I've seen many recommendations for CDGcommerce here, so I have been strongly considering giving them my business. However, I must say I am not impressed by their website. The gateway demo that I saw was not pretty. And on the Merchant Signup form appears:

Warning: Supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/.sites/75/site8/web/onlineapp/onlineapp.php on line 128

I know I'm not supposed to judge the book by its cover, but if their website is going to be my primary point of contact with CDGcommerce, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if it looked as though they had put some effort into developing and maintaining it. One of my complaints against PaySystems was that their control panel was difficult to use, but it looked a whole lot better than CDGcommerce's.

Comments, anyone?

I don't think there's anything wrong with the gateway (I use it) - it's straight to the point and easy to use. Is there anything that you were wondering about with the gateway system (CDGGateway/iTransact)?

- Matt

Hi Stridel,

The non-critical error line that you mentioned on the online app has already been fixed, we were adding a new function into the online app system at that moment.

However, it didn't affect any apps being submitted at the time during the brief period that it may have been shown.

Nonetheless, I can see why it might have looked odd at the moment you were viewing the page, sorry about any confusion caused. :)

Regarding our Web site... I'm not sure what about it you don't like?

We always welcome any constructive criticism or ideas on how we can improve our services and merchant processing program, so please let us know on this and we will be happy to take it under consideration.

With respect to the CDGGateway system, the goal in its layout was to be functional and easy to use.

We do offer a full line of gateways - Authorize.Net, Plug 'n' Pay, Paradata, CyberSource, Verisign, etc. so if you have a specific need or feature that you feel isn't addressed with CDGGateway, perhaps one of these other gateway options may be better suited to you.

Mods: please feel free to edit/remove this post if this is in any way contrary to the forum TOS.

I'm not sure what about it you don't like?

I don't have any major complaints, but here are some examples:

1) When I viewed the demo control panel, each component opened up in its own window which was slightly taller than my screen. In itself this is not a big deal, but a) I wonder why it is that way, and b) if I find myself resizing each window every time, that will get annoying pretty quickly.

2) The pages within the control panel are very simple (one might even say crude) HTML (e.g. Account Settings), which suggests to me that its developers were more interested in keeping their costs down than in providing a well-designed interface. Usually when I see such simplistic pages on the web, they don't work very well. What I'm basically saying is that if I compare CDGcommerce to Wells Fargo, for instance, Wells Fargo looks more professional. Now, I realize that such professionalism comes at a price (which is why I'm not going to apply for a merchant account from WF), but ideally I'd like to strike a happy medium. (I also realize that a slick website is no sure indication of professionalism.)

3) The CDGCommerce logo on the WHT promo page does not link to the index page as it does on other pages. This leads me to assume that whoever coded the page was sloppy, which in turn makes me wonder what else doesn't work.

4) The same applies to the sql error, which you already addressed.

I have been so angry at PaySystems lately that I have become hypercritical of anyone who wants to sell me merchant account services.

Regarding #1 & #2 - these were done by design. While I know that some folks may prefer a snazzier & glossier look & feel - most folks indicated that they preferred a faster and more functional design so that is what we went with.

I think that different gateways reflect different approaches.

For instance, Authorize.Net has a streamlined interface designed for speed w/ minimal graphics. Verisign's interface & CyberSource seem a little nicer looking and Plug 'n' Pay probably has the absolute most basic HTML type forms that I've ever seen. I'd say that CDGGateway is somewhere in the middle.

But each system has its own set of pros and cons and is a good match for different needs.

Regarding #3 - I just checked and I'm not sure that I am seeing what you mean. Our logo on that page links back to our main index page and we haven't changed anything on that in awhile.

Regarding #4 - that was only there very briefly and was resolved.

And no worries on the comments... like I say, we are always wanting to make sure we provide the best possible service and options to all of our merchants and we take this very seriously.

And... sorry to hear about your troubles with PaySystems. I know that sometimes frustrating experiencs can make someone jaded and a bit gunshy at the slightest concern with a subsequent processor.

Please let me know if I can do anything else to help alleviate any concerns or provide further details on anything. Thanks! :)

Regarding #3 - I just checked and I'm not sure that I am seeing what you mean. Our logo on that page links back to our main index page and we haven't changed anything on that in awhile.

At www.cdgcommerce.com/wht.php (http://www.cdgcommerce.com/wht.php) your logo (the Greek temple), in the upper left hand corner, is not a link. When I place the cursor over it, the cursor doesn't turn into a hand. On other pages, such as http://www.cdgcommerce.com/about.php, it is a link. When I place the cursor over it, the cursor turns into a hand. I'm using IE 6.

Ah ok... now I see what you are referring to. :)

Thanks for pointing that out, it has now been fixed.

The paysystems panel MUST be the eaisest out there to use. Also this point has been raised before..

Are you looking for webdevlopers or merchants accounts :)

I've seen some terrible websites from major banks it doesnt stop people from routing billions through them. I remember it was only last year that Streamline had a Frontpage site!...

Originally posted by 74s3
Are you looking for webdevlopers or merchants accounts :)

I think this is a key point to touch on. Let the service speak for itself. I agree that a website is like a storefront for a Brick and Mortar business. However, if a mom and pop shop like the way it looks for 30 years without updating, however, they make the best ice cream...are you going to stop buying from them?

If someone has a superior product or service, a lot of times, it doesn't matter what their storefront looks like.


PS - I'm not feeling too well today, so any of my posts today (including the above) seem a little ramblish, sorry! :(

The paysystems panel MUST be the eaisest out there to use.

Here's one of my complaints about Pissystems's control panel. I have a lot of recurring charges. When a customer is removed from the recurring database, PS doesn't notify me via email. The only way for me to know that I'm no longer being paid by that customer is to log into the control panel and look at the list of deleted recurring charges, which is not ordered by date, so I have to search through three pages of entries to find the new one. Very inefficient.

Originally posted by Spridel
Here's one of my complaints about Pissystems's control panel. I have a lot of recurring charges. When a customer is removed from the recurring database, PS doesn't notify me via email. The only way for me to know that I'm no longer being paid by that customer is to log into the control panel and look at the list of deleted recurring charges, which is not ordered by date, so I have to search through three pages of entries to find the new one. Very inefficient.
Are you looking for the gateway to handle the recurring billing? I'm using the CDGGateway for recurring billing, and it couldn't be easier. Only one gripe - if I setup recurring bill to bill on the 15th of each month, and I charge somebody on lets say August 1st, it won't bill them again on August 15th (it will wait until September 15th to start). You can get around that by manually resubmitting the transaction for the amount that you need during that first month, and it'll handle everything after that. Also, if a recurring payment fails, you will need to manually reprocess it when your client's CC works again - the gateway doesn't automatically do it (for obvious reasons).

- Matt