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'App Truthers' Question the Accuracy of the Domino's Pizza Tracker (foxnews.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the not-avoiding-the-Noid dept.

Despite the fact that 60% of its pizza orders arrive digitally, "A growing number of Domino's delivery customers are casting a critical eye at the company's online pizza-tracking app," reports the lifestyle editor at Fox News. "More specifically, they think it's a bunch of crap." Fault-finding app users -- or "app truthers," as The Wall Street Journal calls them -- are subscribing to the notion that the Domino's pizza tracker is nothing but a bunch of smoke and mirrors. One user who spoke with the Journal claims his app told him that "Melinda" would be arriving shortly with his order, but when he opened the door, a delivery man he already knew handed him the pizza. "Ever since then, I knew everything they said, I felt, was made up," he said.

Another man claims the tracker told him his pizza was en route, even though he could see the Domino's restaurant from his house, and there was no sign of the pizza being out for delivery. Others claim the pizza app told them their food had been delivered when it hadn't, or that there were huge discrepancies between when their pies were supposed to be delivered and when they actually arrived. A whole thread on Reddit suggests that the app is just an automated timer disguised to look like a real-time tracker.
In a statement Domino's blamed the problem on employees not entering correct data, while also insisting that "the vast majority of the time Pizza Tracker works as designed."

According to the article, "A person who claimed to be a Domino's employee also said nearly as much in a 2015 Reddit thread. He/she added that the name of the person preparing the pizza -- as far as the app is concerned -- is usually the manager.

120 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Someone who could see the restaurant ordered DELIVERY?!?

    WALK OVER AND GET IT!!!!

    1. Re: Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Some places do delivery only late at night

    2. Re:Really? by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Maybe he was testing the Domino's App's accuracy.

    3. Re:Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      sometimes they close the lobby but still deliver.

    4. Re: Really? by freeze128 · · Score: 4, Informative

      97th and Lyndale Avenue South. Just last week I ordered a pizza for Carryout at 10:58PM. When I got to the store, the "open" light was off, and the waiting area was dark. The door was unlocked, so I went in. The Manager there said that they close for carryout orders at 11:00PM, but still make deliveries. This is done to prevent robberies late at night at the store.

    5. Re: Really? by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 1

      I can attest to this. It's not just Domino's that does this with small franchises.

    6. Re:Really? by mikael · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Maybe they are disabled or some other medical injury (sprained angle, leg in cast). Hobbling down a flight of stairs and across several corridors isn't going to be practical.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    7. Re: Really? by cstacy · · Score: 1

      Some places do delivery only late at night

      Which Domino's? Names please.

      This is common in most suburban areas I've ever lived in. (Not just Dominos, all of the chains.)

    8. Re:Really? by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      WALK OVER AND GET IT!!!!

      Sure in perfect weather on a sunny day and when I'm wearing my going out cloths and have done my makeup I will.

      Or ... since the delivery is free in some cases I could just use the service that was offered, which was a pizza at my door.

    9. Re: Really? by sound+vision · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The jobs Ive had that involved significant productivity were cool with letting me run down the stairs for 10 minutes once a day. That's in addition to the normal lunch hour. But next I guess you'll tell me you and the guy in the article both work Mission Control at NASA and can't leave the room.

      But if your time really is that valuable, and your mission that critical, the pizza delivery guy actually serves as support staff for the fatass Sperglord, thereby increasing HIS productivity. But then you also have to factor in the wasted time on the toilet shitting out double the normal human allocation of fuel.

    10. Re: Really? by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure what job you had where you can underestimate time like you have, but the fact that you thought there was a possibility that the management objecting was a problem makes it clear that it was a very low level position. When you grow up and get a job with responsibility, if you ever do, it will be because you exhibit the kind of good judgement and focus to know how to best use your time.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    11. Re:Really? by Rolgar · · Score: 1

      So what does it mean that there was no sign that it was out for delivery? He couldn't see the car between the store and his place? Perhaps the delivery driver had another pizza or two that came in earlier and they were going to deliver his last on the return trip.

    12. Re:Really? by lsatenstein · · Score: 1

      Dominos where I live give a discount for a phone order with delivery. Some days its 50% off if you text or phone the order and then pick it up.

      If you walk into the restaurent, there is no deal. Perhaps it's because there is too much traffic or the place is not clean enough at the time

      --
      Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
    13. Re:Really? by michael_wojcik · · Score: 1

      I do almost all my in-town errands on foot, or on bike when I'm at my other, somewhat more remote house. Regardless of weather (and we get a lot of rain and snow here), because I like to be out and about.

      But we still use delivery for pizza, even though the pizza place is half a mile from the house. They transport the pizza in an insulated bag, so it stays hot; it'd cool off significantly even in a 5-minute walk home in cold weather. And carrying a pizza by hand half a mile is awkward, because you have to keep the box horizontal. And I don't mind supporting someone's pizza delivery job. (I'm also a good tipper.)

      In short, the OP should shut the fuck up.

    14. Re:Really? by michael_wojcik · · Score: 1

      Perhaps I should add that when I say "pizza", I mean pizza. Not that crap that Domino's sells. I'd pay to have that removed from my home.

