Paypal is a big bully who won't play by any rules of business

Jeff Harper · December 22nd, 2008, 08:24 AM

Ross, you clearly are trying your best and that is plain to all. Do take a deep breath and try to not go over the top...stay as civil as you can as has been recommended, though I'm sure at this point I would be ranting myself.

I too will look into Google, Chris. I don't do large volumes, but I had a very scary experience with my funds being frozen after a sale earlier this year, and I still haven't forgotten it. Add that to the fact that I avoid e-bay like the plague now due to their new "rules", and I'm about ready to use an alternative.

Ross Herewini · December 22nd, 2008, 03:58 PM

I called Paypal again yesterday morning, and asked for a Supervisor, and relayed to him the ongoing frustration I have had with them. He apologised and said he would look into it, i suggested the time for looking into it has gone it's in the middle ages.

I told him I wanted to speak to his boss, to give his company one last opportunity before I unleashed the Australian Government on him, and wonder of wonders. He said that he could actually make the decision after all, and the account was going to be unlocked as we spoke. I agree he made the right call, our Government at the moment is in no mood to stuff around if our exporters are being interfered with. They wouldn't slap them on the wrist they would kick them in the n**ts, then kick them on the ground.

So after spending most of the night before shutting PP down, I now have to reopen it, I worked again until 1.30am with our developer to get the website up and running, so it's up and running now.

I'm spending the morning on the phone with potential e-commerce people, so that we have an alternate as soon as practically possible.

I apologise for this ongoing saga, but I thought you might like to know what goes on behind the scenes with these dopes.

So they have released some but not all funds, at least I won't be washing dishes for 6 months in Hong Kong, even though it is the most vibrant city I've ever been to.

This has been very distracting, and our concentration on getting on top of orders has fallen away since it really exploded on Sunday our time. This morning we will grab the reins and be fully across all orders.

So Paypal, the worst company I have dealt with by a country mile, I’m stuck dealing with them for the time being. BUT NOT FOR LONG.

NOW ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE.

I met with two of the top engineers yesterday, and we had a brainstorming session, well actually they've got the brains, and I just stormed around.

The first product we have come up will allow downloading of up to six Expresscard to one computer simultaneously. No more one card after another. When we get some working models, I'll give the old video tour of the product. But unlike the MxR expresscard, we won't shoot and edit it in less than half an hour, we might even take, oh say, two hours. Please don’t try and tease the details of this out of me, because the details are still pretty fluid, but I will keep you up informed as things start to firm up.

Gee it's great sitting with guys who when you ask can they do it, you can see the wheels whirring, the pistons flying. They design the product, the assembly line the dies all in their minds, and then do a rough costing. Very impressive stuff.

Man this whole project is like working at warp factor 8, except unlike Scotty, "she can take more, and she won't fall apart".

I'll really have to get serious about the blog. I keep writing here because I know that everyone reads it.

SHould i just put a message that I have written some more stuff, or only put info in the blog, and just hope people check it? What do you think?

Anyway it's 5.30am and time to hit the coffee shop, I leave for Sydney tonight with 500 cards tucked into my suitcase. I'm just going to say they're samples. "No really officer we have a huge R&D team and they wanted one each."

Please note Aussie customers, we sent 500 by DHL, express to Sydney on Saturday am, and only found out that they are still in Hong Kong as of last night. But don't worry. I'll have enough to cover the orders for Aussieland, and we will send them all out tomorrow (Wednesday) to be delivered Christmas eve.

The offer still stands though, if you want one of Santas little helpers to deliver in person, we are happy to help, just let us know as soon as you can, so we don't hand them over to AusPost.

Apart from that, dear readers, I hope during the holidays you have a chance to relax and be with those most dear to you, if not then with your family, just kidding, I hope you have great break and come back refreshed and ready to tackle another exciting year in video production.

All the best,

Steve Shovlar · December 22nd, 2008, 04:10 PM

Ross I am glad your problems seem to be easing.

get those clever design guuys together and get them to come up with an SXS replica. Rather than use SDHC cards in an adaptor, the best thing w could all have is a 32Gb express card fast enough for slo mo at all rates.

They and yourself would make a killing if a card could be produced which was a fraction of the SXS card, but did the same.

Ross Herewini · December 22nd, 2008, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Shovlar

Ross I am glad your problems seem to be easing.

get those clever design guuys together and get them to come up with an SXS replica. Rather than use SDHC cards in an adaptor, the best thing w could all have is a 32Gb express card fast enough for slo mo at all rates.

They and yourself would make a killing if a card could be produced which was a fraction of the SXS card, but did the same.

Steve,

You weren't listening in were you, did I have Skype on and someone logged in?

I can relay one problem in building such a card, and that, believe or not is the spot price of flash. Did you know that flash has a spot market who volatility eclipses currency, futures, and derivatives?

