Latest news with #Fetch
CBS News
30-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
What is a Beach Hazards Statement? When are they issued for Chicago beaches on Lake Michigan?
A Beach Hazards Statement is issued by the National Weather Service on high swim risk days, and are largely dictated by the wind direction. High risk days for swimming and boating are typically brought on by high winds that lead to large waves, leading to the National Weather Service's beach hazards slogan: "When the waves are high, stay dry!" But not all windy days lead to large waves. It all depends on the wind direction. As wind blows a greater distance, or "fetch," over open water, it piles up larger waves. Wind blowing over a short fetch has little impact on water conditions. You can see this effect by watching the upwind and downwind sides of a pond. The water will be still where the wind is coming from, and more disturbed on the downwind portion. On days with an offshore wind – a wind blowing from land toward the water – the wind is blowing over a very short fetch of water for lakeshore swimmers, and thus has little to no impact on wave size. On the other side of Lake Michigan, however, the wind's fetch is greater, leading to larger waves. Days with an onshore wind – a wind blowing from the water toward land – feature larger waves and more hazardous conditions as the wind blows over a larger fetch of water. Winds in Chicago blowing from the west or south are offshore winds, leading to little impact on wave size. But winds from the east or north are onshore, leading to rougher water conditions. Southeast winds blow onto Chicago's beaches after traveling over a 25 mile fetch of water from Indiana. East winds create larger waves, blowing over a 50-mile fetch from Michigan. Chicago's largest waves and most dangerous beach conditions come from north-northeasterly winds that blow over 275 miles of open water – the entire length of Lake Michigan.
CNBC
03-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
31-year-old CEO: My business spent six weeks on the edge of collapse—how I built it into a $2.5 billion company
Four years after dropping out of college to launch the shopping rewards startup Fetch, CEO Wes Schroll spent an agonizing six weeks working around the clock to fix a fatal flaw. Schroll wasn't alone: Most of the Madison, Wisconsin-based company's roughly 25 employees tediously entered data by hand from more than 150,000 user-submitted receipts. The company had recently launched a smartphone app feature that scanned shoppers' receipts and automatically assigned them rewards — gaining 50,000 new users in just a few months. But the feature depended on a third-party company's digital receipt-processing technology, and Schroll soon discovered that Fetch's contractor wasn't up for the task. That left Fetch with thousands of unprocessed receipts and two options: cancel the feature and never deliver rewards to all those new members, or somehow process all the receipts manually while finding a new tech the collapse of Fetch's user base and reputation — potentially a death knell for the startup — Schroll chose the latter option. Most of Fetch's employees toiled away at menial spreadsheet work, while its engineers worked with a new third-party contractor to build a technological infrastructure that actually processed users' receipts in real time. "It was do or die for us," says Schroll, 31. After six weeks of late nights and regular emails to Fetch's patient users, Schroll and his team put a fix in place that impressed users and investors alike. 30,000 of the new users stayed active, says Schroll, and the company soon raised a new $9.6 million funding round that paved the way for rapid expansion. Fetch now processes millions of receipts per day from its 12.5 million monthly active users, the company said in March. It was most recently valued at $2.5 billion, it announced in 2022. Here, Schroll discusses how he and the Fetch team tried to stay optimistic while working until 2 a.m. every night for weeks on end to keep the company afloat during an existential crisis. CNBC Make It: How confident were you that pivoting to a new business model would work out? Schroll: I thought we could keep chugging along and hope to get acquired by a [bigger] company, or — as I told the team — we could take a bigger bet and really swing for what we think is possible. We knew consumers were interested, but our model was just too slow. I called all 22 team members into a room, and everyone had to agree. "We've got, like, six months of money left," I said. And they were like, "OK, go for it." We were just super ambitious. We'd rather end up with nothing and have gone for it. I didn't have full confidence that it was going to work, at all. We just thought it was the right bet to make. After you retooled the app and launched the new version, when did you realize you had a major problem? That morning, I remember us high-fiving as we watched signups skyrocket. It was like 10,000 in an hour, wild to watch this huge spike happening. Then we watched the number of receipts being submitted. That number was climbing really rapidly, too. Very exciting. In the afternoon, though, we started to look at receipts processed. It was flat. We're like, "Wait a second, what's going on here?" We're calling this partner in Seattle, and they're screening our calls. We didn't get [through] to them until that night: "The system fell over. We're working on fixing it." Blah, blah, blah. Through that weekend, [the backlog of receipts] was just building, building, building. We're calling them. Nothing is happening. So I sent out some developers to Seattle to sit in the room with them. They call me, like four hours after they land, and they go: "Wes, it's not real." The receipt-reading wasn't being