  2. More specifically, they think it's a bunch of crap by DogDude · · Score: 1

    "More specifically, they think it's a bunch of crap."

    "They" are correct. Why do "they" keep eating it, then?

    --
    I don't respond to AC's.
  3. First World Problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    For sure.

    1. Re:First World Problems by belthize · · Score: 2

      This is like zero'th world problems.

      You have to be pretty tightly wound to be spun up when your phone gets the delivery person's name wrong.

  4. Duh by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

    Duh. They aren't entering in info on every step of the process and transmitting it to a server somewhere. It is just a timer.

    1. Re:Duh by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 2

      Couldn't the app use the deliverator's phone GPS to determine distance to target automagically without the deliverator entering data into a server directly?

    2. Re:Duh by Rick+Zeman · · Score: 1

      Couldn't the app use the deliverator's phone GPS to determine distance to target automagically without the deliverator entering data into a server directly?

      Only if they supply the "deliverator" a phone.

    3. Re:Duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Here in NZ and AU, yes, absolutely - more precisely, the GPS is on the magnetic 'domino pizza delivery thing' they stick on the car with magnets.

      (In reality, I'm pretty sure the GPS data is delayed - the driver will arrive just as the tracker says they're coming down the street -- and I have a feeling the drivers give themselves a head start and the in-store tracking is... well, often lied to by staff claiming they're further along than they really are.)

    4. Re:Duh by PPH · · Score: 1

      Which pizza went out with which deliverator? Was that information entered correctly in the tracking app?

      Chad always carries the pizza orders to the sorority (antic ensue). Yours is brought by the fat slob who always steals a slice.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    5. Re:Duh by sheramil · · Score: 1

      Couldn't the app use the deliverator's phone GPS to determine distance to target automagically without the deliverator entering data into a server directly?

      If they did, the headline would be "Pizza delivery rights infringed, being tracked on their delivery routes"

      There is a solution to that. It involves an empty Twisties bag.

    6. Re:Duh by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Only if they supply the "deliverator" a phone.

      Nobody does that. When you use Uber, do you think the driver's phone is supplied by Uber?

    7. Re:Duh by sjames · · Score: 1

      Sure, so they should skip the fake song and dance and just provide a timer. Had they done that, they wouldn't have people complaining now.

    8. Re:Duh by will_die · · Score: 1

      Uber is still going by the illusion that they drivers are not employees so it is reasonable that contractor(aka driver) provides the car and phone.
      However with dominoes the drivers are employees so I would expect they cannot say if a person has a phone much less a smart phone.

    9. Re:Duh by Daemonik · · Score: 1

      Part of the reason Uber fights having their drivers designated as employees, is that if you require an employee to have certain equipment to perform their job, then you have to provide it to them.

    10. Re:Duh by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Informative

      Your employer can require you to have a smart phone, at your own expense, in every state but California.

      On the bright side, an employer requirement makes your phone and cellular service a tax deductible expense.

    11. Re:Duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sure, so they should skip the fake song and dance and just provide a timer. Had they done that, they wouldn't have people complaining now.

      Not likely. These people are making up multiple contradictory statements all while not showing any facts to be true. These are the types that would always make up whatever they wanted to complain about and then proceed to do so.

      The status and info in the tracker is entered by hand, it isn't made up. There is a timer too, but far from only a timer. That limit is mainly because they don't track their delivery drivers via GPS down to the second, and personally I don't think that is a bad thing.

      One user who spoke with the Journal claims his app told him that "Melinda" would be arriving shortly with his order, but when he opened the door, a delivery man he already knew handed him the pizza. "Ever since then, I knew everything they said, I felt, was made up," he said.

      So "Melinda" is the driver the computer scheduled to deliver. Obviously one of any hundreds of things happened and they had to change drivers.
      Why is that even a problem? The pizza made it there right? It wasn't hours late was it?
      Perhaps the drivers were swapped last minute. Perhaps Melinda had something come up and needed to call off work.

      Had the manager held back the delivery to reschedule it in the system and wait for it to officially reschedule a driver, who most likely was already on a route and would need to return first to pick up the next batch, the pizzas would have been 30+ minutes later.

      And that person would then still complain.

      Another man claims the tracker told him his pizza was en route, even though he could see the Domino's restaurant from his house, and there was no sign of the pizza being out for delivery.

      So which lie is the truth?

      Did this man stay at home, in view of the pizza place? If so how the hell could he possibly see tens of miles away to know where the driver was? Why does everyone assume they are always the first stop on the route?

      Or is the opposite true, and he was out stalking the driver along the route? That would be the only way to know where the pizza was at down to the second, and then obviously the pizza place wouldn't be in view.

      I know this is the type of asshole customer that acts so entitled to being first on the route that I would intentionally make him the last stop before returning to the store.

      So the app was likely completely correct, and this guy complains.
      If deliveries were made how he demands, one at a time, instead of taking 4-6 orders out per route, his pizza would take 2-4 hours to arrive, and he would still complain.

      If he was actually across the street the lazy fuck could have walked over and had it in 10 minutes.
      Clearly having his pizza fast wasn't even a concern for the customer, so why should anyone else care? He would still complain no matter what happened.

