Verotel frustrations (long rant) - GoFuckYourself.com

stephthegeek · 02-04-2007, 11:29 AM

First I'd like to say that my site is up and running now, so I'll give them credit for that much. I'd just like to vent my frustration with their poor communication and business practices. I know they have been reliable with payments and in business for many years, so I'm not saying they're going to run off with my money or anything -- but their service leaves a LOT to be desired so far.

I signed up back in the fall for a Pro account after the PayMonde fiasco. As a small site owner, I asked for a reduction in the setup fee and very gratefully received it. Had a few small issues with communication during the setup process (mostly just not being clear on what was being asked, probably a language barrier here), but it went fairly smoothly.

Then things are about to launch, just around when Verotel launches their "Classic" service level. And it turns out I've been suddenly shifted to this "Classic" plan, being led the entire time as having a "Pro" account. Not the end of the world, I was just upset at never being informed. I don't desperately need the features of the Pro account, but again, no one ever told me, it was just suddenly saying that on my account.

So, my site gets approved about two weeks ago, and I run off to try a test transaction. Declined. Every card I try declined. I email, no response. I try the live chat support, they say they'll get back to me. No response. I call the banks to make sure I'm not crazy, and they say nope, they're not getting the charges.

I email again. I get a form response to my original email. I notice in my account that I'm getting an error when I try to check the "Accept credit cards?" checkbox, apparently due to the Pro -> Classic conversion. I point this out in the chat as the potential cause of the problem and they say it will be looked at and I will have a response within 24 hours. No response.

I hit the chat again and now it's Friday and they say the developers will look at it on Monday and I will get a response asap. No response. On Tuesday I pester them again and notice that I can in fact check that checkbox now, but no one told me. But transactions are still declined. They keep saying it's the banks.

I sent an urgent email on Wednesday while in chat support with someone saying they would escalate it. No response, but I see a test transaction from someone at Verotel go through the next day. On Thursday with still no response, I send a chat request again and have to beg to get any kind of update on my account. He checks the records and says that a note was added saying everything should be fine now. I try it and yep, everything's working.

All of this (nearly two weeks) with absolutely NO communication from Verotel. I had to hunt them down every single time and if I hadn't bugged them, I bet I still wouldn't have received notice that my account was even working

And now as of last night, they're throwing an expired SSL error which will apparently be fixed in 24 hours. So now I'm getting emails from concerned would-be subscribers. Agh!

I hope it gets better from here.

fris · 02-04-2007, 11:31 AM

i know some people from verotel post here, maybe they will respond in this thread.

BOSS1 · 02-04-2007, 11:32 AM

tought it out man

great success takes effort

stephthegeek · 02-04-2007, 11:36 AM

I politely expressed my disappointment with their communication practices a couple of times, but perhaps someone a little higher up the chain can assuage my worries. I understand problems happen, but all I was asking was to be kept informed so I could plan accordingly and pass that on to my members.

It's just hard to believe that a company that deals with large sums of money avoids communication like this...

stephthegeek · 02-08-2007, 11:19 PM

Still very frustrated. I've been trying to get them to correct one of my site's URLs since last Friday

No response to email, and the chat support people keep saying it will be taken care of "tomorrow".

Am I the only one experiencing this insane lack of responses? It's not comforting from a company dealing with large amounts of my money. Did I make a big mistake going with Verotel?

DeadFidel · 02-09-2007, 01:26 AM

The good news is that once you get the gliches out it runs like clockwork.
Best of luck.

Shoplifter · 02-09-2007, 01:55 AM

There's a checkbox that says "Accept credit cards"? Wow I'm gonna have to look into that.

But seriously I wouldn't worry too much...It'll get fixed eventually and then you will be off counting money. I'm one of those guys who has used them for a long time (more than 4 years) with no real issues.

I think it's clear that Verotel is in a major growth stage and this might be slowing it down for you. Who knows but I would just be patient, and talk to one of the Verotel guys who post here from time to time.

Kimo · 02-09-2007, 02:29 AM

hope you get it straight

dready · 02-09-2007, 09:49 PM

Steph, I feel your pain. I've also been trying to move to them after Paymonde.

I've been going through the process for over a month with them. It has been one misunderstanding after mixup, after another.

Someone at Verotel is going to have to write up a standard procedures manual and make sure all their employees read it.

Barefootsies · 02-10-2007, 12:26 PM

I'm sorry to hear about the grief you are having.