done by machine. They were using humans [who couldn't process the receipts fast enough]. What did you do from there? [For] six weeks, my job was to have everyone who wasn't a developer focusing on getting the queue [of submitted receipts] down — manually typing in receipts until 2 a.m. every night — freeing up the developers to actually fix the problem. We were calling friends from high school: "Hey, I'll give you 10 bucks an hour [to manually process receipts]." People were using their kids, like, "Hey, fun game night tonight! We're going to type in receipts." We were just running on caffeine and adrenaline. At that point, did you consider pausing the rollout or reverting to your previous business model? Were those realistic options? Oh, man. It definitely crossed my head. The reason why we didn't was because we were like, "[Customers] keep using [the app]." That's the product-market fit we'd been fighting for years to find. We knew we had it. At that point, we only had like two months' worth of money left. So we just had to believe in our tech team to be able to solve this problem, and do everything to give them a shot. Your company could've gone under. Did you keep yourself from doubting, or were you scared? Those were the late-night conversations myself and my COO were having. He's a three-time entrepreneur with successful exits. He would always say, "We're not going to talk like that." That carried over to our team, because we always came in with so much energy and optimism. I think that's what helped us the most. We had the motto: Failure is not an option. I think some of that was us being oblivious, but also a belief in our team. How did you communicate the problem to your users? I filmed videos to email to our users, saying, "We love all of the support. Thank you guys. Here's the team. We're real. We're based here in Madison, Wisconsin. We're so sorry [the system has] fallen over. We're working to get to it. Bear with us." We did an update every two days. My CMO was the one who came up with that. I don't think we knew how it would be received, it was a desperation Hail Mary. We weren't expecting to hear back from anyone, and we were shocked at the amount of responses we got. I don't think we got a single angry one. They were, like, "Keep it up. We appreciate it." We would show those encouraging words to the team, and I think that definitely helped us keep going. I think us being a Midwest company was very helpful. Our consumers love that there's a company of good old Midwest folks — not an elitist tech company, or anything like that — who are trying to save me a little bit [of money] on something that's a pain point already. I think that drove such empathy. Were you surprised by your team's resilience, or your own resilience? I don't think we would've even been around at that point if resilience wasn't baked into the DNA of the founding team. It took four years of grinding to launch in stores, to get to the point where we made that pivot, [and] then have this happen. I think that's why all of us were like, "Are you kidding me? We're not going to let this be what finally takes us down." I think resilience is one of the most underestimated qualities of a founding team. Very few rare [startups] are overnight successes. The vast majority of large, successful companies came on the back of 10 years of quietly grinding, trying to find product-market fit, trying to find the right team, waiting for the right macro trend to happen. Everyone says [success requires] a huge amount of luck. That's 100% true. But the thing that you can control is: Hard work gives you more shots at being lucky.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fetch pet insurance review 2025
Fetch pet insurance rating: 1 out of 5 stars Fetch has relatively generous coverage, but unfortunately, its rating in our evaluation was brought down by its extremely high cost: It was by far the most expensive pet insurance policy for $5,000 in annual coverage in our evaluation. Ultimately, you can get much more value with other pet insurers that offer good coverage at competitive rates. One upside to Fetch is that if your pet has a curable preexisting injury or illness and goes 12 months without signs, symptoms, or treatment, the condition is eligible for coverage. This can include problems such as respiratory infections and diarrhea. Another upside, if you choose to pay the high price for Fetch, is that policies include a range of small coverage types: Payment for advertising and a reward if your pet is lost or stolen Reimbursement for kennel costs if you're hospitalized Reimbursement of the price you paid for the pet if the pet dies Coverage for lost travel costs if you have to cancel a vacation because your pet becomes sick or injured Learn more: How does pet insurance work? A complete guide. Pros Covers dental illness Covers acupuncture and chiropractic care Reimburses for a range of smaller costs, such as advertising and rewards Cons Very high average cost Maximum annual coverage of $15,000 No multi-pet discount If your pet has not been to the vet six months before the start of your policy, an exam is required within 30 days of the policy effective date Fetch pet insurance basics Annual maximum limit choices: $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 Deductible choices: $300, $500, $700 Reimbursement choices: 70%, 80%, 90% Fetch waiting periods For accident coverage: 15 days For illness coverage: 15 days Special waiting period: 6 months for cruciate ligament problems, patella issues, and hip dysplasia Fetch age restrictions for buying a new policy Minimum pet age: 6 weeks Maximum pet age: None Fetch sells an accident and illness policy and a wellness plan. Fetch pet insurance provides a solid range of coverage, without the need to pay for