    12. Re:Duh by sjames · · Score: 1

      Route? Driver gets an order, driver delivers order. Driver returns to store for next order.

      If things get really busy, a driver might get two orders that are close together, not 10 miles apart.

    13. Re:Duh by mrbester · · Score: 1

      I'm sure there's a clause in the tax bill that says you can't do that any more...

      --
      "Wait. Something's happening. It's opening up! My God, it's full of apricots!"
    14. Re:Duh by mikael · · Score: 1

      I think it does. I tried out the pizza tracker two days ago. Even made a video using my smartphone. They do use the deliverators GPS. I could see the icon slide around the streets between the pizza shop and my place. The funny thing was watching this slice of pizza wander all around the back alleys of the neighborhood like one of those maze solving AI algorithms. The deliverator was a new driver who didn't know which direction led downtown and which led out of town and ultimately had to call me to get directions.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    15. Re:Duh by SvnLyrBrto · · Score: 1

      > Did this man stay at home, in view of the pizza place?

      I generally phone in pickup orders to places that are within walking distance of my home. This is because I hate waiting in line or sitting around at the take-out waiting for my food to be done. None of these places are actually *visible* from my house, or part of app-enabled chains.

      But if they were, and one of those take-out orders was not available for take-out at the time they specified; I could certainly see myself doing some experimentation... including summoning a delivery when I could walk and monitoring the store to see if the driver left when specified... to see just what other lies they were in the habit of telling.

      --
      Imagine all the people...
    16. Re:Duh by magarity · · Score: 1

      an employer requirement makes your phone and cellular service a tax deductible expense.

      How to get audited in one easy step. You would have to prove what percent of the phone usage is for work vs personal.

    17. Re:Duh by MaskedSlacker · · Score: 1

      I used to work there. It's not a timer (unless they changed it since I left, but I highly doubt it, since they use the same system to track internal operating metrics for planning staffing patterns). They are entering info every step of the way, except 'entering' info mostly means hitting the enter key on the computer at that station. One station at the make line when it goes in the over, one when it comes out of the oven and gets boxed, one when it goes out the door with the driver

      All of the scenarios listed in the summary are basic errors by employees in the restaurant's workflow. Or, in some cases, fraud by managers trying to game their times to qualify for bonuses.

    18. Re:Duh by Rolgar · · Score: 1

      Meaning that you get back a fraction of what you spend. If you're in the 15% tax bracket, and your phone is $30 a month, you'll get back $54 of the $360 in reduced taxes. Of course if you would use the same plan with the employer requirement or not, then you come out ahead.

  5. Next up: Progress bars that aren't time-linear by JoeyRox · · Score: 1

    I will be petitioning for a federal investigation into this scourge of the Application world.

  6. too much by guygo · · Score: 1

    sounds like someone has way too much time on their hands

  7. Holy fucking 0.0001%'er problems! by Chas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Good fucking god!

    As ANYONE who's EVER dealt with a computerized event completion timer knows it's just an ESTIMATE.

    Trying to demand exactitude once you get HUMANS into the mix?

    Seriously, when was the last time you nodded acquaintances with reality?

    Some people just need to get a fucking job. They have too much time on their hands and have to invent stupid shit to bitch about.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re:Holy fucking 0.0001%'er problems! by Chas · · Score: 1

      Show me where they EVER claimed it was "realtime".

      --


      Chas - The one, the only.
      THANK GOD!!!
    2. Re:Holy fucking 0.0001%'er problems! by jareth-0205 · · Score: 1

      And if anyone has ever been into a Domino's, you can see them doing the work - they don't hit a button advancing the order between each stage, so we can see it must be mostly made-up. It's obvious from just looking at the process, eg there's no scanner when they put the pizza in the oven after it's made, infact it doesn't even have a label at that stage.

    3. Re:Holy fucking 0.0001%'er problems! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Show me where they EVER claimed it was "realtime".

      If they claim to show you where your pizza is, there's no other way.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:Holy fucking 0.0001%'er problems! by geoscodin · · Score: 1

      I delivered pizzas in college and they sometimes sent me out with 5 deliveries at a time, so "out for delivery" may mean you still have to wait for 4 other deliveries before yours arrives at your door. Should yours be delivered first since it's within line-of-sight? Maybe, but yours may also be the last one ordered so it wouldn't necessarily get out-the-door priority.

  8. Promote the lifestyle editor at Fox by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

    That's more investigation into a story than they do if the topic covers politics. Maybe the editor should be promoted to cover those stories instead and get some real news shown.

    (Yes, I'm aware it's a decision made at the corporate level and even if they did any investigation it wouldn't hit the airwaves. Management would quickly kill any initiative shown or have them fired to be replaced by a lackey who says what they are told to say.)

  9. Also, the Noid is not an actual employee by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    He's an IMPOSTER I tell you!

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    1. Re:Also, the Noid is not an actual employee by Kohath · · Score: 1

      Not any more. He committed suicide in 1995.

  10. Re:More specifically, they think it's a bunch of c by Aighearach · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's why in my town all the Dominos are right next to the University, where they have lots of people from random places that don't know any better.

