Update: payments and PCI Compliance

[BelenEchandia]

Hi there,

I just wanted to quickly address some concerns being posed by some customers to try to put your minds at ease.

As of October 1st 2009 it became mandatory for e-commerce merchants to become PCI compliant or face fines of half a million dollars. For more information you can Google PCI Compliance. It is a nightmare for all but huge corporations.

The only way for a company like BE to become PCI compliant is to use a third-party payments provider - which is very strictly regulated by the Financial Services Authority - to process transactions. We are no longer permitted to host the payments site ourselves directly with a bank like HSBC, as we did before.

We chose Moneybookers, because my business partner was on their board of directors and recommended them highly and because my friend's husband works there and also recommended them as a company that could provide a better service in terms of saving details for future transactions, minimising fraud and allowing payment with cards such as Amex, which we were not able to accept in the past.

Unfortunately, because they are regulated by the FSA and because they will have to pay heavily for fraudulent transactions, they are very strict.

Their systems flag up any kind of inconsistency - a moved address, a second card, whatever and then they require customers to become verified. I am trying to resolve this so that verification can take place on the telephone and with a minimum of documents. I absolutely agree that nobody should have to provide their bank statement to be able to pay on a website. Sadly, this is what fraudsters have created and the reason sensitive documents are required is that sensitive documents are the one thing fraudsters won't have access to. The idea is to protect the customer from fraud and the banks from the cost of fraud as well.

For now all I wanted to do was to assure you that MB is a much more secure system than we had before. They are regulated by the FSA, not a mean feat and they are also using sophisticated encryption techniques. There is no risk whatsoever in providing them with data in the same way you would for Paypal etc. in fact Paypal is much higher risk as it is often targeted by fraudsters.

Any data they require for ID/address verification processes should be required once only and then you'll be free of them.

Anyone who has any queries jackie(@)belenechandia.com

I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. It is taking up so much of my time and believe me I am pushing for a resolution. XOX

[karmenzsofia]

I googled it.

Here's a link to a page with FAQs:

http://www.pcicomplianceguide.org/pcifaqs.php

[Moonfancy]

What do we have to do to be able to use Moneybookers, Jackie? I didn't understand a lot of the things in the google site provided.

[Moonfancy]

I'm really dumb when it comes to money paying things. It took me weeks to understand Pay Pal.

[tlloveshim]

I went on Moneybookers.com and registered. You get an email verification first then you can request a verification for your physical address which I requested as well. I am hoping that this process will prevent them from messing up future payments with BE. I haven't had issues with them yet but I don't want to risk having issues later.

[TropicalGal]

Hi Ladies,
I just did the MB "thing." You go to www.moneybookers.com and you register. They ask for your home/mailing address and for your credit card info, just like Paypal asked for your cc. But paypal also asks for your bank info so you can transfer in and out. No one seemed to have a problem with paypal...but everyone's up in arms about MB. It is the same thing!

So, they do an email verification, where they send you an email to see if it is really you. And then they do an address verification, where they snail mail you a letter with some secret numbers, that you then enter online to show you got the letter. And that's it!

I think this is the wave of the future...and if BE is doing business like this...well, you know that Jackie always operates in the most professional way.

So, if you love BE and plan on purchasing in the future, it is in your interest to go online NOW and register with MB.

[sgreg]

Would someone mind posting a link to the FAQs/help/ or the user profile terms and conditions? Every time I click on the latter link, it brings me back to the homepage, and I can't find links to FAQs/help.

[lionlaw]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

Hi Ladies, I just did the MB "thing." You go to www.moneybookers.com and you register. They ask for your home/mailing address and for your credit card info, just like Paypal asked for your cc. But paypal also asks for your bank info so you can transfer in and out. No one seemed to have a problem with paypal...but everyone's up in arms about MB. It is the same thing! So, they do an email verification, where they send you an email to see if it is really you. And then they do an address verification, where they snail mail you a letter with some secret numbers, that you then enter online to show you got the letter. And that's it! I think this is the wave of the future...and if BE is doing business like this...well, you know that Jackie always operates in the most professional way. So, if you love BE and plan on purchasing in the future, it is in your interest to go online NOW and register with MB.

I am sorry, but I beg to differ. I don't think anyone is "up in arms" over the simple procedure you describe. Instead, it is the second layer of procedures that is causing problems. This layer is nothing like I have encountered before and I have two Paypal accounts, bought from almost every boutique overseas that I could find, and have made high dollar purchases ($10K in the UK on one bag) and not been put through this.

Moneybookers' fraud/security department reserves the right to flag any account they want for fun new verification exercises. High transactions, changed addresses, different cards, etc. It is when you get flagged that the problems begin. They want your driver's license, they want your bank statement, etc. The story changes depending on who you talk to. Then they throw on this wire transfer/ credit card procedure as an additional hoop to jump through.