add-ons. Fetch covers: The vet exam fee Hereditary and congenital conditions Diagnostics such as X-rays and ultrasounds Dental accidents and illnesses Behavioral therapy for conditions such as aggression, separation anxiety, and phobias Alternative therapy, such as acupuncture and chiropractic care Prescription drugs and supplements Up to $1,000 for pet telehealth visits Advertising/reward for lost/stolen pets Kennel costs if the owner is hospitalized Cost of pet if the pet dies Vacation cancellation costs due to pet illness or injury Learn more: Your guide to what pet insurance covers Fetch offers three wellness plans: Essentials, Advantage, and Prime. Prime provides the most comprehensive coverage and is, therefore, the most expensive option. Essentials: Covers up to $315 in annual care costs starting at $10/month Advantage: Covers up to $520 in annual care costs starting at $20/month Prime: Covers up to $735 in annual care costs starting at $30/month Learn more: Why a pet wellness plan is worth considering All three plans will reimburse you up to specified limits for the following: Annual exam Blood test Dental cleaning Heartworm tests Heartworm, flea, and tick prevention Spaying/neutering Urinalysis and fecal test Vaccinations The Advantage and Prime plans cover anal gland expression and microchipping. The Prime plan also covers a behavioral exam, activity monitor, and health certificate. Learn more: Does pet insurance cover vaccines? Fetch does not cover preexisting conditions. A preexisting condition is defined as an illness, injury, or condition that your pet has shown signs of or that you or your veterinarian noticed before you enrolled, your policy took effect, or during the waiting period for coverage. However, Fetch does cover curable preexisting conditions that go without signs, symptoms, or treatment for 12 months. Examples include broken bones, respiratory infections, and urinary tract infections. Learn more: Pet insurance that covers preexisting conditions Fetch pet insurance does not include access to a 24/7 vet helpline. Fetch policies don't cover the following expenses: Bathing, unless medically necessary Boarding and travel expenses Breeding and pregnancy Cremation Degenerative disorders, including cruciate ligament disease Elective procedures, including tail docking and ear cropping Euthanasia, unless recommended by a veterinarian Experimental treatments Grooming Injury or illness related to abuse, neglect, racing, organized fighting, occupational use of a pet Obedience or training classes Preexisting and bilateral conditions, even if they appear on the other side of the body Preexisting intervertebral disk disease Prescription food Preventive care Weight-loss treatment Yes, but there are restrictions if you want to increase your coverage. All requests for changes in coverage must be made in writing or with verbal confirmation. Increases. You can apply to increase your policy coverage – or decrease your deductible or co-pay – only if you haven't submitted any claims. In most states, you can only apply to increase your coverage once a year when your policy renews. Increasing your coverage will reset your waiting period and preexisting coverage exclusions. Decreases. You can apply to decrease your coverage – or increase your deductible or co-pay – at any time. Fetch had the highest-priced policy in our evaluation of policies with a $5,000 annual coverage limit. Fetch pet insurance came in at 55% above the average cost in our analysis. Learn more: Is pet insurance worth it? How to decide. Fetch does not offer a multi-pet discount. Most pet insurance companies provide a discount of 5% or 10% for insuring multiple pets. No, you must pay your vet and submit a claim to be reimbursed. However, if you expect a large bill, contact Fetch in advance to ask if it will make a special arrangement to pay the vet directly. Learn more: Pet insurance that pays the vet directly: How does it work? Here's what to know about filing a claim with Fetch: To make a claim: Submit a detailed invoice showing your balance was paid in full and medical records from your pet's most recent vet visit. To submit claims quickly: Upload documents through your online account or use the Fetch app. To receive reimbursements faster: Set up direct deposit to be paid five to 10 days faster than by check. If your claim is denied: You can appeal in writing within 90 days of denial of a claim. You must submit a claim within 90 days after a vet visit. Fetch says that it processes claims within 15 days and, once a claim is approved, makes payments in as few as two days if you have direct deposit. Fetch's mobile app is highly rated, but it may not offer as many features as some other pet insurance apps. The Fetch app can be used to upload records, submit claims, track the status of claims, and set up direct deposit. Fetch's mobile app ratings: Apple App store: 4.8 out of 5 stars Google Play store: 4.7 out of 5 stars Fetch pet insurance is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Yes, Fetch requires that your pet get a medical exam within six months before enrollment. You can contact Fetch by phone, email, mail, and interactive chat on its website. Contact the Fetch sales team at 1-866-984-0104 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET on Saturday Contact the Fetch service team at 1-866-467-3875 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET The email address is info@ The mailing address is Fetch, P.O. Box 1489, Bolingbrook, IL 60440 The interactive chat is at You can cancel a policy at any time by calling or emailing Fetch. If you cancel a policy within 30 days and haven't filed any claims, you will receive a full refund. After 30 days, your refund will be pro-rated based on the date of termination. Tim Manni edited this article.
