immediate??? not quite, still waiting on my reg. key!!!

kremkex · 04-02-2007, 04:26 PM

bought the electronic license and was promised immediate shipping, since well, it's only through the internet and still nothing! extremely frustrating to say the least, went to the blasted customer portal and was told i had made no purchases! i'm out 25 dollars already and this company says i haven't spent a dime??? not quite kosher is it. bought photoimpact frm ulead and the moment the payment went through i had the reg.key in my inbox...... getting quite angry...

Linkster · 04-02-2007, 05:35 PM

did you receive an email invoice for the purchase? If so, it should have indicated the status of your order. Many orders are "queued" for manual review by an automated fraud checking system, and these can take longer to process. If you send an email to sales@inicom.net with information about your order, we can look into it for you.

Seome · 04-02-2007, 05:42 PM

You should now have your registration key. Your order was paused for manual review because a fraud warning flag was thrown by the order. There was nothing wrong with the order so this pause has been removed. If you do not receive your key by email you can access it through the Customer Portal on the website under the category "My FlashFXP Keys".

Registration keys are delivered by email immediately after an order finishes processing. In some cases a warning flag is thrown so we take a manual look at the order, this could delay the order processing until the next business day. In some other cases payments are in a delayed form such as electronic checking, once we are notified by the bank or Paypal that the money has cleared the automated system will send the registration key.

-Chris
iniCom Networks Support

DayCuts · 04-04-2007, 10:42 AM

Just a few comments regarding the automated fraud detection system that pauses/queues purchases..

1. If it is paused for manual review, then it should not process the financial transaction yet. (processing the financial transaction somewhat defeats the purpose i would think)
2. If it is paused for manual review, then it would be nice if the person was given a visual indication that such an action has taken place, on screen, after the customer has submitted/confirmed.

Saracen · 04-21-2007, 07:24 AM

I am in the same situation - I placed an order, authorized the payment and am now sitting with the order marked "Queued".

I have checked with my payment system and the transaction has completed, and the product paid for.

But do I have a reg key? No.

Did I even get the courtesy of an auto email saying the order was delayed? No.

Does the system make it clear that the order has been "flagged"? Unless you spot the "Queued" flag, and it isn't exactly obvious, no.

Is "Queued" explained? No.

Have I had a response to my email query? No.

This order was part of an evaluation my company is doing for a corporate client, looking to equip some 600+ engineers with FTP access to their servers for access to manuals, procedures, verification forms and drivers. Four products were ordered, three delivered immediately, installed and evaluation started.

The lack of response from Inicom's system has meant that three products are being tested and evaluated, one is not. And to proceed with the test, I'll have to make another (and unnecessary) trip to the client premises.

Based on experience to date, are Inicom going to get the order? Guess what ..... No.

Guys .... if you're going to "pause for manual review because a fraud warning flag was thrown". then please TELL YOUR CUSTOMERS WHAT'S GOING ON.

My situation is now this. If the reg key is not received in my email inbox by 8AM GMT Monday morning, the evaluation will continue with three products only. At that point, my interest in FlashFXP will cease. Please feel free to keep the $25 reg fee, don't bother to send the reg code and also delete my account.

DayCuts is absolutely right. If you are going to "manually review" an order, you should not process the payment and you should inform the customer. Once you have the payment, and you do, you should send the reg code.

Am I a happy customer? No.

MxxCon · 04-21-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saracen

My situation is now this. If the reg key is not received in my email inbox by 8AM GMT Monday morning, the evaluation will continue with three products only. At that point, my interest in FlashFXP will cease. Please feel free to keep the $25 reg fee, don't bother to send the reg code and also delete my account.

like it's been said multiple times on this forum, inicom doesn't process orders over the weekend, and they are working on PST, so 8am GMT will be 12am PST Sunday, when everybody will be sleeping.
from what I've seen on this forum, all the people that complained about delayed orders turned out to be at fault. they either didn't have enough money on their account, provided wrong info or whatever else. 99.9% of all orders are processed without any problems and key is mailed out within 5min.

as for evaluating FlashFXP and passing on it purely because on one order problem, you will be doing a major disservice to your users. your users will not care about ordering process. they will never see it. and from your side, it's a one time purchase, once you have the license, you'll never have to renew it again.
and statistically one order isn't representative of this process.
but good luck to your engineers with that inferior ftp software that you'll purchase.

Saracen · 04-21-2007, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

like it's been said multiple times on this forum, inicom doesn't process orders over the weekend, and they are working on PST, so 8am GMT will be 12am PST Sunday, when everybody will be sleeping.

The evaluation schedule is fixed, equipment booked and firewall configuration already scheduled. I have a test slot, and it isn't within my control, or my power to change. Either the key arrives in time or it doesn't. But if that slot is missed, bureaucracy kicks in and it clobbers other things.

And how would I know, or care, what's been said multiple times times on this forum? I only signed up yesterday, and even that is only because you can't order the software without it.

