Five Reasons to Avoid Using Google Checkout

Google Checkout got quite a bit of attention when it first launched in June 2006. There was speculation initially that they would be a major competitor for Paypal and eBay banned sellers from using it as a payment method. The purpose of Google Checkout is to simplify the online shopping process. Users set up an account and then link their credit card and a shipping address. They add items from various sites to their shopping cart and when they are finished shopping, they only have to complete one transaction. They claim to offer added privacy and fraud protection.

Many people have been drawn to use the Google Checkout feature due to lucrative promotional offers such as $10 off any $10 purchase and $20 off any $50 purchase. I'm a bargain hunter, and so I figured it was worth trying. To say that I was disappointed with the experience is an understatement. When I searched online for "Google Checkout" I found numerous complaints from others whose experiences were similar to mine. Common words used to describe the service included abysmal, terrible, and poor.

Here are five reasons to avoid using Google Checkout:

Delay in processing orders

When you visit a site and use Google Checkout, there is a delay between the time when you place your order and the time when they actually communicate with the vendor. You may think that this is reasonable, but in this case, the delays are excessive. Many have reported that they paid additional money for expedited shipping, but it took three or four days on average just for the order to be transferred from Google to the vendor. Some customers have reported that it has taken them two to three weeks to receive merchandise even though they requested "expedited handling." Google Checkout is definitely not the way to go if you need something on a timeline or for a gift.

Frequent cancellation of orders