On Tuesday, the new QuickRewards site went live. All did not go as smoothly as expected. The site had been in beta-testing with nearly 50 testers for a matter of months, but some bugs did manage to slip through to the live release.
One of these bugs, a rather huge one, resulted in users logging in only to find they were logged in as OTHER users…with full access to view their names, account balances, and passwords. This problem was rectified “within 2 to 3 hours” and was the result of bad code added after the site was launched, intended to speed up the site. QR reviewed all user transactions to ensure that no one in that 2-3 hour period immediately cashed out someone else’s account — they did not (QR members are honest, it appears!), but to be very cautious, cashouts have been suspended for a few days and members are urged to take this time to change their passwords.
I spoke with Dmitry of QuickRewards by phone at length today about the new release and the many questions he’s receiving from members. Here are some of the things he wanted to communicate to them:
1. The hosting problem that kept members from logging in HAS been fixed. The goal for today and tomorrow is to transfer all user data from the old site to the new one, and to confirm that everyone is able to log in to the new site.
2. The next goal is to switch on the Instant Creditor feature to be certain that all offers will be credited instantly. Dmitry assures me that any signups and shopping rebates ARE being tracked and the credit will appear in your account as soon as possible. NO EARNINGS HAVE BEEN LOST, they are being tracked and will be posted as soon as the Instant Creditor feature goes live. (In the next few days.) Trivia will return within the week after the above goals have been met. The new site games will follow, as will the new site message forum. Last but not least, look for an option to earn points for printing coupons — you don’t even have to use them, just print ‘em!
3. There is a line in the Clicks section that says, “Submit offer confirmation and and run offer tracking.” This line will be removed. In the new QR, offers including clicks ARE automatically tracked. In order to get credit for a click, you can either click on the offer name, on the banner, or on “Do Offer.” Some offers will have a timer and others will not. If it does have a timer, be sure to wait until it says the visit has been credited. You can refresh the page to verify whether a click has credited.
4. This is a big one: Although it now takes 100 QP (QuickRewards Points) to convert to a cent, the value of a click was also increased. Instead of 3, 2, and 1 point clicks, they’re now 30, 20, and 10 point clicks. Everything increased by a multiple of 10. Where three 3 pointers and a 1 pointer used to be worth a cent, now three 30 pointers and a 10 pointer is worth a cent. SAME values, just add a 0 to the end! And, unlike the old QuickRewards, in the new system when you reach 1c worth of points, it automatically converts to cash for you.
Dmitry’s message to members: “We’re working very hard — around the clock — to fix the issues we’ve had with this new version. After we’re done, you’ll see a lot more earning opportunities that no one else offers. Please feel free to let us know your suggestions in email or in responses here or on the QuickRewards Blog. We’re listening, and we’ll be changing the site to accomodate the needs of our members. Please bear with us as we upgrade to our new site — you will not be disappointed with the final result!”
You may want to bookmark the QuickRewards Blog to have access to the latest updates on the new site.
My commentary: I’ve seen the evolution of “the new QuickRewards” over the past years and months as a beta-tester, and last weekend I told Dmitry I didn’t think the site was ready to go live. Obviously he didn’t listen. I think that the site navigation could be much better (two different lines of menu options is a little overwhelming) and I really dislike the Search & Filter option appearing on all of the pages where you can earn.
That being said, several features of the new site, including an offer timer that resets at midnight, and instant crediting of offers, are a huge improvement. I’ve been entrusted with some information about upcoming features and I do think members will LOVE them and that they will be very unique in the rewards program world. So, as frustrated as I am that they rushed the new version out before it was 100%, I think that Dmitry has hustled so hard for us in the past that we owe him a little patience and indulgence as he works out the kinks.
Let him know what you dislike AND what you like! Please respond to this post with your suggestions and comments, or head over to his blog and voice your opinion there. He said that he was very flexible and willing to listen to our ideas. Let’s help him make QR the site WE’D love it to be!