The feature comparison is complete, and the four leading contenders are in. The testing phase starts at 8AM GMT, whether Inicom are still tucked up in bed or not, and if the key isn't with me by that time, it goes ahead without Flash. This isn't about whether one order is screwed up or not, it's about not delaying the evaluation, because of the backend problems it'll cause, especially with this particular client.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

from what I've seen on this forum, all the people that complained about delayed orders turned out to be at fault. they either didn't have enough money on their account, provided wrong info or whatever else. 99.9% of all orders are processed without any problems and key is mailed out within 5min.

Maybe so. But it does me no good at all. Either the key arrives in time or it doesn't. Either way, the evaluation goes ahead on schedule. And, as I said, I have checked that the payment has been taken. It has.

If Inicom have flagged this because some fraud flags have been raised, they should not have charged my account. But they did ... and now aren't supplying. Whatever the reason for the flag, they should either :-

- flag it and email a message saying there's a delay, and not take the money until they've satisfied themselves and are prepared to fulfil their commitment, OR

- take the money and supply the key.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

as for evaluating FlashFXP and passing on it purely because on one order problem, you will be doing a major disservice to your users.

I have my brief, and clear instructions. I am NOT going to screw with the schedule.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

as for evaluating FlashFXP and passing on it purely because on one order problem, you will be doing a major disservice to your users.

It won't get passed because of the order problem. It'll get passed because it'll never get tested, if that key isn't there by the time the testing starts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

.... and from your side, it's a one time purchase, once you have the license, you'll never have to renew it again.

Which is of zero relevance to my process. If the software doesn't meet our needs, it won't get past the test. If it does, then there'll be no need for upgrades. Either it's suitable or it isn't. And if the licence was such that a regular fee (such as an annual charge) was required just to continue to use the existing version, it would never have made the shortlist.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

... and statistically one order isn't representative of this process.

Again, that's not relevant. Delaying the testing will cause all sorts of problems, and it simply isn't going to happen. It's not worth the hassle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

but good luck to your engineers with that inferior ftp software that you'll purchase.

Oh, give me a break. Even if Flash is the best FTP client out there (and my personal opinion is that it probably is), there are several other products eminently capable of doing the job, and I'm familiar enough with them to be happy they'll all pass the tests. But we need to run and document the tests to tick the boxes the client requires to be ticked.

MxxCon · 04-21-2007, 06:41 PM

and fyi, flashfxp is fully functional in trial unregistred form. your testing can commence regardless if you have the key by your deadline or not. but i'm sure to you it's "not relevant".
sounds like you just want to throw a fuss regardless of what's being said and instead of actually testing it, so whatever.

Saracen · 04-22-2007, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

and fyi, flashfxp is fully functional in trial unregistred form. your testing can commence regardless if you have the key by your deadline or not. but i'm sure to you it's "not relevant".
sounds like you just want to throw a fuss regardless of what's being said and instead of actually testing it, so whatever.

You're quite right, it's not relevant.

The client lays down test procedures, and part of the protocol is that testing is ALWAYS done on full versions, and never on any form of trial software. In some cases, the trial software may be fully functional, in others it's claimed to be so, but installing makes system changes. It is not a true test if you aren't testing in a live environment. Why do you think we buy full versions of all the candidate software to test? Because we like spending money on something that'll get used for a few hours? It's because it's the client's instructions, whether you approve or disapprove.

Look, I understand you're loyal to Flash. That's great. But insulting me and suggesting I'm just wanting to throw a fuss is not going to help Inicom's case.

I've said it before, but you seem to be ignoring it. We work to the CLIENT'S protocol. They determine what we can and can't do, and when things take place. You raising one point after another that is either irrelevant or simply not possible is just a waste of time. As I said, either the key arrives or it doesn't. At 8AM GMT it becomes academic, if the key isn't there.

So if you've got nothing more to contribute than insulting me, why don't you just butt out and leave it to Inicom to deal with?

DYN_DaTa · 04-22-2007, 09:16 AM

Saracen, i've been working with clients on my past job (IT consultant, working with big partners like Oracle, Microsoft and some of the biggest IT companies of my country, like Telefonica and Vodafone).

And yes, i've been evaluating a bunch of software for some of their projects, i have some experience on this field: from 15$ software to thousands of dollars. I also believe on deadlines, time constraints and so on, specially when those are mandatory and set-up by the client

.

But ... i also know that ALL the things of this world (IT) suffer from delays, eventual and unexpected problems. You're evaluating some FTP software for your client and you need a FlashFXP license right now. Well, it seems that there's a problem with your license order and this problem is preventing you for evaluate FlashFXP.

If the license doesn't arrive at your deadline there's a temporal solution: download and show to your client the trial version. As far as i know, the trial version has the SAME funcionality as the full version (no crippleware here). Tell your client that there's a slighty problem with the purchase of the license, a TEMPORAL problem that will be addressed as soon as possible but meanwhile you (or your client) can evaluate the whole program. Unless you client has a real reason to not evaluate trial software (i can't find any right now, mainly because the purpouse of evaluating software involves evaluating a trial version before buying it) it shouldn't be a problem. Really, it shouldn't be a problem.

