CBUS 311

The only thing this app is useful for is to look up trash collection days (which just links you to a website) and submitting a 311 request (usually). The app is extremely slow in any of it’s look-ups or screen refreshes. No updates to the app in over a year, meaning that any complaints are being ignored. (Probably a waste of time writing this detailed review) When trying to look at the status of existing requests, the app becomes unresponsive. If you let it sit for a few minutes, one or two items will get a thumbnail picture showing up (assuming the thumbnail fetch action is causing the lock-up). You cannot click into any of the items on the list for more info. The search box lets you enter an address. If you click the filter icon, nothing happens. If you click on the map view icon, nothing happens. If you pull down to refresh the page, you get the spinning wheel of death. If you navigate away from the app and come back, the wheel is there, but no longer spinning. You are better off just bookmarking links to the City’s website than using this app.

I don’t usually write poor reviews but this app (and the folks behind it) either are incredibly poorly staffed, inexperienced UI engineers, or not interested in the needs of their users (which seems to be the whole draw of the product?) Not always easy to use, form fill is clunky at best, and no real confirmation or trust that request is being looked at. I requested bulk pickup three times for them to close the request around 11pm-12am the night before a pickup. There’s no way to follow up or communicate with them regarding this either. No support, no way to copy and paste requests, and even when I did call, their phone line disconnects after 5 minutes on hold. In general, this product is not usable, trustworthy, or accessible. I would contact the city about this if I could but I have a feeling they already know and aren’t interested in remedying the issue.

Wouldn’t expect less than a half-baked release from this failed public-private partnership of a city. I can no longer see a heat map of requests (or see if something I wanted to report has already been reported), can’t make sense of my service request history as it looks to be put out of order in a terrible migration execution. Shows my address for bulk pickup service requests I didn’t make for my own house?? I use 311 as one of few tools available to the average resident to put pressure on slumlords trashing the neighborhood with illegal dumping and eviction cleanouts, housing in disrepair and improper trash management. This just makes it harder.