Creating a custom order total module.

[bcyde]

I have a client that needs to modify order totals (discounts and free gifts, etc) based on the type of credit card a user is using. I looked at the order total modules provided with zen cart and on the order confirmation page the totals "look" right. I just want to make sure that I am approaching this correctly do I just modify the totals directly in the process function
by modifying the values in:

$order->info['total'] and $order->info['tax'] or will this only modify what's displayed (and not actually modify what gets charged to the buyer's CC)? I've run through the process once and it seems ok on the display, however the receipt that is sent to me doesn't display any changes in the totals and my order history does not show any changes in the totals as well. Is there somewhere else that I need to be making a module to affect the receipts and order history?

I don't have immediate access to the merchant account to check if the total charged was correct (that info is coming) but I just wanted to ask here if I was approaching this problem correctly.


Thanks,
-b

[bcyde]

Sorry also forgot to mention this is on Ver 1.3.0.1 (I know this isn't the latest one, is an upgrade necessary to have order total modules working correctly)?

[GFLKEN]

Hi bcyde,

Sorry no one replied to your request...

Did you figure this out? I don't know the answer as I am new to zc, but I am curious what your solution was. I will be heavily modding my store in the next year or two...and this idea is intriguing.

[DrByte]

For the most part, what was suggested in the original post is *not* a wise practice. There may be a legitimate business need for it, but the approach sounds like it's a bit "off" from what would be considered typically acceptable practice.

If you're trying to add surcharges for customers using certain credit cards or planning to charge customers an amount different from what you're showing on your store and their receipts, you'll end up with chargebacks, a bad reputation, lost or dissatisfied customers, and probably get your merchant account frozen or canceled.

If you want to add surcharges, make them visible as another line item on your order and make sure the customer understands clearly why they're present and how to avoid them if they wish to not incur those charges.

Or build the fees into your product prices if that's possible.

[bcyde]

For the most part, what was suggested in the original post is *not* a wise practice. There may be a legitimate business need for it, but the approach sounds like it's a bit "off" from what would be considered typically acceptable practice.

If you're trying to add surcharges for customers using certain credit cards or planning to charge customers an amount different from what you're showing on your store and their receipts, you'll end up with chargebacks, a bad reputation, lost or dissatisfied customers, and probably get your merchant account frozen or canceled.

If you want to add surcharges, make them visible as another line item on your order and make sure the customer understands clearly why they're present and how to avoid them if they wish to not incur those charges.

Or build the fees into your product prices if that's possible.

There was a legitimate need for it in that the retailer we worked with partnered with a certain bank chain and offered a discount when using cards issued from that bank. They were not trying to add additional surcharges, what we did was create line items for the order that were clearly visible (as was the special discount offer throughout the site) via a custom order total module.

Regards,

[DrByte]

There was a legitimate need for it in that the retailer we worked with partnered with a certain bank chain and offered a discount when using cards issued from that bank. They were not trying to add additional surcharges, what we did was create line items for the order that were clearly visible (as was the special discount offer throughout the site) via a custom order total module.

Excellent. Giving clear disclosure to the customer all the way through is smart business practice. Thanks for the clarifying update.