I’ve been using VisualSVN for a few weeks now, and found it to be an excellent Visual Studio plugin which does exactly what it says on the tin. The VS integration makes it a lot easier to use SVN for source control (rather than having to alt+tab back to Explorer and use TortoiseSVN).

Since Jeff’s post about supporting small software vendors makes a lot of sense, when my free trial expired a couple of days ago, I decided to grab a copy, and started what is probably one of the crappiest experiences I’ve had buying stuff online (second to WorldPay, who have the top spot).

For reasons unknown, VisualSVN are using ShareIt.com (a division of Digital River) for selling their software. This is what I’ve had to go through so far to try and buy a license:

1. Fill in form with various details - name, address, email, etc.  Chose Paypal as method of payment.
2. Sign into Paypal (UK account), authorize payment.
3. Wait 20 hours.  Receive email to tell me payment has not been accepted.
4. Click on link to change payment. Enter credit card number. Submit payment
5. Error about being unable to use free email address (Gmail) with credit card payments
6. Try and change email address to a non-free domain
7. Error about being unable to use this email address
8. Try another email address
9. Error about being unable to use this email address
10. Give up, and choose Paypal again
11. Sign into Paypal (US account) and make payment from US bank account
12. Wait 18 hours. Receive email to tell me payment has not been accepted again
13. Go back to Buy page, and start process again. Enter details again, but enter a non-free email address. Choose credit card as payment, enter card details. Receive email telling me my order will take 4-24 hours to process.
14. Waited 3 hours.  Receive email saying order has been declined.

So, I’ve used two paypal accounts with two different payment methods, as well as trying to use my credit card directly, and still haven’t managed to buy a license successfully.

If VisualSVN/ShareIt.com could make the process any more painful, I don’t know how.  In the Internet-age where it’s easy enough to do real-time credit card processing and with systems like Paypal in place, buying a $49 software licence could (and should) be as simple as entering Name & Email, signing into Paypal to make payment and receiving a license key by email within a couple of minutes.

If anyone from VisualSVN is reading this, please change your payment process. I really expect a better buying experience from a company selling software (especially when it’s good software!).

Update - 05 November 2007: Emailed sales yesterday, explained what I was going through and then tried to buy a license again. Unsurprisingly, got an email this morning from ShareIt.com yet again declining my order.  Also heard back from someone in sales asking me to share my best experience of buying software on the web (though no mention of any discount for all this trouble I’ve gone through, or even offering another way to pay).  WTF.  All I’m asking for is a system that *works*. I’m really starting to believe these folks don’t want to sell their software!

Update - 06 November 2007: After trying for a fourth time to buy a license, and having heard nothing back from the sales team for 2 days, I’ve given up. It’s simply not worth the hassle dealing with them. If the sales team can’t be bothered to reply to someone who has tried to buy their software four times, then there’s something very wrong.