The World’s Most Advanced And Scalable WordPress Directory Plugin
Today, GeoDirectory is the only WordPress directory plugin on the market that can scale to millions of listings and withstand the battering of traffic that comes along with that.
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GeoDirectory V2 and Ninja Forms integration
we decided to integrate GeoDirectory V2 with Ninja Forms, here’s why:
While GeoDirectory V1 comes with a built in contact form, GeoDirectory V2 will not have one out of the box.
We removed our contact form, because:
- It is limited.
- You can’t customize it easily.
- It doesn’t keep track of submissions (Lead Management).
- You could use it only once per listing page.
In addition, if you wanted to add a general contact form to your directory website, you needed a 3rd party plugin, which would make its code redundant.
If you install GeoDirectory V2 today and you add an email address to a listing, the email address will appear instead of the “Send Inquiry” link that used to be there on V1.
However we added a section in the setup wizard to install Ninja Forms.
Why Ninja Forms?
We considered and tested only free plugins and it’s the one we liked the most.
The free version does everything a directory owner may want. If he wants more than the average directory owner, there are plenty of premium extension to choose from.
Ninja Forms is by far the most user friendly, intuitive and well coded of all the plugins that we tested. Stiofan was so impressed that he had no doubt.
In the future we may decide to integrate other plugins, but for the moment Ninja Forms it is…
What will it add to GeoDirectory V2?
- The setup wizard will ask you to install the Ninja Forms plugin and will auto-create a basic form, which you can use right away.
- You’ll be able to add the form to the listing via widget or shortcode or a Gutenberg block and it will open up in a modal window.
- It will be super easy to extend the form with any fields needed.
- Ninja Forms comes with built submission tracking (Lead Management). 👋
- You can add as many Forms as you wish to any listing via GeoDirectory custom fields and a Ninja Forms shortcode.
- You can use Ninja Form for the general contact form of your Directory.
The next beta version of GeoDirectory V2 (it should be released before the week end) will include this new features.
We hope you’ll like it and you’ll help us test it to make it a stable new features as soon as possible.
LAST UPDATED 13/06/2018
today we are releasing the BETA version of GeoDirectory V2. See change log at the end of this article.
This GeoDirectory core BETA is a very early release and is not recommended for a production site.
GeoDirectory addons are not supported yet, this is a core BETA only. Add-ons will be supported once core is out of beta.
WARNING: Directory Starter theme breaks the JS as its still using the old non mobile friendly select boxes. We will provide a BETA V2 for Directory Starter too ASAP.
Please do your testing with alternative themes.
Stiofan and the development team started working on it approximately 9 months ago. The first commit dates June 29th 2017.
GeoDirectory V2 is not an updated version of V1. It is a new software.
Only minimal part of the previous code base has been used. Approximately 10% of the old code remained untouched.
Over 90% of the code has been rewritten to improve the old features and to eliminate the technical debt accumulated with years of development.
We have been thoroughly testing V2 for the past 7 days internally and we are ready to pass it on to you for further testing.
One of the new features of GeoDirectory V2 is usage tracking and report it to us. Usage tracking is on by default at this early stage, but it can be disabled from general settings under “advanced settings”.
Bugs are to be expected and reported here: https://wpgeodirectory.com/support/forum/geodirectory-core-plugin-forum/v2-beta/#new-post
The team will fix everything reported asap and will keep refining few points that we already identified. We will release updates daily if possible until we will get to a stable enough version.
Once V2 core is stable we will start releasing add-ons for BETA testing so we can focus on getting core V2 ready as soon as possible.
Following is a list of the major changes you will see in V2 compared to V1:
Back End UI/UX
Compared to the old settings page, we added a dashboard with the fundamental stats needed to better operate a directory.
We removed the orange icons from the WordPress menu and used proper icons.
We also redesigned completely the back end settings pages, to blend more naturally with the WordPress dashboard UI, adding advance settings to each page to reduce the number of options visible to the bare minimum.
V1 Settings Page
V2 New Dashboard
V2 New Settings Page
New Templates System
In the “Pages” settings now you can assign 1 page for each of the templates needed by GeoDirectory:
- Details page
- Archive page
- Archive page item
New Templates System – 100% Gutenberg compatible.
Finally you can add the elements that compose these pages via Shortcodes or via Gutenberg in the pages themselves.
GD Details Template
GD Archive Template
GD Archive Item Template
Improved Import / Export of data including Reviews and Settings
Import Export Reviews
Import Export Settings
Improved Reviews Settings
Improved Reviews Settings
Improved Email Template Settings
Improved Email Template Settings
Place Settings & Add Listing Page Improvements
Adding new listings and register simultaneously is a new option. In V1 registration was mandatory to even see the add listing form.
Add Listing as Guest
The admin can re-order all fields of the add listing page, including title and description.
Reorder Title & Description fields
We optimized the Custom Post Type settings too.
