[Acordis]

Hi All,

Thought I'd share with you my ongoing dialogue with Chronopay over the Unsupported Card Type that you get when trying to top up on MP3Sparks (or indeed Memphis Membership). After numerous knockbacks I got fed up and sent the email below to the support people at Chronopay.

"Dear Sir or Madam,

I am attempting to pay for services on a website, MP3sparks.com, that uses Chronopay as their clearing agent. I have a UK bank issued visa card but this is coming up on your site as unsupported card type. I also have a UK issued Maestro card from a different bank that also comes up with unsupported card type. Given this fact can you let me have a list of bank suppliers in the UK who’s Visa and Maestro cards you do accept please as you appear to be a business prevention organisation at the moment?

Best Regards"

This illicited the following very surprising reply from Chronopay: -

"Dear Customer!

Thank you for contacting ChronoPay's Customer Support.

We welcome your inquiry and will strive to provide You with accurate and timely feedback.

We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. This web site is unavailable for payment using CC.

Please try using gomusic.ru or mp3shugar.com

Thank you for choosing ChronoPay.com.

If you require further assistance, please use the reply option to include the entire text of the message.

This will ensure we take care of your request promptly and correctly.

Sincerely,
ChronoPay's Customer Support Team
CHRONOPAY B.V. The Netherlands
Tel.: (001)* 800 350 6821 mail to: support@chronopay.com
* if you're calling outside the US
We are also available on-line at: http://www.chronopay.com/cs"

SOOO not only do they not process credit (or debit cards) for MP3Sparks but also recommend I go to their competitors. Anyhoo I've replied with the following:-

"Dear Support Team,

Thank you for your reply below; however, I find it rather surprising that I cannot add funds to MP3Sparks.com via Chronopay as you are their nominated card processor. Do they know that you will not process credit / debit cards for them? Do they know that you are recommending customers to go to competitive websites? Maybe I should ask them via their assistance link on their website!

If you won’t process transactions for them then you should not be on a link from their website and should actively work to be removed from their website.

Best Regards"

I'm going to send a copy of this via my Memphis account to see what the guy's in Russia think.

I'll let you know how I get on!!

[solaris]

Originally Posted by Acordis

Hi All,

Thought I'd share with you my ongoing dialogue with Chronopay over the Unsupported Card Type that you get when trying to top up on MP3Sparks (or indeed Memphis Membership). After numerous knockbacks I got fed up and sent the email below to the support people at Chronopay.

"Dear Sir or Madam,

I am attempting to pay for services on a website, MP3sparks.com, that uses Chronopay as their clearing agent. I have a UK bank issued visa card but this is coming up on your site as unsupported card type. I also have a UK issued Maestro card from a different bank that also comes up with unsupported card type. Given this fact can you let me have a list of bank suppliers in the UK who’s Visa and Maestro cards you do accept please as you appear to be a business prevention organisation at the moment?

Best Regards"

This illicited the following very surprising reply from Chronopay: -

"Dear Customer!

Thank you for contacting ChronoPay's Customer Support.

We welcome your inquiry and will strive to provide You with accurate and timely feedback.

We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. This web site is unavailable for payment using CC.

Please try using gomusic.ru or mp3shugar.com

Thank you for choosing ChronoPay.com.

If you require further assistance, please use the reply option to include the entire text of the message.

This will ensure we take care of your request promptly and correctly.

Sincerely,
ChronoPay's Customer Support Team
CHRONOPAY B.V. The Netherlands
Tel.: (001)* 800 350 6821 mail to: support@chronopay.com
* if you're calling outside the US
We are also available on-line at: http://www.chronopay.com/cs"

SOOO not only do they not process credit (or debit cards) for MP3Sparks but also recommend I go to their competitors. Anyhoo I've replied with the following:-

"Dear Support Team,

Thank you for your reply below; however, I find it rather surprising that I cannot add funds to MP3Sparks.com via Chronopay as you are their nominated card processor. Do they know that you will not process credit / debit cards for them? Do they know that you are recommending customers to go to competitive websites? Maybe I should ask them via their assistance link on their website!

If you won’t process transactions for them then you should not be on a link from their website and should actively work to be removed from their website.

Best Regards"

I'm going to send a copy of this via my Memphis account to see what the guy's in Russia think.

I'll let you know how I get on!!

Hi Acordis.

An extremely weird business method indeed: Declining Visa payment from MP3Sparks but accepting the same from GoMusic and MP3Sugar. 100% double standard

[Acordis]

Enclosed the ever expressive and full reply from Admin at Memphis Membership

MemphisMembers.com support reply:
Thank you for message. You can pay via mastercard, diners club and jcb or wire transfer.

