USPS module is "forcing" Express Mail option

[foxkitsinc 0]

I have recently had problems with our USPS module forcing customers to pay the Express Mail rate, no matter which USPS option they select the Express fee is charged - even when the item is not something that can be shipped! I have looked on the USPS site and the forum but can't find anything on the topic. I would be happy just to deselect all USPS options except Priority Mail. Can anyone tell me how to do this? Thanks.

[Guest]

Mine is doing the same thing. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

[foxkitsinc 0]

Folks,

 

I found the problem! I contacted USPS and they insisted that my WebTools account was set up and working properly. I asked about the changes with the recent rate increases and they assured me that those made no difference with my shopping cart. Their suggestion was that I had a problem with my osCommerce cart or that my web server may have something in cache that was messing the price query up. Since I had made no changes to my cart prior to the problem starting I went right to my web server.

 

Wow! I actually got a real person (who spoke my language!) and they starting checking my osCommerce files. (Note: this service cost extra - since osCommerce isn't their software and programming my cart isn't part of my service - but it was worth the minor fee.) Within an hour the programmer at my web server had confirmed that all my osCommerce files and settings were correct. Cool - while I hadn't thought there was a problem there, it was good to hear from an expert. As a last resort he contacted USPS himself. He found out that since I am running version 2.2 (apparently there is a newer version?) that he needed a patch installed on the server for version 2.2 to work with the newest APIs running with USPS. He installed those (there were absolutely no changes to any of my files) and everything works as advertised.

 

So, contact your web server and get them to get the patch from USPS and install it - it should fix your problems and any like problems other osCommerce users on your server are having.

 

Hope this helps! :rolleyes:

[pfilias 0]

Folks,

 

I found the problem! I contacted USPS and they insisted that my WebTools account was set up and working properly. I asked about the changes with the recent rate increases and they assured me that those made no difference with my shopping cart. Their suggestion was that I had a problem with my osCommerce cart or that my web server may have something in cache that was messing the price query up. Since I had made no changes to my cart prior to the problem starting I went right to my web server.

 

Wow! I actually got a real person (who spoke my language!) and they starting checking my osCommerce files. (Note: this service cost extra - since osCommerce isn't their software and programming my cart isn't part of my service - but it was worth the minor fee.) Within an hour the programmer at my web server had confirmed that all my osCommerce files and settings were correct. Cool - while I hadn't thought there was a problem there, it was good to hear from an expert. As a last resort he contacted USPS himself. He found out that since I am running version 2.2 (apparently there is a newer version?) that he needed a patch installed on the server for version 2.2 to work with the newest APIs running with USPS. He installed those (there were absolutely no changes to any of my files) and everything works as advertised.

 

So, contact your web server and get them to get the patch from USPS and install it - it should fix your problems and any like problems other osCommerce users on your server are having.

 

Hope this helps! :rolleyes:

 

Can you be more specific about what "patch" from USPS you're talking about?

[foxkitsinc 0]

Sorry. When I spoke with the USPS they insisted the problem was with osC. My web server provider spoke with them later and worked out the patch issue. Maybe just telling them you are running osC 2.2 and you need the patch to update for the new postal rates will be enough. I asked my web server rep. for any files, etc., that he adjusted in case I had to make any updates to my osC in the future. He assured me that all the changes were on his end (not in my files.) So, my understanding is that the server techs have to make this patch. In the event that you operate a server you can try contacting iPower.com to see if they can tell you what patch they installed.

[zuckerwar 0]

I had the same problem and just fixed it. My osCommerce was an older version that came packaged with a template.

 

NOTE: the USPS shipping module that is packaged with osCommerce IS NOT the "USPS Methods" contribution!

 

1. download the latest version of osCommerce and extract it to your hard drive

2. you'll find the USPS shipping module at includes/modules/shipping/usps.php (dated Jan 9 2008)

3. go to your admin control panel and remove the old USPS shipping module (write down your USPS username and password first!)

4. upload the new usps.php file to your server in the includes/modules/shipping directory and overwrite the old file

5. install the USPS module from your admin panel and fill in the information (username, password, etc.)

 

That's it!

[foxkitsinc 0]

I had the same problem and just fixed it. My osCommerce was an older version that came packaged with a template.

 

NOTE: the USPS shipping module that is packaged with osCommerce IS NOT the "USPS Methods" contribution!

 

1. download the latest version of osCommerce and extract it to your hard drive

2. you'll find the USPS shipping module at includes/modules/shipping/usps.php (dated Jan 9 2008)

3. go to your admin control panel and remove the old USPS shipping module (write down your USPS username and password first!)

4. upload the new usps.php file to your server in the includes/modules/shipping directory and overwrite the old file

5. install the USPS module from your admin panel and fill in the information (username, password, etc.)

 

That's it!

 

Sounds like "Z" had the same symptoms caused by a different problem. Please correct me if I misunderstood but it sounds like his problem was with his usps.php file while mine was caused by something external to my installation of osC. None of my files were updated to fix my problem - apparently it was something on the server that USPS didn't like (maybe a security issue or something). Anyway, it looks like there may be more than one cause for the "forcing Express Mail" problem. So, before you can fix the issue you will need to figure out which is the cause.

 

Good Luck!

[zuckerwar 0]

Sounds like "Z" had the same symptoms caused by a different problem. Please correct me if I misunderstood but it sounds like his problem was with his usps.php file while mine was caused by something external to my installation of osC. None of my files were updated to fix my problem - apparently it was something on the server that USPS didn't like (maybe a security issue or something). Anyway, it looks like there may be more than one cause for the "forcing Express Mail" problem. So, before you can fix the issue you will need to figure out which is the cause.

 

Good Luck!

 

I just installed the USPS Methods v. 3.0.2.1 and it works fine too. So if you have this contribution installed and it isn't working properly I'd recommend updating to this version.

[akawero 0]

I just wanted to say "Thank you" to zuckerwar. I spent the whole day trying to resolve the issue where the shipping kept reverting back to "Express Mail". I followed his instructions and it fixed my issue.