USPS changes again?

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compunerdy
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USPS changes again?

Post by compunerdy » Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:58 pm

Got this E-mail today. Hopefully USPS shipping will not go down again.

Web Tools integrator;



On January 22, 2012, USPS will update domestic shipping services and international pricing and product features. For detailed information on prices and new product features, please reference the Federal Register Notices viewable at http://pe.usps.com/.



Price Change updates will be available in the Web Tools testing environment for integrator access on or around January 6, 2012. The test environment can be accessed, using your production UserID, via the following URL scheme, host and path:

Secure APIs: https://stg-secure.shippingapis.com/ShippingApi.dll

Non-secure APIs: http://stg-production.shippingapis.com/ShippingApi.dll



Please note that the changes below are intended to be backwards compatible, however, may not be depending on how individual programs are integrated with the APIs.



Web Tools APIs will be affected in the following manner:

· All Web Tools APIs with postage prices incorporated will be updated to reflect the price changes;

· Domestic Rate Calculator API Changes:

o New <Container> request enumerations added to RateV4 to support the USPS product offerings and prices listed in the Federal Register Notice:

§ FLAT RATE BOX (Express Mail Flat Rate Box),

§ REGIONALRATEBOXC (Priority Mail Regional Rate Box C);

o New <FirstClassMailType> request enumeration added to RateV4:

§ PACKAGE SERVICE;

o Optional <ReturnServiceInfo> tag added to RateV4 to return “Loss Guarantee Only” commitment information when an Express Mail Commitment is requested to certain destinations

o First-Class Mail Package <MailService> response values updated in RateV3 and RateV4 as follows:

§ Postage CLASSID="0" - Retail Pricing

<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package</MailService> will become:

<MailService>First-Class Mail® Parcel</MailService>,

§ Postage CLASSID="61" - Commercial Pricing

<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package</MailService> will become:

<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package Service</MailService>;

o New response nodes in RateV3 and RateV4 to support the USPS product offerings and prices listed in the Federal Register Notice (Express Mail Flat Rate Box and Priority Mail Regional Rate Box C, specifically);

o Rate and RateV2 responses will be modified to:

§ Return trademarked product names,

§ Enforce dimensional requirements through error messaging for large, oversize and S-restricted destinations.

· All Rate Calculator API integrators are encouraged to migrate to the latest API versions (RateV4, IntlRateV2):

o Rate and RateV2 versions of the domestic Rate Calculator will be retired on March 31, 2012, requiring all integrators to migrate to the latest versions;

· International Rate Calculator API:

o New response nodes in IntlRate and IntlRateV2 to support the USPS product offerings and prices listed in the Federal Register Notice (Express Mail Flat Rate Box, specifically);

· Express Mail Label and Hold For Pickup Express APIs:

o New <Container> request data tags to support the Express Mail Flat Rate Box;

§ FLAT RATE BOX

· Delivery Confirmation and Signature Confirmation APIs:

o New <Container> request data tags to support the Priority Mail Regional Rate Box C;

§ REGIONALRATEBOXC

· Express Mail International API:

o New <Container> request data tags to support the Express Mail Flat Rate Box:

§ FLATRATEBOX.



Please contact the USPS Internet Customer Care Center with any questions or concerns at 1-800-344-7779 or uspstechsupport@esecurecare.net.



- Web Tools Program Office

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Mon Jan 23, 2012 3:21 pm

First Class service disappear from the postage otpion. Any suggestioon?

Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:43 pm

I tried both of the test url on mine but none showing First Class or Airmail (Internationa)

Secure APIs: https://stg-secure.shippingapis.com/ShippingApi.dll
Non-secure APIs: http://stg-production.shippingapis.com/ShippingApi.dll

Now my site can't provide the 1st class or air mail service and the number of order dropped out in uncertain figure. It's hurting for sure.

Could it be the name issue: "First Class Mail" , "First Class Parcel" issue?

See below
First-Class Mail Package <MailService> response values updated in RateV3 and RateV4 as follows:
§ Postage CLASSID="0" - Retail Pricing

<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package</MailService> will become:
<MailService>First-Class Mail® Parcel</MailService>,
"Package" changed to "Parcel"

§ Postage CLASSID="61" - Commercial Pricing
<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package</MailService> will become:
<MailService>First-Class Mail® Package Service</MailService>;
With an extra word "Service" added

Where can I change it for testing on Able?


