Epass shit - fan interaction

[EmporerEJ]

Look, 10 years ago, I read a report where they said they were gonna take down the adult industry by taking out the payment legs.
They are systematically doing that.
It's the easiest way to control the industry, and leave no "free speech" fingerprints.

The only way to combat it, is take on MC/VISA. Accusing them of being a defacto monopoly, which they are, and forcing them to then work under the scrutiny of a monopoly.

That's the only way to "get them," that I can see....

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

Look, 10 years ago, I read a report where they said they were gonna take down the adult industry by taking out the payment legs.
They are systematically doing that.
It's the easiest way to control the industry, and leave no "free speech" fingerprints.

The only way to combat it, is take on MC/VISA. Accusing them of being a defacto monopoly, which they are, and forcing them to then work under the scrutiny of a monopoly.

That's the only way to "get them," that I can see....

Actually that's already in the works.

The cement that holds all this together is that if 2 or more Epassporte customers are in the military, law enforcement, emergency, college students, seniors, and their shit gets fucked up to the point of FUBAR then the shit will really hit the fan and it's already started. If it's found out that some customers were notified BEFORE the slam down then there will be ass to pay. Someone pulled the trigger and Epass says it's VISA, St. Kitts says it's Epass, VISA says it's St. Kitts, etc. Whoever pulled the trigger is looking at lawsuits that won't end. Maybe not from adult industry customers but from persons who's lives and livelihoods have been damaged and ruined.

If it's a case of hackers, there is no where on Earth they can go.

Things like this don't happen without prior notice, that's the law. The only way it would happen without notice is if Epass owed someone big money and some legal procedure was inacted. Now how could Epass owe lots of money and to whom?

It's all speculation but so far we've been told:

1.) It's their fault from all three entities, Epassporte, St. Kitts, VISA. All three pointing to the other.

2.) Epassporte said it was just a technical issue resolvable in 24 hours. Then we're told by next week. What will happen next week? We'll be told next month? Believe me, lawyers are ready to pounce.

Somebody somewhere screwed up big time and it's better than even money that some third party asshole is involved.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by Greg B

Things like this don't happen without prior notice, that's the law. The only way it would happen without notice is if Epass owed someone big money and some legal procedure was inacted. Now how could Epass owe lots of money and to whom?
.

Apparently you've never had your own merchant account. These things, and worse, CAN happen with a merchant account. They don't notify you before they pull money from you. They pull the money at the first whiff of a charge back, and don't give it back until you PROVE your case. In ALL cases, not some, not special....ALL cases, the merchant, (EPass in this case) is the guy holding the bag.
I don't know that this is the situation with them, but I DO know how it is to be a merchant after 25 years with my own merchant account.

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

Apparently you've never had your own merchant account. These things, and worse, CAN happen with a merchant account. They don't notify you before they pull money from you. They pull the money at the first whiff of a charge back, and don't give it back until you PROVE your case. In ALL cases, not some, not special....ALL cases, the merchant, (EPass in this case) is the guy holding the bag.
I don't know that this is the situation with them, but I DO know how it is to be a merchant after 25 years with my own merchant account.

Oh I've had merchant accounts. Helped in the original days when they were used for online services and before in real estate.

"If" it was a merchant account issue it depends on the infraction or error on the part of the merchant or the bank. Sometimes banks hire stupid and inefficient people who don't know how to handle computers.

In this case when you contact each entity they give the same answer that it was the other guy's fault. That says to me a shirking of responsibility to avoid liability.

After Labor Day we'll call each company again, that's after the labor unions, teachers unions, parents, military folks get done with all three companies to get to the bottom of the matter.

[EmporerEJ]

Originally Posted by Greg B

Oh I've had merchant accounts. Helped in the original days when they were used for online services and before in real estate.

"If" it was a merchant account issue it depends on the infraction or error on the part of the merchant or the bank. Sometimes banks hire stupid and inefficient people who don't know how to handle computers.

In this case when you contact each entity they give the same answer that it was the other guy's fault. That says to me a shirking of responsibility to avoid liability.

