Checkout Troubleshooting Guide for Site Admins
Purpose: Help site admins quickly diagnose and resolve “I can’t complete my checkout” issues reported by bookers by using CourseCo reports and payment gateway error messages (e.g., Stripe).
What you’ll need
Admin access to CourseCo (Reports permissions enabled).
The booker’s identifying details: full name and, if possible, email and approximate checkout time.
Ability to contact the booker with guidance.
Quick path to resolution
Log in to CourseCo as an admin.
Go to Reports > Recent Payments Report
Open the Recent Payments report and search for the booker by name or email. It should appear top of the list
Locate the relevant attempt near the time the booker reported the issue and review the payment status and error message returned by your payment processor (e.g., Stripe).
Provide the booker with clear next steps based on the specific error (see Guidance by error below).
Tip: If you don’t immediately find the booker, widen the time range in the report filters and search by partial name or email. Multiple failed attempts may appear—match by timestamp and amount.
or consider they never made it to the checkout and they’re struggling somewhere else
Guidance by error (what to tell the booker)
Use the exact error in the Payments report to tailor your guidance. Common examples:
Payment error (from gateway) | What it means | What to tell the booker |
|---|---|---|
incomplete_number / invalid_number | The card number field is missing digits or contains an invalid number. | Re-enter the full card number carefully with no spaces or typos. Try a different card if it still fails. |
incorrect_cvc / invalid_cvc | The security code (CVC/CVV) doesn’t match the card issuer’s records. | Enter the 3- or 4-digit security code from the card. If unsure, try another card. |
insufficient_funds / do_not_honor | The issuer declined the charge due to balance, limit, or generic decline. | Use a different payment method or contact your bank to approve the charge, then try again. |
expired_card | The card’s expiry date is in the past or entered incorrectly. | Update the expiry date or use a valid, non-expired card. |
processing_error / generic_decline | Temporary network or processor issue, or issuer declined without details. | Wait a minute and retry, ensure a stable connection, or try another card. If it persists, contact your bank. |
If your system shows Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) or 3D Secure errors:
Ask the booker to complete the bank app or SMS approval step when prompted.
If the SCA window closes or times out, have them retry and keep the authentication screen in view until confirmation.
Step-by-step: Investigate a reported failed checkout
Confirm details with the booker: name, email, course, price, and the approximate time they attempted checkout.
In CourseCo, open Reports > Payments and set the date/time filter to include the reported window. Sort by most recent.
Identify the relevant payment attempt: match by customer name/email and amount. Check the Status and Error/Decline Code columns.
Open the payment attempt details to view the gateway response (Stripe message/code). Copy the exact error text if you need to share it.
Apply the Guidance by error table above to give clear, specific instructions to the booker.
If no payment attempt appears
Ask the booker to confirm they reached the payment step (not just the booking form).
Check for form validation errors on the booking page (e.g., missing required fields, invalid email format).
Escalation checklist (for admins)
Capture screenshots of the Payments report entry and the error code/message.
Note the booker identifier and timestamp of the failed attempt.
Confirm whether multiple attempts failed and whether different cards were tried.
When contacting support@courseco.co, include the above plus any other details.
Examples you can paste to bookers
Card number issue: “Please re-enter your full card number and try again. If it fails again, use a different card.”
CVV/CVC mismatch: “Please enter the 3- or 4-digit security code printed on your card and retry.”
Insufficient funds: “Please use a different card or contact your bank to approve the charge, then try again.”