Introduction
The online store is designed to streamline the booking of Provincial events and the purchase of Provincial merchandise.
It will also be used to administer Provincial appointments/promotions and accept the online payment of any honour fee.
Background
Historically, bookings and promotion acceptances have involved the completion of some type of form, which has either been posted or emailed to the Provincial office.
Payments have been made by cheque, BACS/FPS, or in a small number of cases, cash.
These processes are long-winded, inefficient, and difficult to track. The acceptance of promotions, for example, typically results in payments being lumped together to cover PGL and Three Counties dining fees, and honour fees.
Given that the bookings for PGL and Three Counties are submitted on one form, and promotion acceptances on another, it can be very difficult to determine who has paid for what, how, and when. This is especially so with BACS/FPS payments because they are sent separately.
Accordingly, there is little time available to let a brother know that his booking/payment has been received.
Benefits
Under the new system, payment is made by credit/debit card at the time an order is made.
In some cases, the link needed to make a booking will be sent in an email. In others, it will simply be case of visiting the online store and choosing the appropriate item(s).
Either way, once an online order has been made, the Provincial website will generate an itemised invoice, which will be emailed to the person making the order as well as the Provincial Office and the Provincial Grand Treasurer.
Furthermore, the ProvGTreas will also receive a payment notification from our online payment services provider, SquareUp. That notification will include the invoice number thus allowing the payment to be matched to the order.
This will greatly simplify the booking process whilst keeping the person making the booking fully informed.
Purchase of Provincial Merchandise
The sale of Provincial merchandise (ties, cufflinks, etc.) greatly benefits the Provincial Grand Charity and will be much easier via the online store.
In order to keep costs down, such merchandise will continue to be distributed by a team of volunteers coordinated by the Provincial Grand Charity Steward and his deputy.
This team is currently as follows:
| Area | Volunteer |
|---|---|
| Corby | Mick Tibbs |
| Huntingdon | Mark Ditten |
| Kettering | Mick Tibbs |
| Northampton | Kevin Foreman |
| Peterborough | John Statham |
| Ramsey | Jim Milner |
| Stamford | John Statham |
| South-West | Chris Mullen |
| Wellingborough | Bob Smith |
When you first place an order, you will be required to choose your preferred merchandise delivery area regardless of whether you have purchased any merchandise.
If you are not a member of a Craft lodge within this Province, perhaps because you are making a booking to attend an event as a guest of the Province, please choose the "N/A - Out of Province" option.
Notable Points
Requirement to Login to Use the Store
It is possible to access the store via a direct link and without logging-in.
That said, this is not advisable because your contact details and order history won't be linked to your website account.
In general, guest access should only be used by Masons from other Provinces who have been invited to make guest bookings for PGL and other similar events.
Please note that should you wish to assist another Mason make a purchase/booking, you can create another billing address for them when you check-out.
Frequently Asked Questions
"What happens if I struggle to use computers or don't have a credit/debit card?"
There is no reason why one brother can't make online bookings or purchases on behalf of another brother - the system allows multiple billing addresses to be entered (shipping addresses aren't currently used for the reason stated above).
If there is a significant issue concerning credit/debit-card payment, please contact the Provincial office for advice.
"Some questions aren't applicable and yet I'm unable to leave them blank."
Enter "none" or "not applicable" as appropriate.
"Why am I being asked to provide my details multiple times?"
One reason for this might be that you're not logged-in to the website when placing an order. When this happens, you will always be be prompted for your name, address and other details when checking-out. See the above explanation regarding the requirement to log-in.
Another reason is that Masons will often wish to make bookings for their guests, in which case we need the details of each and every attendee so we can create seating cards and accommodate special dietary requirements.
Please note that if an item does not ask for personal details specifically (e.g., the acceptance of a Provincial appointment or promotion), you must provide those details when checking-out.