Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 After a discussion in another thread about myscouting tools -- which I've used a million times since creating my account in 2003 -- I decided to log back in to check on this new option someone mentioned. I had literally been in the tool 5 days ago (as of this posting). I tried logging in but could not. Tried to recover my password, no dice. Tried using my email and BSA ID, still no joy. Tried every option offered by the system and nothing worked. Tried from work computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones, other networks and nothing worked. Sent an email to BSA using their customer support. Their reply? Can't help me, open a new account. Tried contacting myscouting technical support and got the same reply. Called their help desk and they cannot find any record of me being in their system...ever!!!! They recommend a new account BUT they are not sure they can recover my old data!!!! So how does BSA lose an account AND data over ten years old? I asked around fellow scouters and I am not alone. Of the 30 or so folks I correspond with nearly 1/3 have the same problem. Advice: Check your myscouting account and back up your data. Don't trust BSA because they don't seem capable of managing ANY data. Link to post Share on other sites
RememberSchiff 3655 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Maybe hacked, maybe whacked ...too bad Sarbanes-Oxley would be a stretch. http://apps.americanbar.org/legalservices/probono/nonprofits_sarbanes_oxley.html Although most provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley apply only to public companies, at least two criminal provisions apply to nonprofit organizations: provisions prohibiting retaliation against whistleblowers and prohibiting the destruction, alteration or concealment of certain documents or the impediment of investigations. ... Section 1102 of the Act makes it a crime to "corruptly" alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal a record, document or other object, or attempt to do so, with the intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding. The Act does not define the term "corruptly." Violators may be fined and/or imprisoned for up to 20 years. (emphasis added) Link to post Share on other sites
CubDaycampDirector 12 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) After a discussion in another thread about myscouting tools -- which I've used a million times since creating my account in 2003 -- I decided to log back in to check on this new option someone mentioned. I had literally been in the tool 5 days ago (as of this posting). I tried logging in but could not. Tried to recover my password, no dice. Tried using my email and BSA ID, still no joy. Tried every option offered by the system and nothing worked. Tried from work computers, laptops, iPads, iPhones, other networks and nothing worked. Sent an email to BSA using their customer support. Their reply? Can't help me, open a new account. Tried contacting myscouting technical support and got the same reply. Called their help desk and they cannot find any record of me being in their system...ever!!!! They recommend a new account BUT they are not sure they can recover my old data!!!! So how does BSA lose an account AND data over ten years old? I asked around fellow scouters and I am not alone. Of the 30 or so folks I correspond with nearly 1/3 have the same problem. Advice: Check your myscouting account and back up your data. Don't trust BSA because they don't seem capable of managing ANY data. I don't think it's a data breach. It's just the usual BSA mess. Someone updated a system somewhere, or pushed the big button, and it dorks everything up. For the amount of money the BSA pulls in, they really should pay for and upgrade to a better system. This has happened twice to me now----the first time I had to make a new account with my number, and eventually they merged the two (so I didn't lose the 5 years of training). Waiting to hear back from them on the second time. ETA: my husband's log in works just fine. But he's been on in the last year----I haven't logged in in at least 6 months. Maybe it's a "purge"? Edited July 9, 2015 by CubDaycampDirector Link to post Share on other sites
Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 @@CubDaycampDirector don't think it's a purge. I'm in my account at least once a week (training management). My bet is incompetence. Link to post Share on other sites
MrBob 96 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 The probably blew something up trying to hook ScoutBook into the system. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 The probably blew something up trying to hook ScoutBook into the system. You'd have to be insane to put your entire unit in to an online system managed by BSA. If they cannot manage something as easy as myscouting, imagine how they'll screw up more complicated systems like advancement!!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle94-A1 2685 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I had a conversation with the new Scouts last meeting. i told them EVERY time they get something signed off for advancement, ESPECIALLY AFTER BORs ( all caps emphasis), they need to make a copy of their advancement sheets and store them in a safe place. Told then about what happened to me, book splitting and then going for a swim, as well as what happened top a friend, council had his records so messed up that he was listed as a First Class Scout when he was going for his Eagle. Told them in both instances, the copies from the book worked because THEY ARE THE OFFICIAL RECORD OF THEIR ADVANCEMENT! Everything else is just confirmation. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Update After two emails back and forth with BSA "tech support" I was left with, "Sorry there's nothing we can do. We don't know what happened? Create a new account and move along." Very frustrating, so I called the number they provided (toll call folks). After 35 minutes on hold I got someone. They verified everything I had already done and confirmed somehow my account got wiped. Gone. Poof! They said they'd been getting calls all day yesterday and today. Guess what? "System upgrade" but they're sure that had NOTHING to do with the accounts getting wiped...strictly coincidence. Really? Created a new account, used BSA ID but now have an account not liked to my unit or my training. The BSA rep validated that my account was linked on his end and that the system will "take a while" to update. Jury is out on whether he was right or not...I'll let you know. I asked for my trouble ticket to be escalated to Tier 3 and to perform a root cause analysis to find out what happened. We will see if they honor that request. If I was managing that system I surely would want to know how a ten year old that is accessed once a week is just deleted. Link to post Share on other sites
desertrat77 1144 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 And I thought military IT support was bad...BSA is on par or worse. Bad systems, ugly/unreliable software, and now clueless/unhelpful "support" staff. How they keep their jobs is a mystery to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 And I thought military IT support was bad...BSA is on par or worse. Bad systems, ugly/unreliable software, and now clueless/unhelpful "support" staff. How they keep their jobs is a mystery to me. I don't blame the support folks. They're are all scripted so they can only help with what the industry calls "Tier 1" support. Everything they "help" with is in a script. They have some level of technical know-how with the system, but they are not equipped to dig deeper. The process should allow for escalation and flagging important things like this. We will see what BSA comes back with. Update: My record *did* get re-aligned with my unit so I can get in to myscouting and my.scouting. HOWEVER, my dashboard does not show ANY of my training. My training *is* in the system, but now I have to go in to each training record to see when I need to re-cert on anything; the dashboard is just blank saying I need to retake everything. Fun! Link to post Share on other sites
jr56 92 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My District Commissioner is really pushing all of the BSA computer programs. All of us other Commissioners in the district are very reluctant to comply because of massive foul ups such as you have described. Good luck, hope you get your mess straightened out. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle94-A1 2685 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 1) BSA goes with the lowest bidder, 2) When this fiasco started with SCOUTNET2000 in 1998, one of my fellow DEs, who worked in IT prior to and after leaving the BSA, tol dme this fiasco would haunt us for years because: A) Guy in charge had 0% IT background, he was a former SE B) Company being used was known in the IT field at the time for lowballing their bids, making hteir money with fixing the bugs. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Gone 435 Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 B) Company being used was known in the IT field at the time for lowballing their bids, making hteir money with fixing the bugs. There are Fortune 500 companies that do the same thing...and make billions! Link to post Share on other sites
desertrat77 1144 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 1) BSA goes with the lowest bidder, 2) When this fiasco started with SCOUTNET2000 in 1998, one of my fellow DEs, who worked in IT prior to and after leaving the BSA, tol dme this fiasco would haunt us for years because: A) Guy in charge had 0% IT background, he was a former SE B) Company being used was known in the IT field at the time for lowballing their bids, making hteir money with fixing the bugs. Eagle, that sums it up! Link to post Share on other sites
desertrat77 1144 Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 There are Fortune 500 companies that do the same thing...and make billions! I think many defense contractors do the same! Link to post Share on other sites
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