    Locals buy Little Caesar's when they want "cheese" on soggy white bread. Why? They at least dump a bunch of oregano in the sauce to make it taste like it includes at least one human food.

  11. In Japan by theNetImp · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The pizza tracker on their website in Japan is fairly accurate. On busy nights it sits at the first stage until they actually work on it. When it's delivered we have a GPS option to watch the driver. The driver always arrives when they the map shows them in front of the house. I wouldn't be surprised if the US version is faked a bit. The Japanese wouldn't stand for that.

    1. Re:In Japan by Kohath · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I think the app just relays entered information. The Japanese pizza guys probably aren't entering fake info to make it appear like they are working hard and following procedure.

    2. Re:In Japan by complete+loony · · Score: 1

      Garbage In, Garbage Out; used to express the idea that in computing and other fields, incorrect or poor-quality input will produce faulty output.

      --
      09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
    3. Re:In Japan by larryjoe · · Score: 2

      I think the app just relays entered information. The Japanese pizza guys probably aren't entering fake info to make it appear like they are working hard and following procedure.

      I have heard stories of technicians and IT folks in Japan being extremely meticulous in following all steps of a prescribed methodology. In contrast, Americans will skip or modify steps based on personal evaluations of a specific step's significance. Sometimes that's the end result of creativity and independent thinking.

    4. Re:In Japan by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      To be fair, you love the food you grow up with. The same reasons why there's a pile of JP and Chinese(not american style) restaurants around the university I went to. Around 70% of the student body is either 1st generation kids from those regions, or kids who are from Japan, Hong Kong, or China studying there. Having grown up on three different "ethnic" food types as a kid, it's interesting to try it when you're back in your parents home country. Canadian food is well...a mishmash of everything from english, dutch, and french to local areas that were strongly ethnic german to the occasional weird stuff.

      You're not going to be finding seal flipper pie in southern ontario, but if you head out to new brunswick or newfoundland you will. They'll also ask you if you want mayo with your fries, which is what nearly everyone uses instead of ketchup. The reason is, tomato's were too expensive in the early 1900's outside of Ontario. And ketchup was too expensive to buy for most people, but mayo? Everyone could make it or buy it cheaply. It's kinda like how do you tell who the poor kids are if you live there, or along the lakes in Ontario? They're the ones either eating lobster or fish for lunch. Because their family is in the business.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
    5. Re:In Japan by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      Uh, OK, this crazy bit of stream of consciousness does not negate the fact that Americans in Japan don't eat Japanese food and instead order shit pizza like Domino's. I mean, WTF. So much good food within arm's length and yet he chooses garbage pizza that nobody orders even in America.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    6. Re:In Japan by dj245 · · Score: 1

      I think the app just relays entered information. The Japanese pizza guys probably aren't entering fake info to make it appear like they are working hard and following procedure.

      Domino's Japan is an entirely different company than the USA. They ride 3-wheel scooters that tilt around corners. The pizza has a much higher relative cost, and it tastes better than the US versions of the same pizza. They aren't playing by the same corporate playbook, it is not just cultural.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    7. Re:In Japan by Mashiki · · Score: 1

      If nobody ordered that pizza in america, they wouldn't be profitable now would they. Try thinking a little bit. Just because you eat $40 artisan pizza's doesn't mean everyone else does.

      --
      Om, nomnomnom...
  12. I delivered for Dominos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The sign on the roof of the delivery car has a GPS and a modem.

    There is a delay as the messages propagate through their system before they end up on the web. The delivery driver can also change literally on their way out the door. So, shit happens. It's not malicious.

    1. Re:I delivered for Dominos by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 2

      The delivery driver can also change literally on their way out the door.

      Bloody hell, they hire werewolves?!?

      [Makes note not to order pizza on the full moon]

      --
      Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
  13. Domino's stores cheat on the numbers to make by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    Domino's stores cheat on the numbers to make then look better then they really are.

  14. Shorter version by Kohath · · Score: 2

    That reasonably priced 6.8/10 pizza you can get delivered to your house in 30 minutes is complete crap because a more expensive 8.5/10 pizza exists somewhere within a 60 minute drive of your house. You should all be shamed mercilessly for even thinking about eating food the cool kids would never even look at!

    (Ok, not really shorter.)

    1. Re:Shorter version by Kohath · · Score: 2

      So what? Someone else has an even better pizza even closer. You're a relative caveman next to him. You should whimper in shame thinking about his pizza glory, whoever he is. Your 9/10 pizza is skunk vomit next to his pizza.

  15. Looking at the code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It looks like it should work as a real reporting system. You can just open the javascript console on any browser and look at the XMLHttpRequest/AJAX call to query a server for the time data. You can even send them custom messages even tho they only give you a drop down with pre-selected values.

    some thing like _https://www.dominos.com/en/pages/tracker/#/track/order/123456789abc/StoreID/1234/

  16. Gaming the corporate system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As with many systems used in large businesses, this is due to store managers entering fake data to game the corporate system that measures their performance against unreasonable expectations. No doubt if delivery times are too long -- even if the store doesn't have enough available drivers, the store manager gets no bonus or gets fired.