Associated Press
24-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Fetch Revs Up Rewards with Expansion into the Fuel Category
Through exclusive integration with PDI Technologies, consumers can now earn Fetch Points at the pump MADISON, Wis., June 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Fetch, America's Rewards App, today announced a new way for users to earn Fetch Points by fueling up at leading retailers—marking its entry into the fuel category. This new offering is powered by an integration with PDI Technologies, a global leader in the convenience retail and petroleum wholesale ecosystem. For consumers, this expansion means even more ways to score rewards for everyday purchases—now including fuel. By scanning their receipts for gas and grab-and-go goodies, drivers can turn fuel-ups into their favorite gift cards. Trusted by leading companies across the CPG, restaurant and retail industries, Fetch also helps brands across all categories acquire and retain lifelong consumers as a full-funnel performance advertising solution. Through this exclusive collaboration with PDI, Fetch is bringing the rewards revolution to yet another essential consumer category. In doing so, PDI delivers more value to convenience retailers, CPG brands and their consumers. 'We're always focused on enriching the consumer and brand experience with Fetch. This move into gas and convenience retail is another major step in creating value for both,' said Daniel Block, Head of Corporate Business Development at Fetch. 'Together with PDI Technologies, we're introducing a new way for brands to connect with consumers when they're fueling up.' With more than 12.5 million monthly active users, Fetch's business model is rooted in creating a win-win for both brands and consumers. By rewarding users every time they shop or engage with brands on the platform, Fetch fosters long-term loyalty while providing actionable insights that drive measurable results for brands. Using powerful purchase-based targeting for unmatched personalization, Fetch is proving that rewards are a better way to do advertising. 'PDI connects retailers, brands and consumers to drive measurable growth across the fuel and convenience ecosystem,' said Eric Stecker, Divisional COO, Brands & Consumers, at PDI Technologies. 'This collaboration enables PDI retailers to activate a network of 20M+ engaged consumers across GasBuddy®, Fetch and other programs—extending beyond their direct loyalty efforts. Brands too benefit from our focus on providing unmatched reach, in addition to PDI's expanded offer network, independent store solutions and more.' For more information about Fetch or PDI Technologies, visit here and here, respectively. About Fetch Fetch, America's Rewards App, empowers consumers to live rewarded and helps brands create lifelong customers through the power of Fetch Points. Designed to acquire and retain consumers, Fetch has unparalleled visibility into what people buy, capturing billions of spending transactions annually using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. Users submit 11M receipts per day and have earned more than $1 billion in Fetch Points. The app is available to download on the App Store and Google Play Store and has more than 6 million five-star reviews from happy Fetchers. About PDI Technologies With 40 years of industry leadership, PDI Technologies, Inc. resides at the intersection of productivity and sales growth, delivering powerful solutions that serve as the backbone of the convenience retail and petroleum wholesale ecosystem. By 'Connecting Convenience' across the globe, we empower businesses to increase productivity, make informed decisions, and engage faster with their customers. From large-scale ERP and logistics operations to loyalty programs and cybersecurity, we're simplifying the industry supply chain for whatever comes next. Visit the PDI Technologies website. Media Contacts Fetch, [email protected] PDI Technologies, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Fetch
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Brands Can Build Lasting Relationships With Fickle Customers
