I never sign contracts for hosting. Most quality hosts would let their product and support speak for itself in keeping you there.

pussyluver, I totally agree on that. As the times change, I'm more convinced that this anonymous internet world needs more personal interraction. I'm learning daily to think everyone is out to fuck the next one over, me included, so I better be a bitch-on-my-toes when I don't like the smell of anything and get out before I find something up my butt that I didn't want there. I'm pretty good at analysing someone when I know them 'personally' (face to face/over the phone) and in general I know that I figure out a crooks game way before it's brought to completion.

BTW pussy, I added you on icq, didn't get a confirmation that you added me.

You mean protect it? From hotlinking or what......sorry I didn't understand that.


As for password protection & hackers & such.....I was reading about Ray's script. I read a few testimonials......seems like it's good.

Actually, pussyluver.....where I'm hosted now - when I was inquiring there wasn't a mention of a contract - then again, I've been with them for a few years so that could also be the reason. I can't rant and rave enough about these guys.

I know shit about a server and all the fancy footwork needed.......they always took care of me......I think I went down once in 4 years for about 20 minutes at the beginning and I believe it was a server change that didn't work rightaway.

For anyone who needs a host - www.swiftwill.com

This is a great thread. Things like this is why I joined GFY.

There were a couple of questions about billing that I don't think anyone answered.

We currently have ibill, and wish we had done ccbill instead. From another thread, apparently ccbill's affiliate program is far superior to ibill's. We are currently testing Verotel, mainly because it offers payment for non-US customers (dialers for example).

ccbill has visa, mastercard, discover, jcb, checks, 900 billing, dialers (via goodthinxx), and DRM billing.

Only thing not really covered is SMS billing.

Oh yeah and people that answer the phones promptly.

I'm wondering with all the Verotel posts lately if someone may be right ..... Actually there was also a thread about ccbill this week if I'm not mistaken. I know alot of my traffic will be European....with all the privacy laws in Europe, I'm wondering if that stops (more like deters some) to signing up with sites that are processed with US processors?

Also, the SMS billing sounds quite interesting.....would love to know someone who's already doing that....

As for IBill......well we didn't really have trouble with them & when everyone started complaining about them, our sponsors had already done the switch.

I wonder if a customer support call center for the porn sites would help retention and prevent chargebacks?

I think it's been done, just wondering if they have better retention or not.

Unless you handle your own, everyone is fast with refunds which is still better than a chargeback.

Got 1 today, member for almost 4 months (quarterly signup) he waited until 2 days before his rebill and charged back the membership. Reason given not satisfied with content. Figure he could of figured that out in the first month or so.

His wife probably just found the bill of three months ago :)

Don't feel bad, quiet had a webmaster request a refund of 2 years worth, I believe.

I dont, its our first for the month.

Cool......too bad he ruined an almost perfect 'no chargeback' month.

How often or common are chargebacks? (If you don't want to disclose --- what types of reasons do they chargeback for?)

Do the processors help you in any way to contest the chargeback? Say with proof he's downloaded a shitload of stuff for the past month or whatever?

Do you block their access after a certain amount of movie downloads?

Not common, under .05%
Reasons: whatever you name it.
Help: they refund fast.
Block access: no that would piss off members.

:thumbsup for the chargebacks.
Too bad they refund too quick....
Cool for the blocking......I guess the password protection would prevent the double downloading from the buddies & what not.

Do you limit their access by IP?

BTW, isn't anyone else responding?

Doesn't anyone else have questions?

My :2 cents:

Credit cards are alien to most of the world - < 25% of Europeans have them. It is paradoxical that somehow our profits and business in large part depend on them.

Those of us who have been in for awhile probably realize this -- but the big problem is the easiest market, the US market, has no viable alternative. We had PayPal, who owes me $2000, and IBill 900, who owes me $4776 for sales made in 2002. After what most of us went through with those two, trusting any alternative for US markets is difficult.

Those left standing in CC processing are scrubbing so hard they virtually ask for penis size to process a card.

Let me say outright, without detailing experiences - I will not trust US-based companies with processing. EU companies I have dealt with admit problems, sometimes before the problems happen. American companies, you don't get paid for a few weeks and have to ask.

CC is virtually dead as a viable option. Which to a large extent means the US market is dead because of it, and competing in EU markets is tough. Until the political situation here changes, this will be the case.

Many of those who post here go on "hope PayPal doesn't check on my transactions" mentality. If any US processors are left by November, I'll be surprised.

-doug

Good post doug....thanks for that.

I agree that it's probably not the longterm solution, however like you said - the US market would be dead - starting off, I think we'd be stupid to shut that major door.

Out of the European processors, who do you recommend? Least problems? Fasted error correction? Payments - did you ever have to wait for your check or wire?

