DRF problems?

[dasch]

I know they did maintenance last night, so I am not sure if that is the problem, but now every time I try to select a Formulator card I get an error message.

Is it just me?

[egreen]

I got 3 days worth of old stable mail notifications overnight, so I wouldn't be surprised if the site had all sorts of issues.

[the little guy]

I just opened a Formulator card.

[PhantomOnTour]

They were down for maintenance last night for some time but all appears well today.

[eddie10]

downloaded file from formulator for parx,program couldn't load,checked other files from previous days, worked well. CALLED DRF and they said they were getting other calls, problem with web site, they are working to fix.

[Mineshaft]

just tried to download Classic PP's and it said it was down to maintenance

[Quagmire]

Scheduled maintenance in the middle of the afternoon?

DRF.com's "Handicapping & PPs" and "Store" are currently unavailable due to scheduled maintainence

They will be back online soon.

[Mineshaft]

still down fawkin ridiculous

[Boulder]

Any luck yet with DRF?

[aaron]

Just downloaded from Formulator.

[Mineshaft]

no luck for me...

[Boulder]

Me either, anybody get a update from DRF how much longer?

[the little guy]

I am having no problem getting on their site or onto Formulator.

[the little guy]

I was able to get on, I guess, because I had downloaded Formulator earlier, but I can't get into it from the home page now.

[WJ47]

It's been down all day for me. And last night too.

[Quagmire]

I finally was able to get in to Formulator.

[cj]

Some of my old customers have told me the exports aren't working at all, just gives them blank files.

[Boulder]

I downloaded last night and wasn"t able to today. Starting to look like Obamacare.:bang:

[Mineshaft]

still nothing...

[dasch]

I still cannot download anything. Pretty ridiculous.

Has anybody spoken with them this morning?

[Track Collector]

Still a problem for me. I just tried to download and export all the tracks for today, 11/12. It was only successful for 1 track.


...

[Robert Fischer]

The watch-list seems to have been disconnected from the database.

I have tried entering a few horses, and have been unable to do so.

[letswastemoney]

I'm glad I abandoned paying DRF for anything at the beginning of the year.

[Cholly]

Maybe their server is being overwhelmed by the tens of thousands who are hourly signing up for the new DRF+...you think?

[Driver8]

Three horses on my watch list have been entered this week but no notifications from DRF. :ThmbDown:

[cj's dad]

Is it correct that the DRF is now $7 trackside ?

[SandyW]

Is it correct that the DRF is now $7 trackside ?

Poor service = Higher Prices :bang:

[Al Gobbi]

Is it correct that the DRF is now $7 trackside ?
except Saturdays when its $7.50

[Boulder]

I just spoke to a rep. at DRF and she told me the tech. was coming in today and they are aware of the problem.

[Track Collector]

I just spoke with Tech Support. They tell me that files are being migrated from one server to another, and that hopefully everything will work with 24 hours or less.

(It is not simply a matter of exporting the files and having them look like info is there, but rather having the CORRECT info there.).

[LG@DRF]

We did a major server upgrade on Sunday and the maintenance message page was removed early on Monday morning. If you are getting that message it is likely that your ISP has not done a DNS update which would recognize the server change so you are going to an old page. The ISP usually does updates every 24-48 hours so they should recognize the server soon.




Lonnie @ DRF

[dasch]

Has anybody been able to download the Formulator file for 11-15 and 11-16 at Hollywood Park?

[LG@DRF]

I was just able to download the PP's and export the file.

[dasch]

I was just able to download the PP's and export the file.

I haven't been able to for 3 days now. My account was charged for the file but I cannot download or export it.

[Boulder]

I have tryed there recommendation to no avail. They recommended cleaning out the cache and starting over. Did not work. Can somebody explain DNS and ISP? In english, I am not that techy. Thanks

[Augenj]

I have tryed there recommendation to no avail. They recommended cleaning out the cache and starting over. Did not work. Can somebody explain DNS and ISP? In english, I am not that techy. Thanks
ISP would be your Internet Service Provider, as in Cox, Centurylink, etc.

DNS means Domain Name System or some would call it Domain Name Server. It's where the name of a web site like google.com gets converted into the actual location of their server(s) by an IP (Internet Protocol) address or number - 190.43.0.10 for example. It takes awhile for a DNS change to propagate around the Internet.

Somebody correct me if this is wrong. ;)

[Boulder]

Thanks, I guess we just have to wait.

[MJC922]

If they want you to flush the DNS cache on the local machine it can be done in Windows from a command line. Press the Windows Key + R to bring up the run box, type cmd and press enter. That should get you to a command prompt, there are other ways to get to there depending upon the version of OS but anyway, then type: ipconfig /flushdns

Worth a shot I suppose. Good luck.

