[Gllug] OT : Credit cards in a MySQL Database - TAKE 2

[Bernard Peek]

In message <PMEMLAFGMJLHFCAJPBIDEEOCCAAA.calvinlacock at yahoo.co.uk>, 
Calvin la Cock <calvinlacock at yahoo.co.uk> writes


>Saying that , it's crucial to my client's business model that they be able
>to take both cash / credit business on their site and thus, in the case of
>cash, needs some way to secure the booking (payment). Does anyone have an
>idea how to do something like that / if it's viable ? I was a bit shocked to
>hear about cash for products over the internet, but then that's what the
>client wants.
>
>Is there any clearance agency like WorldPay or such where you can send
>people and take their details and make the payment (clearance) later ? ( if
>you understand what I'm saying)
>
>The only alternative that I can think of  at this moment is that in cash
>payments , such clients should fax over their CC details to the Co.

You can't guarantee that people who pay cash have credit-cards. What you 
need to do is to record that an individual has placed an order, you may 
choose to reserve the goods at that point. If so you attach a "Sold" 
label to the goods and wait for payment to arrive.

That might involve local customers driving to the warehouse, paying for 
the goods and taking them away. It may mean waiting for a cheque to 
arrive by post, at which point you ship the goods out. You may also need 
to allow for people who show up without pre-ordering and want to buy 
from the warehouse, just like a traditional retailer.

There will be some people who reserve the goods but then change their 
mind. You need to set a time limit. When the limit expires you either 
just take the sold sticker off of the goods, or you pick up the phone 
and ask the customer what has gone wrong.

What your client is looking for is a hybrid of e-business and a 
traditional mail-order or retail company. It doesn't seem particularly 
unusual to me.

If you need a business analyst to put together the different parts of 
the system then contact me, I'm available at very reasonable rates. 
Popular prices, as the saying goes. Your client really should be talking 
to someone who understands things like cash-flow forecasting.



-- 
Bernard Peek
bap at shrdlu.com
www.diversebooks.com: SF & Computing book reviews and more.....

In search of cognoscenti


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