journal features

good e-commerce experience

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Kokubunji, 2021.11.14

I had an unusually good e-commerce experience with a company called Number Barn that lets you park phone numbers. I entered all the details including the PIN and so on from the Canadian firm that’s hosting Mari’s former Toronto number into the US-based Number Barn. I got to the payment part and realized that my Canadian credit card number, which they have on file because I’m already storing a number there, wasn’t going to work because something’s gone wrong with that credit card lately. So I tried entering my Japanese credit card and when that failed (their system only recognizes US postal codes) I contacts their chatbot.

Then I noticed that I had a “cart” and clicked on it. Despite my two-stage exit from the purchase process, everything was exactly where I was when I realized that my credit card was no good.

Then overnight their people got back to me (the hint is to use a fake postal code of six zeros) and I’m able to go ahead.

Such a nice break from most e-commerce/carts, which would have broken down when I needed to correct the c/c number. It really highlights how most of the world’s engines stalled years ago.

rand()m quote

You have to choose between trusting to the natural stability of gold and the natural stability of the honesty and intelligence of the members of the Government. And, with due respect for these gentlemen, I advise you, as long as the Capitalist system lasts, to vote for gold.

—George Bernard Shaw