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New UK DSR regs and have you had to change your site


14steve14

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Just a bit of a silly post really in respect of the new Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 that come into force on 13 June 2014 in the UK and I do believe in the EU also.

What have you done to ensure that your business complies to these new regulations. I have read them and made a few minor changes such as information on final checkout page, returns policy and returns postage costs, and also to our terms and conditions. Am I missing something here, or is it really this simple.

REMEMBER BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

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Ummmm news to me - Ill have to take a look at that one...........

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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Hi Again, This link gives some useful info: http://www.eversheds.com/global/en/what/articles/index.page?ArticleID=en/Retail/Consumer_law_changes_for_2014_130214

 

From what I read,

  • the cooling off period has changed from 7 to 14 days - simple change to Ts & Cs
  • The Buy Now button needs to be renamed? to: "order with obligation to pay" - that will confuse / scare a lot away!
  • The pre-ticked shipping method needs to be removed - eg allow customer to tick their own choice
  • Most of the other stuff is covered by the store generated emails - eg. provision of contract in durable medium etc.

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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@@14steve14 I was looking at this a couple of weeks back, and then promptly forgot about it, thanks for bringing it up.

 

Code wise, there are only a couple of things to:

 

Buy Now button.  I did not like *at all* the need to change the words from "buy" to "buy with obligation to pay".  Instead I thought to have words in T & C stating that any mention of "buy now" means "buy now with obligation to purchase". I'm not sure if that's enough though.  Code would be the button text in /includes/languages/english.php (and any other languages)

 

Any pre-ticked selection boxes need to be unticked.  This is easy enough to change.  Eg in checkout_shipping

$checked = (($quotes[$i]['id'] . '_' . $quotes[$i]['methods'][$j]['id'] == $shipping['id']) ? true : false);

becomes

$checked = false;

The rest of the changes, I suppose are T & C items which are (ir)relevant to each shopowner on a shop by shop basis.

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@@burt @@14steve14

 

As I thought then - the interesting question would be the Paypal Express Checkout method of checking out - any ideas how this would work?

 

I dont currently use paypal-express (but may do very soon) so will add some text on the order confirmation screen either above or below the "Confirm" button, stating somethink like "By pressing the Confirm button below / above you are agreeing to buy the items in your basket with an obligation to pay"

 

Thanks Gary for the code change for removing the pre-ticked shipping boxes

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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In checkout_confirmation.php I have changed the very bottom of the file to read as per:

<div style="float: right;text-align:right;margin-top:5px;">
<?php echo "<i>By pressing the Confirm Order button you are agreeing<br> to buy the items in your basket with an obligation to pay</i>";?>
</div>
</form>

<?php
  require(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'template_bottom.php');
  require(DIR_WS_INCLUDES . 'application_bottom.php');
?>

This gives the text below the Confirm Order button as per the screenshot below:

 

 

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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I was talking on another forum about this and could see no mention of it here, which is why I mentioned it.

 

I added the following text  to the checkout_payment page. "Completing the transaction will result in the order being accepted and a charge will apply." which is what a few others added, and is pretty much what @@Mort-lemur has done.

 

I have altered the terms and conditions to reflect the changes in the rights to cancel time limit and also the payment of return postage.

 

Not too sure yet on what to change the final checkout button too as there seems to be nothing really sensible and straight to the point, or at least what I can think of.

 

I have altered some small bits of text in the customer emails, but nothing too serious and nothing that really needed doing. Just thought it was about time they were updated.

 

I found 2 great pdfs from here http://www.trustedshops.co.uk/lp/consumer-contracts-regulation/welcome.html#signUp. unfortunately you have to sign up and hopefully if junk arrives it should be cancelled.

 

No doubt this is some more generated EU rubbish that few will implement and few will take notice off, like the EU cookie policy. I still see so many sites with nothing related to this policy.

