Apr
7
Your Secure Online Purchase
April 7, 2008 |
The subject of online payment does not pertain to water treatment, but it does have much to do with this web site and our business. There have been numerous comments about our current credit card processing service, Paypal. If we assume that no comment at all indicates satisfaction, then the vast majority of customers are happy with this service, but there are a few that run into problems. These are not security problems at all. We have found that Paypal provides the most secure online purchasing system available, which is why Water Value Company has been using them since early 2003. But there are a couple of common issues that a few customers run into and we can address that here to help prevent frustration or mistakes.
The first and most common issue people have with Paypal is their annoying insistence that you create an account with them. If you do not have an account with Paypal, you can still purchase online without setting one up. When you select “Checkout” on our site, your browser is directed to the secure Paypal server. This secure page prompts the user to sign in to their Paypal account or set an account up. If you already have a Paypal account, your browser might fill in the Username (which is your email address) automatically on the form. Important: If you do not want to use your Paypal account to make an online purchase, you must manually remove your email address from this form, or Paypal’s server will continue to try and get you to sign in. This annoying little problem has caused many people to give up. Remember, if you simply remove your email address from that form and click on “Continue”, you’ll be able to make your purchase without having to use your Paypal account.
If you do not have a Paypal account, this form will not contain your email address and you can proceed without any trouble by clicking on the “Continue” link on the left side of the form.
Another problem that people with Paypal accounts run into while making a purchase without signing in is their registered credit card. If you have a Paypal account and you have registered a credit card with them, you will be unable to use that card unless you sign into your Paypal account. This can be very frustrating indeed and we really wish they would not have this requirement, but they do. In that case, you can either sign into your account or give up and call our special phone order line at 616-897-0352. Please avoid using a cell phone when calling this secure line. Cell phones are not secure and they are prone to cutting out at the worst times during a transaction conversation.
If you do find that you need to phone in your order, please note that we will require the following information. The product(s) and quantity you are ordering along with part number and description. The part number and description will be on the same page you would use to order online. We will also need to know where to send your order. We will need your shipping address which can be different from your billing address. Your billing address is where your credit card statement is sent to. It can be a post office box or alternate location. Your shipping address cannot be a post office box number. UPS Ground will not deliver to a post office box number without considerable delay. We will also need your credit card information which includes your name - as it appears on the card - and address, credit card brand (VISA, MasterCard, Discover or American Express), expiration date of the card and the security code. The security code is a 3-digit number on the back of the card next to where your signature goes. If it is an American Express, it will be a 4-digit number on the front of the card. We will also need your phone number for shipping purposes. Your phone number is given to UPS Ground in case they run into delivery difficulties or delay.
Water Value Company does not keep your credit card information as a rule. Please do not ask us to. We will also discard your phone number. What we do keep is your name and delivery address along with your email address and what you purchased. We do not share or sell your email address. We use your email address to send shipment tracking numbers to you.
Finally, Paypal unintentionally makes it difficult to change your delivery address. If you want your purchase shipped to a location other than your billing address, you will need to click on a small “radio button” on the left side of the checkout form. It will then open up a second form for your delivery address on the same page. While this requires some fancy programming on Paypal’s part and it looks “cool” and all that, it confuses some straightforward people who are simply trying to make an online purchase.
Again, the vast majority of our customers do not run into any problems with Paypal, but if you do encounter problems like the ones listed here, it can become very frustrating and we here at Water Value understand that. But the experiences we’ve had with other credit card online payment providers, along with Paypal’s second-to-none security, keeps us coming back to them.
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