Google Checkout module for ZC 1.3.x (beta)

[Woodymon]

1. When you change status to shipped, TWO emails are sent to customer, both showing from Google Checkout <[email protected]>. Not one message but two!

#1 w/ subject: You have received a note from BigShop

#2 w/ subject: Your order from BigShop has shipped (USD365.00)

Why two messages?

3. Why are email messages sent to customers not properly dated? That is they do NOT provide a standard "Date:" in the message header but do display a "Delivery-date:". Many email clients that I'm aware of (including web mail clients like squirrel mail and such) use the Date: header when printing or forwarding email messages. A blank date on printed email output does not provide for very good accounting or audit control...unless one works for the White House ;-)

4. Why no support of text email? The lack of basic text email messaging and formatting support is so unprofessional.

5. The Google Checkout admin email system is confusing, at least to old school Zen Cart shop-owners.

Normally the customer notified check mark which displays in the ZC admin orders comments indicates an emails is sent to customer from Zen Cart, as is normally expected, not from Google. So that can be confusing.

The number of characters allowed in comments in order status change email messages sent to customers is too limited.

6. Not having the Zen Cart shop order number in the email subject line -AND- prominently displayed elsewhere in the message body makes it difficult to sort order submission and order status change messages. The shop-owners order number should be made readily apparent in all order related email messages. Otherwise follow-up customer support is made difficult for both the customer and the shop-owner.

7. Most significantly, and I have stated this before, but I must repeat, emails to customers should be sent with a Return Path of the shop admin email address, NOT a Return-path: <[email protected]>. Or figure out some other system so that customers can EASILY reply to the messages they receive and allow the reply sent to the shop admin address. Or at least provide that option.

As most shop-owners know Zen cart customers VERY often reply to the order submission and order status change email messages which the shopping cart sends out. This is a NATURAL response to expect of customers. You call a customer and they will likely want to call you back. You send an email to a customer and they will possibly want to email you back. They will not want to wade/trip through a web-based response mechanism.

Keep in mind that although the order status messages appear in the subject line to be sent from the Zen Cart shop, they are not so Seller and Buyer BEWARE!

Not allowing customers to respond to standard order emails is just plain bad, VERY BAD, customer service! This customer support communication issue needs rectified ASAP!

Most or all of these issues don't appear to be specific to the mod integration. Rather they appear to be a conscious result of Google Checkout product management decisions. Google appears to be attempting to over-control most aspects of the customer support process. They appear to want to route ALL communications through their servers, for a variety of reasons. If I am mistaken and this is not a conscious decision then the product managers and development team leaders have made grand mistakes and not provided quality oversight to the API developers.

Sure they can get away with these behaviors when no fees are charged, but when that changes there will be backlash from shop-owner and customer.

Google...best not piss your early adopters off or you will end up being just another PayPal. Word gets around fast.

Give me a Quality Control/QA position at Google Checkout and I will get this all straightened out ;-)

But likely won't be offered that position, or any other, after this diatribe ;-)

Woody

[misty]

Woody, entirely agree with your last post..
Tested googlecheckout for UK..just to prove
to myself that module worked.. did not at first,
but latest RC did(with Woody's help)..
and am satisfied with achievement..
However, in its current form, regarding download
exclusion(agreed this will probably be rectified
soon) and Woody's points, would not use google
checkout on my own live zensite/s..it does not fully integrate with
zencart, so that store admin remains in control of certain
important aspects;
Google takes some of that control away, and
they need to work on this for me to even contemplate
using their payment option with zencart..
JMHO..other zen members will have their own theories

[Woodymon]

ropu-

For those upgrading from previous mod versions, for example from 1.3RC1 to 1.3RC2...

Can you confirm there is no longer any need for the following edit in
tpl_checkout_payment_default.php

// ** Google Checkout  **
      if($selection[$i]['id'] == "googlecheckout")
        continue;
// ** Google Checkout ** 

And thus those whom have previously edited tpl_checkout_payment_default.php can remove that specific edit?

Can you please confirm?

Thanks,
Woody

[mgraphic]

The function google_checkout_state_change() only seems to send staus update to Google on only two different proccess:

1->Pending, 2-> Processing

and

2->Processing, 3-> Delivered

This does not make much sense to me, would you want to sent updates on all status changes that Google supports?

