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There's a Monkey (wrench) in the system
Feb. 1st, 2011 09:09 pmSigh. Sometimes the simplest things turn into dramas. Take last weekend. I'd heard about MediaMonkey for a while - it's a media player for Windows machines. A number of people had told me it was great, so it was on my list to test-drive. On Sunday, I finally got around to downloading it, and was very surprised and pleased with the product capabilities. I used it over the weekend without problems, and today (because it was a snow day, and I had nothing better to do) I decided to pay for the 'optional' features in the full product. (The basic product is free). That was my mistake - well, that, and deciding to pay by PayPal.
The first attempt at payment was a confusing exchange of screens between the vendor's site, and PayPal's. Well, as it turned out, amongst THREE sites - there's a hidden fulfillment house in the middle that actually does the order processing. At the end of that, I thought I'd paid, but then I received an email saying that I had not been approved, and that I should try again. So, like a lamb to slaughter, I did. The second time, the same result; PayPal apparently finished the transaction, but the vendor didn't get paid. So I called the vendor's help line.
The guy in India (they're always in India, aren't they?) was very helpful. He checked and confirmed that PayPal had rejected my payment request. Hmmm.... The other day I had to update my credit card info in the PayPal system, because we received new cards, with new expiration dates. Maybe that was the problem? I called PayPal. A guy in ... yes, India, asked for the expiration date of my card, then told me that wasn't what they had on file. Could I enter it in the update screen? So I log in to PayPal, and there is the correct expiration date. "That's not what I see on our system" says the nice man in India. (How could that be? Quite easily actually, since the payment information database is likely on a separate system from the website, for security reasons). "Please just re-submit" says my Indian sub-continent would-be hero. I tried that, and the web page wagged a finger at me. "Error. You did not enter any new information". Well, eventually, the support guy and I persuaded the two systems back into step, and he suggested I re-try my payment.
I went back to the vendor's website, and tried again; same error. Well, at this point I gave up trying to give them any money for MediaMonkey, and went off to do something else. Then an hour later, I find an email in my inbox announcing "Transaction completed, here's your software license key". Oh goodie! I applied it happily, and the software was fully operational.
Two hours later, I received an email - "Transaction completed, here's your software license key". Oh-oh... different order number, different license key. Not good. Back on the phone to a nice lady in India. After another 20 minutes, she processed a refund for the second order.
I'm just hoping no more license keys arrive in the mail....
The first attempt at payment was a confusing exchange of screens between the vendor's site, and PayPal's. Well, as it turned out, amongst THREE sites - there's a hidden fulfillment house in the middle that actually does the order processing. At the end of that, I thought I'd paid, but then I received an email saying that I had not been approved, and that I should try again. So, like a lamb to slaughter, I did. The second time, the same result; PayPal apparently finished the transaction, but the vendor didn't get paid. So I called the vendor's help line.
The guy in India (they're always in India, aren't they?) was very helpful. He checked and confirmed that PayPal had rejected my payment request. Hmmm.... The other day I had to update my credit card info in the PayPal system, because we received new cards, with new expiration dates. Maybe that was the problem? I called PayPal. A guy in ... yes, India, asked for the expiration date of my card, then told me that wasn't what they had on file. Could I enter it in the update screen? So I log in to PayPal, and there is the correct expiration date. "That's not what I see on our system" says the nice man in India. (How could that be? Quite easily actually, since the payment information database is likely on a separate system from the website, for security reasons). "Please just re-submit" says my Indian sub-continent would-be hero. I tried that, and the web page wagged a finger at me. "Error. You did not enter any new information". Well, eventually, the support guy and I persuaded the two systems back into step, and he suggested I re-try my payment.
I went back to the vendor's website, and tried again; same error. Well, at this point I gave up trying to give them any money for MediaMonkey, and went off to do something else. Then an hour later, I find an email in my inbox announcing "Transaction completed, here's your software license key". Oh goodie! I applied it happily, and the software was fully operational.
Two hours later, I received an email - "Transaction completed, here's your software license key". Oh-oh... different order number, different license key. Not good. Back on the phone to a nice lady in India. After another 20 minutes, she processed a refund for the second order.
I'm just hoping no more license keys arrive in the mail....