It can change 30% in one day!

Imagine trying to quote a selling price with that kind of volatility.

Just one little factor in buying quality RAM you have to buy in Minimum Order Quantities of wait for it, smallest is US$100,000, and that is for rubbish RAM. Good stuff and double or triple it. That's a pretty serious hurdle to entry if I've seen one.

Give me some time to settle in any teething problems on MxR, (not that I am expecting any, (but these are mechanical things and mechanical things don't tend to self heal). And we'll take a serious swing at it.

Paul Kellett · December 22nd, 2008, 08:12 PM

Ross.
Offloading 6 sxs cards, or 6 of your adaptors and sdhc cards i presume !
Will this device be able to offload the sdhc cards without the use of the mxr adaptor ?

Thanks.
Paul.

Keith Moreau · December 22nd, 2008, 09:47 PM

Hi Ross

I got a message a few days ago that my adapters were shipping out. Thanks and I look forward to getting them.

One thing that perhaps was mentioned before, was to try to bypass the USB 2.0 limitation of the Expresscard and Sony EX1 interface and go directly to the PCI interface, which is what the SxS cards use. This allows for very fast transfer rates.

I think that if you could interface the SDHC to Expresscard PCI it would allow us to get most of the advantages of top bandwidth slo-mo as well as fast offload of the cards when inserted in our Expresscard laptop slots. I think that the faster SDHC cards could accommodate the required bandwidth without the USB limitations. I also think that the market for this would not only be for the Sony EX series but anybody that wants to use ever more increasing size and speed SDHC cards for recording and storage of anything.

Just a thought. Good luck to you and thanks for all the trouble.

-Keith

Vito DeFilippo · December 22nd, 2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Moreau

I also think that the market for this would not only be for the Sony EX series but anybody that wants to use ever more increasing size and speed SDHC cards for recording and storage of anything.

Heck, yeah. I don't even have an ex1, and I considered buying the adapter just to use with my Macbook Pro for transferring stuff.

Alex Raskin · December 22nd, 2008, 10:53 PM

Ross, Paypal has its place, but normally businesses do get a merchant account and a getaway to process transactions. That way, you not only get a proper, tried-and-true architecture of the store(your front end)-payment processor-bank, but also proper contract with them taht shows what is it that you do, and what are you allowed to charge your customers for. So then there are no surprises when you start doing business. You also get accountable people to talk to. Is merchant account bullet-proof? No, but way better than Paypal for your particular application, I'd think...

Chris Hurd's suggestion is also a very good one. I heard nothing but good things about Google Merchant account. But it is more limited than "normal" merchant gateways (Authorize.net and alike) that can be more easily incorporated into the shopping carts.

Ted OMalley · December 22nd, 2008, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Moreau

One thing that perhaps was mentioned before, was to try to bypass the USB 2.0 limitation of the Expresscard and Sony EX1 interface and go directly to the PCI interface, which is what the SxS cards use. This allows for very fast transfer rates.

I think that if you could interface the SDHC to Expresscard PCI it would allow us to get most of the advantages of top bandwidth slo-mo as well as fast offload of the cards when inserted in our Expresscard laptop slots. I think that the faster SDHC cards could accommodate the required bandwidth without the USB limitations. I also think that the market for this would not only be for the Sony EX series but anybody that wants to use ever more increasing size and speed SDHC cards for recording and storage of anything.

I'm with Keith on this - if SDHC compatibility was the Holy Grail, then PCIe bus cards would be the promised land. Or vice versa - not really sure. Okay, I've completely failed at making my point.

Build an adapter that uses the PCIe bus instead of USB, but accepts SDHC. This allows for future-proofing and provides ALL of the functionality of the the original SxS. Plus, you don't have to purchase HUGE quantities of memory - none at all, in fact.

Paul Frederick · December 23rd, 2008, 03:11 PM

It would be great if you could make a card that would work without having to get the camera firmware updated! I hate the idea of sending in my camera for an update just so I can use cheaper cards. Is this possible?

Paul Kellett · December 23rd, 2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Frederick

It would be great if you could make a card that would work without having to get the camera firmware updated! I hate the idea of sending in my camera for an update just so I can use cheaper cards. Is this possible?

Do the update yourself then, i think most of us have.

Paul.

Paul Frederick · December 23rd, 2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Kellett

Do the update yourself then, i think most of us have.

Paul.

I must have missed that thread! I was under the impression I needed to send it in! Was this info buried in that L-O-N-G thread about the cards?

Thanks for the heads up!

Paul Kellett · December 24th, 2008, 06:30 AM

Paul.
You can do the firmware upgrade yourself if you get the firmware, if you look around on this forum then you'll find where to get it.

It's easy to do the upgrade, if you get the full upgrade package it should have the instructions. It takes about 20 minutes, then you can use the sdhc cards and adaptor.