  17. Have other "trackers" been compared? by King_TJ · · Score: 2

    I know Papa John's pizza has an app with a tracker. Pretty sure Pizza Hut does too. Seems to be a pretty standard feature for chain pizza delivery places at this point.

    I get the idea that all of them are just based on timers, plus some kind of data input in the computer at the pizza place? EG. Tracker starts counting down time pizza is supposedly baking in the oven based on when the sale is processed, and delivery time based on entering some other data that says a driver picked it up and went out the door with it.

    Having it give an incorrect name of the driver supposedly arriving with your order? That sounds like an error made by whoever was keying the info in for it. That kind of thing is gonna happen and doesn't prove the app is "fake".

    But unless each pizza has an embedded RFID chip or something crazy like that, I don't know how you can expect it'll be perfectly accurate all the time? UPS and FedEx have similar "fakery" in use with package tracking. (The package only gets scanned once in a while while in route to you. On stretches between scans, they just estimate delivery times based on when the trucks SHOULD get it from one point to the next in the middle of the route. When packages get lost, the trackers get "brain dead" and often indicate a box was last seen on a truck that it was never even loaded onto. When you call in about such instances, the dispatch people on the phone seem to have a second system where they can pinpoint things better than the user-facing web site data does.)

    1. Re:Have other "trackers" been compared? by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

      ups uses rail for some of the longer moves and times you see rail delay on the web site tracker.

    2. Re:Have other "trackers" been compared? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2

      Funny thing is I know a business in the UK. They wanted a realtime map on their webpage that shows how far away their nearest delivery van is. The conversation with the website developers went like this

      Business Owner : Just say the van is fifteen minutes away from wherever they are. That way people are more likely to order.
      Developers : But how can that work? That means we need to fake a location and also that two users using the site in different places will see different locations for the van
      Business Owner : Just say the van is fifteen minutes away from wherever they are. That way people are more likely to order.
      Developers : How about we put a GPS in the van and show that?
      Business Owner : Just say the van is fifteen minutes away from wherever they are. That way people are more likely to order.
      Developers : How about we put a fake van at the midpoint of the locations of all the users currently asking. That way it will be consistent if multiple users in different locations compared notes.
      Business Owner : Just say the van is fifteen minutes away from wherever they are. That way people are more likely to order.
      Developers : How about we have multiple fake vans patrolling so that any one user is guaranteed to have one within fifteen minutes of their location. About fifteen should do it for the size of area you cover.
      Business Owner : Just say the van is fifteen minutes away from wherever they are. That way people are more likely to order.

      And it went on in that general vein ad infinitum. I don't think the 'where's the nearest van?' realtime feature ever actually got implemented.

      Some people are both simultaneously too stupid and too smart for this world.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    3. Re:Have other "trackers" been compared? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Silly business owner anyway. Who cares how far away the van is if it doesn't have stock of what you want, the warehouse location (or equivalent depending on the goods) of where the goods are actually coming from is far more informant to a customer.

      The business in question was fixing or replacing equipment. So if someone calls and they've not busy they'll arrive in 15-30 minutes because the area they operate in is pretty small and all the places in it are within 15-30 minutes. If not they'll visit as soon as someone is available.

      As far as fixing stuff goes they've got a couple of vans with a stock of the most common parts in the them, so there's a fair chance they can do it one visit. As far as replacing stuff goes, they'll need to order the parts and come round when they're in stock. They probably need a visit anyway to see how much space they have to do an installation and see if they should fix what's there or replace it.

      So "15 minutes away" is a bit of an exaggeration but not that much of one. What's funny is that it's not that hard to do with geolocation and Google Maps. You just geolocate the customer, work out which map square they're in, pick a random point inside it and snap it to the road and say 'that's our nearest van to you'. It'd have nothing to do with where the nearest van was, but the distance between you and the point is accurate, give or take a bit of marketing spin.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  18. Most Extreme Pizza Delivery Challenge! (N/T) by Monster_user · · Score: 1

    Most Extreme Pizza Delivery Challenge!

    1. Re:Most Extreme Pizza Delivery Challenge! (N/T) by ScottyKUtah · · Score: 1

      Damn I wish I had Mod points, got a good laugh out of this. Love that show (MXC)!

      --
      He who laughs last is at 300 baud.
  19. Jeeze by Lisandro · · Score: 1

    https://amolosdomingos.files.w...

    Slow news day, /.?

  20. Re:There's no questioning the accuracy of this by Pikoro · · Score: 1

    Might want to check your bot again APK. This is even less relevant to this story than it normally is.

    If you're such an awesome coder, how come your scraper is crap?

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  21. Easy: by no-body · · Score: 1

    Ask the developers under oath what they programmed. Probably have to fly on the other side of the planet to do that..
    Good luck!

    1. Re: Easy: by TimTucker · · Score: 1

      Dominoes actually went much closer to home than you think: https://www.detroitlabs.com/do... Great agile team over there with a commitment to TDD and trying to put out stuff that people have fun using. I'm sure that pulling one over on customers was the last thing on their minds.

  22. Re:"Pizza" tracker? by tquasar · · Score: 1

    There are two authentic Italian restaurants near my house, one I can walk to and the other delivers. Affordable and serving lasagna and spaghetti with great sauce and real Parmesian and Romano cheese.

