Customer has download problem - please view and comment

[jeffmic]

A customer has just completed an order and wrote this of a problem with the download. Anyone have any idea what's going on?
I tested on all the browsers I have, but she has not responded to my requested for browser version and OS.

thanks in advance,
Jeff Michaels
Musical Creations Ltd


<<<When downloading the songs from the final checkout page of my order
all I received on my desktop were GoLive index.php documents. When I clicked
on those all that appeared was a page of mixed up letters and characters.
When I go to my account page it shows that I have "0" attempts left for one
of the songs. All attempts seems to be unsuccessful and I have no music. Did
I just purchase songs that don't play? Now what do I do?>>>>

[Merlinpa1969]

you should really have your files in zips
it elimintaes this for the most part

[jeffmic]

Yes,
Everything is in zips. (13,000 of them)
I do not understand why this customer received this problem.

I really hate when they order...immediately email me
and then NEVER respond after 4-5 emails back in the next 15 minutes.
It's so frustrating.

Still nothing 3 hours later.

Another customer just ordered a download...then ordered again
No download attempts were used on the first order
but 1 on the second.
Again, no response to the emails

I have now written a PLEASE READ note on the completion page above the download links. It tells them not to order again, attempts can be reset, I'm home at night and weekends---email me. Respond to emails blah blah blah.

Anyone have any ideas on the original problem with the one customer in the #1 post?

thanks,
Jeff

[samad64]

they were probably using firefox - IE would have given them a page not found.

Basically.. whenever your server is overloaded with visitors (not necessarily just your site.. i'm assuming you are on a shared server) requests start to time out. That customer may have been an unlucky one and had bought their downloads at a time when the server traffic was high / cpu usage was high.. therefore whenever he/she clicked the download link the request timed out. Firefox delivers the php page by default as a download.. because thats just the way FF works - the server doesn't have enough cpu power left to process the php file so it thinks of it as a download.

As far as the e-mail thing goes.. i know how that goes.. but you have to understand not everyone is at their computer all the time :). i normally give my customers about 24 hours to respond before sending a 2nd/3rd email

[jeffmic]

they were probably using firefox - IE would have given them a page not found.

Maybe so. I'm editing on the server around suppertime and I wonder now if I 'taxed' it (though unlikely)

Basically.. whenever your server is overloaded with visitors (not necessarily just your site.. i'm assuming you are on a shared server) requests start to time out. That customer may have been an unlucky one and had bought their downloads at a time when the server traffic was high / cpu usage was high.. therefore whenever he/she clicked the download link the request timed out. Firefox delivers the php page by default as a download.. because thats just the way FF works - the server doesn't have enough cpu power left to process the php file so it thinks of it as a download.

The only sharing is 'me'. I'm hosting everything here at home. I have a DSL 768 up and down for my business here just for serving and ftping. All other internet activity is through a cable modem with Roadrunner. That way, the kids stay out of my business 'space'. I'm using OS X Server on a new Macmini Intel dual core for the whole thing. Screaming speed, but of course that's in-house. The DSL is another thing for sure. At $251/month, I can't afford to go up to the next tier (1.5 M at around $500/month). Hosting outside is out of the question. There's over 100 GB of download material here and paying for hosting and bandwidth would be off the roof.

As far as the e-mail thing goes.. i know how that goes.. but you have to understand not everyone is at their computer all the time :). i normally give my customers about 24 hours to respond before sending a 2nd/3rd email

Yep, but you'd think they'd send an email and only minutes later get one back and still be there LOL Heck, I am....