Is the BookMyVaccine website broken?

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jim.cox

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#289275 25-Aug-2021 06:58

Kia ora

another one of those "is it just me - or is it more general" questions

For the last few days I have been trying to use the bookmyvaccine website.

But there is a problem.

The tool used to select a date does not work.

When I click on a date I get a dashed box appear briefly, but the filled circle does not advance, no possible appointments are shown and the text date stays firmly fixed at today.

I have done a bit of testing - This occurs on multiple different computers, on multiple different os, with multiple different browsers and on mobile devices.

Is anyone else having the same issues?

=mjc=
.

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#2766279 25-Aug-2021 07:16

Ive seen the same... About October theres a few spots avalible, but generally those pharmacy outlets are all booked....in saying this in the past 12 hours Ive heard on the news that more sites are being added and people are being rescheduled.....so maybe there was a hold on some "blocks".

Keep trying...

Its pretty much open to the bulk of the population....

Kyanar

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#2766280 25-Aug-2021 07:16

I just attempted it and it worked fine (obviously being not in NZ and also fully vaccinated I did not proceed) - each date presented multiple different appointments at the vaccination centre.

Edit: I found one centre that displayed the behaviour you describe, and it was because it had no appointments remaining ever.

jim.cox

224 posts

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#2766283 25-Aug-2021 07:28

Thanks Guys,

You're right.

It looks like if there are slots available there is a circle on the date and it can be selected.

The pharmacies near me all have absolutely zero slots available right through to the end of next year.

I think the site design is poor - click any date it should return the date and number of available slots - even if zero

=mjc=
.

Goosey

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#2766287 25-Aug-2021 07:40

Overnight, I had a text from my actual doctor "shop" (surgery).

It is now offering the vax and gave me a code.

- I cancelled my old booking online

- used the new booking code

- and magcially.....I have my first shot this Friday!

The system is working.... its taking time... but hey, Windows 95 wasnt perfect

rogercruse

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#2766288 25-Aug-2021 07:42

Just checked the website and it seems to be working OK with plenty of vaccination centres available for my area (Northland).

However, the next available appointment slots are at least two weeks away.

I heard that they were now offering drive-in vaccination... is this only for the Auckland?

Goosey

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#2766289 25-Aug-2021 07:46

rogercruse:

I heard that they were now offering drive-in vaccination... is this only for the Auckland?

Theres a few of these popping up across the country... some are private invite only (for essential workers).

- as the MOH says...they are trying to recruit staff, services and set up more locations day by day.

good things take time...

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Goosey

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#2766291 25-Aug-2021 07:47

jim.cox:

I think the site design is poor - click any date it should return the date and number of available slots - even if zero

It does show that? At least I could see it when clicking on a date "0 available"

- I cant remember if I saw this on safari browser or chrome..... been trying via mobile phone and laptop (both apple).

D.W

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#2766292 25-Aug-2021 07:48

I just managed to book mine, at the only location I've been able to find available. Interestingly, I had a ton of timeslot options for my second shot, yet none of those options are available for a first shot.

geoffwnz

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#2766293 25-Aug-2021 07:55

jim.cox:

It looks like if there are slots available there is a circle on the date and it can be selected.

The pharmacies near me all have absolutely zero slots available right through to the end of next year.

I think the site design is poor - click any date it should return the date and number of available slots - even if zero

That was exactly my experience using the site. There should be some visual indicator of nothing available as opposed to no apparent response from clicking the date. I too spent several minutes clicking, scrolling and changing browsers only to eventually find that the site I was selecting had nothing available, apparently ever. Changed site to one that had slots and it worked as expected.

Very poor UI/UX design.

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jim.cox

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#2766294 25-Aug-2021 08:02

Goosey:

It does show that? At least I could see it when clicking on a date "0 available"

Yes.

When you arrive at the date select page it starts at some apparently random date in the future

For example:

0 appointments available

For Friday September 3, 2021

Then when you try to select a new date, if there are no slots the date will not select and the text does not change.

Again for example if I try the 4th of October I still see

0 appointments available

For Friday September 3, 2021

=mjc=
.

timmmay

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#2766297 25-Aug-2021 08:18

My wife used it this morning no problems. If it doesn't work call the 0800 number.

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geoffwnz

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#2766299 25-Aug-2021 08:24

timmmay:

My wife used it this morning no problems. If it doesn't work call the 0800 number.

It "works".

But only if you go to a vaccine site that has vaccine slots available. The UI implementation is flawed in that it offers no response to clicking on a date that has nothing available. This is fine on a month/site that has some slots as there's a visual difference between some and none. On a page with nothing available there's no indication and no response from clicking on different dates.

Easy enough oversight from a developer (I am a UI/UX dev) point of view as you wouldn't necessarily think to cater for or test for a case with nothing available at all. Especially with very limited lead time for development.

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antonknee

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#2766302 25-Aug-2021 08:31

geoffwnz: There should be some visual indicator of nothing available as opposed to no apparent response from clicking the date…Very poor UI/UX design.

Borrowing the below from another thread - but is the visual indicator not the circles around dates with slots available? Therefore a date with no circle has no slots. The circle thing is quite common UI, eg Outlook and the Apple Calndar app both use a circle to highlight dates with events in their month views

KellyP

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#2766308 25-Aug-2021 08:44

Booked this morning, same issue as above with some sites not showing any dates available.

alasta

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#2766310 25-Aug-2021 08:48

When it displays the list of vaccination centres it should just grey out any with no available appointments. Or even just not display them at all.

It's worth looking at a few different vaccination centres to see what's available. I live in Island Bay in Wellington and all the options around here have nothing available until at least October, but I managed to get an appointment at the Presbyterian Church in Khandallah for early September with my second dose in late September.

I know that the latest advice is to wait six weeks between doses but I am personally very anxious about how things are going to play out over the next couple of months so I want it done ASAP.

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