Coupons for full amount complete checkout -- BAD!

[BDD]

If a site visitor enters a coupon code that covers the full amount of their purchase, the software automatically completes checkout for them.

It doesn't let them SEE that the coupon amount was applied, it doesn't let them SEE that the balance was zero.

It doesn't TELL them that it's being processed. It doesn't wait for them to choose "Place Order and Pay" -- it just HAPPENS and they get sent to the email confirmation screen.

That's HORRIBLE usability. It's confusing and startling to the user, and just really poor design.

Please change this functionality. Thanks.

[Lindy]

Thanks for reaching out. 

Somebody else might "get" this before I do, but I'm having a difficult time visualizing what you're after. When this functionality was created, we assume if there's no payment, there's no sale as such and thus, there is no "checkout" / payment. 

While we can consider a suggestion to provide some sort of "$0 confirmation" - often, there's a different or better way to meet the goal. So, if you could please explain your use-case and workflow, it would help us better understand what exactly you're after. 

[BDD]

Thanks for your response.

As an example, I'd like to offer one of my memberships for free to certain people. What they're getting free is something that others will pay for. So when the certain people go to checkout, they'll use the coupon code that I supply so that their membership is free (but all the features of the membership will be the same, and to the world they'll look like a standard member of that membership). 

As I explained, when they go to fill in the coupon code, as with anything like this, people will want to see what happened -- that the coupon gave them something that others would pay $XXX for, and they got it for $0.

Most commerce sites will show you the cost, the coupons applied, and the balance -- and then offer the customer an opportunity to choose a button to move forward and place the order. THAT's what I'm looking for here, too. 

It's just standard usability -- don't automatically do something without letting the user know what's going on. Prompt them for the next step when they're ready.

Does that help?