Improved Custom Post Type Settings
As promised, we included an advance Business Hours system
Business Hours
Improved Permalinks
Permalinks were one of the major strength of GeoDirectory V1 and now we made them even better. We moved the Permalinks settings into the regular WordPress Permalinks settings page and you’ll find them to be even more flexible than before.
Improved Permalinks
Front End Improvements
We hired a new UI/UX specialist to help us refresh GD default design. We didn’t want him to do anything too fancy, because being a plugin in our opinion GeoDirectory should remain as vanilla as possible.
Following are few of the screenshots of his work. We haven’t finished applying the new styles yet, so we released this 1st BETA with old styles. Tomorrow we will finish applying them while correcting bugs reported by first BETA testers.
Listings Grid View 5 Columns
Listing Slider
Recent Reviews
We hope that you’ll like what you’ll see and that you’ll help us test it as much as possible!
Team GeoDirectory
Change log of BETA:
v2.0.0.14-beta (13/06/2018)
Map default language setting is not working for OpenStreetMap – FIXED
GDPR compliance – ADDED
Remove send to friend functionality as it against the GDPR policy – CHANGED
CSS responsive changes and fixes – FIXED
Search page with no query returns its own page – FIXED
Categories widget sub cats not displaying correctly – FIXED
Radio custom fields should not show Yes/No if values are 1/0 without a label – CHANGED/FIXED
Select custom field not showing 0 values – FIXED
OSM address encoder fails if site is non SSL – FIXED
Added setting to be able to disable Yoast SEO on GD pages (if active) – ADDED
Yoast details page og and twitter descriptions using template text instead of post text – FIXED
SD Widget added to be able to display the category description text – ADDED
Some problems with title and meta variables not saving or displaying correctly – FIXED
Categories on add listing page have no hierarchical distinction – FIXED
Custom fields now have placeholder setting where applicable – ADDED
Custom fields settings converted to new style to be more WP like – CHANGED
Sorting settings converted to new style to be more WP like – CHANGED
Sorting settings refactored to use sub queries (delete and re-add sort options recommended) – ADDED
OpenStreetMap populates wrong region for UK – FIXED
v2.0.0.13-beta (07/05/2018)
Page templates for building layouts now restricted from frontend viewing – CHANGED
GD page settings now containg link to edit/view pages when set – ADDED
Custom fields icon now has option to select font awesome icon from a list – ADDED
validation_pattern for custom fields can have slashes stripped which can break validation – FIXED
File upload custom field can now accept multiple files – CHANGED
File uploads now stored in GD attachments table – CHANGED
Get Directions link moved from CF to widget/shortcode – CHANGED
Get user location for directions now uses manual set if user locations cant be auto detected – ADDED
Setup wizard does not warn user if they try to continue while dummy data is being installed – FIXED
Logo predefined field added, post_images shortcode/widget now has option to show logo as first image – ADDED
Preview listing link now has icon to show it opens in new window – ADDED
Tabs show even if no content in them – FIXED
Option added in GD Listings widget to show nearest listings – ADDED
Titles and Meta settings page added and implemented – ADDED
Shortcode builder outputs multiselect values as array instead of sting – FIXED
Default placeholder images for listings will now use the image title/caption if set – CHANGED
Details slider initial load height very tall, max-height set – CHANGED
Review output given GD specific basic styles – ADDED
Some CSS changes to simplify and improve the basics – CHANGED
v2.0.0.12-beta (24/04/2018)
Attachment table date_gmt field added – ADDED
Widget show/hide settings improved for better UI – CHANGED
Post meta widget refactored to give the `show` options more flexibility – CHANGED
Tabs Layout section added to be able to drag/drop create the details page tabs – ADDED
v2.0.0.11-beta (13/04/2018)
gd_listings shortcode/widget sort_by can now use custom sort_by options – CHANGED
Some predefined custom fields are single use only and now show a warning if attempting to add again – CHANGED
Search still looks for featured column even if missing – FIXED
Best of widget CSS and template changes – FIXED
GD Dashboard widget refactored to remove login form when logged out – CHANGED
Fieldset shows error when being added – FIXED
Add listing can sometime show default city warning multiple times – FIXED
Email custom field not showing in map bubble if set to do so – FIXED
Multiselect custom field not resizing DB varchar value on options change – FIXED
General style and spelling corrections – FIXED
v2.0.0.10-beta (06/04/2018)
gd_map shortcode should not show “Enable marker cluster?” if plugin not active – FIXED
Business Hours: add a text if place is closed whole day – ADDED
Shortcode builder not working with WooCommerce products – FIXED
lat/lon DB length increased from 20 to 22 chars to account for negative decimals – CHANGED
Map direction unit conflicts when multiple maps are on the page – FIXED
Extensions screen improvements functionality and UI – CHANGED
Super Duper Class chnaged to show shortcode title like widget title if used – CHANGED
Shortcode builder not using 100% height on large displays – FIXED
Category widget output slightly changed for title_tag – CHANGED
Default image not checking for default category image – FIXED
v2.0.0.9-beta (03/04/2018)
Add listing page shows info might be lost even after save – FIXED
Favorites not adding/removing due to var rename – FIXED
Favorites not adding/removing in map info window – FIXED
