I know so many of you had issues with ordering the DreamBox2, so I thought I would a) offer up my sincerest apologies, and b) let you know what happened.
The live link was scheduled for an announced 12 noon launch on Latest In Beauty. The link has to go live a few minutes early to be tested and to ensure that it’s working correctly. Which it was!
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The issue was that around 700 people went to the site at almost exactly the same time and with constant refreshes, the site crashed. The main issue lies at the pay point – it literally cannot process payments fast enough with that rate of traffic. Even though we had every single thing in place to make this smooth and easy for anyone trying to buy, and it was checked and re-checked, we couldn’t have anticipated that level of traffic converging at exactly the same time. It’s unprecedented for Latest In Beauty (and makes me massively proud of BBB readers that we broke it! Shhh….).
Next time, we are looking at a reservation list only, so that there is no pay point process until you are instructed by email and given a specific link to buy through if you are on the reservation list. That way, payments can be staggered.
You know, I had butterflies all morning before launch – I know that previous boxes have always gone quickly, but I never, never assume that it will be the case every time. I always hope I’m offering something that is consumer focussed so you get the best possible value for your money that’s available in the beauty box arena. That’s why there are only a couple each year – I would not be able to get the quality of brands in the quantities needed if I was doing them every five minutes. And, they have to be right. Tech sometimes does let us down. I promise we had everything right for it to be smooth, and then it wasn’t.
So, I’m so, so sorry that it proved to be difficult for many people. We’ve learned from this and will do it differently next time.
I know some people successfully bought, and others were diverted to a reservation list. If you were on the reservation list this afternoon (Monday) you are guaranteed a box and if you’re quick you still will be. There isn’t a precedent for this on Latest In Beauty so if I can ask for your patience one more time, they will come back to you as soon as they possibly can.
So, I can tell you that it’s all calmed down and that there are some boxes left although the site may be running a little slow. You will need to pop your name on the waiting list and Latest in Beauty will come back to you via email. The link is HERE.
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