REMEMBER BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

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Hi
 
Since we  in Germany have to struggle already longer with the matter and the new EU directive essentially is based on the German consumer law, I probably can give some hints: (I apologize in due form that the German lunacy is coming now over the whole EU ! :x )
 
You must inform the customer prior to completion of the purchase (checkout_confirmation),
- that he has the right within 14 days to cancel the purchase. There is an official EU sample text for the information of the right of cancellation that you should use. Most of us in Germany do that - as in the above screenshot of Mort-lemur  - with a link + checkbox on the checkout_confirmation.
- about the total price including tax and shipping (when shipping outside the EU also an indication that any customs and import duties may apply).
- about delivery times
- on the checkout_confirmation about the essential features of the articles, whatever this may be! For example the information: 1 x The Wheel Of Time + Price is not enough! You have to add further infos: CD, in a package, for Windows xxx........................ and so on.
 
On the checkout-confirmation the button must be changed so that unmistakably is clear that it is a purchase.  :blink:  "buy with obligation to pay" is NOT obligatory, buy or buy now is also permitted, but not confirm, confirm order or send order.
 
The confirmation mail must include
 - in German terms the "Anbieterkennzeichnung" (that's your company information)
- your terms and conditions
- and again informations about the right to cancel the purchase with the officially approved text.
.
You may add these informations as plain text,  for example as pdf file or in any other appropriate way to your confirmation mail.
 
You also have to offer your costumer a revocation form (there also exists an official EU sample). You may do that by adding another pdf file to your confirmation mail or by adding an online form to your website (with a link to in your confirmation mail). If you decide to implement an online form (as I did) you have to ensure that the customer "within a reasonable time" gets a confirmation of receipt.
 
I know it's a nightmare, but we'll have to see it through :'(
 
J.J.

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Do you think is it important to built into something the v2.3.4.1 core?

 

change need as was in v3 alpha 5.

Moreover i have put pdf attachment into all first orders and registration emails and integrated dompdf for doing up to date terms and condition to ensure the agreements with customers..

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@De Dokta, @@Gergely

 

What would in your views be the best way to add a copy of the Ts & Cs as a PDF on new orders?

 

Many Thanks

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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If I remember well the paypal express checkout overtake the confirmation button.. so there would be some conflict with the required logic..

 

 

First of all I have built information manager to my core. I have taken a menu for this http://mysite/pdf_download.php?info_id=63 etc.. This is the result of information manager and dompdf mix.

 

The second is to ensure as an attachment the pdf_download.php?info_id=63 in a first mail. The best way to use these in checkout_process.php and create_account.php

 

Basicly not need to built in information manager because language variable can use as an input for dompdf class.

 

Third is when I use the Ts & Cs as confirmation agreement text document on create_acount and checkout_confirmation pages.

 

Confirmation buttons is not displaying even if ticked of the agreement.

 

In the checkout regard of paypal express checkout should be on the shopping cart the confirmation tick.

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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What would in your views be the best way to add a copy of the Ts & Cs as a PDF on new orders?

 

@@Mort-lemur

 

I made it quick and dirty. :-

1. add your pdf file to the catalog directory - in my case AGB.pdf

2. add the following code to includes/functions/general.php:

  function tep_mail_attach($to_name, $to_email_address, $email_subject, $email_text, $from_email_name, $from_email_address, $file, $filename, $filetype) {

   if (SEND_EMAILS != 'true') return false;

   $message = new email(array('X-Mailer: osCommerce'));

   $text = strip_tags($email_text);
   if (email_USE_HTML == 'true') {
         $message->add_html($text);
   } else {
         $message->add_text($text);
   }

   $attachment = file_get_contents($file);
   $message->add_attachment($attachment, $filename, $filetype);
   
   $message->build_message();
   $message->send($to_name, $to_email_address, $from_email_name, $from_email_address, $email_subject);

 }

3. in the checkout_process change

  tep_mail($order->customer['firstname'] . ' ' . $order->customer['lastname'], $order->customer['email_address'], EMAIL_TEXT_SUBJECT, $email_order, STORE_OWNER, STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS);

to:

  tep_mail_attach($order->customer['firstname'] . ' ' . $order->customer['lastname'], $order->customer['email_address'], EMAIL_TEXT_SUBJECT, $email_order, STORE_OWNER, STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS, 'AGB.pdf', 'AGB.pdf', 'application/pdf');

That's it.

