ozpost shipping module

[bolts]

I am another victim of OZPOST / VCSWEB.

My site was effectively shutdown without warning due to VCSWEB changing to a FEE Model.

The arrogance of the above response from Rod is astounding.

Why couldn't users of OZPOST be sent a message? I run a small business, I have no time to myself, I am flat out keeping it running and expanding. I don't have time to browse the support forums for a product that seems to be working fine.

The onus, without doubt, was on VCSWEB to advise all users that their sites would be made inoperative.

Your reason for imposing the FEE is so you can add features to the product. If you wanted to make an feature rich product that you could charge for, go ahead do it. I am quite happy with just the Australia Post functionality of the product. I don't want any more features.

So, what are my options? None, I have to keep the site running. I paid the ransom.

Now looking/hoping for an alternative.

I feel like I have been bushwacked.

Shane

[ExtremeRC]

This is disgusting! Like the above poster I dont have the time to come reading the forum every month, I spend 10+ hours a day 7 days a week keeping the business going and now I have piles of emails to get through on a sunday morning asking whats wrong with the shipping and please quote me the shipping cost!

If you want to start charging for a product that has always been promoted as free then you need to contact all the users and you need to learn a little about customer service. Just cutting off our access is a very low thing to do, my reputation, mortgage, living expenses all rely on my website 100% and you have just cut me off without even a word of contact...

How do I fix this??? Not all of us are computer gurus, I struggle through keeping up with zencart and keeping it running, I cannot afford to pay a developer to run my site.

[annav]

I have only just come across this now when a customer emailed to say she couldn't get passed the checkout stage. I tried to do a dummy order and the same happened when I tried and no shipping options came up either.

So how do we get access to it. How much do we have to pay, how do we pay and to whom do we pay?

As a temporary fix though I have just added a flat rate cost for parcels.

Thank you.

Anna
www.toycrazy.com.au

[ExtremeRC]

I paid the fee this morning and am still waiting!!! When I logged back onto VCSWEB it tells me I have made no purchases!! The checkout system is not reliable, I had terrible trouble purchasing a subscription to the ozpost module, and have had nothing but a paypal invoice come through email.

Not impressed at all, I have spent years running online businesses and would have gone broke if I did things like this.

The weekend is the busiest time for my business, especially when the weather is bad, vcsweb is costing me money!

[robbie269]

Hi Rod

If you enable the 'debug' option when testing/experimenting you'll probably be able to identfy why 35 is the new limit.

I enabled the debug option then ordered 80 cubes and it gave me the error: "Server Returned:
RPP0.00-1Invalid weight parameter 11.05 0.00 AIRDS AIRDS 362"

If I enable the core weight option it is OK and spreads it over 3 parcels. However the postage calculation is then slightly off, eg: a large letter is $1.00 instead of $1.20 a small parcel is $4.00 instead of $4.55. It seems to round it down to the nearest dollar??

Rob

[RodG]

My site was effectively shutdown without warning

This is a grossly inaccurate statement. When your 60 day trial period had expired the ozpost shipping module simply stopped providing quotes. It didn't stop anyones store from working, it didn't stop users from selecting other shipping methods, it didn't prevent anyone from checking out.

Why couldn't users of OZPOST be sent a message?

We have no idea who is using the module, and server log files don't conatain email addresses. So other than relying on this forum (and the few emails that we have from previous correspondence with users) how exactly were we supposed to do this?

I run a small business, I have no time to myself, I am flat out keeping it running and expanding. I don't have time to browse the support forums for a product that seems to be working fine.

Congratulations, you have just nominated yourself to be a future victim of a hack attack... No, not from anything I am going to do or say (or have said), but your open acknowledgement that your zencart is grossly outdated and simply waiting to be exploited.. Thankfully you didn't publisize your store name or URL, but I'm sure an interested hacker wouldn't have too much trouble finding it.

I have been critisised in the past for not notifying users of important changes and/or security fixes and this is another reason We've moved towards a saubscriber system, so that we *can* keep individuals up to date.

The onus, without doubt, was on VCSWEB to advise all users that their sites would be made inoperative.