Sure I've got a question. Why do some paysites have streaming only? Streaming sucks ass :thumbsup my :2 cents: fuck streaming, stick to watermarked vids available for download with better than decent quality. Minimum of 2 pages, 12 hour maximum email support and bi daily updates. I run an AEN site right now very high rebills and I think the majority of the success is the member support, they email me and get a quick.. detailed and HUMAN response not that corporate bullshit you usually get. 60 extra seconds with a detailed response can make the difference between a cancellation and 3 months of rebilling.

As for the downloads what formats do you suggest?
Do you suggest clips & full movie availability?

By the "12 hour maximum email support and bi daily updates"
Sorry, there isn't any punctuation so I'm wondering what you mean by:

12 hour maximum? or is it 12 hour? what do you mean by 12 hour? 12 hours worth of downloadable movies?
maximum email support <------ I fully agree here, you'd be surprised how much more loyal people are when they feel see the human side of it - they're fed up of the indifference of the mainstream companies - knowing there is a human that doesn't consider them a number amongst the masses, goes a long way.

and bi daily updates <----- Bi-daily could mean twice a day or every two days....so I'm praying you mean every two days :)
Actually, I was thinking daily updates but I guess every two days is fresher than weekly.

Verotel or inet-cash.de I think that door - the US - is pretty much shut anyways.

-doug

Is there an English version of inet-cash.de ?

100 Mistakes to avoid... :glugglug

100 :)

Correction --- 101 damn it

Clips and full movie availability, both is just more convenient for the member and will keep them very comfortable. I would stick with mpeg or wmv for the clips, that simple.. no serious codecs or other bullshit, mpeg can almost literally be played anywhere.

12 hour maximum as in they email you and within 12 hours they should have a human response. Unless you just don't check for mail for whole days at a time you should be able to accomplish this quite simply, I have for the past 3 years easily and my members are extremely comfortable with me and rebill just to -support- the site no matter what state it is in.

And I mean updates every 2 days :1orglaugh daily updates is nice but in my opinion it is a bit too much by yourself, I used to do it for about 3 months and it became somewhat tiring.. I moved to bi daily updates and it is alot more comfortable. I don't like weekly updates because it leaves too much time inbetween for the user to become bored..

Friggen CREEP :)

:winkwink:

The 12 hour support is a logical one, I guess. See, I would be pissed if support is not online!! Told ya I was demanding.

I think 12 hour support is a wise move.

So now that you've taken away my glory of actually making my first 100th post (devirginized the 50 one in another thread for the first time) It would have been a double-whammy night, but noooooo.......So now, you have to post a question that I haven't thought about or give advice on something we haven't thought of (or mentioned)

true that

What is true hoe_vender?

rebump around noon pst and I will get back to this.

Cool.....going to bed too.....

Thanks FAC, you've been a great help.

Everyone else, feel free to bump for the Europeans who may want to help out :-)

Ciao

P.S. you will get thread of the day watch.

A mistake I've been told that some do is thinking they're ready to start a paysite... when they're not. research, research, research

I've been hearing that for five (or about) years too. I know enough to work my ass off (could use to loose a few pounds :) ) & be dedicated to it. If the content is good, the server is taken care of by my host, the processors will be reliable and I don't make false claims in my promotion, that it should work. Success is subjective - once the bills are paid - anything after that is a success. Some people want millions, others are happy with extra money to add to their savings. Overnight successes are rare.

i dont know you long enough to ask for listings :winkwink:
maybe that will change hehe
jk

Don't bother asking :) - if it's not compliant, it won't get there. I'm sure you know better to comply before you ask. :))

Edit: adding another smile

Europeans sometimes have a problem giving away their cc - numbers. But if they do, there are nearly no chargebacks. In Germany e.g. you can pay via bank account. The surfer tells you his bank account data and you get the money from the bank - similar to cc billing. The problem is there are many chargebacks.

The paying via bank account is done online or by phone?
See, online cheque thing would be something that I'd be skeptical about using (as a surfer), don't ask me why - I just don't trust it in the case where there is fraud, banks won't be easy on paying you back. At least with a credit card, there is fraud protection and other ways of preventing fraud.

As for the European credit cards - are they still attached to your bank account? In other words, once your statement if out, they debit your bank account rightaway?

Take a look at starpay.de. They offer a billing solution including cc and all other payments. But I´m afraid they only have got a german site.

The paying is done online, but it´s just the other way round in europe or at least in germany. User prefer that way of billing because it is more easy to do a chargeback. That means to the webmaster that you are not sure getting your money about a month.

CC isn´t attached to bank accounts. If you pay with your CC, the bank account is debited the next month and you´ll get a bill from the CC.