Stripe ... really?!?

[carrcomp]

So I was looking through stripes TOS ( https://stripe.com/us/terms#Prohibited+Businesses ) and went over the prohibited services section.

Most of it was expected (like pr0n, drugs, illegal things etc.)

Then I saw this :

(50) personal computer technical support

.....seriously?

 

[Ccomp5950]

Charge backs? Probably found our business type to be too risky. FillerFillerFiller

 

[carrcomp]

That sucks.

FILLLLLLERRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[mraikes]

Seems like those restrictions are really common. IIRC Square had something similar at first.

I think it's more about one company copying boilerplate from another company then an accurate reflection of the risk our businesses represent.

But it's kind of funny to look at what else is restricted... Airlines. Bankruptcy lawyers. Cruise lines. Weapons and munitions. Human hair.

 

[PCSupportGlasgow]

Human hair.

is wig making such a high chargeback risk business over there. i would think it pretty specialist as if someone going for a wig of such high quality they wont be buying it at a local cornerstore.

 

[repairtechinc]

That's too bad we use stripe at RepairTech and I absolutely love it. As a developer I have fallen in love with their API. It's very barebones but absolutely intuitive.

You might want to try Amazon payments or google checkout, they're both good especially Amazon.

 

[Rocco]

Has anybody emailed them and asked if they are willing to change it?

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

Contact them directly and explain your business. They will likely approve you.

They put that there mostly to avoid these phone soliciting computer repair scams and such. I was approved to use stripe though I went into great detail in my email to them since I do online transactions only. I am sure a local computer shop would be approved very easily.

 

[carrcomp]

Contact them directly and explain your business. They will likely approve you.

They put that there mostly to avoid these phone soliciting computer repair scams and such. I was approved to use stripe though I went into great detail in my email to them since I do online transactions only. I am sure a local computer shop would be approved very easily.

Well, I wanted to use stripe mainly for my remote support system .... and increasingly I'll have people with a monthly bill that want to have it taken automagically.

*sigh* I'll call them on the way home from this ... at 8 AM ... *sigh*

 

[carrcomp]

Turns out submitting a ticket is the way to go.

For those at home following, here's my message to them:


Hello,

My name is Chris Carrutehrs and I am the owner of Carruthers Computers.

I provide a wide range of services, including web design, web hosting, business computer services and personal computer repair.

At this time, I had noticed that one of the prohibited services was "personal computer technical support".

At what point is a company considered personal computer technical support? Is it when that's the only service it offers or is that when it offers that service period?

I would love to use your service, especially for my subsription clients, and I would like to know why computer repair companies are prohibited from using your service.

Thank you.

www.carruthers-computers.com

 

[krtechsolutions]

Personally I think stripe is pretty pricey, you can get an authorize.net account with a much lower percentage. I have a guy I can send you to, that is fair and honest and very easy to work with.

 

[carrcomp]

Personally I think stripe is pretty pricey, you can get an authorize.net account with a much lower percentage. I have a guy I can send you to, that is fair and honest and very easy to work with.

Well, not to get too far into it but my personal credit is not the best.

If he can work with poor credit fine, but my understanding is authorize.net requires a credit check whereas stripe does not.

 

[callthatgirl]

Well, not to get too far into it but my personal credit is not the best.

LOL. I had to

 

[carrcomp]

Well, not to get too far into it but my personal credit is not the best.

LOL. I had to

Of course you would

I'm the idiot that started my company right out of school you know ... I put myself into my own boat.

Thank got I plugged the holes. Now I just need to get rid of the water.

 

[Ccomp5950]

I, too, started my business right out of school.

Was stuck geographically due to family issues and it being Dec 2009 the job market wasn't exactly stellar.

 

[carrcomp]

I, too, started my business right out of school.

Was stuck geographically due to family issues and it being Dec 2009 the job market wasn't exactly stellar.

The job market here involved working minimum wage in a call center. I was over qualified for everything else before school.

After school, they didn't want me in the call center.

 

[carrcomp]

So, for those waiting for the reply from Stripe :

'Hi there Chris,

Thanks for writing in, and so sorry for the delay in getting back to you! We had an unusually hectic ay here at Stripe -- we just moved into a new office earlier today.

"Personal computer technical support" mainly is meant to refer to telephone technical support companies, not general IT firms or web design outfits. As carruthers-computers.com seems to be offering services other than just tech support, I see no reason why we would not be able to work with you.

Please, let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!

Best,

Lucy'

 

[carrcomp]

Oh also, bear in mind that this simple customer service question was answered at 1:41 am EST .... I don't expect that from any company.