Some custom fields not allowing sort by option – FIXED
Added warning if changing default city when listings are present – ADDED
Backend edit review rating missing – FIXED
v2.0.0.8-beta (02/04/2018)
Sorting options not working on archive pages – FIXED
Schema markup updated and activated – FIXED
v2.0.0.7-beta (03/31/2018)
Ninja Forms template used wrong format for to field – FIXED
v2.0.0.6-beta (03/31/2018)
If categories are removed via quick edit we try to add default category – ADDED
Quick edit screen breaks layout of columns – FIXED
CPT settings, required toggle now shown as standard – CHANGED
CPT settings, show/hide advanced settings button moved inside settings – CHANGED
CPT settings, opening one setting will now close all others – CHANGED
Email output mailto spam prevention link not working – FIXED
New setup wizard step added to install recommend plugins – ADDED
v2.0.0.5-beta (03/30/2018)
Double five star bars in dashboard activity box – FIXED
Select2 updated to v4.0.5 – CHANGED
Post badge feature implemented – CHANGED
Post images CSS and lightbox added – ADDED
New images not being added to current listings – FIXED
WP dashboard recent GD reviews block – FIXED
Ninja Forms can now be used to create contact fomrs and more (install wizard step remains) – ADDED
KLEO theme deprecated_function problem – FIXED
v2.0.0.4-beta (03/23/2018)
Tooltips on CPT settings can become stuck when adding a new field – FIXED
Search and archive pages, if no listings found, page is blank – FIXED
Added developer settings section, added setting to disable advanced settings toggle – ADDED
OSM add listing page JS error – FIXED
Autozoom not working for single marker on the map – FIXED
Export button on FireFox causes page refresh which means no access to CSV – FIXED
We now add a uncategorized category on install so you can go straight from the install wizard to add a new post – ADDED
Changing CPT name does not change taxonomies names – FIXED
v2.0.0.3-beta(03/22/2018)
Shortcode builder button added to pages/posts – ADDED
v2.0.0.2-beta (03/21/2018)
Business Hours not working on map popup – FIXED
Backend author filed should show all users not only authors – FIXED
Backend add listing has no validation – FIXED
Lat/Lon HTML5 number inputs can show comma instead of decimal depending on browser language – FIXED
submit_ip is varchar(20) which will not support IPv6 address – FIXED
Tab description does not respect non-HTML line breaks – FIXED
Added design setting to be able to change what page template file the details page uses for theme compatibility – ADDED
v2.0.0.1-beta (03/20/2018)
More then one image slider with same id on same page not working – FIXED
Reviews count not showing on listing – FIXED
Category ID settings column too wide – FIXED
GD > Listings widget now used Archive item page template – FIXED
CPT custom fields settings show unused save button – FIXED
Default location setting missing the “Set address on map” button – FIXED
February though a short month, has been a busy one for GeoDirectory V2.
Our original hope was to have a beta out by the end of the month but alas the best laid plans…
I spent some time earlier today going through all the outstanding tasks we need to complete before we can release the beta.
The list is much shorter now and most tasks are final checks on functionality that might have been affected by other changes.
The vast majority of core functionality is already complete.
With that being said, the majority of our development team (apart from me) are on holiday today and tomorrow, so back on Monday the 5th of March.
I have set our milestone goals as:
- 12th March Alpha release (mostly for internal testing, and early developer preview)
- 19th March Beta release (public beta)
With that out of the way, lets give you a little peek at what we have been up to in February 🙂
Most of the things mentioned here deserve their own post so for some I will only provide few details in bullet points.
Gutenberg
The Gutenberg editor will be released in WordPress v5, it will be one of the biggest changes to WordPress in recent history and we want to be ready for it!
The biggest delay we had was finding a way to make GeoDirectory V2 Gutenberg ready.
For listings, the editor can be used to build template pages for things like Details, Listing and Search pages.
It took us a while to develop this part, because in these template pages we are not pulling “real” data but giving demo data just to build the templates.
We ended up creating our own class for this which turns all the GeoDirectory output features, available as either a shortcode, widget or Gutenberg “block”.
This is done in such a way that no matter what you use, you will have consistent output.
So going from a template page of shortcodes to blocks will be very easy.
(here is a demo of how easy it is to add info to the details page template with Gutenberg)
Rating Styles
GeoDirectory V1 gives you the ability to use either a transparent image star or a FontAwesome Star icon.
These two systems had their own drawbacks, they used generic JS libraries like everyone does to make it work, but also limited the functionality.
The solution was to write our own code. We striped our 5 JS/CSS files and compressed it all down to a just a few lines of JS.
In GeoDirectory V2 you will have the ability to upload your own transparent ratings image if you want, but you can now also use ANY fontawesome icon and set the colors and rating text right from the settings 🙂
Import / Export
This really deserves its own post so i’ll just list a few of the main bullet points
- Improved error checking (ex: CSV row 216: Missing Title)
- Improved import speed (especially for large data sets)
- Auto fill GPS details if enough address info is provided.
