I have finally got around to setting some dates for the 2006 soap making courses and Fizz Bombs Etc. courses.

I have given first refusal to those that have been waiting (very) patiently for me to sort out the new course dates. There are still a few places left on both the soap making courses and Fizz Bombs Etc. courses.

So, if you have thought about doing a soap making course in a fun and friendly environment then now is your chance ! But - be quick as places are going fast ...

Want more details ? Go here : Soap Making Courses

The Soap Making Course being held today has been a sell out. The remaining place went quickly. The only remaining date for the Soap Making Course is 21st November 2004. There are currently 2 places still available. There is also still availability on the Fizz Bombs & Other Bath Products course to be held on Saturday 20th November.

As a result of a last minute drop out resulting from someone failing to get a cheque to me (see my previous post), I have got 1 place unexpectedly free for Saturday's soap making course. If you are interested book now as it's first come, first served !

When I set up this site I realised that not everyone either has, or wants, a credit card. I wanted to make sure that I was catering for those of you who were in that situation. I provided the option of paying for the Soap Making Course and the Fizz Bombs Etc. Course by cheque for those that either didn't feel comfortable paying by cards over the internet (see my previous post about security), or simply didn't have a card.

I knew when I made the decision to accept cheques that it was going to make my life a bit more difficult with attendees on the Soap Making Course. People would book and opt to pay by cheque. Others would try and book, but if I had 4 people already saying they were coming then it made life difficult with the numbers. I was waiting for cheques to turn up for those that were definitely coming. Unfortunately, the reality is that those cheques never turned up. Not one of them. Not a single person that said they would pay by cheque ever sent it. As I mentioned, this made life difficult for me with planning and I feel it was unfair on other people who were keen to come on the course, only to be told that it looked like it was booked up for the weekend.

I don't like messing people around, so I've decided to remove the option to accept cheques. I figured that if people have got cheque books then they almost certainly have debit cards. Almost all the cheque guarantee cards I see these days double up as debit cards. So, if you would rather not pay by credit card then I can accept debit cards as an alternative.

I'm really sorry if this causes any inconvenience but I think it is the only way that I can be fair to everyone.

One thing that struck me after setting up the Soap making Course web site was that there are still some people out there that really do worry about using their credit card to purchase anything on the internet. I just want to put your mind at rest about using cards on the Soap Making Course web site.

Did you know that you are FAR less likely to be the subject of credit card fraud as a result of purchasing something over the internet than anywhere else ? People happily hand their credit card to a waiter in the restaurant and let him take it away out of sight for 5 minutes or so. He could be copying all your details, including signature, and maybe even the magnetic strip, but nobody thinks twice about giving the guy the card. Compare this to paying for something over the internet. Sites such as mine make sure that your details are 100% secure. Once you've chosen your course dates you are transferred to the shopping cart. It takes some basic details from you, such as name and address and then passes you on to Paypal's secure payment server. Your card details are never seen by anyone. They are passed from point A to point B fully encrypted so that nobody can possibly 'eavesdrop' on them.

If you are worried about security, always check the address bar and the status bar in your browser. The site address should start https:// and NOT http://. If it doesn't start https:// then it isn't secure. If you are using Internet Explorer then look near the bottom of the browser window. You should see a little padlock. This is further confirmation that the site is secure.

At the Soap Making Course I use Paypal to accept your payments securely, and as a merchant I never even see any of your card details. So don't worry about using cards on the internet, it's a lot safer than your average restaurant !