YBW-Books...a gripe

[DavidJ]

Just a gripe about the business practice of YBW-Books who take money from your credit card on receipt of order even if the book is not immediatly available.
The facts:
10th Jan Book ordered
10th Jan £41.18 taken from Mastercard
18th Jan e-mail sent to YBW- Books ...no reply
24th Jan Still no book, phoned YBW-Books " Taking the money first is usual business practice for us, your book has arrived and will be delivered in 2-3 days"

This has not been the case with other internet transactions and I think it's verging on the unethical.

Anyway I feel a whole lot better for having a gripe and I look forward to the book
David

 

[kimhollamby]

David,

Apologies for the delay...I'll ask Matthew Harvey, our Commercial Development Manager in charge of partnerships, to chase this order for you first thing in the morning.

The transaction timing is also unfortunate but common to many web sites at the moment where the services of a dedicated secure third-party credit card handler are used in conjunction with an e-commerce site. By definition the transaction is performed at the point of order rather than despatch which is not ideal (although there are many high street equivalents when you come to think about it). This is also being looked at by us at the moment, although I suspect the issue would be a lot less acute if your book order was fulfilled in a timely fashion. That is our agreement with Kelvin Hughes and we'll pursue an answer for you.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[ParaHandy]

Whenyou hire a car, they extract an allocation of cash from your card without the cash actually leaving your account. Like an escrow. Would not mind if retailer got the cash "allocated" in this way but it didn't leave the account until the goods were despatched.

 

[ianainge]

Same happened to me ordered 2 books and a video before christmas , i received 1 book and video and told that the other book is out of stock although they took all the money over a month later i still have not received the book.
Ian Ainge

 

[DavidJ]

Re: YBW-Books...a gripe ....book just arrived

Kim
25 Jan 10:00am Book just arrived
thanks
David

 

[kimhollamby]

Re: YBW-Books...a gripe ....book just arrived

Now I really would love to claim credit for that!

However, in more sober mood we'll still investigate. Sorry again but pleased it's arrived now.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[kimhollamby]

Ian, we'll check that out too.

Associate Publisher ybw.com websites kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

 

[BarryH]

A case for watchdog methinks, anyhow, I've never really felt happy ordering "stuff" off the net. somehow it does'nt feel safe and you never really feel in control. Now im in the market for a few criusing guides, the main one being the Shell Book of the Shannon. I looked at the bookstore section, and yes its listed, but it don't tell you wether its in stock or not.

To be honest I went to the local waterstones, they looked up their lists and estimated delivery to their store 4 days. Still have'nt ordered the thing but i makes you wonder wether all this e-commerce stuf is really any quicker/convenient. Don't get me wrong i'm not slagging anyone, its just from the posts, most seem to be negative.

How secure is it, whats "normal" delivery and it would be good if stock available was shown.

Regards BarryH

 

[tcm]

Re: why lots of websites are a bit shite

Ok e-ordering/ e-commerce, whatever you want to call it - buying catlog things on the web.

First, you're protected card-wise, same as a shop. Nothing stopping shops putting your bill thru once legally, and again the next month same amount (illegally), so you have to check things. Makes no difference as to whether you were there in a shop, or on a phone, or on web.

Second: Why is the service a bit crappo? Surely it should be superinstant and pertwang electronic?

The websites which advertise things have a website, big lump of software with piccies and prices, a database. Most of them (but not all) also have a separate system to manage the stock, record when items are despatched, and hence trigger new purchase orders against suppliers, or if a special item, to treigger a "back-to-back order" against the supplier. But remeber, they are separate systems, two lots of data. UNlike ringing them up, when your details are slammed staright into the back office system by slick typing peeps.

Anyway in comes the order. Sure, the credit card details are trapped, all jolly sorted that bit. But the order for this book or that item, how does that happen? Does it files in the web software, automatically create a demand, and order on their system. Not likely mate. 95% of e-orders spit out an email at the other end. Some how have to kludge this into a separate system, or hopefully manage stiock some other way.

Now, some of them use xml or some sort of transfer, so that at least there no manual transfers. But most of these are not automatic, so more room for error.

Worst of all, nobody can see if the book is in stock or not, from the web. Because, whatever software is used to manage the stock isn't connected live to the web. Likewise, special pricing for longstanding or high-volum customers that would automatically trigger doesn't work on the web either. You just see an item and a price, no idea of stock. The web system and th stock control system are separate, but both try and hold the stock entailing lots of clumsiness, lost data, errors and time delays. Massive sock-working too for these types, cos each time anything changes, it has to be changed on the web data base which you see, and identically (hopefully) on the stock system, unless there's no stock system inwhich case even more problems and holes in socks

The proper way to do this to make a website use data directly from the stock and accounting system. This means that the data in that back-office system needs to be composed of COM objects, "data soldiers" so to speak that the firewalled web software can interrogate and ask the value each time the screen is refreshed. There's one set of data, the stock levels stock level (or just a flag yesno), the new price, special customer prices, accumlated discounts from earlier orders, and lots more can be shown. The website just holds the piccies, says hello, gives acces to credit card software, drga down info from backoffice admin ordering and stock level software. No more aargh headaches for Kim.

 

[BarryH]

Re: why lots of websites are a bit shite

So..umm was that a yes or a no, or possibly a maybe, because i have'nt a clue what your talking about!