I have been with Verotel awhile now. It started with my celebs, and after the ripoff from Howard Cohen and PayMonde I moved 4 other sites over to Verotel as well. I split billing between them, and CCBill. But they are the first on my cascade.

Verotel had all 4 other sites approved within 24 hours. So I was back to making money in no time. So despite the Paymonde fraud, it was nice to hae Verotel pick up the ball for us.

I've never had any real issues with them. If I need immediate assistance, I will use the online chat. If critical, then I will call. However I do not care for talking on the phone, so live chat normally works.

As myself, and others have stated in the past. E-mail support is a sticking point they have yet to effectively resolve. That auto responder pisses me off too. Luckily I do not have to contact them more than a few times here and there in all the time I've been with them.

Checks have always come on time, or early. My members have never had a complaint on any of the 6 sites with them. My issues have always gotten resolved. Although if it was via e-mail it would take roughly 2 days longer than live chat, or phone call.

Verotel's a good company on the whole. Just like CCBill, or another other. They all have an achillies heel somewhere. You/me/we may have not found it with some of the others. But trust me. Every company has one somewhere.

Best wishes to you in getting it resolved.

spooky181 · 02-10-2007, 01:11 PM

Wow sorry to hear of your troubles, Verotel have been brilliant for us.

B2BwithJoeD · 02-10-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephthegeek

Still very frustrated. I've been trying to get them to correct one of my site's URLs since last Friday

No response to email, and the chat support people keep saying it will be taken care of "tomorrow".

Am I the only one experiencing this insane lack of responses? It's not comforting from a company dealing with large amounts of my money. Did I make a big mistake going with Verotel?

Sorry to see this Steph - I emailed Michael to see if he can step in and figure this out for you.

Barefootsies · 02-10-2007, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klixxxman

Sorry to see this Steph - I emailed Michael to see if he can step in and figure this out for you.

I don't think Michael O/Keyser (ePass)works for Verotel. Although I'm sure he appreciates the superman reference.

j/k

B2BwithJoeD · 02-10-2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

I don't think Michael O/Keyser (ePass)works for Verotel. Although I'm sure he appreciates the superman reference.

Different Michael, Barefootsies, this one runs Verotel US Sales...
Depending on their depth here, could still be traveling from shows...

He should also know what a big supporter you are

Barefootsies · 02-10-2007, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klixxxman

Different Michael, Barefootsies, this one runs Verotel US Sales...
Depending on their depth here, could still be traveling from shows...

He should also know what a big supporter you are

I knew who you were talking about. I've talked to Michael (Verotel-US). He's a cool guy.

But since the "Michael" most people mention on this board it Michael O from ePass (aka Keyser). I thought that was worth a funny.

B2BwithJoeD · 02-10-2007, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barefootsies

I knew who you were talking about. I've talked to Michael (Verotel-US). He's a cool guy.
I thought that was worth a funny.

Ah, I should have known

And you're from the great state of Michigan, which is always a plus

Barefootsies · 02-10-2007, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klixxxman

Ah, I should have known

And you're from the great state of Michigan, which is always a plus

Danielle Maine · 02-10-2007, 02:52 PM

good luck, hope you get it all sorted out

Jamie · 02-10-2007, 03:03 PM

As a potential Verotel client I'm interested in this resolution.

Calico Jack · 02-10-2007, 03:09 PM

Like others here, when Paymonde went down like a lead ballon I switched 2 operational site to Verotel. They had me up and running and taking new members in 19 hours! Since then, I've had no cause for complaint, checks arrive on time, members have no trouble joining, all emails have been answered promptly.
I hope you get things sorted, because they are a great company! best of luck!

munki · 02-10-2007, 03:14 PM

Mike is the man... he's been working closely with me on getting our Verotel setup up and running... get a hold of him, and he will make it happen.

Barefootsies · 02-13-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by munki

Mike is the man... he's been working closely with me on getting our Verotel setup up and running... get a hold of him, and he will make it happen.

stock007 · 02-13-2007, 07:06 PM

IN business with Verotel for almost 4 years............im pretty happy with them..............Hope everything gets better

INever · 02-14-2007, 01:39 PM

I just take my blood pressure meds before I use the live chat. Their pace of problem resolution is on the slow side, but they do "get the job done and take care of business"!!

Barefootsies · 02-14-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by INever

I just take my blood pressure meds before I use the live chat. Their pace of problem resolution is on the slow side, but they do "get the job done and take care of business"!!

stephthegeek · 03-06-2007, 11:35 AM

AGH! A couple more emails and infuriating chat sessions later and I still don't have my URL fixed. Does Verotel have an email system that discards 75% of their messages or something?