After Labor Day we'll call each company again, that's after the labor unions, teachers unions, parents, military folks get done with all three companies to get to the bottom of the matter.

I'm certain this wasn't a merchant account issue.
I merely use that experience to illustrate a point.

I've had the same merchant account from the days of the manual slide machine, and check the little book for bad cards. Back when you dealt directly with your local bank, deposited the slips there, and there was no such thing as a POP machine, OR much computer processing.

Back then, you, the merchant were guaranteed payment, and charge backs were a rare, and unheard of thing. Even with mail/phone orders.

That is most certainly NOT the situation today.
The merchant, today, is ALWAYS the one holding the bag here. Even with all your paperwork and delivery documentation in hand, you are still at their mercy.

I'll be very interested to see what this shakes out to be....but I fear for the parties involved, especially the merchants, and girls that have performed services here, and should be paid.

[gonzo]

Bottom line is this was being used as unreported income.
Feds have been sniffing at it for a while and Mallick's arrogant mouth in the interviews about how much smarter he was than Visa didnt help.

Cue the music...

[rycpitbull]

Originally Posted by gonzo

Bottom line is this was being used as unreported income.

True... We made deposits from epass either electronic or transfer and they had to be booked as income. I see what you are saying though. Some were just pocketing.

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by EmporerEJ

I'm certain this wasn't a merchant account issue.
I merely use that experience to illustrate a point.

I've had the same merchant account from the days of the manual slide machine, and check the little book for bad cards. Back when you dealt directly with your local bank, deposited the slips there, and there was no such thing as a POP machine, OR much computer processing.

Back then, you, the merchant were guaranteed payment, and charge backs were a rare, and unheard of thing. Even with mail/phone orders.

That is most certainly NOT the situation today.
The merchant, today, is ALWAYS the one holding the bag here. Even with all your paperwork and delivery documentation in hand, you are still at their mercy.

I'll be very interested to see what this shakes out to be....but I fear for the parties involved, especially the merchants, and girls that have performed services here, and should be paid.

I do well remember those days. We had merchant accounts doing comic book conventions etc..

It's just a coinkydink that this Epass problem occurred same time as the Craigslist problem.

Anyhow, there are alternatives to Epass and Gonzo mentioned unreported income and that's not true. The amount of data you put in to Epass as well as your ATM transactions are logged on multiple levels. The major problem is that the government is spending tons of time and effort on a vindictive witch hunt on the common person and middle class instead of putting a foot up the ass of major bankers who skirt by audits and other penalties.

Remember, it was we the people who bailed out "them the banks" who laughed in the face of government but government punishes the people.

This is all going to come to an ugly head soon as people are tired of getting fees to death, higher taxes, no representation in government and Banksters still getting phat pocket bonuses after fucking us over.

This goes all the way back to the usury laws. Laws that were put in place to prevent the debt crisis we're in but bitch assed lawmakers and Nixon let those laws slip and then Reagan deregulated. It was like letting two wolves and a sheep decide what was for dinner.

Believe you me, a student of mine who works for Google has some good money tied up in Epass and so do some of his colleagues there. They're looking to have Google start it's own p2p and VISA and MC are gonna be chomping at the bit for that business.

The more regulations piled on the common guy the less we'll spend and that means the economy goes into a standstill. Ain't it funny how we people can be audited but certain banks, financial institutions, the Federal Reserve can't be? That should tell you right there.

And the IRS with a decades long history of abuses including robbery, grand larceny, invasion of privacy, murder, extortion, mayhem etc. still hasn't been put in check?

Why is it an army of ex IRS employees now have thriving businesses helping people fight the IRS?

So sit back and watch the circus because somebody somewhere screwed up and I'm betting it was a third party involved and all parties are praying that the public doesn't find out who it was because they'll get sued.

If it was a hacker then the party responsible for not providing the proper security is in trouble.

If it was a clerical error the office where the error occurred is going to get sued.

If it was government intervention and it interrupted trade, it's their ass because that's one of the most fundamental laws on the books. No lawyer in his right mind will sit on the sidelines here as it just smells of a bonanza of lawsuits no matter how trivial the reason for this debacle.