[Track Collector]

Lonnie (DRF) tells me that in addition to moving from Windows servers to Unix servers, the file FORMATS were changed. Thus those who parse the exported files to input the data into other programs will have trouble.

Their tech support folks are working to fix, and I hopefully Lonnie will advise us on this thread when that work has been completed and we can resume downloading off the Formulator Website.


...

[Tom]

Formats changed????

That is absurd.
Who but an IDIOT would decide to do that?

[Robert Fischer]

Watch List worked today

It's a miracle !! :jump:

[Augenj]

Lonnie (DRF) tells me that in addition to moving from Windows servers to Unix servers, the file FORMATS were changed. Thus those who parse the exported files to input the data into other programs will have trouble.

Their tech support folks are working to fix, and I hopefully Lonnie will advise us on this thread when that work has been completed and we can resume downloading off the Formulator Website.


...
Windows servers to Linux servers? That's got to be a tough one.

[the little guy]

I couldn't open three races from Sunday's card at Aqueduct on Formulator. It's very disappointing. They should never have changed from the old Formulator until they had this one working properly.

[aaron]

Just downloaded Aqueduct for Saturday. It took a while,but finally came up.

[PhantomOnTour]

All DRF customers should be screaming a dirty four letter word at them that they do not want to hear:

BRIS

[bertyruss]

Until recently, except during the Breeder's Cup, Formulator worked fine for me, ignoring the constant messages to clear my cache . After the maintenance on Sunday last, however, Formulator has been a mess for me.:bang: I can't use it in Explorer because the trainer stats after a while fail to appear. Further, the "past performance" button is slower than heck, 10 second approx. to return to the past performances from the trainer stats. I was told (and they [i]are cordial) to try a different browser. I guess Explorer is too obscure a product? :confused: Anyway, Firefox at least usually won't time out, but it is slower than molasses, particularly when clicking on a trainer's stats, and even more so when returning from trainer stats to past performances. The sole reason I use Formulator is trainer stats.

I've stopped writing them because I was told, for example, "gosh, it works for me (the DRF person)." It damn well better. The question is, does it work for your customers? :1:

Anyway, the so-called maintenance pretty much broke the vehicle from my perspective. :ThmbDown: A shame, because Formulator is a decent product, and frankly, could be made much better if they gave it more thought, although I'm not sure I want them to improve it too much, because I might lose my edge.

[Robert Fischer]

Watch List worked today

It's a miracle !! :jump:


OK, that was short-lived.

I can no longer add horses to the watch list.
I get booted to a "failure" page, after entering the note and date.

The horse I added earlier today is showing as being added.

(Maybe they are doing late-night maintenance? 1:15am Eastern Time).

[Boulder]

Drf going into a weekend and still not working. Question why am I able to purchase DRF pp's from TVG and not directly from DRF?

[TheEdge07]

Solution

TimeformUS
Bris
Equibase

other options.. send the message i aint paying for a product thats unreliable.

[Augenj]

Solution

TimeformUS
Bris
Equibase

other options.. send the message i aint paying for a product thats unreliable.
One more - Post Time Solutions (http://www.posttimedaily.com/)
It's where I get my cheap CSV downloads. ;)

[Robert Fischer]

:ThmbUp: Watch List is now working once again.




"we're back in business!"
http://www.digital-polyphony.com/20021001c.jpg
OK, that was short-lived.

I can no longer add horses to the watch list.
I get booted to a "failure" page, after entering the note and date.

The horse I added earlier today is showing as being added.

(Maybe they are doing late-night maintenance? 1:15am Eastern Time).

[Boulder]

Did you have to change anything to get the watch list working again?

[Boulder]

I just tryed again for the PP's to once again no avail. I wish somebody from DRF would come on and at least update us. :eek: Has anybody spoke to them today?

[Robert Fischer]

Did you have to change anything to get the watch list working again?


Now I get the failure page again :bang:.


EDIT = Workaround = if it works it will take you back to the familiar watch-list page(and you can see your horse on the list).... However if it takes you to the failure page, then you have to hit "back" on your browser, and re-enter the horse. Repeat until the watch list has registered your horse.

[Thebart]

Really very hard to believe the private sector has screw-ups too. Amazing. :D

[KingChas]

I just had a major fiasco with Formulator and DRF during Breeders Cup week.
Might be my last time dealing with them.

On a side note when I log into the member center my home page is now showing a discount for the 2007 Del Mar/Saratoga packages............ :bang:

[Boulder]

Has anybody had any luck with DRF. I just keep getting a error message. Did this DNS ever fix the problem? The guys that started this message really haven"t commented on this lately.

