Well, it's been a while, and this may not even be current events, but as the wise bard once said "If I ain't seen it, it's news to me!"
Google Checkout appears to now be pulling a Paypal, asking for additional information over the holidays. The crazy thing--they're not discriminating between new accounts and seasoned. Here is a copy of the email being circulated:
"We are unable to verify the account information provided during the signup process. Although you may still accept and charge new orders at this time, you must provide some additional information before you can receive any future payouts. Please note that this account verification process is not related to the bank verification you completed during sign up.
Please photocopy/scan the following documents within five business days:
1. The front and back of the credit or debit card you used to sign up.
For security purposes, please conceal the first 12 digits of your card
number, leaving only the last 4 digits visible.
2. The front of your driver's license. Please ensure it is a clear and
legible copy.
3. Proof of address for each address entered in your Google Checkout
merchant account. Acceptable forms of proof of address include the
following:
-driver's license with matching address
-bank statement
-credit card bill
-water, phone or other utility bill
-business license
4. The original supplier invoices/receipts for the following order(s)
Order # blah blah
The invoices must contain order details and your supplier's phone number.
Write your merchant ID number at the top of these documents, and fax
within five business days to (650) 887-1640, Attn: 'Google Account
Verification.' While we recommend that you fax the documents, if you
prefer, you may also reply to this email with the appropriate attachments.
Please ensure that the copy of the driver license you send us is clear and
legible. To avoid delays, we suggest that you adjust your fax or scanner's
resolution settings. You may also print a test page first to ensure the
copy you send us is clear.
Additionally, we noticed that the bank account you provided for Google
Checkout is related to a virtual money service.
At this time, Google Checkout does not support the use of bank accounts
that are related to virtual money services.
Please update your bank account information with a non-virtual money
services bank account within 10 business days. For instructions on
updating your bank account, please visit
https://checkout.google.com/support/...y?answer=25395.
Failure to send any of the information listed in this email may result in
a delay in payouts. We'll contact you by email again once we've received
and verified your information. If you have any additional questions,
please feel free to respond to this message.
Sincerely,
Steven
The Google Checkout Team
Some of this information is supplied easily enough, but some of this is just vintage Paypal BS that cannot be verified without going to extra expenditures. And with the sort of last quarter year that some of us have been having (financial downturn, property damage, etc) this is not the time for it.
Some of the members here have found a way around this problem but it hasn't been really openly discussed. I understand you may have your reasons, but it does little to help everyone else. I really hope someone will address this issue here, via PM, or in an updated copy of the forum guide, as it relates to really any merchant situation--most notably, the virtual bank problem and the supplier information request.
Thanks for reading