Makes you wonder why we all bother sometimes as they don't appear to be arsed one way or the other!

[solaris]

Originally Posted by Acordis

Enclosed the ever expressive and full reply from Admin at Memphis Membership

MemphisMembers.com support reply:
Thank you for message. You can pay via mastercard, diners club and jcb or wire transfer.

Makes you wonder why we all bother sometimes as they don't appear to be arsed one way or the other!

It is really strange that they use these automated replies instead of a couple of guys with English skills and a direct communication line to the administrators

[gluteus maximus]

Originally Posted by solaris

It is really strange that they use these automated replies instead of a couple of guys with English skills and a direct communication line to the administrators

I think we need to bear in mind that both the music sites and the payment processors are playing cat-and-mouse with Visa. Whatever their reasons for doing it, Visa are committed to shutting down these sites. It's interesting and useful to observe the current state of play, but does it really help to stir things up when people are trying to keep a low profile? I think if I were working for Mp3Sparks, I would have given a pretty non-committal reply too, especially if I thought it might get posted on a public forum.

gm

[solaris]

Originally Posted by gluteus maximus

I think we need to bear in mind that both the music sites and the payment processors are playing cat-and-mouse with Visa. Whatever their reasons for doing it, Visa are committed to shutting down these sites. It's interesting and useful to observe the current state of play, but does it really help to stir things up when people are trying to keep a low profile? I think if I were working for Mp3Sparks, I would have given a pretty non-committal reply too, especially if I thought it might get posted on a public forum.

gm

I'm not only thinking about the automated reply in this case but just as much on each and every answer you get from these guys. It would be nice to get a personal reply instead of these robotic answers

[Acordis]

@gluteus maximus.

Why is it just MP3Sparks that has these problems when Chronopay themselves (and hence Visa on their behalf) have recommended other sites that offer a similar (if inferior) service to MP3Sparks. Certainly they are offering music as cheap if not cheaper than MP3Sparks.

It seems that the only Russian Music site people are gunning for is MP3Sparks but the rest are allowed to carry out identical practices and not have a jot of trouble with Visa et al when it comes to funding.

As a show of solidarity we should all cut up our Visa cards and switch to a Mastercard now THAT would get their attention (or not as the case may be).

[gluteus maximus]

Originally Posted by Acordis

@gluteus maximus.

It seems that the only Russian Music site people are gunning for is MP3Sparks but the rest are allowed to carry out identical practices and not have a jot of trouble with Visa et al when it comes to funding.

As a show of solidarity we should all cut up our Visa cards and switch to a Mastercard now THAT would get their attention (or not as the case may be).

Hi Acordis

I don't think that's quite true. There were news reports in Russia in August that following the "demise" of allofmp3, Visa were going after other music sites. One report stated "7 sites" (sorry I don't have links). Payment methods fluctuate on other sites as well; a number of them share the same Visa processor at present and that's an obvious target. I quite agree about cutting up Visa cards, but I wonder how long it will be before MasterCard get in on the act too, like they did last year.

gm

[solaris]

Originally Posted by Acordis

@gluteus maximus.

Why is it just MP3Sparks that has these problems when Chronopay themselves (and hence Visa on their behalf) have recommended other sites that offer a similar (if inferior) service to MP3Sparks. Certainly they are offering music as cheap if not cheaper than MP3Sparks.

It seems that the only Russian Music site people are gunning for is MP3Sparks but the rest are allowed to carry out identical practices and not have a jot of trouble with Visa et al when it comes to funding.

As a show of solidarity we should all cut up our Visa cards and switch to a Mastercard now THAT would get their attention (or not as the case may be).

Hi Acordis.

It really is as gluteus maximus says: All the other Russian/Ukrainian online music stores have the same problem. The other sites just ditch their payment processors immediately when they no longer accept payment and shift to another processor. A cat and mouse game like gm says.

[Nightfly]

Originally Posted by solaris

It is really strange that they use these automated replies instead of a couple of guys with English skills and a direct communication line to the administrators

solaris,

The money payment thing has never really bothered me..
Problems exist in business and they must make changes
accordingly..
But their lack of communication with the masses that
support them does.

The cut and paste or automated reply type of customer service is unacceptable from any site..But I believe it is a way of life for Mp3sparks
and customers deserve to be treated better,
and that's why I choose to go else where for the bulk of my
DL shopping..
but I must admit I love their expert mode
for my Classical and Jazz.

From another site I asked for a request..2 days ago
personal response from site: "sorry Nothing found"
my response: Thanks for Looking.

That's all it takes..