# Troubleshooting

> Causes and fixes for common Verasight Self-Serve problems, from sign-up and redirect tests to merged files that do not match your data file.

Source: https://www.verasight.io/docs/help/troubleshooting

For any problem not included below, or if a fix does not work, email research@verasight.io.

## Sign-up

### The sign-up page does not load

**Cause:** A virtual private network connection can block the sign-up page. The page then shows an access error.

**Fix:** Turn off your virtual private network and reload https://app.verasight.io/register/researcher.

### I created a respondent account by mistake

**Cause:** You clicked **Continue as Respondent** instead of **Continue as Researcher**. That creates a respondent account, the kind our panelists use to take surveys.

**Fix:** Email research@verasight.io. We delete the respondent account so you can sign up again as a researcher with the same email.

## Survey setup

### My redirect tests are not registering

**Cause:** A setup step was missed. Most often, an End of Survey element has no custom redirect of its own.

**Fix:**

1. Work through the [redirect test checklist](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/connect-your-survey#tests-that-do-not-register).
2. Republish the survey.
3. Run each test again with **Start Test**.

### I see an empty respondent ID error

**Cause:** One of two things:

- You opened the survey through the plain survey link or Qualtrics Preview. Neither carries a respondent ID.
- Your Survey Flow has no Embedded Data field named exactly `vsid`.

Self-Serve then shows "Your survey sent back an empty respondent ID."

**Fix:** Start each test with **Start Test** or **Copy URL**. If the error still appears, check that `vsid` is an [Embedded Data field](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/connect-your-survey#step-1-configuration) at the top of your Survey Flow, spelled exactly. Then publish and test again.

If your tests had already passed, they still count. Check the [Testing Survey step](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/connect-your-survey#step-3-testing-survey). If every row shows Completed, you can launch.

### I see "We don't recognize the respondent ID that came back"

**Cause:** The redirect came back with a respondent ID that Self-Serve did not issue for this survey. An edited link or a link from another study can cause this.

**Fix:** Copy each [redirect link](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/connect-your-survey#how-the-survey-link-and-redirects-work) again with the copy button, paste it in full, and start the test with **Start Test** or **Copy URL**.

## Fielding and data

Your survey is working as expected if any of these is true:

- It has not reached its sample size yet. See [Automatic extensions](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/fielding-and-sample-size#automatic-extensions).
- It collected more responses than you ordered, or it still shows as in the field after reaching its sample size. See [Extra responses](https://www.verasight.io/docs/run-your-study/fielding-and-sample-size#extra-responses).

If your survey shows Pending Delivery, Weights pending, or Not yet available, see [When weights arrive](https://www.verasight.io/docs/data-and-methods/survey-weights#when-weights-arrive).

### My merged file has a different number of rows than my data file

**Cause:** One of two things:

- Your export has a blank `vsid` for some responses. That happens when someone opened the survey outside Verasight, for example through Qualtrics Preview or the plain survey link. In Qualtrics, those rows have your Qualtrics survey ID, which starts with SV_, in the `surveyid` column.
- A `vsid` has more than one completed response in your export.

**Fix:** Repeat the steps in [Remove duplicate and incomplete responses](https://www.verasight.io/docs/data-and-methods/your-data-file#remove-duplicate-and-incomplete-responses). If blank or unmatched `vsid` values remain, email research@verasight.io with your study name and the number of unmatched rows.