Renew via Google

Hi,

One happy DH customer here. I am up for renewal, and would want to pay via google checkout, but in the payment option there is no mention of google. There is the direct renewal option, the check option, or the paypal one. Is Google an option at all?

Let me know pls.

Cheers

This is primarily a customer-to-customer forum. You'd get the best answer by submitting a support ticket through the Dreamhost panel.

BTW, my panel doesn't contain an option for paying for a renewal or other fees via Google checkout either, so it may just be an option available for initial signup.

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The majority of payment problems reported here has involved Google Checkout.

I highly recommend using PayPal

So have we found out whether we can renew via Google Checkout?

Well, since it seems to be such a hot topic, I submitted a low priority support ticket asking this question. We should hear back by tomorrow or so.

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Well, I heard back from Ryan in Support:

In reply to:

---

I'm sorry for the confusion. Google Checkout is _only_ available when a balance is due. If an account shows a balance of $0, then Google Checkout won't be shown on the Make Payment page. Since registrations and renewals must be pre-paid, indeed, Google Checkout is not an option for renewal. The reason it is available for signups is that the balance for the hosting/registration is assessed prior to activation and thus there will be a balance due and then Google Checkout is a possible payment option (you have to pay before any registration or renewal if it isn't covered by a hosting plan's credit, in other words). You didn't provide a link to a forum post, but you may want to pass on this information and wiki link:
http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Payment_methods

---

and indeed, the wiki does mention that Google Checkout is only an option if you have a balance due, and as Ryan says, this means that Google Checkout is not an option for renewal.

What are 50DISK50, 3DOM50, and 1IP1DOM50?
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Thanks for the follow up!

This forum needs more people like you to provide better support

Anytime!

Actually, I think the forum is filled with folks who are even more helpful (and perhaps more importantly, more knowledgeable) than I am!

What are 50DISK50, 3DOM50, and 1IP1DOM50?
They're Dreamhost coupons!

I hate to ask the obvious, but why is there this distinction on google checkout?

My curiosity is slightly academic, but practical as well - I'm considering adding google checkout to my website, and am currently evaluating it's features and people's experiences with it.

It could very well be an issue of fraud prevention. From people's description of using Google Checkout, it adds a delay until the payment clears.

The Google Checkout FAQ says it may take several days before the charge hits your credit card. If this is the case, that just adds more time before potential fraud can be detected.

I don't know why this is different from PayPal, which I haven't heard any complaints about.

-Scott

I don't really know either and I've been thinking about it a while. My first instinct would have been that it was a higher cost method of payment from the DH perspective, but I've heard that Google Checkout has the same fees as most merchants - though it may be that DH has negotiated lower fees with their credit card vendors, given their transaction volume.

Dunno, maybe it's some quirk of transaction processing with Google Checkout where it requires more merchant product information than other forms of payment? Perhaps we'll see Google Checkout for renewals later when DH has finished the extra coding, if that's what's required.

For those who want Google Checkout for renewals, it would help to add it as a Suggestion in the Panel. There are a couple of suggestions already for Google Checkout generally (already implemented) and for donations (more specific), but I think one specifically for renewals would be looked upon kindly.

What are 50DISK50, 3DOM50, and 1IP1DOM50?
They're Dreamhost coupons!