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Ambassador
Join Date: Jan 1, 2010
Location: La Costa Rica
Posts: 8,511
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Why no rates or services in ads and showcases?
Here is the answer directly from the owner:
"The situation is this: ccBill, our payment processor, has adopted a policy of no rates or services whatsoever. That's why we had to restrict this info from being posted in the ads.
We left the info in the Showcases initially, hoping that would be ok if only offered to our Premium Access members, and not visible to the general public....but unfortunately, they wanted that removed as well.
Obviously, we don't want to have to restrict our provider members from being able to display this information in their ads....it simply wasn't our choice. Of all the payment processors that are pre-configured for vBulletin, ccBill was the only one that was adult site-friendly and in the beginning this was not an issue.
Now, with the new policy, it's a bit of a different story. Yes, they are still adult-friendly...but the exclusion of rates and services just makes things harder for both our provider members and our hobbyist members doing their research on the ladies, and I'm not interested in just living with it and dealing with it when I know a little extra effort on my part will enable me to bring these tools back to our readers.
The solution: find another payment processor that will allow rates and services. There are plenty of banks out there willing to work with online merchants in the adult industry, but each one has their own set of policies, restrictions, and provisions.....and to be honest, it hasn't been easy finding one that meets our needs completely. And then, when we do find the one we will go with, we have to build our own payment gateway because it won't be pre-configured for vBulletin like ccBill was... and I'll have to have a developer integrate their entire system with vBulletin, and all of the various subscription options we offer to our members. That'll add a little time to this as well.
I was vague about all of this in the beginning for one reason and one reason only: I simply wasn't eager to advertise to ccBill that we were shopping other options. I wasn't hiding anything from the members, it was just reluctance to display this information to ccBill when I wasn't entirely sure which direction I would take. We have been with them since the beginning and I just didn't think it was the right thing to do....so I told as much as I could to you guys and gals without revealing that one aspect.
Why am I revealing this now? Well, because since then I have had several talks with the ccBill representative assigned to our account, and he has been very understanding about the situation. His hands are tied on their policy of no rates and services,....he does not want us to leave, but he is willing to accept whatever we choose to do, even if it means losing us as a customer....he's actually given me some sound advice concerning merch accounts and what I can expect to encounter during the search, and he has even made it very clear that there will always be an open door to return to ccBill at any time should we chose to do so. They absolutely value us as a customer, and consider us one of their best.
So, for the record, I'm very pleased with the service we have received from ccBill from the beginning to present day. They have been a stand-up company to deal with. If not for the restrictive policy they adopted, we'd stick with them for the long haul.
Now, for the time being, I am still shopping merchant accounts, but I am well into that process. Sadly, it's taken longer than I expected. As I said, each one has their own set of demands....and some don't necessarily fit this type of site and the needs of it's members.....so, I'll keep searching. There are literally hundreds of banks out there, and plenty of them don't mind rates being displayed.....I just need to find one and make sure they don't have any other strange requirements that would restrict the flow of information on the site.
Once I find the right merch account, we will integrate it with vBulletin, build the payment page, and go live with it.....and at that time, the rates will return in showcases, and more than likely we will also be able to allow girls to be a little more flexible with what they put in their ads too...all of this work is being done with our member's needs in mind. In other words, you asked for it loud and clear, and make no mistake about it, my goal is to bring it back to you as quickly as I possibly can.
Look, I appreciate everyone's patience with this. It's been frustrating for the members, for my staff, and for me as well. I know full well the needs of my membership, and this has no doubt hampered that.....making things more tedious for both sides of the community. And, for the folks who have not been as patient, or been skeptical, or pessimistic about the timely return of the rates and services, I find your comments and remarks entirely understandable and take each of your posts to heart. I always want our members to share their true feelings, even if it's not what I wanted to hear.....often times it's those stinging statements and sharp criticism that gives extra inspiration and provides me with additional motivation to get the job done, and get it done right.
Even if it takes a little longer than expected, you now have the facts straight from the horse's mouth.....and you can definitely expect us to get things back to the way they were at some point in the near future. I know many of you found a workaround for the rates and services and I'm grateful for that..as it has sorta bought me a little time to find the right option for the ECCIE community and put it in place. Please share that with your brothers whenever you can.
Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and feedback on this whole matter, and my sincere hopes that you find this explanation reasonable and satisfactory."
St. C
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Huck
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