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Send money with Gmail

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Re: Send money with Gmail

#151
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I'd be Google - I'd force senders to have 2-step authentication configured before sending money.

Google's 2 step authentication is completely useless to some of us because they don't have actual per application passwords. For example if you use an IMAP client to read gmail, then you can get an "application specific" password for it. But Google then allow that password to be used for anything. Essentially you've used 2 step authentication in order to setup 1 step authentication.

> Google's 2 step authentication is completely useless to some of us because they don't have actual per application passwords.

App-specific passwords are one-factor in any case (they are "something you know" just like any other password), and are an alternative to two-factor auth for certain places where Google's two-factor auth isn't supported for one reason or another. Google's 2-factor auth requires a device (usually, smartphone app) generated code alongside your regular Google password.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#152
post #90

I think this is going to be really big. But it might require actual customer service; that must have made them think twice.

They've already started to bite the bullet and provide real customer service with Google Fiber. We could be witnessing a huge change in their institutional attitude toward customer service.

Will better service from Google Fiber, and other large providers, push Comcast to provide a better customer service/support experience?

Re: Send money with Gmail

#153

What's not clear is how a person without a google wallet account claims the money. Is it the same tedious process of having to verify a bank account, give a social security number, promise a first born child, etc.

> What's not clear is how a person without a google wallet account claims the money.

They set up a Google Wallet. See Sec. 6.3(f) of the ToS [1].

[1] https://wallet.google.com/legaldocument?family=0.buyertos&#3...

Re: Send money with Gmail

#154
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I'd be Google - I'd force senders to have 2-step authentication configured before sending money.

Google's 2 step authentication is completely useless to some of us because they don't have actual per application passwords. For example if you use an IMAP client to read gmail, then you can get an "application specific" password for it. But Google then allow that password to be used for anything. Essentially you've used 2 step authentication in order to setup 1 step authentication.

But that password gives you restricted access, right? It can't be used, for example, to change your account password or view your search history, etc? At least that's how I understood it?

Obviously there's nothing Google can do about the fact that people want to access their email over things like imap that aren't built with Google 2-factor in mind.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#155

Awesome video. The music got me kind of perked up for the day. It almost made me forget that nobody uses Google Wallet. We've run an ecommerce store with a decent amount of throughput for about 5 years now and I think we had 1 person try and pay with Google Wallet (and she was a Google employee and friend at the time). I'm probably off on the whole thing here, because the examples in the vid show it as sort of a way…

Uh, given the mega conglomerate Google is making themselves out to be, I think it's safe to say Google knows how to deal with money transferring (at least in the U.S.). You are right though, this service reads and is purposely marketed as a way to exchange money between close circles, and not service your eCommerce store.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should be noted that much of this process is federally mandated across a multitude of regulations. Since 9/11, it has been illegal to open bank accounts without a valid SSN, so that the government can track money more easily. AFAIK, IANAL, IIRC, etc etc etc etc

I've known plenty of people who have opened bank accounts in the US without an SSN. I don't think it's strictly required.

Harris Bank allows Canadians to open checking accounts online. I don't have an SSN but I do have a US checking account that way.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#157
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No - Google Apps have terrible support. Basecamp has great support. Stripe has great support. Rackspace has great support. Google Apps... not.

How does Stripe have great support? I had to wait two days for a reply. The advice I got was very good, but the response time doesn't make for "great" support.

Stripe has amazing support, even proactively reaching out when weird things happen:

Got a 500 error back from their API once and had an email from one of their engineers in my inbox almost immediately after to find out what happened and resolve it (my http lib was using stale DNS).

Re: Send money with Gmail

#158
post #96

Very interesting how they structured the fees. Instead of how PayPal, Square, Stripe and just about everybody else in the World does it, where it is free to send money but merchants must pay a fee to receive it - they are making it always free for merchants and free for users who pay from a bank account or G Wallet balance - and users who want to pay by debit or CC have to pay a fee. I'm not sure how the market will…

Seems almost like their wish would be free for everybody, but of course Google has to pay to process your credit card so they can't very well give you that for free.

And if they charged you anything less than 1% for CC transactions, even if it cost them less than that, they'd have people gaming it for the purpose of accumulating CC rewards like cashback and airline miles.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does Stripe have great support? I had to wait two days for a reply. The advice I got was very good, but the response time doesn't make for "great" support.

Stripe has amazing support, even proactively reaching out when weird things happen: Got a 500 error back from their API once and had an email from one of their engineers in my inbox almost immediately after to find out what happened and resolve it (my http lib was using stale DNS).

Hum, maybe I just got unlucky. I'm extremely satisfied with them overall, it's just that the response time could use a bit of improvement.

Re: Send money with Gmail

#160
post #90

I think this is going to be really big. But it might require actual customer service; that must have made them think twice.

Google's phone service for business accounts is actually pretty good. I've heard they've been investing a lot in improving their customer service.
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