 

J.J.

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Would it just be a lot simpler to add something like MATC addon. Customers then have to click that they have read the T&Cs. You can choose where the addon displays the T&Cs such as account creation or checkout pages. My trouble in doing that is that I offer free downloads which bypasses the checkout and shipping pages, so have to have it show on the account creation page. Whether the customer reads the T&C is up to them, but there is nothing to say they read them when its sent as a PDF. I have thought of adding a check box for the T&C on the shopping cart page, though that may confuse customers, which if going by some of my customers is not that hard to do.

 

@@Gergely In a previous post I mentioned something about adding something to the core code that was country specific and i got told it will not happen. May I suggest that something like this needs to go into a package that can be added to a specific countries website, which can also include things like the EU cookie policy requirements, EU zones and Tax rates and also many other currencies. It would be then up to the store owner whether they add this package, but to conform to country specific legislation they should do. Doing something like this may make oscommerce different to some of its competitors and may even give it a USP(Unique selling point).

REMEMBER BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP

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@@14steve14

 

I don't understand your problem! If you offer downloads for free (no payment, no fee, no nothing else) it's NO purchase and then you can simply forget the whole EU stuff.

If you sell something then - according to the new EU directive - you have to add your terms and conditions in any appropriate way to your shop and confirmation mail. Period! The question is not whether your customer really reads them - that's up to him/her - the whole point is that you have to give your customers the option to view your T&C without a long search. I agree with you that you are legally on the safe side, if you build in a checkbox somewhere in the checkout process, where the customer has to confirm that he has read and accepted the T&C. You may use the MATC add-on or just the little bit of JS code that comes up every once in some threads.

 

I also believe that country-specific things do not belong to the core! To offer country-specific packages is a good idea - so good that it already exists in Germany as a package that covers all the legal requirements. :D  But this is a task that the Core team can hardly afford. For that task the communities in the various countries and regions should make an effort!

 

J.J.

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Hi all!

 

After some research I found the following..

 

SMTP compatible PhpMailer package contents html2text class as it has in MATC addon

 

If we use DeJaVuSans font library which is utf-8 compatible the generated pdf files has a consist of the font libary so the pdf files are could very large.
Generated pdf files are 700-800kb on languages when they have a built in DejaVuFont library against of localised font libraries could be only 17-18kb!

I think would be better to implementing txt file attachments in emails regard to attachments size rather than use pdf files.
The txt attachments has a disadvantage on clickable links.

On some linux server cant use diacritic or utf8 characters in file names so the normal translation dosent work in pdf file names. In general I should say that attachment name localisation doesnt work without ASCII conversion which as ability is not part of the core. The filename conversion coud be work with for example USU5 language character conversion logic where implemented all used language character conversion array.

 

Thoughts?

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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1. add your pdf file to the catalog directory - in my case AGB.pdf

2. add the following code to includes/functions/general.php:

  function tep_mail_attach($to_name, $to_email_address, $email_subject, $email_text, $from_email_name, $from_email_address, $file, $filename, $filetype) {

   if (SEND_EMAILS != 'true') return false;

   $message = new email(array('X-Mailer: osCommerce'));

   $text = strip_tags($email_text);
   if (email_USE_HTML == 'true') {
         $message->add_html($text);
   } else {
         $message->add_text($text);
   }

   $attachment = file_get_contents($file);
   $message->add_attachment($attachment, $filename, $filetype);
   
   $message->build_message();
   $message->send($to_name, $to_email_address, $from_email_name, $from_email_address, $email_subject);

 }

3. in the checkout_process change

  tep_mail($order->customer['firstname'] . ' ' . $order->customer['lastname'], $order->customer['email_address'], EMAIL_TEXT_SUBJECT, $email_order, STORE_OWNER, STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS);

to:

  tep_mail_attach($order->customer['firstname'] . ' ' . $order->customer['lastname'], $order->customer['email_address'], EMAIL_TEXT_SUBJECT, $email_order, STORE_OWNER, STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS, 'AGB.pdf', 'AGB.pdf', 'application/pdf');

That's it.

