Discount codes causing errors in registration process

Cara ONeil

We are experiencing a recurring issue wherein attempts to register for our TeamRaiser event using a discount code result in an error. This error occurs seemingly at random; causing problems for some discount codes but not others, even though all codes have been thoroughly checked and are activated and associated.

 

The error also occurs randomly across all browsers tested, from IE to Safari and beyond. Safari seems to be the most common problem, but no browser has been error-free yet.

 

The error reads:

Error: Please correct the errors highlighted below.

 

But there are no errors on the page; all registration fields have been filled out, the discount code has been entered correctly, etc. This error also occurs regardless of individual or team registration or participation level.

 

Is this a known issue? Better yet, is there a fix?

Kent Gilliam

Cara,

 

Did you happen to open a Support ticket for this issue? They are going to be the only ones that will be able to re-create your issue. I'm not aware of a bug that is randomly affecting TR registration discounts.

 

Kent

Cara ONeil

Kent Gilliam:

Cara,

 

Did you happen to open a Support ticket for this issue? They are going to be the only ones that will be able to re-create your issue. I'm not aware of a bug that is randomly affecting TR registration discounts.

 

Kent

I posted the issue here largely because I did not have access to the Support Center until late yesterday. This feature was only just added to my account.

 

I was finally able to get someone from Convio on the phone, and we did eventually figure out what the issue was.

 

Solution: The codes that were causing errors for constituents were all set to "Participant may use this discount only once." This feature needed to be de-selected for all discount codes, because it requires that the registrant be an EXISTING user--the code will not work for someone who is also creating a new TR record for him/herself.

 

Most of our constituents who were trying to use such codes are first-time users, so they could not be found by Convio in order to track and ensure the one-time usage. A built-in Catch-22 in TeamRaiser, it seems. It makes sense when you understand the back-end functionality, but the wording within the discount code setup could definitely be more clear and explicit so that people know what they are really getting when they select this option. Our actual intent was to prevent the sharing of codes outside of our sponsor companies, which is quite different. 

 

Fortunately, we were able to figure this out and resolve the issue in good time to help our constituents.

Kent Gilliam

Cara O'Neil:

I posted the issue here largely because I did not have access to the Support Center until late yesterday. This feature was only just added to my account.

 

I was finally able to get someone from Convio on the phone, and we did eventually figure out what the issue was.

 

Solution: The codes that were causing errors for constituents were all set to "Participant may use this discount only once." This feature needed to be de-selected for all discount codes, because it requires that the registrant be an EXISTING user--the code will not work for someone who is also creating a new TR record for him/herself.

 

Most of our constituents who were trying to use such codes are first-time users, so they could not be found by Convio in order to track and ensure the one-time usage. A built-in Catch-22 in TeamRaiser, it seems. It makes sense when you understand the back-end functionality, but the wording within the discount code setup could definitely be more clear and explicit so that people know what they are really getting when they select this option. Our actual intent was to prevent the sharing of codes outside of our sponsor companies, which is quite different. 

 

Fortunately, we were able to figure this out and resolve the issue in good time to help our constituents.

Thank you so much for sharing your solution!!!! I'll give both of your posts a Kudo. I'd give you more if I could. I really appreciate you taking the time to post the solution!

 

Kent