  23. Store dependant by darkain · · Score: 1

    This could highly be store dependent, most specifically on what that particular store is equipped with. The one near my house is a fairly recent store (within the past year or two). My brother orders from them regularly online. The tracker has been quite accurate for us.

    Another guess from being a developer who writes ecommerce software: you have to account for human error as well. It doesn't take much for someone to accidentally press the "Jill" instead of "Bob" button when selecting the driver for the order, than handing off to Bob because he's the one that's actually available. Same goes for prepping the pizza itself. It doesn't take much to accidentally click on one order and "prep" it vs another.

    This shit happens. Your pizza still arrived within about five minutes of you expecting it. Is it really that big of a fucking deal!?

  24. Re: More specifically, they think it's a bunch of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The tracker has jack shit to do with the food.

    Here I'll break it down for you.
    When you place an order it starts a timer.
    When it's being made it starts a timer.
    When it goes in the oven, new timer!

    The employees don't get any trouble for being slow, they get in trouble for the time on the computer looking bad.
    They are trained to keep those timers under a certain time wether they got to that step or not.

    When all the timers are done they assign it to a driver who's probably still on some other delivery just keep the timer number looking good.
    Then it gets reassigned to the first driver to show up.

    This is called micromanaging and it's retarded in a restaurant,

  25. Re: More specifically, they think it's a bunch of by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "They" are correct. Why do "they" keep eating it, then?

    Maybe the quality of the app has nothing to do with the quality of the food?

  26. It's based on averages.. by sizzlinkitty · · Score: 2

    I had an issue last year when my Pizza showed delivered for almost 30 minutes and then I called to find it it hadn't even left the store yet. The manager told me the app works on the average time it takes to make and deliver a pizza. It is not a accurate representation of the Pizza's location. I don't bother letting them deliver it anymore, I'll drive up to the store and wait.

  27. Re:More specifically, they think it's a bunch of c by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    Even in The Big City, Dominos stays open 2-3 hours later than any respectable "good pizza" place.

  28. Re:"Pizza" tracker? by Grishnakh · · Score: 2

    Want pizza? I can raise you many local places that sell the real stuff.

    Only if you live in a pretty decent city. In a lot of places, Domino's is the best available.

  29. Re: More specifically, they think it's a bunch of by fj3k · · Score: 1

    It's called 'managing by numbers'. Micro-managers would have known the timers were being faked because they would be breathing down the necks of their employees as they did it.

    --
    Two men claimed to have walked into a bar. Only one had the bruises to prove it.
  30. Re:Found the LUDDITES! by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2

    Electric ovens can't melt cheese beams! Wake up sheeple!

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  31. Real truthiness by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

    âOne user who spoke with the Journal claims his app told him that "Melinda" would be arriving shortly with his order, but when he opened the door, a delivery man he already knew handed him the pizza. "Ever since then, I knew everything they said, I felt, was made up," he said.â

    Come on, we know he was really upset because it ended up being a dude who delivered his pizza.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  32. Re:Quoted /.ers disagree w/ you Pikoro by Pikoro · · Score: 1

    Oh, you do know that most of these comments you like to tout as extolling the virtues of your software are sarcasm, right?

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  33. not too sure how to spell this by ishmaelflood · · Score: 1, Insightful

    whiny whiny whiny whiny snowflake whine first world problem whiny whiny snowflake.

    I think that covers it.

    1. Re:not too sure how to spell this by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      whiny whiny whiny whiny snowflake whine first world problem whiny whiny snowflake.

      Yeah, I too prefer to roll over and take whatever corporate bullshit is shovelled down my throat in the name of the "consumer". When they do something for my benefit and it turns out to not actually happen or be right my first reaction is to scream out "YES MISTRESS I WANT ANOTHER"! /end stupid reply.

    2. Re:not too sure how to spell this by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      We're not talking about a corporation abusing a monopoly position to deliver a crappy product to inflated prices. Well, that happens too, but that's not the complaint here. The complaint is about a "tracking" app that CANNOT track anything because anything it could track is completely arbitrary. Please tell me how you would track the status of a fucking PIZZA?

      We are talking about a "service" that adds exactly zero value to a product but makes the user feel like he's in some sort of "control" over the process. Only to now realize that he controls exactly fuck all. What changes? Nothing. He had no control before, he didn't gain any with the app and he didn't lose any with the app not working.

      If anything, we have another corporation that thought they MUST have some sort of app because that's cool today, and I'm pretty sure they thought long and hard just WHAT that app could do, and they obviously came up empty handed because this has to be the pinnacle of ridiculous, superfluous apps.

      I'd rather question what kind of information the app sends to its master.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:not too sure how to spell this by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      OMG! They lied about my pizza status, they say it's being "en route" but it has arrived already! Now they say it's in quality control but the pizza man is ringing at my doorbell already.

      Be honest: Do you really care beyond whether it's here in 30 minutes or earlier?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:not too sure how to spell this by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      When they do something for my benefit and it turns out to not actually happen

      What on Earth made you think that a pizza chain was producing an app to benefit you?

