Don't use Epassporte if you don't need to
Just a fair warning that epassporte doesn't care if your money has been sitting in their bank accounts for an extended period of time while you bend over backwards trying to get through their ridiculous verification system.
1. When I created my epassporte account YEARS ago I already verified myself!!!!!!!!!!
2. I don't use the account much because it's not a very user-friendly service
3. Years later (now), after having a VERIFIED ACCOUNT for YEARS without problem, I receive a large transaction where the buyer insists on using epassporte since that's where all his money is.
4. I am unable to withdraw more than 300$/day on this large sum of money due to epass's limitations.
5. I re-send verification documents even though my account should already be verified.
6. Epassporte doesn't accept online bank statements/screenshots because apparently their risk management department went to school in the 1970s and will only accept paper verification documents. Well that's fine but not everyone, especially webmasters, don't always live in the country they have residency and their bank accounts in. I like to travel and don't need a paper trail of my CC statements following me around the world.
7. After painful phonecalls to their 'customer service department' outsourced in india, after taking 5-10 minutes trying to verify my information with an incompetent call center employee that has a very weak grasp of the english language I decide to try their Toronto office, where I'm from as well.
8. Toronto employee insists that I can't use an online statement to verify my CC, and suggests my bank sends him an email with a STAMPED LETTER verifying my info. After contemplating flying back to Toronto and ringing his neck, I decide to go through the painful process of contacting my Toronto bank branch and getting them to send a letter. (This in itself is also a huge hassle, incompetent low paid bank employees that don't follow up with you through phone calls, took days to get someone competent)
9. A week later... while all this money is sitting in epassporte's hands, I finally receive the letter from my bank, scan it, and send it to epassporte.
10. NOW!!! I think I'm all set, it takes their lame review department a couple days to approve, oh - by the way, their review department is very mysterious, their indian call center, nor their toronto office have direct contact with the mysterious review department apparently... they have to send an email which won't be responded to until 24 hours later.
11. I see that the documents have finally been accepted and I go to cash out... NOPE, now I get this msg:
Your transaction has been declined by ePassporte.
Instructions on how to manually verify your credit card have been sent to your ePassporte Message Center Inbox. Please click on the Message Center button.
OK fine - Please click the message center button, NOPE, NO message in there to manually verify my creditcard THAT I HAVE ALREADY VERIFIED. I suspect that the reason for this block to happen is because I travelled from one country to another during this time.
This is getting really ridiculous... so now I contact Michael O and see if he can be of any better assistance.
Michael ePassporte (2:22 PM):
Hi
The problem should be fixed now.
I apologize for the delay
chronoshift (3:04 PM):
no it is NOT fixed, same message
Michael ePassporte (3:05 PM):
OK I will ask that its looked at again
chronoshift (10:08 AM):
???
This contact is offline.
The message will be delivered when the contact goes Online.
He's been offline since.
Fair warning to webmasters unless you like to put up with headaches, avoid epassporte unless you absolutely need to use them. And don't even think about calling their customer service line in India... won't get you anywhere
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