- Import / Export / Backup all GD settings
- Import / Export reviews added
Email templates
V2 will give you greater control over email and their styling, as well as adding some new features.
- Editable email template design
- Edit any email template
- Easier to translate
- Added action tags *
* You can now decide if you would like to let the listing OWNER Approve, Reject and/or Spam new reviews.
Not in all cases will you want to allow this self moderating of reviews, that’s why each action can be added individually, maybe you only want the listing owner to be able to Approve their own reviews but not spam or delete it.
Business Hours / Opening Times
Again this deserves its own post so here i will only give the main points.
Building our own system we wanted it to be as versatile as possible:
- Allows multiple open/close times per day
- Live open/close status with dropdown for full times
- Cache proof open/close status (wont be affected by server caching)
- Live updating, if you are browsing a listing when it opens/closes the status will change without a page refresh
- Compatible with normal import/export.
Add listing
A few little bullet points before a full post.
- Option to allow posting without loggin in.
- Option to remove preview page
- Now uses Default WP preview system.
- Auto save every few seconds
- Start listing, return later feature.
- Start edits, return later feature.
- Improved category selection
- Improved tags selection
- Image title/description feature.
Backend Listings
You can now show more info in the backend listing screens.
We also now have a “Closed down” post status which if set a listing will not show in search or listing views but will be able to be directly accessed and show a closed down message.
Quick edit / bulk edit menus which were previously disabled now fully work.
Permalinks
Have it your way! 🙂
The End
There are many improvements not listed here, the most significant are under the hood which will make GeoDirectory much more future proof and expandable for both developers and users.
Thanks,
Team GeoDirectory!
Join the GeoDirectory translation team to translate GeoDirectory into 20+ languages in 2018! Read on to learn about how you can join our awesome language team that translates GeoDirectory using our cool new Translator’s Handbook.
Calling All GeoDirectory #polyglots !
Hello, my name is Ismi Aini, and I do UX including translations. I’m here to support members who want to translate GeoDirectory into their own language. I can help you find your translation team and get your request for validation filled out correctly. In this post I also want to introduce our new Translator’s Handbook where we keep all the resources you might need. Our goal is to help you translate GeoDirectory into 20+ languages this year!
Who Translates GeoDirectory? Everyone!
In 2017 WordPress translations changed completely. First there was a change to the location of translation files, and now the responsibility for who creates the translations has changed, too. Instead of plugin authors, it is now all of us, the plugin users and site managers and everyone together who are responsible for translating plugins into our own language.
It’s a big job, but luckily both WordPress.org and AyeCode are providing us with tools and support to help us get organized. Read on to find out more about joining the GeoDirectory Translations Team and make GeoDirectory available in 20+ languages in 2018!
GeoDirectory Core Translations are on WordPress.org
Have you heard? Translations for GeoDirectory are now available on WordPress.org. You can visit the GeoDirectory page on WordPress.org and click through to see the GeoDirectory translations. If you are logged in you can click right through to your language and start translating!
GeoDirectory Translator’s Handbook
Each WordPress language team for WordPress has different rules, so we decided to put together a handbook to make it easier for our members to find their language team and get started on their translation. In the handbook you can find details about the GD forum topics for each locale, reaching out to your WordPress language team, flagging the GeoDirectory language during your validation phase, and even a template for submitting your validation request to your language team. The new Translator’s Handbook is here so check it out!
GeoDirectory Membership for Lead Translators
A lead translator for each language can gain and keep a free GeoDirectory membership by completing the translations of the GeoDirectory Core plugin and addons, getting them validated, and keeping them updated. When the translation shows on WordPress.org we will get your membership approved and you can continue on with translating the addons. You can see the complete details in the handbook.
Join the GeoDirectory Translation Team
Join our GeoDirectory Translation team by participating in our Translation Forum and on WordPress Slack. We work together and update the forum locale topics so everyone can join in and keep track of your progress. Get started by taking a look at the GeoDirectory Translator’s Handbook and following the steps listed there.
Comments or questions? Join us in the new GeoDirectory Translations Forum!
Dealing with refunds for digital products in 2022
Whether you are selling WordPress Themes, Plugins, or services, dealing with refunds for digital products is a very delicate matter. When someone requests a refund there is a possibility for either party to feel unsatisfied with the result.
- The vendor may feel the refund request is unjustified.
- The client could be unhappy if the vendor refuses to provide a refund.
We have changed our refund policy several times and now we are convinced there is a right way to deal with refunds, and with this post, we are sharing it with you.
Do online vendors have the right to deny a refund?
Not only do they have the right, (except in the UK under the Consumer Rights Act) but many others do not even provide refunds for digital products.
This is because while digital products can be downloaded they cannot be returned like a physical product, and the same goes for any digital services offered.
Try asking GoDaddy to refund you for a domain you forgot to cancel and you’ll see from their reply what I mean. Last time I tried to contact them concerning this issue they didn’t even reply.