Yet another person has just promised that they'll be correcting my URL this week. Which is actually a URL that they've already approved by risk management for the discounted signup and is merely a correction to the right page on the same site, but I can live with a little over-security as long as the bloody thing actually gets DONE :P

jakethedog · 03-06-2007, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by munki

Mike is the man... he's been working closely with me on getting our Verotel setup up and running... get a hold of him, and he will make it happen.

yeah what he said .....

02-04-2007, 11:29 AM	#1
stephthegeek Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto & Oakland Posts: 402	Verotel frustrations (long rant) First I'd like to say that my site is up and running now, so I'll give them credit for that much. I'd just like to vent my frustration with their poor communication and business practices. I know they have been reliable with payments and in business for many years, so I'm not saying they're going to run off with my money or anything -- but their service leaves a LOT to be desired so far. I signed up back in the fall for a Pro account after the PayMonde fiasco. As a small site owner, I asked for a reduction in the setup fee and very gratefully received it. Had a few small issues with communication during the setup process (mostly just not being clear on what was being asked, probably a language barrier here), but it went fairly smoothly. Then things are about to launch, just around when Verotel launches their "Classic" service level. And it turns out I've been suddenly shifted to this "Classic" plan, being led the entire time as having a "Pro" account. Not the end of the world, I was just upset at never being informed. I don't desperately need the features of the Pro account, but again, no one ever told me, it was just suddenly saying that on my account. So, my site gets approved about two weeks ago, and I run off to try a test transaction. Declined. Every card I try declined. I email, no response. I try the live chat support, they say they'll get back to me. No response. I call the banks to make sure I'm not crazy, and they say nope, they're not getting the charges. I email again. I get a form response to my original email. I notice in my account that I'm getting an error when I try to check the "Accept credit cards?" checkbox, apparently due to the Pro -> Classic conversion. I point this out in the chat as the potential cause of the problem and they say it will be looked at and I will have a response within 24 hours. No response. I hit the chat again and now it's Friday and they say the developers will look at it on Monday and I will get a response asap. No response. On Tuesday I pester them again and notice that I can in fact check that checkbox now, but no one told me. But transactions are still declined. They keep saying it's the banks. I sent an urgent email on Wednesday while in chat support with someone saying they would escalate it. No response, but I see a test transaction from someone at Verotel go through the next day. On Thursday with still no response, I send a chat request again and have to beg to get any kind of update on my account. He checks the records and says that a note was added saying everything should be fine now. I try it and yep, everything's working. All of this (nearly two weeks) with absolutely NO communication from Verotel. I had to hunt them down every single time and if I hadn't bugged them, I bet I still wouldn't have received notice that my account was even working And now as of last night, they're throwing an expired SSL error which will apparently be fixed in 24 hours. So now I'm getting emails from concerned would-be subscribers. Agh! I hope it gets better from here.

02-04-2007, 11:31 AM	#2
fris Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 55,372	i know some people from verotel post here, maybe they will respond in this thread. __________________ Since 1999: 69 Adult Industry awards for Best Hosting Company and professional excellence. WP Stuff

02-09-2007, 02:29 AM	#8
Kimo ... Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Maryland ICQ:87038677 Posts: 11,542	hope you get it straight __________________ ...

02-09-2007, 09:49 PM	#9
dready Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 5,247	Steph, I feel your pain. I've also been trying to move to them after Paymonde. I've been going through the process for over a month with them. It has been one misunderstanding after mixup, after another. Someone at Verotel is going to have to write up a standard procedures manual and make sure all their employees read it. __________________ ICQ: 91139591

02-10-2007, 12:26 PM	#10
Barefootsies Choice is an Illusion Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Land of Obama Posts: 42,635	I'm sorry to hear about the grief you are having. I have been with Verotel awhile now. It started with my celebs, and after the ripoff from Howard Cohen and PayMonde I moved 4 other sites over to Verotel as well. I split billing between them, and CCBill. But they are the first on my cascade. Verotel had all 4 other sites approved within 24 hours. So I was back to making money in no time. So despite the Paymonde fraud, it was nice to hae Verotel pick up the ball for us. I've never had any real issues with them. If I need immediate assistance, I will use the online chat. If critical, then I will call. However I do not care for talking on the phone, so live chat normally works. As myself, and others have stated in the past. E-mail support is a sticking point they have yet to effectively resolve. That auto responder pisses me off too. Luckily I do not have to contact them more than a few times here and there in all the time I've been with them. Checks have always come on time, or early. My members have never had a complaint on any of the 6 sites with them. My issues have always gotten resolved. Although if it was via e-mail it would take roughly 2 days longer than live chat, or phone call. Verotel's a good company on the whole. Just like CCBill, or another other. They all have an achillies heel somewhere. You/me/we may have not found it with some of the others. But trust me. Every company has one somewhere. Best wishes to you in getting it resolved. __________________ Should You Email Your Members? Link1 \| Link2 \| Link3 Enough Said. "Would you rather live like a king for a year or like a prince forever?"