      The purpose of the app is to get more people to buy their pizza. Helping you doesn't come into the equation.

    5. Re:not too sure how to spell this by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      We're not talking about a corporation abusing a monopoly position to deliver a crappy product to inflated prices

      Nope, we're talking about a corporation introducing something to the benefit of the consumer which they were *allegedly* actively lying about to the consumer's detriment.

      Only to now realize that he controls exactly fuck all. What changes? Nothing.

      Planning, customer satisfaction. Now I don't actually believe that the system is fake, but since I actively plan my order around the pizza tracker (when do I need to leave to meet them at the gate, when do I need to leave to pick up the pizza etc). If you provide information that changes nothing, then don't provide the information. But the reality is they provide the information since people see it as a positive service. Lying about it has an effect despite your assertions otherwise.

      I'd rather question what kind of information the app sends to its master.

      Now that IS a worthless first world problem.

    6. Re:not too sure how to spell this by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Have a think how that second sentence of yours works in conjunction with the former. Think really hard. Think along the lines of: If there is no benefit then why would it get more people to buy pizzas.

      You anti-corporation tinfoil hatters fail to realise that most of these developments rely on something for something. To sell more pizzas you need to provide value. Just like Google actually does care about its customers because if they leave they lose a product they can sell on to third parties.

    7. Re:not too sure how to spell this by GrumpySteen · · Score: 1

      Think along the lines of: If there is no benefit then why would it get more people to buy pizzas./quote

      Have a think on how your whole comment is completely detached from reality. Think really hard. (isn't being a condescending asshole fun?)

      Think along the lines of JC Penny's "No sale prices" strategy. Their idea was simple; rather than price everything 40% higher so that they can have fake sales like very other retailer, they just priced everything at a fair price. And then their sales figures tanked because people don't want a fair price, they want to think they're getting a bargain even when they aren't.

      There's no value in being told something is 'on sale' when it's the normal price marked down from an inflated price, yet that's what most consumers prefer.

      The Dominoes app works on the same principle. It's not real, but it provides the feeling that the customer is getting something even though they aren't. The company doesn't have to provide anything of value at all.

    8. Re:not too sure how to spell this by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Not knowing exactly where a damn pizza is at every moment in time is not a first world problem, but worrying about handing a corporation the contents of your cellphone to do with the information anything they please is?

      I somehow can't really find the logic in your priorities.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  34. Not really seeing the issue here by DrXym · · Score: 1
    You enter an order into the store's system. The computer knows how many orders are ahead of it. The computer knows how long it should take to prepare the pizza, how long it should take in the oven, how long it should take to box it, how many delivery drivers are working, how many have clocked in through the door, how many deliveries are ahead of your pizza, how far roughly your house is from the store and long it should take to get there.

    Then the computer makes an ESTIMATE based on adding up those values and your pizza resides in a particular state according to how long the chain it is. Is it "smoke and mirrors"? No because the estimate will usually be accurate assuming the system is working, traffic is usual, the driver doesn't get lost etc.

    And like any system it's only as good as its inputs. Maybe "Melinda" is some dude, or Melinda doesn't like the "app truther" creep who tracks her online and swapped deliveries, or its maybe just the person who logged in that day. Maybe the driver did get lost. Maybe the pizza order got screwed up and so the tracking is out of whack with reality. Does that render the system worthless for the 99% of the time that it works as intended? Of course not.

  35. Re:More specifically, they think it's a bunch of c by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

    Real pizza doesn't come from a chain

    Elitist nonsense. Shitty pizza is real pizza too. It's just really shitty pizza. I'd rather have Papa Murphy's than Domino's.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  36. Small wonder by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    "Domino's pizza-tracking app is a bunch of crap." ?

    So it fits their pizza.

  37. Re:One time... by cstacy · · Score: 1

    I once heard that the big 'button' at crosswalks that you can press is nothing but that, just a big button that doesn't actually do anything [...]

    Not true. However, the "CLOSE DOOR" button on some elevators is not connected to anything. Only a timer and sensors operate the door. The button gives nervous riders something to do.

  38. The far more likely reason by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    The restaurant workers have to enter the "status" manually (how else would it get updated?) and don't give half a shit about that OCD control freak app, so whoever walks by the terminal on his way to and from the pizza oven clicks a few orders at random that "deserve" an update.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  39. Re:"Pizza" tracker? by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 1

    Whatever. As long as you're not calling them "pies".

    --
    If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
  40. Re: "Pizza" tracker? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Papa Johns is everywhere and it is magnitudes better than dominos.

  41. Your Mileage May Vary by StormReaver · · Score: 1

    Where I live (somewhere in Midwest USA), the pizza tracker has been either completely unavailable or (when it's not down) very accurate. And, having a former Dominos quasi-manager in the family, I'm certain the Dominos statement is correct: the accuracy of the tracker depends entirely on the employees entering data into it.

  42. Re: "Pizza" tracker? by mridoni · · Score: 1

    I was born, raised and I live in Rome, Italy, and I'm writing this very message from my house in Rome

    I can confidently affirm that no such thing as "Romano cheese" exists.