The iTunes App store sales policy clearly says that you cannot cancel a purchase or receive a refund for purchase (but if you have a valid reason, they have been known to make exceptions).
As mentioned above, only in the UK are digital and physical goods treated equally.
However, for a client to get a refund they should be able to prove that the digital product isn’t:
- Of satisfactory quality.
- Fit for a particular purpose.
- As described by the seller.
That’s not that easy to prove.
In almost every country (with some exceptions) refunds for digital products are not mandatory.
In most cases, merchants are only required to clearly post their refund policy.
PayPal has both a buyer and seller protection program. Digital products are not included in seller protection, so refunds for digital products could be granted in dispute cases fairly often.
Before buying, always ask yourself: is there a refund policy?
The onus is on you, as a consumer, to make responsible decisions about the purchases you make online.
Typically there are three types of refund policy.
- The Marketing Suicide: We stand by our product and we provide no refund whatsoever.
- Would be fair, but just isn’t: 30 days’ money back if you asked for support and we failed to provide a solution.
- The smart solution: 30-day money-back guarantee no questions asked.
We tried them all for a long period of time so we can tell you all about them.
The Marketing Suicide – No Refunds
At first, we were so proud and protective of our work that we took it badly on a personal level every time someone even thought to request a refund.
In hindsight, it was not a productive or worthwhile manner in which to conduct ourselves.
It created a bitter, stunted feeling between both parties and left us unhappy.
In addition to increasing our workload when we could have been devoting our attention to improving our products.
It just wasn’t worth it, especially when we considered that we were a growing company with increased visibility.
Our 1st refund policy was the following:
We offer digital media (software) that can be downloaded instantly after a purchase has been made. There is no “trial” or “grace period” after purchasing any product which means all sales are final. Once you have purchased the software, there is no way to “return” it.
It is a member’s responsibility to cancel any payment authorized through PayPal. If you decide to stop the membership and discontinue using our Products, remember to login to your PayPal and cancel the Authorization.
There will be no refund for members that forget to cancel their subscription.
Reading it now gave me chills 🙁, it was a disgraceful way to act, and we learned it the hard way.
Would be fair, but it’s not: 30-day money back if you asked for support and we failed to provide a solution.
When we realized that our 1st refund policy was creating more problems than it was solving, we decided it was time for a change. We looked at the rising stars at the time, that being WooCommerce, and decided to follow in their footsteps.
Our 2nd refund policy stated:
If you are still not satisfied with our products and services after giving us at least one chance to make GeoDirectory work for you (by interacting with us in the support forum):
We will refund your money, as we feel we have failed out responsibilities as support staff.
Ask for a refund within 30 days from your initial purchase here. You will get it, no questions asked.
It is a client’s responsibility to stop payments authorized through PayPal. If you decide you would like to discontinue using our products, please remember to login to your PayPal account and cancel the Authorization.
This was more effective than our first policy but still created friction with clients. Some clients didn’t attempt to seek support and expressed through their inaction their desire to leave our partnership.
Our previous efforts brought us to our third and final policy.
30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked
Our third and final, refund policy states:
If you are not satisfied with our products and services and are still within 30 days of the original purchase date, your request for a refund will be honored, no questions asked. You can request it here. (Lifetime deals are not covered by this refund policy, please read below)
We cannot grant refunds on renewal payments.
We will send you 2 reminders about your renewing subscrition. The first notification is sent two weeks prior to your renewal date and the second email is sent one week prior to your renewal date.
You may use these opportunities to cancel your subscription before the renewal payment is automatically processed.
For our protection, refunds are not permitted on Lifetime Deals.
The payment gateways refund fees for Lifetime Deals are almost as high as the purchase of one of our add-ons.
This is the reason why refunds for the LTD do not make business sense for us.
If you wish to test the product before commiting to the lifetime deal, please consider purchasing a 4, 6, or 12 months membership, which are covered by the refund policy.
If you decide to upgrade to the Lifetime deal before the end of the membership, we will provide a coupon code for the full amount paid for the initial purchase.
Disputes
Should you open a dispute, instead of asking for a refund, we will keep 50% of the disputed amount while we gather evidence for our submission of the refund.
It is a client’s responsibility to cancel payments authorized through PayPal or Stripe.
If you decide to cancel your membership and discontinue using our products, please remember to login to your PayPal and cancel the authorization. (see instruction here for Paypal). For payments made through Stripe, you can cancel the subscription after logging in, through the “Your Account” page.
Why is it the best?
First of all, you may be surprised to find out how many clients request a refund without providing a valid reason. They are an insignificant percentage.
As a business, we are not losing money. It’s lost revenue, but we didn’t lose the respect of a potential future client who may not ever approach us in the future as the result of a bad customer support issue.
We stand by our products and can personally attest to their quality. While our business is in selling products, we would rather maintain a satisfied customer base than naked profiteering.
While we can definitely afford to lose some business, we understand that many of our clients are not so easily able to lose $200 on business investment, such as a digital product.
