The problem with the sandbox is the phone function. That's what is preventing old saves from working, and is presently stopping some people myself included, from progressing any further with that version. At some point during Chapter 2, the Devs made a bit of a mess of that function, and all the problems with the sandbox version stem from that. The VN version doesn't have the phone function, so it's not affected.
Having said that it's not without errors. The scene with Anna, Rebecca and Michael is missed out, if you play the porn shoot scene 'Harsh Treatment' first. Several continuity scenes are misplaced, and other scenes take place without any initial build-up, which might be confusing if you haven't played the sandbox version beforehand. Also on a few days, the scenes are in the wrong order, so on two occasions you get references to it being the middle of the day, with scenes that are immediately prior to evening events.
But I guess these are minor issues, compared to not being able to play at all or use your own saves. The Devs really do have to get to grips with the phone problem. It needs a complete overhaul. Which they've now acknowledged.