  43. Re:"Pizza" tracker? by jeremyp · · Score: 1

    When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amoré

    Americans have got a lot to answer for.

    --
    All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
  44. pies? by Cederic · · Score: 1

    huge discrepancies between when their pies were supposed to be delivered and when they actually arrived

    Wait, we were talking about Dominos and pizzas. Dominos now do pies too?

    Do they do a decent steak & ale in shortcrust?

  45. Re: "Pizza" tracker? by Gojira+Shipi-Taro · · Score: 1

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    --
    "Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
  46. There is no shame by Arzaboa · · Score: 1

    This is the crossroads between advertising and reality. They'll sell it as real, and if you complain, they'll tell you it was just a gag.

    Someone noted that in Japan, they wouldn't stand for this. If it holds that corporations are people, this should be the same in the U.S.

    --
    It's a bird, it's a plane, its superman!

  47. News Flash by TRRosen · · Score: 1

    Fast food employees often fudge data they enter into systems that track their performance. I've watched McDonalds employees (managers) reset the drive thru clock even though the line hadn't moved. watched as warehouse service clocks magically reset the time spent to get an item before anyone had shown up to find the item. If there is a goal that says service in 5 mins they will hit the button at 5 min whether or not the service is performed.
    Sadly if the corporate idiots implementing these systems spent even 5 min analyzing the data they would see the fake info easily. why are there 300 orders finished in exactly 4:58?

  48. Re:One time... by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    the CLOSE DOOR is hooked up just some times turned off in firemen s mode you must use it to close the doors

  49. Re:"Pizza" tracker? by Desler · · Score: 1

    real Parmesian

    If that’s what they call the cheese I can gaurantee it’s not “real.” The real stuff would be called Parmigiano-Reggiano.

  50. Re:One time... by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

    Not true. However, the "CLOSE DOOR" button on some elevators is not connected to anything. Only a timer and sensors operate the door. The button gives nervous riders something to do.

    At the risk of being pedantic, this just isn't true. The Close Door button works when the car is in fire service mode, medical emergency mode, inspection service mode, and attended service mode.

    --
    Beware of the Leopard.
  51. Re: "Pizza" tracker? by mapuche · · Score: 1

    "Many stores in the United States sell "Romano cheese", which should not be confused for genuine pecorino Romano which is an Italian product recognized and protected by the laws of the European Community. Unlike the Italian cheese, American Romano is milder and uses cow's milk instead of sheep's milk."

    He was right.

  52. Who the "F"..... by MerlTurkin · · Score: 1

    .... Tracks a damn pizza???

  53. Re:More specifically, they think it's a bunch of c by Aighearach · · Score: 1

    You do realize that even things that are not as good as the best thing, can be better or worse than each other?

    Is that actually a difficult concept?

  54. Honestly I imagine "Melinda" by Trax3001BBS · · Score: 1

    is very happy about this.

  55. "...reports the lifestyle editor at Fox News." by jpellino · · Score: 1

    They have this much time on their hands?

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
  56. Re:Answer 3 questions Pikoro... apk by Pikoro · · Score: 1

    I never mod down any comment by an AC. besides, your posts bury themselves.

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  57. Re:More specifically, they think it's a bunch of c by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    I was just drunk and angry. I am sorry.

  58. In-store displays too by dschl · · Score: 1

    I picked up pizza for the kids on Friday. I don't usually buy Dominos, but had to get something next door. I ordered online to see a 25-35 minute pickup time. Showered and got dressed, arriving there 25 minutes later. I see a monitor over the counter with three pages of names cycling though, around 10 names per page.

    My name had a pizza wait time of 11 minutes when I arrived at 5:48pm. It was down to 9 minutes by 5:50, then 8 minutes at 5:51. I thought to myself, wow, this was impressive tech. Except that the countdown froze at 8 minutes until 5:59 when the pizza hit the oven. I think it was in a box by around 6:08.

    It was very busy, so I'd guess that their software isn't accounting for the finite production rates of the human workers. They were all rushing about, but it's too bad their software time estimation is so bad. You'd think it would be easy to look at the rate that pizzas are hitting the oven (in pizzas/minute), and then calculate the remaining time for the queue using live production rates. Very disappointing since the initial appearance of accuracy was belied by the reality of their low quality time estimate and the frozen countdown timer.

    tl;dr. Don't give exact times if they are not accurate

    --
    Slashdot - the place where you can look like a genius by restating the obvious
  59. Re:Quoted /.ers disagree w/ you Pikoro by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

    "I do use APK's host file" by OrangeTide on Friday December 01, 2017 @11:21AM (#55657921)

    Aww.. you do care what I think. All this time I thought you hated me. I'm glad we can finally behave like reasonable adults without threats of violence performed by certain military people on your request.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  60. Accurate statement by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    In a statement Domino's blamed the problem on employees not entering correct data, while also insisting that "the vast majority of the time Pizza Tracker works as designed."

    My impression is that this is an accurate statement, and the different stages of making and delivering the pizza you ordered are advanced by a person, not any algorithm or computerized estimate, and considering how busy it gets in a place like that I'm not at all surprised if they do or don't get around to advancing the status of an order in a timely manner -- nor am I bothered by this.