Processing, Shipped, Delivered or Cancelled?

Does Google document the formats of the order status xml requests?

[Woodymon]

Does Google document the formats of the order status xml requests?

I would start here.
http://code.google.com/apis/checkout...ase_notes.html

BTW shipped and delivered are not the same. (not directing this at you mgraphic.)

Delivered means the item made it to it's destination.

Shipped means it has left the source and is enroute (or is being processed to be shipped shortly).

Intermixing the two terms causes confusion.

Why do vendors mix the two terms?

Woody

[ropu]

ropu-

For those upgrading from previous mod versions, for example from 1.3RC1 to 1.3RC2...

Can you confirm there is no longer any need for the following edit in
tpl_checkout_payment_default.php

// ** Google Checkout  **
      if($selection[$i]['id'] == "googlecheckout")
        continue;
// ** Google Checkout ** 

And thus those whom have previously edited tpl_checkout_payment_default.php can remove that specific edit?

Can you please confirm?

Thanks,
Woody

woody, thats confirmed

there is no need to update that template as docs say, because as from zencart v1.3.7 in that template u have one option to disable the radio button for a shipping module. Just need to add to the googlecheckout.php class

 function selection() {
    return array('id' => $this->code,'module' => $this->title, 'noradio' => true);
  } 

have a look to the 'noradio' => true

this will hit in the template in line 136

<?php
    if (sizeof($selection) > 1) {
        if (empty($selection[$i]['noradio'])) {
 ?>
<?php echo zen_draw_radio_field('payment', $selection[$i]['id'], ($selection[$i]['id'] == $_SESSION['payment'] ? true : false), 'id="pmt-'.$selection[$i]['id'].'"'); ?>
<?php   } ?>
<?php
    } else {

so the redio button wont be show!, just the name of the payment module.

ropu

[ropu]

The function google_checkout_state_change() only seems to send staus update to Google on only two different proccess:

1->Pending, 2-> Processing

and

2->Processing, 3-> Delivered

This does not make much sense to me, would you want to sent updates on all status changes that Google supports?

Processing, Shipped, Delivered or Cancelled?

Does Google document the formats of the order status xml requests?

hi
is this what u a looking for?

http://code.google.com/apis/checkout...tml#appendix_b

and regarding updates, just post without changing states, and a message will be sent with the comments to the buyer.

README show how zencart state changes are mapped to GC ones

ropu

[ropu]

Woody, entirely agree with your last post..
Tested googlecheckout for UK..just to prove
to myself that module worked.. did not at first,
but latest RC did(with Woody's help)..
and am satisfied with achievement..
However, in its current form, regarding download
exclusion(agreed this will probably be rectified
soon) and Woody's points, would not use google
checkout on my own live zensite/s..it does not fully integrate with
zencart, so that store admin remains in control of certain
important aspects;
Google takes some of that control away, and
they need to work on this for me to even contemplate
using their payment option with zencart..
JMHO..other zen members will have their own theories

hi misty,

could u specify witch important aspects u think that google take in control?

thx in avance

ropu

[mgraphic]

Thank you for the great resource!

The problem I experience is that the once I update the new order to "Processing" in ZC, the order is also updated in Google merchant. If I update the order in ZC from there, Google merchant does not continue to update.

I will have a "Shipped" item according to ZC, but when I log into Google merchant, it is still stuck in "Processing".

This is frustrating to me, because I know that will cause red flags between our customer service dept. and Google.

[Woodymon]

Thank you for the great resource!

The problem I experience is that the once I update the new order to "Processing" in ZC, the order is also updated in Google merchant. If I update the order in ZC from there, Google merchant does not continue to update.

I will have a "Shipped" item according to ZC, but when I log into Google merchant, it is still stuck in "Processing".

This is frustrating to me, because I know that will cause red flags between our customer service dept. and Google.

hmmm...whenever I change to "shipped" in Zen Cart, Google Checkout service promptly receives order status change communication and then Zen Cart receives response back from Google. Response info appears in the admin orders comments area. And Google sends out TWO emails to customer.

For a list of things to check out see:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showpo...postcount=1187

Are you employing custom mappings in Zen Cart for your order status?

In Zen Cart admin > Localization > Order Status what exactly appears in your list? Copy the list and post to this thread, maintaining the exact order of the list.

Woody