[Track Collector]

Everything that I do (Exporting the Formulator PPs and then parsing the data to load it into another handicapping software program) now seems to work correctly, both with regard to today's PPs and back thru 11/12 when I first encountered them problems.

Hopefully everyone else's problems have been addressed as well.

DRF takes a lot of criticism. That said, a special thank you to Lonnie for whatever role you had in helping to get the fix implemented. :ThmbUp:

[bertyruss]

It's not worth explaining all the details, but formulator remains slow and unreliable regardless of which browser I am using. At the moment, for example, I cannot get trainer stats to open at all for Golden Gate. I compare this to the functionality before the so-called upgrade, which was much better.

[bertyruss]

who ever sold DRF "upgrade" owes them and us a refund.

[BombsAway Bob]

After buying ANOTHER 100 Races Cards from DRF,
i've spent 45 minutes today trying to get into the
racecard selection page...
just keep getting "Loading Adobe Acrobat..."

[OTM Al]

I bought and downloaded a single card Saturday with no problem. What I did discover though is they have also wiped all entries previous to Nov 1. You can still get the race conditions for that date but all the entries have been removed.

[WJ47]

DRF has terrible customer service. I've called twice about the recent issues. I have an unlimited monthly subscription and I asked if they'd be crediting the days that I couldn't access the past performances. I was told that a ticket would be put in and I'd hear from someone within 24 hours via email. No one ever contacted me.

I've always been a loyal supporter of DRF for years, but this may be the final straw. I bet through TwinSpires so I get BRIS PPs for free. However, I've always liked the DRF pps so I was willing to pay, even when they kept raising their prices. I guess I'll just have to learn to get used to the BRIS pps. I know a lot of people prefer the BRIS.

It's frustrating when you can't get decent customer service.

[FiveWide]

I've not had any problems a lot of ppl on here are complaining about. I'm able to get PPs just fine. But my use of them is limited. Really all I use the site for is to Save the PPs to .pdf and I also use the Export feature so I can use the data in my own program.

But I have been noticing quite frequently of late that the Live Odds boards you can't get the Potential Payoffs for exotics like Exactas, Pick 3's, 4's, DD etc. Anyone have any idea what is going on?

If it continues I'm going to have to find me another live tote board site. Anyone have any good suggestions? Since I live in TX I can't use the ADW services since I can't sign up so those are not a solution. Unless there are some I can sign up with but not wager?

thx,
-Five

[Boulder]

Well, I have been busy with work, but I see nothing has changed with DRF, recieved two calls yesterday that people couldn"t log in.This is ridiculous. Why don't they go back to there old server and end this crap.......

[Vigorish]

DRF has terrible customer service. I've called twice about the recent issues. I have an unlimited monthly subscription and I asked if they'd be crediting the days that I couldn't access the past performances. I was told that a ticket would be put in and I'd hear from someone within 24 hours via email. No one ever contacted me.

I've always been a loyal supporter of DRF for years, but this may be the final straw. I bet through TwinSpires so I get BRIS PPs for free. However, I've always liked the DRF pps so I was willing to pay, even when they kept raising their prices. I guess I'll just have to learn to get used to the BRIS pps. I know a lot of people prefer the BRIS.

It's frustrating when you can't get decent customer service.


I can totally relate to your experience with DRF. After a long hiatus (due to customer service issues), I returned over Breeder's Cup weekend. After forking out $9 for both BC Cards
(on a Thursday) I clicked on the link to my past performances. Unfortunately, they only listed the actual BC races, not the regular races. From past experience, I knew better than to gamble by clicking on the Santa Anita link for each of the two days (DRF makes it very easy to accidentally click on a card you don't want).

Being cautious, I contacted customer support by phone. To my dismay, the customer service agent was a very impatient, condescending, and forceful lady. Her voice was familiar from past interactions. She told me I would have to pay extra to access the other races on the card, even after I pointed out each card is 4.50. I clicked on the Santa Anita link anyway, figuring I'd bite the bullet. There was no extra charge. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to access my product on Friday and especially on Saturday. I gave up on Saturday and ended up using BRIS freebies, which I also get through Twin Spires.

Anyway, I wrote a long letter to DRF. To my surprise, I received a full apology for the lackluster customer service as well as the access issues. They admitted to having substantial issues on BC day. They were quite generous in giving me a free 5-pack of Formulator cards. I actually used them all up already. Her intervention salvaged my relationship with DRF, as I just purchased another card. It is stunning to me that DRF keeps that customer service agent. What surprises me even more, is that they still have severe issues with access on Saturday and major race days. My general feeling is that DRF needs to allocate less resources towards top-dollar journalists and more towards customer and technical support.