SOME COMMON PROBLEMS USING THE ON-LINE SHOP

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Have a look through the topics below starting with the text in red italics. If none of these topics relate to your problem, you may have a general problem related to your own PC and/or browser.  There are a couple of things you can try.

1. Clear your cache memory.  As you browse the web, Internet Explorer stores information about the websites you visit and information that you're frequently asked to provide (for example, your name and address). This can occasionally cause problems, so try deleting this information.   If you are using Internet Explorer 7:

To delete all browsing history:

In Internet Explorer, click the 'Tools' button, and then click 'Delete Browsing History'. Click 'Delete all', and then click Yes.  Close Internet Explorer, restart it and return to the On-Line Shop and try again.

There is a similar facility in Internet Explorer 6.

2. If you are having problems with Internet Explorer and you think that they might be caused by add-ons, you can start Internet Explorer with all add-ons turned off. By following the steps below, you can temporarily turn off all add-ons. The next time you start Internet Explorer, the add-ons will be turned on again. If you find that disabling all add-ons solves the problem you were having, you might want to disable the add-ons permanently. To learn how to do that, consult Internet Explorer Help.

To start Internet Explorer without add-ons: first close Internet Explorer if it is already running. In Windows, click Start, click All Programs, and then click Accessories. Click System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). Internet Explorer will start with add-ons disabled.  Return to the Sofer web site and try again.
If, when you check out and go to the HSBC secure Payments site, you get a message saying "128-bit encryption and cookies must be enabled for this transaction to continue", you either have an old browser e.g. an older version of Internet Explorer, or your browser settings are incorrect.

Your browser must be capable of supporting 128-bit encryption.  To find out, open Internet Explorer, click on 'Help' at the top (just below the box where you see the web site address), and a menu drops down. The bottom choice is 'About Internet Explorer', click on that. You should see a box similar to this

,

If you have an old version of Internet Explorer it will tell you what version it is e.g. Internet Explorer 6. The current version is 7, as above. Notice the line that says Cipher Strength, it says 128-bit.  If you can't see a similar statement, then you can't use all secure sites, and you will have to upgrade your browser to the latest version from

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/default.mspx

If your browser is OK for 128-bit, then you most likely have too high a browser Privacy Setting.  In Internet Explorer click the 'Tools' menu, click 'Internet Options', click on the 'Privacy' tab, and in the area labelled 'Settings - select a setting for the Internet Zone', move the control to the lowest setting 'Accept All Cookies', then click on OK and try the transaction again.  You can always restore this control to its previous setting later if you wish.
If you abandon a transaction:
Use 'VIEW CART' when you return to the shop to amend your cart if necessary! If you make a mistake in the quantity ordered, click on'View Cart', just change the quantity value or, to clear it, click to tick the 'Remove' box at the right-hand end of each item line you want to clear, then click 'Update' (just below the cart details)... then start again.
Some HOGs have reported problems using the on-line shop. People seem to be experiencing three main difficulties.
The first one reported is winding up with the wrong quantity in your cart e.g. 20 tickets instead of 2, and being unable to change it. To AMEND an incorrect quantity, click on 'VIEW CART', and just change the number in the QUANTITY box in the item line, then click on 'UPDATE' (just below the cart details, on the left).
The second one reported is being unable to get rid of an item line. To do this, click on 'VIEW CART', and click the REMOVE box at the right hand end of the item line so as to tick it, then click on 'UPDATE' (just below the cart details, on the left).
Other folks are reporting problems getting HSBC to accept their transaction. Apart from putting in your card details correctly of course, this can be caused by the following:

1. Incorrect or non-valid email address. Remember, if you don't get the email address right, we cant tell you about your order... there must be no spaces in email addresses and it must contain just ONE @ sign. The only characters in an email address should be: A-Z a-z 0-9 @ _ - .
2. Incorrect delivery address. For your protection, HSBC address verification is quite strict, so this MUST closely match your card billing address. Make sure your postcode is correct. IN PARTICULAR, don't mix up letter 'O' with '0' (zero), make sure you enter the right one.

Although there is a total of 6 address lines (INCLUDING COUNTRY) to fill in on the checkout page, THE SECOND ONE IS OPTIONAL, so don't distort your address so that it fills all 6 lines, you don't need to. If you have a very long address, you may have to combine 2 lines into one line, or omit a line completely, to fit it in. If the postcode is correct, it should be OK. If you live in the UK, enter 'UK' or 'United Kingdom' in the 'Country' box. Remember, if you don't get an email within 7 days saying your order has been shipped, the transaction has probably not been accepted - or you entered an incorrect email address!
Finally, some people have reported that in the HSBC screen, it crashes when they attempt to pay. All we can say is very sorry, try again. That bit is not under our control, but do let us know if it happens so that we can bring it to the attention of HSBC. You can carry on now, happy shopping!