Thanks
Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jmestep » Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:38 am

I have made the changes for both First Class methods in a site and they work.
USPS didn't list this one, but First Class International changed also.
Change
First-Class Mail<sup>&reg;</sup> International Package
TO
First-Class Mail<sup>&reg;</sup> International Parcel
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jasonhendee » Tue Jan 24, 2012 3:57 pm

Are you making these changes directly within SQL?
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jmestep » Tue Jan 24, 2012 5:27 pm

Yes, directly in the table- changing the word Package to Parcel
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jasonhendee » Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:24 pm

Cool, that worked. Note that I would recommend still placing the "uspsmethods.csv" in the "App_Data" directory, as instructed in the AC help doc ("USPS changes effective January 22nd, 2012") - just noticed this in the help page announcements ;)

Otherwise, it doesn't appear that the USPS' configuration page would ever reflect the "Parcel" variations of the services, and I could see that page being very confusing to someone who wasn't aware of the service name changes/fix, especially considering the "Parcel" variation isn't in the Service drop-down menu and selecting the "Package" variation from the list would once again cause First Class Mail to not show up... Sorry, I'm just thinking from an administrative perspective, and when there are more people than just myself who have access to the USPS config page, I think it's kind of sloppy to leave the problem halfway fixed.


AC - why not simply provide another USPS library (hotfix) + SQL update patch like you did last time the USPS did this same thing with their service names? I understand the functionality of the csv file, but it's only half of the fix, and either way, the fix would involve placing a new file within our application. It just seems like you addressed the problem for the average user in a more complete fashion last time. Regardless, thanks for being on top of things like this.
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by Logan Rhodehamel » Tue Jan 24, 2012 6:51 pm

Out of this round of updates I have learned more people use the First Class Package/Parcel option than I realized. I will bring up internally that perhaps we should add a SQL update script to the fix we published.

In an ideal world, USPS would assign a unique identifier to each different service so we wouldn't have to be dependent on the name - since they seem to change these on a once per year schedule.
Cheers,
Logan
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jasonhendee » Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:07 pm

Logan Rhodehamel wrote:In an ideal world, USPS would assign a unique identifier to each different service so we wouldn't have to be dependent on the name - since they seem to change these on a once per year schedule.
It is truly a shame that you have to waste your time worrying about stuff like this.. but again, thanks for providing a fix.
Jason Hendee
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Tue Jan 24, 2012 8:10 pm

It works on mine but no long enough! If you go backto the shipping setting and look at the service where the First Class was pointing to. Mine was pointing to "Express Mail" even it work. However, once I clicked "First Class ..." and Save it. the First Class sevices disappear again. Or, if I just clicked "Save" on the First Class (Int'l), the Airmail would disappear again. Try it to believe it

Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:52 pm

I did open the SQL server and make change again by replacing the word "Package" to "Parcel". It work again. However, the services (inside Able) it is pointing to is "USPS Express Mail". Eiteher you correct it by selecting "First Class" or not, if you press the "Save"button, it will bring back the "Package"

Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by jasonhendee » Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:19 am

Speedy -

What you're experiencing is what I was referring to in my post above. When you run the SQL update query, it fixes the problem on the front end, but not in the admin panel. There's truly no need to select anything in the admin panel for those shipping options since they have already been defined / updated in your database, but if you want the complete fix (to prevent any more confusion), run the SQL update query AND THEN place the csv file that AC provided into the 'App_Data' directory of your application. You can find the file I'm talking about by going to http://help.ablecommerce.com and clicking on the announcement entitled "USPS Changes 2012."
Jason Hendee
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Wed Jan 25, 2012 11:39 am

Hello Jason:

Sorry I didn't pay too much attention on your post.

I agreed with you that it's not a good idea to leave it un-fixed that way. What happen if we make some change on the shipping or just simply click the "Save" button, then the problem will come again. I got to fix it in complete, not half way

Thanks for you ifno
Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by Logan Rhodehamel » Wed Jan 25, 2012 5:15 pm

It is best to put the CSV file in place even if you fix the records in the database. That will prevent the disconnect between services our integration thinks should exist and services that USPS currently offers.
Cheers,
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:49 am

Hello

I did upload the file "uspsmethods.csv" under the folder "App_Data" and access the Shipping method through Admin pages. But I didn't see any change happened to the First Class service. It's still showing the word "Package" other than "Parcel". I'm wondering if I need to shut down the service and in order to reflect the change?

Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:02 am

After I stop and restart IIS, changes on the services took effect and available to select. I can't believe that HELP.Ablecommerce.com didn't mention it!

