Since eBay is determined to have their business partners bash Google Checkout with poor reviews, I'd like to write my experience this weekend.

My website that I just opened is drawing some of my regular customers. One of them had problems with Google Checkout not authorizing their payment on Wednesday, and when it didn't register I never saw the order. I saw the order on Friday Night in my cart software, and emailed her to let her know her payment wasn't made. After a chat on the phone Saturday, I decided to checkout through her cart on my site. When I did this, I entered GC's test VISA card number, but didn't see the instructions to put in fake billing information as well.

Within minutes, I received an email stating that my account was suspended for registering multiple accounts. With Paypal, I know users can setup extra accounts and not get caught for months, but Google Checkout caught it immediately. And Paypal says they offer superior security to GC?

On top of that, I immediately emailed my info about the mistake at 1PM Saturday, and received my response early this morning (limited staffing on the weekends) saying that my account was reinstated, and apologizing for the inconvenience. No faxing 5 times, no phone verifications, no bank confirmations, no address verifications. Why? Because a real person wrote the email to me. A real person sat at the keyboard, looked up the test order and verified what I had told them, and actually typed an email to me. And Paypal says it's canned responses are the best in the industry?

Even though it was an inconvenience, it was my fault for not reading the full instructions (I'm a man, what can I say? ) I am just totally impressed with Google Checkout and had to let someone know.

p.s.
Not ONE SINGLE spoof/phishing/scam/spam email from Google Checkout in almost six months, but I still get them daily from my Paypal account that closed 6 months ago. Paypal needs to learn some lessons from GC.

It would help if I spelled "security" right in the title! I guess it's late, and I'd better get to bed before I misspell something else.

sounds like paypal is going to have trouble

Googlecheckout is going to zoom up in the rankings and Moneybookers is going to chip around the edges in Europe

seems like GC is a nice deal but how does it work they want your SSN. Is it lika a bank account?? I cannot see what i am agreeing to on my screen so i never signed up/////

Any ideas help I don't know about better service paypal has a phone number to call google does not. I tried looking it up in directory assitance and cannot get a number

well not sure what to say I would try it if I could see what I was agreeing too. Also do they report those earnings/transfers as earning to the federal government???

Just some more thoughts I had on this website

some more small websites
ibidfree.com
romahawk.com
halfmoonauctions.com
faithbid.com

They had a question about the SSN thing on the Google boards a while back. It's primarily part of their way of IDing and making sure YOU are who you say you are.

Carol

I love GC... They are great.
The email support system they have in place is wonderful.
Like xbaystores said... A REAL email. Not a canned automated response.

They are still the new kid on the block and need to work on some of their areas.
But was Paypal perfect the first day it hit the market?
I am going to guess NO.
I am sticking with GC.
Hell I am even using GC for all my eBay sales.



As for the SSN....

If you ever go and try to set up your own merchant account you will be asked for a SSN or tax ID number.
At least GC asks for all your information up front.
Unlike paypal who waits until you have a high balance that you transfer to your checking account, stops the transfer,
puts the money back in your PP account THEN locks it up and asks you for all your information.
Hey Paypal....

When I had a paypal account they would freeze my account and ask for a SSN and TONS of other crap to "unlock" my account.
PAYPAL is NO LONGER a problem in my life.

If there is something in my life that is creating problems for me... POOF out the 8th floor window it goes.
I guess that is why I have been divorced 2 times.
Problem solved 2 times.

What?? Divorced??? .. didn't toss the spouse out the 8th floor window???

LOL....
Maybe not her body.
But I can tell you some of her items went out that window...
LOL.....

Quote: › seems like GC is a nice deal but how does it work they want your SSN. Is it lika a bank account?? I cannot see what i am agreeing to on my screen so i never signed up/////

This question/concern always gets me. People give their SSN to their DOCTORS, write it on credit card applications, etc. But they have a concern about enrolling with a *payment processor*. Signing up with a merchant account would get you the same request.

Quote: › Any ideas help I don't know about better service paypal has a phone number to call google does not. I tried looking it up in directory assitance and cannot get a number

Oh? Try calling that phone number and asking for help.

As for me, I've asked for help with googlebase, googlecheckout, googlecheckout sandbox and gotten responses QUICKLY, from real people with real names. I've even hit the reply button to ask a follow up question and got a second answer. The help I've received has been very good.

Everything I was agreeing to with Google Checkout was right there in all the links. All my payments have made it to the bank in the time frame GC has said they would.

Now if only the REST of the internet would move towards it more quickly, the shoppers would follow.

sylvia

xbaystores - I am concerned about what you say in regard to only having one GOOGLE CHECKOUT accoutn. I have 5 set up currently. I have 5 different stores. I have stores that I don't want the world knowing are related to other stores.
For that reason I don't use paypal on them. PayPal won't allow me to not link them all together. Sure the payment can come in to different emails but the name and everything else they see is the same.

Anyways --- I can't find anything on google that says one account per person. Can you post a link to that?

Big T,

I don't have a link, but I know on the Google boards, there have been threads about having more than 1 account and the answers have always been positive. You just need different emails for each account.

Carol

Lightingguy wrote (View Post): › LOL.... Maybe not her body. But I can tell you some of her items went out that window... LOL.....

ROFL - great one!!

So far, I only have 1 account on GCO. I've been pushing 'it' to buyers from any/all sites, sharing the $10 discount Google's offering as well as giving them a discount for using it for my sales. This has also given me the opportunity to explain that PP charges fees to sellers - just in case buyers did not know....

It's working - I've offered to 15-20 and only 1 declined, and selected PP instead!

knappschiles wrote (View Post): › Big T, I don't have a link, but I know on the Google boards, there have been threads about having more than 1 account and the answers have always been positive. You just need different emails for each account. Carol

That's what I thought. But after reading the post by xbaystores I got concerned. I have received payment on more then one google account and they all end up at the same bank account. I don't seem to have a problem. BUT I thought that at PayPal too --- until my debit card (which as the rules stated I only had on one account) came up for renewal and they refused to renew it because I had too many accounts!