 

J.J.

 

A small addition: If you use multiple languages, you should copy the corresponding T&Cs to the respective language directory.

The code in the checkout_process then is like this:

$file = (DIR_WS_LANGUAGES . $language . '/AGB.pdf');
tep_mail_attach($order->customer['firstname'] . ' ' . $order->customer['lastname'], $order->customer['email_address'], EMAIL_TEXT_SUBJECT, $email_order, STORE_OWNER, STORE_OWNER_EMAIL_ADDRESS, $file, 'AGB.pdf', 'application/pdf');

J.J.

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@@De Dokta

 

Thank you for that code - sorry its taken me a while to get back to you - I have been upgrading to 2.3.4.

 

Will that code only send the PDF with the first order email?

 

What should be on the PDF? Im thinking the full Ts & Cs + Shipping Terms + Privacy policy?

 

Many Thanks

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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@@Mort-lemur

 

Yes, the pdf is sent only with the first order mail. All other mails you send to your customers come from the admin area.

 

It's up to you what you put into this pdf. I use the pdf only to attach my T&Cs and Privacy policy - I think, nobody really wants to read them! :D More important are the informations regarding the right to cancel the purchase which I added as plain text into the footer of the confirmation mail (with a link to the online form on our website). About shipping terms you must inform your customer prior to completion of the purchase. I think this is sufficiently done during the checkout process! (In Germany, it is now standard to attach the note under each price in the store: "including VAT plus shipping" - with a link to the shipping.php. :wacko: )

 

@@multimixer

 

The EU directive clearly states, that you have certain information obligations before AND after completion of a purchase. Read #8 in this thread where I tried to explain that in details.

 

J.J.

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@@De Dokta the attached file name is not reflected to the language. What does it mean AGB.pdf for a spanish or a french customer?

add to all language/checkout_process.php

define('EMAIL_PDF_ATTACHMENT_NAME', 'my-file-name.pdf');

and rather use in checkout_process.php :
 

$file = (DIR_WS_LANGUAGES . $language . '/' . EMAIL_PDF_ATTACHMENT_NAME);

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@De Dokta

 

Yes, very clear your post, and I was not referring to this particularly. A email attachment covers the "after" case however

 

@@Mort-lemur

 

An other point here is to keep things in some balance, to not scare people of with a whole lot of warnings, documents, I don't know what, just because they purchased a pair of socks

 

Just the minimum to be ok wit all that directives will be ok, do not add more than necessary

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@@Gergely

 

You are right! Thank you!

 

(you have then to put pdf files with different names to the respective language folders. german: AGB.pdf, english: maybe terms.pdf, french: conditions.pdf and so on)

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@@De Dokta Seems I cant use your code - Im using Fancier Invoice and Packing Slip - which bypasses the tep mail function

Now running on a fully modded, Mobile Friendly 2.3.4 Store with the Excellent MTS installed - See my profile for the mods installed ..... So much thanks for all the help given along the way by forum members.

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@@Mort-lemur

 

I see! I am not familiar with this tool, but when I look in the code, I would guess that you would have probably to incorporate parts of the code into the email_invoice.php. There is at the end (line 94 ff) a passage similar to the function tep_mail, but not quite the same!

 

Assuming that your pdf is located in the language folder and taking into account the above post of Gergely, I would try it like this:

 

        $ei_message->add_text($ei_text);
    }

    $file = (DIR_WS_LANGUAGES . $language . '/' . EMAIL_PDF_ATTACHMENT_NAME);
    $attachment = file_get_contents($file);
    $message->add_attachment($attachment, EMAIL_PDF_ATTACHMENT_NAME, 'application/pdf');



    $ei_message->build_message();

 

But I'm not sure and I can't test it. :unsure:

 

J.J.
 

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