Why don’t refund renewals?
That should be self-explanatory. We send you 2 reminders. One 2 weeks prior and one 1 week before the renewal takes place.
The product has been used for one year and if you are asking for a refund, it is definitely not because the product was not satisfactory.
The only reason can be, that the customer disregarded both renewal notifications or straight up forgot to cancel. In that case, the onus shouldn’t be on us.
Especially considering the refunds have costs for the vendor.
Why do we state we keep 50% if a dispute is open instead of a direct refund request?
If you open a dispute with your bank, PayPal or Stripe, because you didn’t read our policy, you’ll make us do extra work to gather evidence that PayPal or other Payment Gateways require to close disputes.
Not only this, but in most cases, gateways charge a dispute fee, not only would we be refunding the money but we would be out of pocket also, so this statement is meant as a deterrent so we are not out of pocket. (our first step of a dispute is to email the customer to find out what’s happening, if they close the dispute before we have to gather and submit evidence then we do give a full refund for first-time purchases)
If you fail to read our policy and then go on to open a dispute with your bank, Paypal or Stripe then you are causing us to take time away from improving our products and business.
When you could have asked for a refund directly?
Why do customers open disputes, when you are that willing to refund?
90% of the time for renewals (recurring payments) which are not covered by our refund policy. I guess because they don’t read what they are buying and ignore renewal notifications.
We still to this day get people sending us angry emails that often sound like this:
You charged me without my authorization! I opened a dispute and you better give me my money back!
Obviously, we didn’t charge them without their authorization. We couldn’t even if we wanted to.
What happened is that they didn’t read what they were paying for, and we’re not talking about fine prints.
We are extremely clear about a subscription & recurring payments. It’s written everywhere:
(there are single non-subscription options with our memberships)
On the pricing page
In the Frequently Asked Questions, below the pricing table
On the Check out page
If you use Paypal, it will remind you before the final check out
PayPal repeat it once more in their email receipt
Finally, we send you 2 email reminders 14 and 7 days before the renewal.
Conclusions for Buyers
Just make sure you read any and all Terms and Conditions, and the refund policy before buying. Most vendors are honest and are not trying to fool you. By reading the Terms and Conditions, you can make sure this never happens to you.
Conclusions for Vendors
While dealing with refunds is inevitable, dealing with them graciously is more important.
Turning refunds from bad to positive experiences will help to maintain a positive relationship with our client base, and in turn, help our reputation. We will attract back customers in the future that we may have otherwise lost forever.
We may even get referrals from them that we wouldn’t have done if we hadn’t done something to change our policies.
We’ll have less work and be able to keep our stress levels under control, leading to better products in the future and a more positive environment in which to conduct our business.
While we may be losing revenue in the short run, we’ll feel better about our products and clients in the long run.
Do you agree with us? How do you deal with refunds? Please let us know in the comment down below.
It’s time for a new GeoDirectory Dashboard
and this new GeoDirectory Dashboard will be integrated into the Core plugin, still completely free of charge.
We already anticipated that the GeoDirectory back end UI will be completely redesigned and it will blend better with the original WP Dashboard design. You can see an example here:
However we didn’t want the site admins to find a settings page when clicking the GeoDirectory main menu.
Instead we wanted a sort of Admin control panel.
A dashboard with the fundamental data needed to actually run the directory.
A couple of weeks ago, I opened a thread asking what kind of data our members would like to see in their new GeoDirectory Dashboard.
Surprisingly not many voiced their opinion, so we had to take all the decisions directly.
I was surprise to see low participation, because I’m 100% positive that this will be the screen most Directory owners will look at 1st thing, when visiting their website dashboard every day.
I know for a fact, because the screen that I look at the most on our website, is the Easy Digital Download report screen. This is basically a dashboard of our own figures, sales and revenues.
After consulting my colleagues, we decided that the fundamental data needed to actually run a directory are things like:
Actions Required
- Pending Listings
- Pending Reviews
- Pending Claims
Statistics
- N° of Listings
- N° of Paid Listings
- N° of Reviews
- N° of Claims
- Revenues
- Users
Statistics will be possible to filter by :
Today, Yesterday, This Week, Last Week, This Month, Last Month, This Year, Last Year, Custom and Total.
You will be able to filter by all CPT or filter by specific CPT.
This are the latest drafts that our new UI guy came up with.
We hope you like it and if you have some feedback, you are still on time… 🙂
Team GeoDirectory
This is our 1st official post about GeoDirectory V2! WooHoo! 🙂
We have been working on GDv2 for a few months and it’s time to share a few of the details and goals, so users and developers can plan for the future.
Why GeoDirectory V2?
GeoDirectory V2 delivers Simplicity, Theme Compatibility, and a Modernized Codebase that take advantage of newer versions of WordPress and PHP.
Simplicity
GeoDirectory users have created directories for every niche, and our users come from everywhere and from every skill level. We have senior level developers supporting hundreds of GeoDirectory sites for large companies, junior developers using GeoDirectory for client projects, and WordPress beginners who are creating a directoy for their home town as their very first site.
