Okay, I am having an old problem again, now that docks are nearly ready to ship: the European purchasers seem to be having near 100% difficulty getting the payments right. I am sure this is my doing, but I just don't know what to do differently.

I use PayPal (evil, I know) for handling most dock payments. I have two different paypal accounts: a "personal" account that CANNOT ACCEPT CREDIT-CARD PAYMENTS, and a "business" account that CAN accept credit-cards.

But the problem with the "business" account, is that PayPal Inc. taxes ALL moneys paid into it, at a rate of either 2.9%(USA) or 3.4%(overseas), plus some smaller surcharges.

So.. when paying for a Dock using a credit-card to fund payment, the money can only go to the "business" account. And when paying using a PayPal or Bank balance as the source of the funds, it is best for all if the money is sent to the "personal" account instead (to save the 2.9% or 3.4% fees).

Buyers from Europe (and often the UK as well) nearly always send their payment to the wrong account. Buyers from elsewhere on the planet nearly always get it right. Why?

So.. could a few people perhaps read the standard email I send out, and suggest wording changes to reduce the chance of error? Tricky I suppose, because the folks I most want to hear from are also the most likely to see no problem (and later send money to the wrong place), I suppose.

Anyway, here's a copy of the text I have been using: http://rtr.ca/docks/payment_email.html

Thanks

It seems pretty straightforward to me, Mark. Perhaps people are just busy and only scanning through the email, thereby missing important information. I however, when I receive an email about something as important as my new empeg dock, would take the time to read every word.

And since I have your attention, I have a question. Not long after I ordered a dock from you, I closed my PayPal account, forgetting that that was how I was supposed to send payment to you. So, when the time does come, would you accept some other form of payment?

>So, when the time does come, would you accept some other
>form of payment?

If you can figure out another way to pay for the dock, then certainly! The best option I know of is to generate an International Money Order, in CAD$ if possible (otherwise email me for a conversion to US$), and then airmail that to me.

Because the USPS is (in my experience) very very slow, I suggest that anyone who would like to pay this way, should do so early -- as soon as they see their queue position fall within the top 25 or so. When I receive payment, I'll bump you up a few spots so that your dock is mailed out within a week (usually) of receipt of payment. (a great way to jump the queue, by the way).

Cheers

Maybe you could supply a graphic to illustrate your point in each e-mail? Kind of like a flow chart? Wording seems okay, it's just there is a lot of reading to do to get to the point. An HTML table might work too. I think it would be easier to get your point across with less to read.

I just avoid the confusion and use one account (business) and price accordingly.

Stu

Mark I seem to remember this being discussed some time ago when I had my dock sent (No.14 still going strong).

I paid by CC and sent the payment to [email protected] I remember that you said that ALL payment upto that date had been incorrect, was mine ??? As I'm sure I sent the payment to the correct address.

The reason I ask is that would it be possible that there is a problem with the PayPal side of things ???

Cheers

Cris.

Thanks, Mark. I'm not worried about a delay. So all I'm going to need is your address, and the price, when the time comes. Sorry for the tangent.

You've got a web site, why not just use the email to direct people to a page, say, rtr.ca/payme, which would make users answer questions, and then only presents them with the proper email address given their answers to those questions? For instance:

Top page: I live in.... (US, Canada, Europe, etc.)
Next level: I will be paying with: (Credit card, Paypal balance, eternal gratitude, etc.)

That way, assuming they answer the questions properly, they don't even get the other Paypal address presented to them.

Well, this might be a bit more work, but how about if you add two options to the order form: will you be paying by credit card? and Are you in Europe?

Then, you could have 3 emails, each with only a *single* payment option. Make the decision for people since they're having trouble with it.

The only problem I can see is if somebody says "no", they don't want to pay with credit card, and then change their mind. What will happen is they will attempt, fail, and then contact you for a new paypal address. I can see that being a potential hassle, but how often would it really happen?

Jim

Next level: I will be paying with: (Credit card, Paypal balance, eternal gratitude, etc.)

Oh man. I'd have signed up if I'd known that was an option. Having no toy money sucks

Christian, I think you were one of the few that got it right first try, thanks!

Like I say, I'm sure it's just me not wording things clearly enough for multi-lingual readers. Most of the English-only speakers (and USAians) have no problem with it.

I think maybe if I change the ordering of options in the email -- listing the credit -card funded payments first -- the problem may self-correct.

...

Hi Mark,

i've read the mail and can't find a point, where it is not clear what to do.
My English isn't the best, i think. But i'm usually not a "cross-reader", i read things exactly and often twice to be sure, i get it right. I know many people who fly through their mails etc. often missing a important point.
The best example is a friend of mine, very good in math. He nearly blasted his math-exam just by overlooking a whole sheet of exam-questions.
It was page 2 of 3, reading everything exactly would have prevented him from this.

Another point could be, that people aren't aware of paying with a Credit Card when they use paypal with a Credit Card, like thinking "i pay with paypal, i don't care, where they get the money from..."

Though your words are totally ok, it could save you some trouble using questions to lead to the one correct adress...

cheers, Thomas

I know many people who fly through their mails etc. often missing a important point.

Measure once, cut twice, that what I always do, not say, DO...

Davec: aren't you supposed to be at a meet or something today??

Cheers

Like I say, I'm sure it's just me not wording things clearly enough for multi-lingual readers. Most of the English-only speakers (and USAians) have no problem with it.

I have to admit that even as a uni-lingual European I did have to read the email a couple of times to make sure that had understood what I had to do. I think I managed the right response in the end

I'd say that you have the two options presented backwards. Wouldn't it be easier to say and understand:

If you're paying with a credit card, then <option A>.

If you're paying by any other approved method, then <option B>.

?

That's what I'm going to try, for sure.

cheers

Uhhh. I somehow skipped past your earlier post where you said just that. Oh, well. Better late than never, I suppose.

I just paid for mine (with CC and +3% - think I got it right ) and I can see how it happens. Since paypal automatically picks a payment source it's very easy to simply use the credit card you have attached to your paypal account and forget to add the 3%.

There's not a whole lot you can do I think. It's a combination of the payer doing things to quickly without reading and paypal making it too easy to do so.