I'm using the transcend 16gb cards and kensington adaptor, no problems at all.

Paul.

Paul R Johnson · December 24th, 2008, 07:18 AM

PAYPAL disabled my account for reaching a preset limit on accounts with unvalidated bank details - I never bothered because I they use a card to settle outstanding balances. Anyway (ignoring the awful voice recognition system) they insisted on a direct debit, but couldn't set one up because it's a personal bank account on a business paypal account. So they downgraded me. I got the two small amounts paid in, entered them and got the account locked out because they were wrong - turns out there were two more on their way because of the downgrading, so I had to remove the account and then start it again and cannot make any paypal payments until january. Happily one person I bougyt from offered Google payment which worked like a charm.

Paypal are simply useless when anything needs communication!

Peter Wright · December 24th, 2008, 07:45 AM

I just got my firmware updated and service by Sony before my 12 month warranty ran out, and I think it's worth it.

Sent it 3000km to Sydney, got it back two weeks later - got to talk on the phone to the Sony guy doing the service.

It included a replacement part to prevent battery draining whilst OFF, checked back focus, renewed rubbed-off lettering (mine was around ND switch) and updated firmware.

Good as new.

edit: Sorry Ross - this thread's on Paypal. Sympathies for all that effort you wasted on them - good luck with the adapters.

December 22nd, 2008, 03:58 PM	#17
Ross Herewini Sponsor: eFilms (MxR) Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 171	Update I called Paypal again yesterday morning, and asked for a Supervisor, and relayed to him the ongoing frustration I have had with them. He apologised and said he would look into it, i suggested the time for looking into it has gone it's in the middle ages. I told him I wanted to speak to his boss, to give his company one last opportunity before I unleashed the Australian Government on him, and wonder of wonders. He said that he could actually make the decision after all, and the account was going to be unlocked as we spoke. I agree he made the right call, our Government at the moment is in no mood to stuff around if our exporters are being interfered with. They wouldn't slap them on the wrist they would kick them in the n**ts, then kick them on the ground. So after spending most of the night before shutting PP down, I now have to reopen it, I worked again until 1.30am with our developer to get the website up and running, so it's up and running now. I'm spending the morning on the phone with potential e-commerce people, so that we have an alternate as soon as practically possible. I apologise for this ongoing saga, but I thought you might like to know what goes on behind the scenes with these dopes. So they have released some but not all funds, at least I won't be washing dishes for 6 months in Hong Kong, even though it is the most vibrant city I've ever been to. This has been very distracting, and our concentration on getting on top of orders has fallen away since it really exploded on Sunday our time. This morning we will grab the reins and be fully across all orders. So Paypal, the worst company I have dealt with by a country mile, I’m stuck dealing with them for the time being. BUT NOT FOR LONG. NOW ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE. I met with two of the top engineers yesterday, and we had a brainstorming session, well actually they've got the brains, and I just stormed around. The first product we have come up will allow downloading of up to six Expresscard to one computer simultaneously. No more one card after another. When we get some working models, I'll give the old video tour of the product. But unlike the MxR expresscard, we won't shoot and edit it in less than half an hour, we might even take, oh say, two hours. Please don’t try and tease the details of this out of me, because the details are still pretty fluid, but I will keep you up informed as things start to firm up. Gee it's great sitting with guys who when you ask can they do it, you can see the wheels whirring, the pistons flying. They design the product, the assembly line the dies all in their minds, and then do a rough costing. Very impressive stuff. Man this whole project is like working at warp factor 8, except unlike Scotty, "she can take more, and she won't fall apart". I'll really have to get serious about the blog. I keep writing here because I know that everyone reads it. SHould i just put a message that I have written some more stuff, or only put info in the blog, and just hope people check it? What do you think? Anyway it's 5.30am and time to hit the coffee shop, I leave for Sydney tonight with 500 cards tucked into my suitcase. I'm just going to say they're samples. "No really officer we have a huge R&D team and they wanted one each." Please note Aussie customers, we sent 500 by DHL, express to Sydney on Saturday am, and only found out that they are still in Hong Kong as of last night. But don't worry. I'll have enough to cover the orders for Aussieland, and we will send them all out tomorrow (Wednesday) to be delivered Christmas eve. The offer still stands though, if you want one of Santas little helpers to deliver in person, we are happy to help, just let us know as soon as you can, so we don't hand them over to AusPost. Apart from that, dear readers, I hope during the holidays you have a chance to relax and be with those most dear to you, if not then with your family, just kidding, I hope you have great break and come back refreshed and ready to tackle another exciting year in video production. All the best, __________________ Ross Herewini - E-films Makers of the new MxR Extreme