I don't think anyone here is complaining about the normal address verification process which is what you are describing. It is the second layer, identity verification process, initiated by the fraud department that is the most intrusive verification process I have ever encountered (and I buy A LOT online).

I was told anything over 700 pounds gets flagged by the fraud department. That is less than two bags. Three phone calls and countless emails and I am still blocked.

I would rather stop buying BE bags than comply with the current MB demands. BE has the right to chose their payment system. I have the right not to use it.

[TropicalGal]

^^^Oh dear, I didn't know this. Have you shared all this with Jackie? And if so, what does she say?

[lovebags2]

Originally Posted by lionlaw

I am sorry, but I beg to differ. I don't think anyone is "up in arms" over the simple procedure you describe. Instead, it is the second layer of procedures that is causing problems. This layer is nothing like I have encountered before and I have two Paypal accounts. Moneybookers' fraud/security department reserves the right to flag any account they want for fun new verification exercises. High transactions, changed addresses, etc. It is when you get flagged that the problems begin. They want your driver's license, they want your bank statement, etc. The story changes depending on who you talk to. Then they throw on this wire transfer/ credit card procedure as an additional hoop to jump through. I don't think anyone here is complaining about the normal address verification process which is what you are describing. It is the second layer, identity verification process, initiated by the fraud department that is the most intrusive verification process I have ever encountered (and I buy A LOT online). I was told anything over 700 pounds gets flagged by the fraud department. That is less than two bags. Three phone calls and countless emails and I am still blocked. I would rather stop buying BE bags than comply with the current MB demands.

I have not registered for MB nor am I planning on doing so especially after reading this news.

I agree that MB will save me a lot of money!

[lovebags2]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

^^^Oh dear, I didn't know this. Have you shared all this with Jackie? And if so, what does she say?

TG - You know my instincts this morning told me immediately NOT to sign up for MB. I"m glad I followed them!

I do hope this all gets resolved and we can all find a way to be comfortable in our transactions!

[sgreg]

OK I've gone over the website a couple of times and can't find a list of fee structures for the buyer. There are a couple of [link]s that don't actually have links associated with them.

When I googled MB vs Paypal I got "At Moneybookers, card transactions are charged a 1.9 per cent fee, which is quite high. Moneybookers charges its fees directly to the sender of the payment. This is not the case with Paypal that charges its fees to the recipient." It also states there is a 1% sending fee with MB, so that would add up to 2.9%, if the fees are accumulative.

I want to know whether this is indeed the case, because then I'd be better off using Paypal and having the additional cost charged to me by BE.

If you can't tell, I'm a suspicious sort of person that distrusts a company with a poor and hard to navigate website.

[lionlaw]

Originally Posted by TropicalGal

^^^Oh dear, I didn't know this. Have you shared all this with Jackie? And if so, what does she say?

Jenova, myself, and a couple of the other gals have been hit with this and contacted Jackie. The story on what MB wants changes depending on who you talk to. Jenova was asked for a wire transfer verification I think. They want double-layers from me, but yet another person was able to remove the blocks by just a phone call. It is this inconsistency in procedures that bothers me more than anything (although handing out my personal info to a German co I have never heard of doesn't rank high on the comfort scale either).

Jackie has been in touch with them but she wasnt getting anywhere so I think she is taking it up to higher levels.

BTW, I checked my bank statement and was charged a 3% fee from my bank for using my VISA check card because Moneybookers shows as a German company. Paypal would be cheaper.

[lovebags2]

Originally Posted by sgreg

OK I've gone over the website a couple of times and can't find a list of fee structures for the buyer. There are a couple of [link]s that don't actually have links associated with them. When I googled MB vs Paypal I got "At Moneybookers, card transactions are charged a 1.9 per cent fee, which is quite high. Moneybookers charges its fees directly to the sender of the payment. This is not the case with Paypal that charges its fees to the recipient." It also states there is a 1% sending fee with MB, so that would add up to 2.9%, if the fees are accumulative. I want to know whether this is indeed the case, because then I'd be better off using Paypal and having the additional cost charged to me by BE. If you can't tell, I'm a suspicious sort of person that distrusts a company with a poor and hard to navigate website.

I'm with you!

Thanks for researching this.

Hm... Jackie told me that Paypal is no longer an option. I already offered to pay the extra difference in her fees thru Paypal. This is all confusing!

[tlloveshim]

This isn't good if Paypal isn't an option. I don't want to get stuck with 3% fees from MBs! I pay 1% right now when I use my Paypal debit card for BE which is OK but I don't want to pay triple that!