WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference • Hacker News Board

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#11

Post by SandB0x » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:22 PM UTC

hugh3 wrote: post #8

TallGuyShort wrote: post #4

There are hundreds of dollars below the ice, and they chased down the pallet-mover? Why didn't they just get some ice picks?

This is starting to sound like an adventure game puzzle. You are a security guard at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. There are hundreds of dollars inside a six hundred pound block of ice. You cannot leave your station. How do you get at it? Using an ice pick? Why would a security guard have an ice pick? Maybe if it were Chicago, but this is San Francisco. Use another tool to chip away at it? I dunno, that's a lo…

> Melt the ice somehow? Nice idea, but how?

Wait.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#12

Post by camz » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:22 PM UTC

I love WePays brass balls in pulling this stunt. Shows that they know how to hustle and get attention without spending butt loads in marketing haha.

They've got moxy.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#13

Post by noodle » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:23 PM UTC

jasonlotito wrote: post #9

noodle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

indeed. if wepay would provide a very basic, simple method for sending/receiving payments and provide something like paypal's IPN, i'd be all over it. the focus on groups is good for carving out a niche for the service, but its not something i need.

Providing PayPal's IPN is technically easy. PayPal succeeds because it can do what it does and still operate. PayPal is protected in so many ways, it's not even funny. I have no idea how someone would disrupt their model.

provide the same basic functionality (perhaps make it easier to use), and improve customer service.

i'd be willing to pay somewhat more for the same service if i have more of an assurance that my funds won't get frozen/confiscated/etc., and/or if the product were easier to work with.

edit: hell, if wepay is partnering with a bank, if they can set things up so that i can get a debit card associated with that account and accept transfers, i'd use it as my primary business account for at least my smaller online business stuff.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#14

Post by HNer » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:25 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #10

What a funny way to grab a ton of free press. They must have planned this for some time given the logistics involved and the time it takes to freeze quantity of water that size and get a nice and clear chunk. My own paypal saga isn't over yet, though there have been some surprising developments. I sincerely hope that someone will one of these days replace paypal with a better way of doing peer-to-peer payments, but o…

i moved away from paypal, went pci compliant, got a merchant account, was a pain stetting up but feel so much better on the other side.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#15

Post by paraschopra » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:25 PM UTC

Is it just me or anyone else also thinks it is bit too naïve. Organizations who handle finances need to have a serious no-BS attitude because they are playing with money. Of course, it doesn't mean that a organization has to be excessively serious but such real world trolling tells a lot about company's (mischievous) culture. Personally, I wouldn't do business with an organization that doesn't respect its competitors.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#16

Post by bobf » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:29 PM UTC

The funny part, as TC mentions, is that PayPal pulled a similar guerrilla marketing stunt in its early days by paying people to wear PayPal t-shirts at an eBay conference. Could we say... revenge is a dish best served cold?

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#17

Post by iamelgringo » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:31 PM UTC

I've been saying this since I first met the WePay guys at Hackers and Founders almost 2 years ago. If there was ever a company that I'd love to have %0.1 of, it would be WePay.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#18

Post by bobf » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:32 PM UTC

eande wrote: post #7

csomar wrote: post #2

but WePay isn't PayPal. Why are they doing so? They won't solve my problem and I already know PayPal sucks.

making PayPal in a bigger scale aware that their policy is hitting too easily and too many. Despite reading all bad publicity on PayPal and how many accounts got frozen I thought it won't happen to me. It did not take long and my account just got frozen. I am not sure how the software algorithm triggered it, but now I am stuck and yes PayPal sucks.

I too thought "it won't happen to me", only to have my funds frozen when I was doing a few thousand of Bing eBay cashback churning on postal stamps.

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#19

Post by mcav » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:33 PM UTC

When companies pull pranks like this, what's the risk of legal ramifications? I'm all for ingenuity in harmless pranks like this, but I've not heard much on what they're risking legally by doing so. Trespassing?

Re: WePay Drops 600lbs of ice in front of PayPal Conference

#20

Post by greatgoof » Tue, Oct 26, 2010, 5:34 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #10

What a funny way to grab a ton of free press. They must have planned this for some time given the logistics involved and the time it takes to freeze quantity of water that size and get a nice and clear chunk. My own paypal saga isn't over yet, though there have been some surprising developments. I sincerely hope that someone will one of these days replace paypal with a better way of doing peer-to-peer payments, but o…

Hi Jacques, as someone who's had trouble with Paypal, what stops you from using, say, WePay in place of PayPal? I just wanted to understand your thought process regarding this?