Paypal service problems

Posted in Entreprenerial stuff

Many of our clients use StatCounter.com to analyze their website traffic. StatCounter
has a free analytics program, which is very good. They also have an upgraded program.
Some of our clients use Paypal to pay for this service.

Statcounter just sent out an email to their customers who pay for the upgraded
program via Paypal.

It sounds like Paypal has been having many issues with regards to double
billing and delayed invoicing. For those of you who use Paypal for your
recurring billings, you may be experiencing a similar situation as to what
StatCounter is experiencing.

Here is a copy/paste of their email they sent to all Paypal users:

We at StatCounter are having ongoing, critical problems with Paypal.

In view of the complete lack of assistance from Paypal in this regard and
the gravity of the problems, we have decided that we have no option but to
inform you, our members, about the facts of the situation. This will allow
you to make an informed decision about whether to use (or whether to
continue to use) Paypal.

Please note that these problems have been ongoing since 15 May and arise
not only in relation to payments made to StatCounter but in relation to ANY
Paypal payments that you make. We hope that our communications will equip
you with the information necessary to make sure that YOU do not become
another victim of this ongoing Paypal saga.

The two major issues affecting StatCounter Paypal subscribers are:

- Delayed issuing of invoices
- Instances of double billing

At StatCounter we have tried phoning, emailing, posting on the Paypal
forums… Many of our contacts are ignored, but even when we do get an
answer all we are told is that “Upon review of your account, unfortunately
we do not have a time frame for a resolution to your issue we are currently
actively investigating your issue with subscriptions.”

Folks – we sincerely regret any problems you are experiencing and assure
you that we are doing our best to get all of these issues resolved for you.
We strive to offer a high level of customer service and pride ourselves on
being responsive to the needs and suggestions of our members. To have our
hands “tied” in this way as a result of Paypals inaction is frustrating to
say the least.

We would be very grateful for your patience at this time as we wait for
Paypal to resolve these issues.

We would also ask you to be patient with any of our fellow internet
merchants experiencing difficulties with Paypal at this time.

For further information or to post a question or a comment, please visit
our blog.

http://blog.statcounter.com/?p=88

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Pond Scum- The new alternative to oil!

Posted in Entreprenerial stuff, environment

Imagine running your car on pond scum. That may very well be the future.

Algae grows fast, and algae oil can be extracted ready to be refined into fuels like bio diesel. One acre per year can produce 100,000 gallons of algae oil. Compare that to 20-30 gallons per acre with corn.

And… this algae oil can be produced on desert land!

If 1/10th of the state of New Mexico was converted into algae production alone, it can cover all the transportation needs in the United States.

Check out this video

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Cause Marketing – Statistics for Green Brands

Posted in environment


Does it make sense to be green?   You bet it does!

Take a look at some of these findings that were just released from a global study on consumer response the climate change.   The report was conducted by IPSOS over nine countries (US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, India and China) using over 11,000 online interviews and 18 focus groups.

    -79% of consumers would rather buy from companies doing their best to
      reduce their impact on the environment – this is most marked in China
      and Brazil, but least in the UK and US

    – 89% of people are likely to buy more green goods in the next 12 months

    – 35% are willing to pay a premium for green goods

    – 74% of consumers feel they can actively contribute to solving Climate
      Change – this figure is higher in developing countries, but lower in
      developed countries

    – Only 11% of respondents strongly feel their respective government is
      doing enough to tackle Climate Change

    US Factsheet
   
    – Respondents in the US simultaneously have the greatest understanding of
     the climate change issue and the lowest level of concern

    – 34% of US respondents are eco-apathetic – almost six times as many as
      in Brazil or Mexico. The eco-apathetic typically marginalise the issue
      of climate change, recognising the concept but sharing none of the
      responsibility

    – The US also has the third-smallest proportion of eco-absorbed
      respondents in the world, with 23%. The eco-absorbed are those who are
      very focused on the issue of climate change and only the UK (17%) and
      Germany (15%) have fewer than the US as a proportion of the population

    – 71% of American respondents agree that tackling the issue of climate
      change means changing the way we live our lives – a significant
      proportion, but still lower than any other country in the survey

    – 61% of Americans agree that climate change will affect them and their
      family, but only 50% believe they can contribute to solving the problem

    – 51% of US respondents would be more likely to buy
      environmentally-friendly goods in the next 12 months if they were at
      the same price and standard as their usual brands. 31% would be willing
      to pay a little extra for those goods

    – Only 20% of Americans agree that their government is making a
      significant effort to combat climate change

    – Americans believe the oil and gas sector is the most damaging of all
      economic sectors in terms of the environment, while media and telecoms
      is the least damaging.

-
You can get more help at the Green Business Resource Center 

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