Tell your client that unregistered FlashFXP can pass any test-case (like the full version) and i'm sure that, if you evaluate it, you'll choose FlashFXP for your needs.

Regards.

Saracen · 04-22-2007, 10:38 AM

I appreciate the perspective, Dyn_DaTa, and the attempt to help, but I'm a bit constrained in what I can say without giving away more than I'm allowed to say. I've probably already said more than I should.

Put it this way. Clients vary. Some are amenable to variation, others are rigid to be point of the ridiculous. If this test does not complete on time, it will require renegotiating some of the conditions, like access via some very tight firewalls, and that will require it to go through another approvals process, a series of meetings and sign-offs, and so on. And I have no doubt that the opportunity will be taken for some old arguments to be revisited. I am NOT going to be responsible for kicking that off, and certainly not over a bog-standard FTP client.

The whole thing is, in my view, entirely unrealistic in that it's been set up with time constraints that are unreasonably tight, but as I said earlier, it's out of my control. But the fact remains that the brief is what it is, and that unless all the other products fail the testing (and I can pretty much guarantee none will), then the decision will be made on the basis of this test, and it goes ahead on schedule, with or without Flash.

The object of this exercise is to prove and document that any of the products on the shortlist are capable of fulfilling the needs, and at that point another set of criteria will determine which one gets used. The feature criteria suggest that any of the four will do the job, and my own experience and informal tests confirm that none are likely to fail. Nonetheless, we have to dot the i's and cross the t's, and complete the paperwork. But unless that documentation is available to support that, that product gets excluded.

Unfortunately, your solution won't work. This isn't about "showing" the software to the client - it''s about formally using the software to complete a defined set of tests and documenting the log results. As I said before, they will not agree to trial software. We're past that point. They do have their reasons for that stance and, generally, I agree with them. It may well be the case that adding a reg key merely disables a time limit, BUT .... we don't have source code access and can't be entirely sure of what happens when you register a product. This decision is not related to Flash specifically, but is a procedural decision that determines a rigorous approach to evaluation for ALL software. The reason for that decision is, shall we say, previous experience.

I am not at all happy, personally, with Inicom. I think their procedure stinks. I have a very good idea what has raised their flags, but if they are going to raise flags over what has been suggested is likely to be fraud concerns, then they should not have proceeded to take payment, because the implication is that the cardholder has not authorized the transaction. Precisely what justification do they have for going ahead with the charge in that situation?

If they suspect that the payment method is not legit or that it is in some way fraudulent, then why on earth charge the card? It's totally indefensible.

If it's not a suspicion of fraud, then it may be because of information supplied, or not supplied. For instance, a telephone number is not going to be supplied. The client certainly won't provide that, and neither will I. Again, either decline/delay the transaction on that basis and don't charge, or charge and supply the key that they've taken payment for. What is NOT acceptable is to take the money and THEN decide to decline to supply.

In any event, all that is supposition because I haven't heard from Inicom as to what the problem is. All I DO know is that they've taken the money, then deferred the order. But at 8AM tomorrow morning, the why's and wherefore's of what happened become academic, and my interest in why they flagged the order will cease.

But in any event, none of that will have any bearing on the test process, however much I think their process stinks. But if the key isn't in my inbox at the stated time, and so far it isn't so it doesn't look likely to happen, then the why's and wherefore's of what happened become academic and Flash is out of the running. It isn't me that will lose out, and it isn't the client - because the evaluation will conclude and a product will be selected that will do the job. It is not, after all, exactly a demanding set of requirements. It may even be that Inicom won't lose out, since they may not have been selected anyway. But they'll lose the chance.

Maybe Inicom will learn something from this. Firstly, don't charge until or unless you're prepared to actually stump up the reg key. Secondly, if they are going to insist on using forums to handle support and sales, then at least monitor them out of hours. While they're at it, do the same to emails to support.

Saracen · 04-23-2007, 03:04 AM

Well, the testing deadline came and went with no key, so that's that.

Shame, because Flash was my personal favorite.

IpComics · 07-01-2007, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MxxCon

and fyi, flashfxp is fully functional in trial unregistred form. your testing can commence regardless if you have the key by your deadline or not. but i'm sure to you it's "not relevant".
sounds like you just want to throw a fuss regardless of what's being said and instead of actually testing it, so whatever.

Well, the situation is the same her! I have tested it, and found it great, but now the testing period is gone (and of course that happend when I had most use for it)!

Buying a license electronic through the net use to go fastr than your thoughts at other companies, or at least we are given a warning.

I suggest you skip this option and mail everything, then we would know about the dely and not pay for something we don't get. The net is full of good tools, and "angry woices" from a seller are not anything to grow custemors on!!

I think I just try to get my money back!??

Ivan