Important - Devs and managers - Please add a notification dialog on subscribing that describes this extremely unexpected behaviour - even something simple like "It may take 2 hours for cache data to become available" although something more detailed saying the caches may be available but the descriptions won't be would be more appropriate.

 

This is consideration for users who have just paid a premium price for a premium product and expect it to work.

 

Edited December 3, 2019 by tallpete

[+thebruce0]

*deep breath* *breathe in* *breathe out*

It appears you're relatively new to the forum here. We here are a bunch of community, most of us I believe are also premium members, and all dealing with the same frustrations and often disagreeing on what is or should be good or bad - but no one here can do anything directly. So in good friendly form, we try to help each other out. Try. Groundspeak is under no obligation to monitor the forum for tech support requests or support requests, let alone listen to and adopt any suggestions we make (and there are maaaaany) - no matter how often, fervently, OR LOUDLY we proclaim them. So I'd recommend not turning on fellow forum members for discussing relevant points and potential workarounds, while hoping that a lackey hears our words and decides to pass on the suggestions to the development team (assuming it's approved by their bosses).

Some of us here also work in IT, are programmers, and often feel we have better ideas and methods - but we aren't HQ. So I'd recommend for your own state of mind take a deep breath, and see if we can can work through the issues and potentially offer solutions - whether for the development team (again in the hopes that they get wind) or for ourselves, even if temporarily.  (also, shouting at forum members won't stop them, btw, and typically ends up in more shouting matches)

Edited December 3, 2019 by thebruce0

[+The Leprechauns]

BAD CELL SERVICE HAPPENS.

A FREE APP THAT'S EMPOWERED ME TO FIND HUNDREDS OF CACHES IS NOT A SCAM.

NEVER SEEN AN APP WITH A WARNING POPUP THAT IT MIGHT NOT WORK UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LIKE BAD CELL COVERAGE.

[+ras_oscar]

As a completely different data point to the issue:

 

I downloaded the app to my Iphone yesterday, found a few caches, logged them and all worked seamlessly

 

I decided i was uncomfortable with the amount of data consumed on this short trip, so I dug out my old android phone with no cell service. Installed the app, purchased premium membership on the website. The premium membership was applied to both the app and the web page in less than 10 minutes.

I made a list of the closest 250 caches. It was received on the phone together with maps of the associated area. Today I made a cache run with the android phone. I experienced the same issue with caches not completely loading details, and some but not all of the logs entered on the phone appearing on the web page. I have decided to use the app as a replacement for print outs, and record my finds with paper and pencil until my new GPS arrives next week. 

[+thebruce0]

Searches in an app may only load 'light' preliminary basic data. Check your settings or figure out how to load the 'full' cache data when you view a listing.