No matter the user, everyone wants simplicity in both setup and management with a minimum of fuss. For this reason we took few steps to simplify things:
Setup wizard
GeoDirectory V2 features a new Setup wizard that is simple and effective; be up and running in just a few seconds without missing any of the essential settings (like playing with background colors 🙂 ).
Settings
GeoDirectory V2 features a completely rebuilt settings area brings the main settings up front in an easy to use interface, while still providing easy access to the advanced settings and options that our users love.
Menus
GeoDirectory V2 further improves usability for site managers by taking full advantage of the WordPress menu system. All the benefits of advanced links created by GeoDirectory now available in the familiar WordPress menu management interface.
Theme Compatibility
GeoDirectory V2 is 100% compatible with any modern theme, right out the box.
Our members have spoken! Themes come in all shapes and sizes; GeoDirectory V2 comes with a whole new layout functionality that will enable you to fit your directory to your niche using your theme. GeoDirectory V2 includes new options that enable you to take advantage of page builders such as WordPress’s upcoming Gutenberg! After Gutenberg’s release GeoDirectory V2 will include blocks giving you unprecedented freedom for your layout.
The changes aren’t just limited to the content area, either. GDv2 allows you to move blocks between the content area, sidebars and even widget areas. New options enable you to decide exactly which pages display which blocks, too. With GeoDirectory V2 you can make exciting new layout designs using even more GeoDirectory block elements than ever before, and do it all with any theme!
Modernized Codebase
GeoDirectory V1 was written for an older version of WordPress and PHP. GeoDirectory V2 is modernized and streamlined in both the core and with regard to dependant resources. These improvements touch all the features and functionality making for performance improvements across the board. GeoDirectory V2 takes advantage of opportunities for gains with PHP and in WordPress for current and future features like Gutenberg!
Conclusions
Simplicity and Compatibility without compromising on features or speed!
GeoDirectory V2 setup is a breeze for any skill level. GeoDirectory V2 continues the tradition of the most feature-rich and scale ready plugin for directories, whether it is the centerpice of the site or part of a larger whole.
Coming soon…
Work on GeoDirectory V2 continues; the foundation for GDv2 is complete and now we are working hard to make all the features you know and love work as good or better than ever before.
Expect an update about an official public beta of the GeoDirectory Core plugin in February! (We will let you know how to participate once released.)
Look out for more posts about specific improvements and features during our countdown to the beta. There are just too many improvements for a single post!
Thanks,
Team GeoDirectory!
The WP plugin directory has been missing a lightweight WordPress User Profile plugin for too long.
Popular user profile plugins are basically full-fledged social network apps.
Some even include content restriction features that generally belong in a membership plugin.
Don’t get me wrong, they are great, but they provide far too many options for anyone who only needs a front-end sign-up form, a front-end login form, a directory of users, and user profile pages.
Introducing UsersWP
Because of the above, we decided to build UsersWP, and this is precisely what it offers:
The free plugin can be downloaded here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/userswp/.
A lightweight WordPress User Profile plugin
Some websites’ user-profiles and the user directory are the center of operations.
For example, a dating website.
In many others, it’s a secondary element of the website, and it shouldn’t be bloated with options because it would slow down the rest.
For example, on any directory website, the users’ profiles are not as crucial as the listings or the directory search engine.
We created UsersWP for this second category for e-commerce websites, directories, and magazines where the users’ profiles and users’ interactions are essential but not the core of the business.
Less than 5 minutes of setup
Our main objective with UsersWP was to make it simple.
If WordPress takes less than 5 minutes to install and set up, the user management plugin shouldn’t take more.
In fact, it probably takes less than 2 minutes to configure UsersWP.
There are literally hands full of options.
We made many decisions to make the system less confusing for users.
The initial setup could be ideal for a vast number of websites.
After installation, the plugin creates seven pages and adds the necessary shortcodes in each of them.
Maybe you’ll want to change the page’s name, but that’s it.
The only thing that will add time is configuring custom fields, but the drag-and-drop account and user registration form builder will make that very easy too.
Fewer options, more hooks
We got rid of many options but added enough filters and actions to make this plugin extremely extensible.
We use hooks and filters to extend the core plugin and integrate it with other plugins such as:
- GeoDirectory (integrated into the core plugin)
- WooCommerce (WooCommerce Users Profiles)
- bbPress (bbPress Users Profiles)
- Easy Digital Downloads (Easy Digital Downloads Users Profiles)
- WP Job Manager (WP Job Manager Users Profiles)
- MailChimp (MailChimp Newsletter Signup on User Registration)
The GeoDirectory integration, for example, will add tabs in the users’ profiles to allow them to see their listings, reviews, and favorites.
Obviously, it’ll also take over the registration and login forms.
The WooCommerce integration will instead add tabs in the users’ profiles to allow them to see their orders and product reviews.
Long story short, UsersWP and its add-ons allow users to interact better with the integrated plugin.