Except for rhe vocal few in this forum, that have clearly neglected thier stores (and I'm sure there will be more to come) MOST ozpost users appear to have accepted this change with good grace, some by using other shipping methods, others by supporting what I am doing.

I can only apologise so much to those of you that haven't kept abreast of things, and I do actually sympahise with you if the expirations has been your first indication, but on the other hand, I've found two types of people in this regard... Those like you that make a lot of noise saying how criminal it is, and those that have sent me polite email stating this was the first they knew about it. Guess which people have been given extensions so that they can review thier options?

Your reason for imposing the FEE is so you can add features to the product.

I don't know where you got that idea from. It is mainly to allow me to devote more *time* to the project... This time may not even go towards zencart users specifically - I also have the OsC folk and their needs to consider, not to mention, CubeCart, OpenCart, and a few others.

So, what are my options? None,

This is also untrue. Ozpost is in its infancy. Zencart, etc, has been around for a lot longer and yet people coped with the shipping ok.

I have to keep the site running. I paid the ransom.
Now looking/hoping for an alternative.

You have had at least two months to look for an alternative.

I feel like I have been bushwacked.
Shane

Me too (often) .... but at least now I'm getting something out of it.

Oh, and for those you that are interested.. although early days yet, the dropout rate hasn't been as high as I had expected (95% vs 98%).. so it is looking as though the project will be be a success (which is a relief, 'cos I'd hate to start giving refunds and closing the servers down now).

Cheers
Rod

[RodG]

I enabled the debug option then ordered 80 cubes and it gave me the error: "Server Returned:
RPP0.00-1Invalid weight parameter

This is Australia Post telling us that you've exceeded to 20kg limit.
If you had other carriers enabled their quotes would be shown as they are not subject to the RPP limit.

If I enable the core weight option it is OK and spreads it over 3 parcels. However the postage calculation is then slightly off, eg: a large letter is $1.00 instead of $1.20 a small parcel is $4.00 instead of $4.55. It seems to round it down to the nearest dollar??

Rob

This is a bug.
The fix is very easy, and can be found here

Cheers
Rod

[robbie269]

Thanks Rod that fixed it.
I thought I had read it somewhere but when I needed it I couldn't find it!

Rob

[RodG]

I paid the fee this morning and am still waiting!!! When I logged back onto VCSWEB it tells me I have made no purchases!! The checkout system is not reliable,
I had terrible trouble purchasing a subscription to the ozpost module, and have had nothing but a paypal invoice come through email.

I'm tempted to report this to the zencart team as a bug report because we are running the latest zencart with no addons or modifications to the checkout system and the stock standard PayPal Express.

Alas, you are the first to report this as an issue, so I doub't I'll be able to convince them it is a bug. Unless of course you have something to add that will give a further clue to this zencart issue?

Not impressed at all, I have spent years running online businesses and would have gone broke if I did things like this.

Things should have started working ok for you at around 3pm this afternoon.. Please advise if this is not the case... I needed to manually match the storename you specified (www.extremerc.com.au) with the storename on record (Extreme Radio Control?).

The weekend is the busiest time for my business, especially when the weather is bad, vcsweb is costing me money!

It is my hope that the loss or non-operation of 'ozpost' is going to cost lots of merchants lots of money, because that is what will show how much it is truely worth in comparison with the free alternatives ... or not.
Ozpost isn't for everyone.

Cheers
Rod

[pinksugardesign]

I'm tempted to report this to the zencart team as a bug report because we are running the latest zencart with no addons or modifications to the checkout system and the stock standard PayPal Express.

Alas, you are the first to report this as an issue, so I doub't I'll be able to convince them it is a bug. Unless of course you have something to add that will give a further clue to this zencart issue?



Things should have started working ok for you at around 3pm this afternoon.. Please advise if this is not the case... I needed to manually match the storename you specified (www.extremerc.com.au) with the storename on record (Extreme Radio Control?).



It is my hope that the loss or non-operation of 'ozpost' is going to cost lots of merchants lots of money, because that is what will show how much it is truely worth in comparison with the free alternatives ... or not.
Ozpost isn't for everyone.

Cheers
Rod

I've just subscribed and was wondering when I can expect the cart to work again. I also tried phoning, but it went to message bank.
Thanks in advance - Pink Sugar Design