Internet Explorer issues have been resolved with our website

As I posted here on Monday, I had finally discovered why some of our customers had been experiencing problems when trying to make purchases through our website. The common denominator in the couple of consistent issues was the internet browser being used - Internet Explorer. I can happily say that after two intense days of examining thousands of lines of code that the problem was found and fixed. Users of Internet Explorer (all versions work now - I tested them, believe me ;) ) can place orders through our website – www.GiftBasketsFromMichigan.com without any bugs or glitches.

A very small coding issue (double quotes where there should not have been any - don't ask, it's a story that only fellow computer geeks like myself could relate to) was keeping Internet Explorer users from being able to look at the contents of their online shopping cart - that was not a small issue for customers, it was a HUGE problem.

They were unable to edit the cart contents if they accidentally placed the wrong gift basket(s) or too many gift baskets in their cart. Then, if they did manage to complete the transaction and purchase a basket or two - the confirmation page did not show - only a blank screen.

That is not what I would consider a positive customer experience.

Well, I am very pleased to say that these issues are now resolved. I have tested this in multiple versions of Internet Explorer and on multiple computers without any problems.

I will be contacting those who emailed me and/or called me when they experienced these problems and let them know that these problems have been fixed. I apologize to anyone who had a bad shopping experience with us because of these problems with our shopping cart.

I also want to thank those who contacted me about the problems that they encountered. Some of you will continue to do business with us. Some of you will never visit us again because of the problems you had.

Without this kind of feedback (I consider what some companies might think of as "bad" feedback to be good) I would not have known about the problem as quickly as I did.

I made a coding mistake. The mistake created some very bad experiences for customers and for that I can say nothing but I am sorry and I have since fixed the problem.

I doubt you would hear the CEO of Ford or GM be as candid as I have been here, but I would never want to be that distant from my customers. Gift Baskets From Michigan LLC exists because I love this state, its products, and the wonderful people who live here.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. Have a great day!

Introducing the Butterball turkey podcast

Lets talk turkey! From the folks who brought you the toll free helpline (1-800-Butterball) for cooking your Thanksgiving turkey comes the new wave of technology - the Butterball Turkey Podcast. The closer Thanksgiving gets, the more podcasts will be added to the Butterball website. Currently, there are three podcasts for you to listen to. Six podcasts in all will eventually be available for download.

Here is what is available as of today, November 15.

• Butterball Turkeytalk Preview - an intro to what will be covered in these podcasts
• Get Ready - Preparation 101
• Countdown Continues - Preparation 102

Oh the wonders of technology. See, now you can download these podcasts and put them on your MP3 player. While you are prepping your Thanksgiving meal you can have these podcasts playing and hopefully helping you cook the best turkey ever.

Visit Butterball.com and head over to the Turkey Podcast.

Via the Detroit Free Press.

Grand Traverse lighthouse looking for a few good keepers in 2007

Want to take a unique vacation that you will always remember? For $195 for one week for members of the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum - not sure, but I believe that is what they mean by members. Non-members are charged $220 per person for one week. Directly from the Lighthouse Keeper Application -

The primary responsibilities of Keepers are to greet visitors and provide them with historical information about the museum. They also work in the gift shop and help with maintenance of the buildings and grounds. Keepers are required to learn basic historic information about the Lighthouse. They must be energetic, comfortable speaking with the public, in excellent health, able to climb stairs and able to work long hours.

In addition to the above duties, keepers also must perform cleaning and other maintenance work while "stationed" at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse. Consider it a "working" vacation, but one that will certainly provide you and your family a unique learning experience.

View the lighthouse keeper application here.

Via the Traverse City Record Eagle.

We are fixing problems with Internet Explorer users at our website

I finally figured out why some folks were experiencing problems trying to purchase gift baskets through our online store. I ran a test today using Internet Explorer (all versions) instead of my preferred browser, Firefox. I was able to recreate the errors/problems that some of you have let me know about (which I greatly appreciate, because if I don't hear the complaints I don't know there are problems). For the record, I have never been able to recreate these same problems with Firefox. For those of you that are loyal to Internet Explorer and have not yet tried Firefox - do yourself a favor and head over to www.mozilla.com and download the newest version of Firefox today.

Okay, back to the problems some of you have experienced while using Internet Explorer -

• After adding an item or items to your shopping cart you click on the 'View Cart' or 'Shopping Cart' link to see what is in your cart or make changes. After clicking one of those links you are presented with a blank page.
• During the checkout phase (when you are entering billing and shipping information) you click the 'Submit Order' button and instead of a confirmation page you are presented with a blank page.
• Just so you know, even though you receive a blank page instead of the confirmation page you order STILL goes through and is processed. You will still receive a confirmation email even though you do not receive the confirmation page after clicking the 'Submit Order' button.

I am currently working on a solution to why this happens only with Internet Explorer. Hopefully it will be taken care of within the next 24 hours. Until then, I strongly urge you to download the Firefox browser and take it for a spin. I rarely have problems with web pages (not anywhere near the trouble I have with Internet Explorer).

I'll keep you posted on the progress of fixing these Internet Explorer Only issues at our website.

Michigan gas prices rise just a penny

Last week the average price of gas in Michigan was $2.269 and this week's average price of fuel in Michigan inched up a penny to @2.279. One month ago we were paying $2.185 with slim hopes of diving under the $2 threshold. One year ago we were paying $2.245. I would imagine that gas prices across the country will increase next week for the Thanksgiving holiday which is the most heavily traveled holiday.

Gas price data courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Airplane parts supplier looks to set up shop at Sawyer International Airport

Wabash Wheel and Brake, Inc. hopes to be able to add 100-250 high paying jobs to the Marquette county economy if things fall into place and they are able to open up their company at Sawyer International Airport. The company would refurbish airplane wheels and brakes for the airline industry. The 100-250 jobs would pay around $18 per hour. This startup depends on a few things falling into place -

• $4.1 million loan from the federal program New Market Tax Credits
• $1 million loan from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation

For more details, see the article at The Mining Journal.

Sounds like a great deal if everything falls into place and Wabash Wheel and Brake, Inc. can get started. They plan on hiring locally with the only requirements being that potential employees have a good attitude and work ethic. No experience would be necessary as the company consultant, Steve Burns, said he could train anyone for the jobs at the potential plant.