December 22nd, 2008, 08:12 PM	#20
Paul Kellett Trustee Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bristol UK Posts: 1,273	Ross. Offloading 6 sxs cards, or 6 of your adaptors and sdhc cards i presume ! Will this device be able to offload the sdhc cards without the use of the mxr adaptor ? Thanks. Paul. __________________ Round 2 GH5,FZ2000

December 23rd, 2008, 03:11 PM	#25
Paul Frederick Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: WestChazy, NY Posts: 291	It would be great if you could make a card that would work without having to get the camera firmware updated! I hate the idea of sending in my camera for an update just so I can use cheaper cards. Is this possible? __________________ www.paulfrederickproductions.com

December 24th, 2008, 06:30 AM	#28
Paul Kellett Trustee Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bristol UK Posts: 1,273	Paul. You can do the firmware upgrade yourself if you get the firmware, if you look around on this forum then you'll find where to get it. It's easy to do the upgrade, if you get the full upgrade package it should have the instructions. It takes about 20 minutes, then you can use the sdhc cards and adaptor. I'm using the transcend 16gb cards and kensington adaptor, no problems at all. Paul. __________________ Round 2 GH5,FZ2000

December 22nd, 2008, 08:24 AM	#16
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Ross, you clearly are trying your best and that is plain to all. Do take a deep breath and try to not go over the top...stay as civil as you can as has been recommended, though I'm sure at this point I would be ranting myself. I too will look into Google, Chris. I don't do large volumes, but I had a very scary experience with my funds being frozen after a sale earlier this year, and I still haven't forgotten it. Add that to the fact that I avoid e-bay like the plague now due to their new "rules", and I'm about ready to use an alternative.

December 22nd, 2008, 04:10 PM	#18
Steve Shovlar Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Dorset UK Posts: 697	Ross I am glad your problems seem to be easing. get those clever design guuys together and get them to come up with an SXS replica. Rather than use SDHC cards in an adaptor, the best thing w could all have is a 32Gb express card fast enough for slo mo at all rates. They and yourself would make a killing if a card could be produced which was a fraction of the SXS card, but did the same.

December 22nd, 2008, 09:47 PM	#21
Keith Moreau Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane, California Posts: 530	Hi Ross I got a message a few days ago that my adapters were shipping out. Thanks and I look forward to getting them. One thing that perhaps was mentioned before, was to try to bypass the USB 2.0 limitation of the Expresscard and Sony EX1 interface and go directly to the PCI interface, which is what the SxS cards use. This allows for very fast transfer rates. I think that if you could interface the SDHC to Expresscard PCI it would allow us to get most of the advantages of top bandwidth slo-mo as well as fast offload of the cards when inserted in our Expresscard laptop slots. I think that the faster SDHC cards could accommodate the required bandwidth without the USB limitations. I also think that the market for this would not only be for the Sony EX series but anybody that wants to use ever more increasing size and speed SDHC cards for recording and storage of anything. Just a thought. Good luck to you and thanks for all the trouble. -Keith

December 22nd, 2008, 10:53 PM	#23
Alex Raskin Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,435	Ross, Paypal has its place, but normally businesses do get a merchant account and a getaway to process transactions. That way, you not only get a proper, tried-and-true architecture of the store(your front end)-payment processor-bank, but also proper contract with them taht shows what is it that you do, and what are you allowed to charge your customers for. So then there are no surprises when you start doing business. You also get accountable people to talk to. Is merchant account bullet-proof? No, but way better than Paypal for your particular application, I'd think... Chris Hurd's suggestion is also a very good one. I heard nothing but good things about Google Merchant account. But it is more limited than "normal" merchant gateways (Authorize.net and alike) that can be more easily incorporated into the shopping carts.

December 24th, 2008, 07:18 AM	#29
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,016	PAYPAL disabled my account for reaching a preset limit on accounts with unvalidated bank details - I never bothered because I they use a card to settle outstanding balances. Anyway (ignoring the awful voice recognition system) they insisted on a direct debit, but couldn't set one up because it's a personal bank account on a business paypal account. So they downgraded me. I got the two small amounts paid in, entered them and got the account locked out because they were wrong - turns out there were two more on their way because of the downgrading, so I had to remove the account and then start it again and cannot make any paypal payments until january. Happily one person I bougyt from offered Google payment which worked like a charm. Paypal are simply useless when anything needs communication!

December 24th, 2008, 07:45 AM	#30
Peter Wright Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 193	I just got my firmware updated and service by Sony before my 12 month warranty ran out, and I think it's worth it. Sent it 3000km to Sydney, got it back two weeks later - got to talk on the phone to the Sony guy doing the service. It included a replacement part to prevent battery draining whilst OFF, checked back focus, renewed rubbed-off lettering (mine was around ND switch) and updated firmware. Good as new. edit: Sorry Ross - this thread's on Paypal. Sympathies for all that effort you wasted on them - good luck with the adapters.