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by compunerdy » Thu Jan 26, 2012 12:49 pm

Why after years now of having this issue the solution for us is still to hack our databases? AC needs to make these changes easily done via admin or post a update days before the changes go live, how is anything else acceptable? Its like when my daughter does the dishes but leaves the sink a mess.. take the extra 5 minutes and DO THE JOB RIGHT!!! please... pretty please.. with sugar on top. Everyone know's AC is a GREAT product but man there sure are some basic things lacking that could be fixed easily.

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by cwswebdesign » Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:24 pm

Hi,

I'm also having trouble making this upgrade work. Our cart is on version 7.0.0 and I went through to the database and I'm unable to find where to change the actual wording. I found the table and the column, but I couldn't get any further. This I'm sure is my lack of knowledge with SQL databases, so any input is greatly appreciated.

I also tried the route of uploading the csv file and then stopping and re starting the IIS pool and recycling the pool with no luck. Any other suggestions?

Thank you.

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by speedythinker » Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:32 pm

After you upload the CSV to the correct folder, recycle IIS. Then it should take effect. The drop down list from Able Admin page should show the First Class Mail with "Parcel" insted of the "Package"

What you need to do is to go to Admin page and delete the old "First Class". Then add the one with "Parcel". If you still see "First class..Packages", that mean the database hasn't taten any effect.

Speedy

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by cwswebdesign » Thu Jan 26, 2012 2:05 pm

Speedythinker -

Thanks for the help. It looks like I've got this part figured out now!

Thank you.

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by NC Software » Thu Jan 26, 2012 3:18 pm

compunerdy wrote:Why after years now of having this issue the solution for us is still to hack our databases? AC needs to make these changes easily done via admin or post a update days before the changes go live, how is anything else acceptable? Its like when my daughter does the dishes but leaves the sink a mess.. take the extra 5 minutes and DO THE JOB RIGHT!!! please... pretty please.. with sugar on top. Everyone know's AC is a GREAT product but man there sure are some basic things lacking that could be fixed easily.
I agree wholeheartedly and AC needs to be more responsive and proactive in these situations and notify customers via E-MAIL of the hotfix or their service may be disrupted.
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by Logan Rhodehamel » Fri Jan 27, 2012 2:30 pm

compunerdy wrote:Why after years now of having this issue the solution for us is still to hack our databases?
The comment had me scratching my head thinking, why DON'T we allow this to be modified from the admin? I went to the code to figure out if it could be patched and realized we have this feature already. So it isn't necessary to do anything with the database.

#1) You must put into place the CSV file that we published.

This file has the current service definitions that USPS supports. We do it this way because it's easier than passing out a compiled DLL for all the AC7x versions we support. It's also easier than trying to get database updates into place. We can all agree touching the database is a huge hassle. So the service list is a file. That improvement was made the first time we realized USPS was changing services on a schedule.

#2) From the merchant administration, go to Configure > Shipping > Methods.
#3) Click on one of the shipping methods you have configured that is broken. (e.g. First Class Mail Package)
#4) On the initial visit to this screen it will incorrectly default to the first item in the Service list. Choose the correct First Class service name.
#5) Save the shipping method.
#6) repeat steps 3-5 if necessary for the other method

This information should be put onto our published correction ASAP because it's much easier than dealing with the database.
Cheers,
Logan
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compunerdy
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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by compunerdy » Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:05 pm

Good to know and it is nice to see you posted the fix before the changes went into effect this year.

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by DBounlom » Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:00 pm

Hi guys. I am still having trouble. I put the CSV file into our wwwroot/App_Data folder. I recycled IIS, and I still don't see the First Class Mail Parcel option. It still says package for me. I am in Admin > Configure > Shipping > Methods. Anyone have any idea why or how I can get the USPS name to change to parcel?

Just to make sure, according to the Help pages, I literally just place the CSV file into the App_Data folder right? Is there something else I need to do? Thanks.

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Re: USPS changes again?

Post by Logan Rhodehamel » Mon Feb 20, 2012 12:01 pm

DBounlom wrote:Hi guys. I am still having trouble. I put the CSV file into our wwwroot/App_Data folder. I recycled IIS, and I still don't see the First Class Mail Parcel option. It still says package for me. I am in Admin > Configure > Shipping > Methods. Anyone have any idea why or how I can get the USPS name to change to parcel?

Just to make sure, according to the Help pages, I literally just place the CSV file into the App_Data folder right? Is there something else I need to do? Thanks.
In the Admin > Configure > Shipping > Methods section, click on the First Class Mail Package method to edit it. From the edit screen, update the name to Parcel. You in the "Service:" drop down, locate the First Class Mail Parcel item and select it. Then save your shipping method.

If you are using the International version of this service as well, repeat those steps of editing the method.
Cheers,
Logan
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