Relocate Gift Certificate Redemption Code Entry Process

To me, the gift certificate redemption code entry field on the checkout page is confusing at best, because the newly redeemed certificate balance is neither instantly updated to the available balance nor is it available to be immediately applied to the current purchase. Therefore, there is absolutely NO GOOD REASON to have it located on the checkout page, it is useless and therefore confusing in this location.

I would like to see the redemption code entry be removed from the checkout page and accessed as a totally separate process which which occurs outside of the checkout process, so that the recipient knows in advance what is available to apply to the current purchase. When the average customer redeems a certificate, they want it instantly available, and other store websites work exactly that way.

The other reason to allow redemption outside the checkout process is for those customers who want to redeem but are not yet ready to purchase. The first time I tried to learn how to enter the redemption code, I went crazy just trying to find WHERE to enter it. That alone is reason to make it a process separate from checkout.

ZenCart needs to find a better place to do this so there is an option to be accessed two ways, either directly before even shopping, or as an option in the first step in the checkout process. Both ways would make the balance available for the new customer's first purchase, or any customer's current purchase.

I have been on so many websites which allow me to go go way beyond where I want to go and have really created a big mess which took too much time to dig out of. Therefore, I have become very leery about "Hunting" for something, and would not want to go hunting in a checkout process to see if I could find where to enter a redemption code. Other shoppers will have the same caution or fear, and you can't get this far into the checkout process without pretending that you intend to purchase something.

The other reason for this fix, is that the wonderful Zencart automatic redemption feature does not always work, and customers would like to know their certificate is secure and available before they think they have to commit to a purchase. I agree.

Another reason for this change is that we had a customer not notice the auto redemption that took place when they logged in, nor did they notice the available balance, so they incorrectly entered the redemption code during the checkout process. They panicked when they got an error message that the certificate had already been redeemed, thinking it had been stolen and redeemed by a thief, not realizing it had been auto redeemed when they logged in to their account.

:smartalec:

Since your post appears to be borne out of frustration and lacking all the details behind your suggestion, I'm adding links to your other posts on the same topic, which contain varying information:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?p=471001#post471001
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82245

These may be useful if this suggestion is considered in the future.

Tatay:

the newly redeemed certificate balance is neither instantly updated to the available balance nor is it available to be immediately applied to the current purchase.This is incorrect. Any redeemed certificates are instantly available after entering a valid redemption code.

Tatay:

I would like to see the redemption code entry be removed from the checkout page and accessed as a totally separate process which which occurs outside of the checkout processThis is available from the Gift Cert FAQ page, and in every Gift Certificate email contains a link to the redemption screen directly.

Tatay:

ZenCart needs to find a better place to do this so there is an option to be accessed two ways, either directly before even shopping, or as an option in the first step in the checkout process.As mentioned, it's available in multiple places.

Tatay:

The other reason for this fix, is that the wonderful Zencart automatic redemption feature does not always work, and customers would like to know their certificate is secure and available before they think they have to commit to a purchase. I agree.

Another reason for this change is that we had a customer not notice the auto redemption that took place when they logged in, nor did they notice the available balance, so they incorrectly entered the redemption code during the checkout process. They panicked when they got an error message that the certificate had already been redeemed, thinking it had been stolen and redeemed by a thief, not realizing it had been auto redeemed when they logged in to their account.

You are referring to this as though those are two separate issues. It seems you have a frustrated customer who, after clicking on a redemption link in their email (which specifically said "to redeem, click here") forgot what they were there for.

The amount of available funds is shown in the checkout-payment screen, and also in the My Account area, for reference.

The amount of available funds is also available in the Shopping Cart sidebox (if you are using it)

DrByte, I am sure you are referring to how the program is supposed to operate, apparently it does not always work that way.

I am a very new user so I was doing some experimentation on sending and redeeming gift certificates. Specifically, when I clicked on the link in the incoming email to redeem the certificate, then logged in to my account, for some strange reason, it didn't "take" i.e. the redemption did not appear in my account and there was zero balance showing in the gift certificate sidebox. I went to "MY Account" and did not see it there either.

I still had to go to the checkout page and manually enter the redemption code (which was accepted), but, the available balance neither appeared before or after entering the redemption code or before or after clicking the continue button. I also observed no way to apply any balance on the order confirmation page. I then aborted the final confirm order and went immediately back to my shopping cart, where the certificate balance finally "showed up".

If after clicking the email link, the redemption does not show up upon login, doesn't it make sense that there should be a way to directly access and enter the manual redemption code before trying to place an order? ? ?