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how to order something online
1. Go to the manufacturer's website, find the item you want, and put it in the cart. That's the easy part.
2. Since you don't expect to be a regular customer, try to find a way to check out as a guest. Fail to find one.
3. Since you have in fact ordered from this company before, check your saved password file for a login there. Don't find one.
4. Sigh. Fill out the form to register for a new account. Note that when you type in a username (the same one you use everywhere) a popup informs you that it's available.
4a. Sigh again at the restrictions for a password, which eliminate any combination you can remember.
5. However, when you click to save the registration, receive a notice that the username (which is unlikely to be anyone but you) is taken.
6. Go back to the beginning and click the "Forgot password?" button.
7. Wait five minutes. About this time, begin to wish that it were still possible to just drive to the store and buy this product.
8. Receive an e-mail with an obscenely convoluted temp password.
9. Log in using this.
9a. Don't bother to change the password.
9b. Confirm that it's gone into your saved passwords file this time.
10. Reorder from scratch, since it works that way.
11. Get to the checkout screen, and find that, while the item you want costs $9, shipping costs $7.
11a. Realize that, to make this an economical purchase, you'd better find something else they sell that you want.
11b. Realize further that you've used up all the time you'd allocated for what should have been a 3-step procedure, you have errands to do, and you'll have to come back later.
2. Since you don't expect to be a regular customer, try to find a way to check out as a guest. Fail to find one.
3. Since you have in fact ordered from this company before, check your saved password file for a login there. Don't find one.
4. Sigh. Fill out the form to register for a new account. Note that when you type in a username (the same one you use everywhere) a popup informs you that it's available.
4a. Sigh again at the restrictions for a password, which eliminate any combination you can remember.
5. However, when you click to save the registration, receive a notice that the username (which is unlikely to be anyone but you) is taken.
6. Go back to the beginning and click the "Forgot password?" button.
7. Wait five minutes. About this time, begin to wish that it were still possible to just drive to the store and buy this product.
8. Receive an e-mail with an obscenely convoluted temp password.
9. Log in using this.
9a. Don't bother to change the password.
9b. Confirm that it's gone into your saved passwords file this time.
10. Reorder from scratch, since it works that way.
11. Get to the checkout screen, and find that, while the item you want costs $9, shipping costs $7.
11a. Realize that, to make this an economical purchase, you'd better find something else they sell that you want.
11b. Realize further that you've used up all the time you'd allocated for what should have been a 3-step procedure, you have errands to do, and you'll have to come back later.
no subject
I just made a test run through Amazon - for which I already have an account - and, after logging in and choosing an item to purchase, had to do the following, each on a separate page:
1) go to my cart (which said how short I was of free shipping, but not how much the shipping of my current order would cost)
2) confirm my shipping address
3) choose my shipping method
4) select my payment method
AND go through two pages of ads (one of them for an Amazon credit card, I forget the other)
before reaching a "review your order" page which at last told me what the shipping cost would be.
That makes six extra pages after what I would call an "up front" revelation of shipping costs.
no subject
The main item page on Amazon should have a link to another page that lists all the sellers of the item along with the price each one charges including the shipping charges. It's not unusual for items that are marked as "free shipping over $35" from one vendor*, to also be available from other sellers for potentially better prices.
*Those are ones which are sold directly by Amazon or "fulfilled by Amazon". Those prices are shown preferentially on the main page even though other sellers may have better prices!
For example, this main item page currently lists the price as $14.59 with free shipping over $35.
But the right side shows "Other Sellers On Amazon" with a "14 new" link - that link brings up this page which shows another seller has it for $14.28 and free shipping.
no subject
True that it's given with Amazon Marketplace, and I'd forgotten about that, but this is items sold by Amazon itself.