02-04-2007, 11:32 AM	#3
BOSS1 Confirmed User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montreal / Sparta Posts: 4,331	tought it out man great success takes effort

02-04-2007, 11:36 AM	#4
stephthegeek Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto & Oakland Posts: 402	I politely expressed my disappointment with their communication practices a couple of times, but perhaps someone a little higher up the chain can assuage my worries. I understand problems happen, but all I was asking was to be kept informed so I could plan accordingly and pass that on to my members. It's just hard to believe that a company that deals with large sums of money avoids communication like this...

02-08-2007, 11:19 PM	#5
stephthegeek Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto & Oakland Posts: 402	Still very frustrated. I've been trying to get them to correct one of my site's URLs since last Friday No response to email, and the chat support people keep saying it will be taken care of "tomorrow". Am I the only one experiencing this insane lack of responses? It's not comforting from a company dealing with large amounts of my money. Did I make a big mistake going with Verotel?

02-09-2007, 01:26 AM	#6
DeadFidel Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: This was my wife circa 2002 Posts: 6,760	The good news is that once you get the gliches out it runs like clockwork. Best of luck.

02-09-2007, 01:55 AM	#7
Shoplifter Richest man in Babylon Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Posts: 10,002 Posts: 5,724	There's a checkbox that says "Accept credit cards"? Wow I'm gonna have to look into that. But seriously I wouldn't worry too much...It'll get fixed eventually and then you will be off counting money. I'm one of those guys who has used them for a long time (more than 4 years) with no real issues. I think it's clear that Verotel is in a major growth stage and this might be slowing it down for you. Who knows but I would just be patient, and talk to one of the Verotel guys who post here from time to time.

02-10-2007, 01:11 PM	#11
spooky181 Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: back of beyond Posts: 2,951	Wow sorry to hear of your troubles, Verotel have been brilliant for us.

02-10-2007, 02:52 PM	#18
Danielle Maine Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 53	good luck, hope you get it all sorted out

02-10-2007, 03:03 PM	#19
Jamie Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: CelebPay.com Posts: 2,517	As a potential Verotel client I'm interested in this resolution. __________________ CelebPay: Promote Celebrity Reviews i/c/q - :1851935

02-10-2007, 03:09 PM	#20
Calico Jack Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,051	Like others here, when Paymonde went down like a lead ballon I switched 2 operational site to Verotel. They had me up and running and taking new members in 19 hours! Since then, I've had no cause for complaint, checks arrive on time, members have no trouble joining, all emails have been answered promptly. I hope you get things sorted, because they are a great company! best of luck!

02-10-2007, 03:14 PM	#21
munki Do Fun Shit. Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OC Posts: 13,393	Mike is the man... he's been working closely with me on getting our Verotel setup up and running... get a hold of him, and he will make it happen. __________________ “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” -Oscar Wilde

02-13-2007, 07:06 PM	#23
stock007 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4	no problems to report IN business with Verotel for almost 4 years............im pretty happy with them..............Hope everything gets better

02-14-2007, 01:39 PM	#24
INever Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: .......in a niche, in orbit...... Posts: 3,616	I just take my blood pressure meds before I use the live chat. Their pace of problem resolution is on the slow side, but they do "get the job done and take care of business"!! Last edited by INever; 02-14-2007 at 01:41 PM..

03-06-2007, 11:35 AM	#26
stephthegeek Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto & Oakland Posts: 402	AGH! A couple more emails and infuriating chat sessions later and I still don't have my URL fixed. Does Verotel have an email system that discards 75% of their messages or something? Yet another person has just promised that they'll be correcting my URL this week. Which is actually a URL that they've already approved by risk management for the discounted signup and is merely a correction to the right page on the same site, but I can live with a little over-security as long as the bloody thing actually gets DONE :P