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It's a bit horrifying it takes a disgruntled HN post and the pure chance you happened across it. It's also discomforting how comfortable Stripe employees like y

by urda 3y ago

It's a bit horrifying it takes a disgruntled HN post and the pure chance you happened across it. It's also discomforting how comfortable Stripe employees like yourself think holding 50% of someone's earning for any amount of time is acceptable. I really don't care if Stripe is HN's baby, this is awful customer service and gives me great pause in recommending or using Stripe.

pull_my_finger 3y ago
I feel like these posts should be disallowed. Seems like Stripe is using HN as a free help forum, and it's customers have accepted that this is the place to go when you need to talk to a human. I don't think HN should encourage it, and I don't know why we all play along. I've seen a solid handful or two of these posts, and most of the time users aren't looking for discussion, only enough attention to get the Stripe team to act. My opinion only, obviously I sympathize with OP whose just trying to get their money and this seems to be the tried and true way to get a response, but I definitely don't think it adds anything positive to the site other than a recurring warning to other would-be Stripe customers.
- cft 3y ago
  HN should encourage it, because startup founders read HN. They should think twice risking their business existence, after seeing this benevolent approach.
- DANmode 3y ago
  > I don't know why we all play along Sunlight kills all infection.
  - 111111IIIIIII 3y ago
    Tell that to Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, or one of the billions of working families all over the world that everyone knows is getting f*cked over on a constant basis. Sunlight is not a disinfectant. Better to try gasoline.
  - Frondo 3y ago
    Sunlight only works reasonably well for waterborne pathogens, and only when you've got time. As with disinfecting anything, and especially for societal issues, we need more than sunlight alone.
- zem 3y ago
  > other than a recurring warning to other would-be Stripe customers that seems like an exceptionally high-value positive in a site with a large number of users who need payment services.
pgodzin 3y ago
The alternative is likely not being able to work with the business at all due to their risk profile and chargeback rates.
- gruez 3y ago
  That seems... better? At least you know what you're in for (ie. you can only take crypto or go with a risk-taking payment processor that has an explicit net 120 payout schedule), so you can plan your business around it.
danielmarkbruce 3y ago
These types of companies are often frauds (anything involving large amounts charged for travel, or housing of some sort). A bunch of big charges comes in, and then months later there are massive chargebacks and the company in question no longer exists. Stripe is left holding the bag. Their only option with these large charges for services to be delivered in the future is to not release funds until they are quite certain there won't be a charge back. For every instance of what appears to be bad behavior by a payments company, consider the angle of the fraudster. They are really screwing things up for everybody.
- matthewdgreen 3y ago
  In a working payment system, the scenario where someone initiates a valid dispute nine months after the fact would be extremely rare: it would be limited to a few types of physical card theft where the card owner is unable to report the card missing for some relatively unusual reason. We just don’t have a working payment system, so unfortunately this stuff is incredibly common and everyone has to suffer because of it.
  - danielmarkbruce 3y ago
    There are genuine cases (travel and lodging are the obvious ones) where people tend to pay for things months in advance. I don't see it going away. If you can come up with a cheap, effective, convenient payment method to cover these things, you are on a winner. I don't think it's possible because the time horizon creates risk, there is no avoiding it.

by urda 3y ago

pull_my_finger 3y ago

I feel like these posts should be disallowed. Seems like Stripe is using HN as a free help forum, and it's customers have accepted that this is the place to go when you need to talk to a human. I don't think HN should encourage it, and I don't know why we all play along. I've seen a solid handful or two of these posts, and most of the time users aren't looking for discussion, only enough attention to get the Stripe team to act. My opinion only, obviously I sympathize with OP whose just trying to get their money and this seems to be the tried and true way to get a response, but I definitely don't think it adds anything positive to the site other than a recurring warning to other would-be Stripe customers.

cft 3y ago
HN should encourage it, because startup founders read HN. They should think twice risking their business existence, after seeing this benevolent approach.
DANmode 3y ago
> I don't know why we all play along Sunlight kills all infection.
- 111111IIIIIII 3y ago
  Tell that to Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, or one of the billions of working families all over the world that everyone knows is getting f*cked over on a constant basis. Sunlight is not a disinfectant. Better to try gasoline.
- Frondo 3y ago
  Sunlight only works reasonably well for waterborne pathogens, and only when you've got time. As with disinfecting anything, and especially for societal issues, we need more than sunlight alone.
zem 3y ago
> other than a recurring warning to other would-be Stripe customers that seems like an exceptionally high-value positive in a site with a large number of users who need payment services.

pgodzin 3y ago

The alternative is likely not being able to work with the business at all due to their risk profile and chargeback rates.

gruez 3y ago
That seems... better? At least you know what you're in for (ie. you can only take crypto or go with a risk-taking payment processor that has an explicit net 120 payout schedule), so you can plan your business around it.

danielmarkbruce 3y ago

These types of companies are often frauds (anything involving large amounts charged for travel, or housing of some sort). A bunch of big charges comes in, and then months later there are massive chargebacks and the company in question no longer exists. Stripe is left holding the bag. Their only option with these large charges for services to be delivered in the future is to not release funds until they are quite certain there won't be a charge back. For every instance of what appears to be bad behavior by a payments company, consider the angle of the fraudster. They are really screwing things up for everybody.

matthewdgreen 3y ago
In a working payment system, the scenario where someone initiates a valid dispute nine months after the fact would be extremely rare: it would be limited to a few types of physical card theft where the card owner is unable to report the card missing for some relatively unusual reason. We just don’t have a working payment system, so unfortunately this stuff is incredibly common and everyone has to suffer because of it.
- danielmarkbruce 3y ago
  There are genuine cases (travel and lodging are the obvious ones) where people tend to pay for things months in advance. I don't see it going away. If you can come up with a cheap, effective, convenient payment method to cover these things, you are on a winner. I don't think it's possible because the time horizon creates risk, there is no avoiding it.