These are just a few of the plugins that we created premium add-ons for.
We also created a few other premium add-ons to extend the community side of websites, like:
- Private Messages
- Users Moderation
- Following
- Profile Progress
More will be built and released in the near future.
Other than premium extensions, we also created two free add-ons:
- reCAPTCHA (to protect website registration from bots)
- Social Login (to allow users to register with the Facebook App Login, for example)
GeoDirectory and UsersWP are integrated without the need for an add-on.
We hope you’ll like UsersWP and decide to make it your WordPress User Profile plugin of choice.
Should you have any feedback that you think will help us improve it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us in the comments down below.
If instead, you find any bug, make sure to report it to our support team: https://userswp.io/support/
If you are upgrading from GD Payments Manager V1 to V2, you must carry out some additional steps. Our new free plugin WP Invoicing will now be required to take payment, and the GD payment manager will still handle the price packages and restrictions. ( You can find out more about WP Invoicing here: https://wpgeodirectory.com/wp-invoicing/ )
GD Payment Manager V2+ Install instructions
Payment Gateway Settings
WP Invoicing has its own gateway plugins which are available in your download area, not all come pre-installed, which means less code has to run and only the gateways you use will need to be installed.
- Payment Gateway Settings: For a quicker upgrade, take note of any of your active payment gateway settings, this will allow you to copy them over quickly.
- Stripe: For gateways like Stripe Payments you will have to update the notification URL in your settings on stripe.com
Installing Payment Manager V2
You will have to manually install the plugin, which is available from your downloads area, this can be done in 3 ways:
- FTP: You can upload (overwrite) the current files on your server.
- Plugin: You can use this plugin to allow you to upload the new zip file and install the update
- Delete + Install: You can also just delete the payments manager V1 and then install the V2 via the zip file (least recommended)
Installing WP Invoicing
You can download our wordpress Invoice plugins from here: wpinvoicing.com; you will find additional payment gateways in your download area under the payment manager.
WPI has its own documentation for installation which you can find here https://wpinvoicing.com/docs/category/getting-started/
You should:
- Install WP Invoicing
- Install any extra gateways needed
- Setup WP Invoicing by following the setup instructions
- The conversion of price packages and invoices should be automatic, if you have any problems you have to use the conversion tool under Invoicing>Settings>Tools
If you have any problems with GD Payment Manager, please post on the GD Payment Manager forums
If you have any problems with WP Invoicing, please post on the WP Invoicing forums (your GD login details will also work here)
Thanks,
The GeoDirectory Team
We are happy to announce WP Invoicing (now called GetPaid) is now live for its first public beta. In this post, you will learn all you need to know about this great new product! ( if you are upgrading to GD Payments Manager V2, please see here: https://wpgeodirectory.com/payments-manager-v2-setup/)
What is WP Invoicing?
Invoicing (WPI) is a the best of all WordPress invoice plugins that will allow you to send invoices and recurring invoices (depending on payment gateway) to anyone and have them pay through your WP site.
Invoices produced can be made to be EU VAT compliant which many eCommerce solutions currently are not.
WPI is intended for selling or invoicing for digital or intangible items online anywhere in the world and to be EU VAT compliant.
Most importantly WPI is easy to integrate your product with, we intend to use WPI for all our future product payments and we hope other developers will use WPI also.
Why WP Invoicing?
There are lots of reasons to why we created WPI, some of the most important ones are:
- EU VAT compliance (B2C): If you sell “digital items” to a EU consumers (B2C) you need to be VAT registered in at least one EU country and collect vat from consumers charged at the rate of the consumers country, WPI handles this.
- EU VAT compliance (B2B): If you sell “digital items” to a EU businesses (B2B) you need to collect certain evidence from the business transaction including it’s VAT Number, company name and location, WPI handles this.
- Global tax: WPI can handle charging the correct VAT no matter where your business or your customers.
- Less Code: If we have a centralized plugin that handles all payments for all out products then each product does not have to have its own processing code and all its own custom build gateways, saving you time and money.
- Gateways: By only having one payment system we only have to make payment gateways once, which means we can build more and cheaper.
- Developer Friendly: We have built WPI to be developer friendly, meaning it is super easy for devs to use WPI for their products, this step will allow 3rd part devs to not have to worry about tax compliance or building or maintaining payment gateways.
Who is WP Invoicing for?
WPI is really for 4 different sets of people:
- AyeCode Customers: AyeCode Ltd is the parent company of GeoDirectory, with the release of GD payment manager V2+ WPI will process all payment for GD and also all our upcoming products.
- Developers: Developers can use WPI as their payment solution, meaning they dont have to worry about tax compliance or maintaining many payment gateways and can spend more time improving their products.
- 3rd Part Customers: There are customers of 3rd party developer products, once WPI has compatibility with many 3rd party products, 3rd party customers will only have to pay once for a gateway and it will work for many products.
- Sending Invoices: WPI by its self can be used to send out tax complaint invoices for any digital/intangible items.