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How to prove drive in Badge of Honor program

12K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  Wheyman 
#1 ·
Does anyone know this program works? I found the app but I don't know how to use it to properly account for a successful trail drive. I understand there are checkpoints on the trails, but is there anything that needs to be done with those checkpoints? Do I just go to the start of the trail, turn on the app, and drive? Does GPS verify whether or not a drive was completed? Or do I need to take pictures as proof of driving? I can't find anything on the Badge of Honor website on how to do this. Thanks
 
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#5 ·
I'm going to slightly derail this thread, but why does the Badge of Honor program have so many issues? How could something seemingly so simple with an app be so difficult for folks to get their badge afterwards?
 
#3 ·
Once within 19 miles of the trailhead I believe, just check in. Once checked in it should prompt you for name and address for the badge to be sent to, you can add pictures to the trail later if you'd like. Then like SS said it can be a good long while before you actually get the badge. If you go into it with the attitude of check in and forget it, it's a little easier to take the wait time...
 
#4 ·
Thanks, everyone. Just checking in with the app makes it pretty simple. And yes, I have heard all about the trouble of getting the badges themselves. Oh well :wink:
 
#7 ·
True story. The turnover is every 3 months. The current contact is Sindy Zaki. Many thanks to her predecessor, Rochelle et al., who have made great strides in improving the BoH app.

Part of the problem is supply and demand. There's a whole lot of Jeeps of all shapes and sizes, old and new. Every time there is a ESJ, Jamboree, or other organized event, there is a flood of BoH check-ins.

Whoever makes the badges for Jeep has struggled to keep up with the demand. Recently, the JAN delivery of badges was delayed until March, which only increased the backlog. Sindy's goal is to eventually meet the quoted 8-12 week delivery window.

Remember that it is a free service from Jeep. Patience is a vertue.

Happy trails,
Unofficial Jeep field test engineer
 
#9 ·
The badges themselves are pretty decent quality. I'd happily drop 5$ for them if it meant I could actually get them.

For now like others have said, I just check in, and then forget about it. The one i've received so far out of two completed, was a happy and unexpected surprise when it did finally arrive.
 
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#10 ·
You could send them $100, but it would make no difference. Requests are filled FIFO based on the availability of badges for said trail. This is a community service by Jeep, so you can't buy your way to the head of the line.

Next point, there's more to getting a badge than just checking in.
(1) get the app
(2) set up your profile
(3) check in to your first trail when you are within range of the trailhead. Some trails have poor cell service because of their location, think Top of the World. You may have to check in after doing several miles of the trail or well before getting to the trailhead while you still have cell service.
(4) if you haven't already provided your VIN, you will be prompted to enter it. Only Jeep vehicles are allowed. This part of the process is an actual verification, which tends to delay the first BoH. Failure to provide a valid VIN will significantly delay your request and/or void your check in. Your VIN is stored with your profile, so this is a one time event.
(5) receive confirmation that you're checked in. If you try to check in again, you'll get a notice that only one check in per day is allowed.
(6) Earn the badge - run the trail and have fun.

Side note: this is a badge of HONOR, so be honest about doing said trail. Sure you can do a "drive by check in" and not actually drive the trail, but what kind of low life would do that?

(7) receive an email from BoH confirming your request for said trail. You can run a given trail as many times as you want (earning 200 pts for each check in), but only one hard badge can be earned per trail. The email can be 1-14 days after the ride. You will be asked to provide a shipping address.
(8) receive a second email from BoH confirming your hard badge has been approved.
(9) wait 8-12 weeks (or more) for badge to arrive. While you are waiting, you can upload photos of your awesome ride.
(10) your BoH profile will update indicating how many badges you've earned.

If you have any problems with step 3 and/or 4, you won't make it to step 5. In this case, an email or phone call to BoH will generally set things right. Failure to respond to step 7 will leave your request hanging in limbo.

Refer to the FAQs and Terms of Use in the app for more details and BoH contact information.

Happy trails,
unofficial Jeep field test engineer
 
#12 ·
[snip]
(3) check in to your first trail when you are within range of the trailhead. Some trails have poor cell service because of their location, think Top of the World. You may have to check in after doing several miles of the trail or well before getting to the trailhead while you still have cell service.
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(5) receive confirmation that you're checked in. If you try to check in again, you'll get a notice that only one check in per day is allowed.
Here is where we ALWAYS have an issue... The check-in is GPS based so you have to be on or close to the trail. The issue here is there are many trails on the BOH program that have NO cellular coverage at all. Others have some but you need a good cell signal for data. If it's flaky it's very possible to get partially checked in somehow (get the notice that you you can't check in twice, but never get the confirmation you checked in. All of our Windrock badges had this happen. We were either not able to check in because we were not in a good check-in location or we didn't have data when we were there.

It's as though Jeep doesn't actually test that people can actually check in were the check in is. I mean DUH..... you are in the woods and not near cell towers for most of the BOHs. In fact, I know Jeep doesn't test this because we were involved with Jeep at an event on Drummond Island and no one could check in. Because Jeep was there they made some calls and opened the location allowance for MArble-Head check-in.

I think what frustrates me most about the program is that we have tried to be very constructive and provide feedback on exactly what and where the error is. We have even offered to test for them..... No interest, and we are STILL waiting on two badges that we checked into 11 months ago.
 
#11 ·
Wow! Great explanation, Snowhawk2015! I'll be heading to Moab this summer with the wifey and I figured to knock down a couple :)
 
#15 ·
@taatmk

I'm curious if you are an Android or Apple user. We are Android and our issues would be resolved if the app worked for us like you explained. I absolutely agree that it appears to be the app that tracks a check-in, but (at least for us) there seems to be a disconnect that allows the app to show a check-in without a verification it happened in Jeep/FCA world. It seems to lack server check and just assumes Jeep got the message.

....there is still the wait issue, but we have had tons of problems just getting checked in.
 
#17 ·
@taatmk

I'm curious if you are an Android or Apple user. We are Android and our issues would be resolved if the app worked for us like you explained. I absolutely agree that it appears to be the app that tracks a check-in, but (at least for us) there seems to be a disconnect that allows the app to show a check-in without a verification it happened in Jeep/FCA world. It seems to lack server check and just assumes Jeep got the message.

....there is still the wait issue, but we have had tons of problems just getting checked in.
That's a good question. To avoid known issues with the app, we've actually used a couple of different cell phones for check-in, to try and make sure that it happens. That requires registering under a couple of different account names (effects your accumulated "points" in the system this way, however). Knowing that I'd never get back to certain out of state trails again, I wanted to make sure it worked. I'll check and see what cell phone we used for Black Bear and if it was an android or Iphone.......interesting point if one works better than another.
 
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#21 ·
Hey @shoulder, rhetorical question. Thanks for the support.

Apple vs Android ...
I have an Android and had zero check in issues with the March 2017 update. The current revision is v3.3.4, dated 05-16-2017, which I have not verified yet. Maybe next weekend when I head back to the Hole in the Rock trail. Any takers?
 
#23 ·
Well I would have this weekend but only myself and @edge600 showed up.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk
 
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