Loyalty today means giving customers a reason to stick with a brand. First-party data is the loyalty engine, as is creating mutual value. Experiences, not discounts, seal the relationship. Consumers today have infinite ways to scroll past, swipe away, or price compare a brand out of their lives, and brands now have the daunting task of giving consumers a compelling reason to stay. During an ADWEEK House Cannes Group Chat co-hosted with Fetch, senior marketing leaders gathered to discuss and compare playbooks for turning fleeting attention into lasting loyalty. Loyalty used to be a punch card or points game. It's now a live scorecard that updates with every tap, scan, or scroll. Robin Wheeler, chief revenue officer at Fetch, opened the conversation by explaining how the rewards platform sees over 11 million receipts a day, and about 88% of consumers' monthly purchases. That breadth of data matters. "We know exactly what this person is doing in all aspects of their life," Wheeler said. Fetch can deliver targeting segments that nurture loyalty over time, vital when "consumers have more and more things to choose from." Citing fresh qualitative research run with Digitas, she reframed the stakes: "Loyalty is no longer about keeping the customer; it's about giving the customer a reason to keep you." Brands can't coast on yesterday's perks. "I think loyalty certainly has changed a lot, and I don't think it's necessarily about what you've done for that customer in the past," noted Jason Acker, VP of media, digital, and consumer data, Diageo North America. "It's what is the next thing you're going to provide for that consumer." For Coca-Cola, that "next thing" is built on credibility. "Simply put, it's a trusted relationship," shared Robin Triplett, VP of integrated marketing experiences at Coca-Cola North America. "Loyalty for me is pretty simple. It's mutual value," stated Melissa Berger, chief solutions officer at Digitas. When the exchange tilts, she warned, "Then it's just a discount. It's not loyalty. It's not driving a further relationship." That sentiment echoed across categories. Elaine Rodrigo, chief insights and analytics officer at Reckitt, stressed that enduring loyalty starts with shared values. "First and foremost, the product has to be superior and deliver on what it promises," she said, pointing to two of Reckitt's brands, Lysol and Dettol. "After that comes the relationship you build with people individually, so you have this shared value system." For Allegra Krishnan, chief loyalty and engagement officer at McDonald's, loyalty lives at the intersection of transactional and emotional rewards. "A program is our way of thanking customers for their loyalty to us in exchange for data," she explained. At Ulta Beauty, data is the brand's "secret sauce." With 45 million active loyalty members responsible for 95 cents of every sales dollar, the retailer sits on what CMO Kelly Mahoney called "a mountain of first-party data." That reservoir lets Ulta bring together each guest's beauty goals, suggest the perfect shade match, and nurture "lifelong loyalty and brand love." Andy Wells, head of growth marketing at DoorDash, shared the same principle in on-demand commerce. The brand uses data to understand "how the consumer has engaged with us, and then what's the next best thing to put in front of them, to teach them about a new use case or a new opportunity to leverage DoorDash." Digitas' Berger distilled the consumer side of the equation: ease is everything. Research that her agency just completed found that shoppers abandon programs that make them "do math." Her advice: bake rewards into the native experience, so the value shows up before customers even think to ask. "I think it's so important to follow the data, what drives the outcome, and be able to be nimble enough to quickly adopt and change," shared Carmen Gonzalez-Meister, general manager of food, beverage, and pet at Fetch. "So, if you're trying to get a brand buyer to shop your entire portfolio, how do you get them to actually make that change?" It's clear that younger generations are changing the loyalty game. "They want to be rewarded for everything they do, not just how they spend their money," explained Gonzalez-Meister. "Gen Zs, especially, want to be rewarded for how they spend their time." Experiences matter more to the younger generation than points, shared Ulta Beauty's Mahoney. However, they do "want to come to the stores" with their friends. And "we want the stores to become very much a destination." It's this insight that is driving Ulta's roadmap of in-store events, destination-style "eventing," and built-in gifting moments aimed at what Mahoney calls "the next generation of consumer." Featured Conversation Leaders Jason Acker, VP of Media, Digital, and Consumer Data for Diageo, North America Melissa Berger, Chief Solutions Officer, Digitas Carmen Gonzalez-Meister, General Manager, Food, Beverage, and Pet, Fetch Allegra Krishnan, Chief Loyalty and Engagement Officer, McDonald's Kelly Mahoney, CMO, Ulta Beauty Elaine Rodrigo, Chief Insights and Analytics Officer, Reckitt Zoë Ruderman, Chief Content Officer, ADWEEK Robin Triplett, VP, Integrated Marketing Experiences, Coca-Cola Andy Wells, Head of Growth Marketing, DoorDash
