Rubbed the wrong way

maceronemacerone Registered Users Posts: 2 Beginner grinner
edited April 2, 2010 in SmugMug Support
I'm a bit agitated by the following:

"We've received your tax and payment information ...... If you provide inaccurate information and we have dificulty processing your direct deposit, there will be a bank assessed $10 fee deducted from your future profits.

We wish you all the best with your photography!
Toni and Kim, Countesses of Cash."

My decision to join smugmug was largely based on the fun family atmosphere and general good feeling of contributing to an american family run business.

This $10 fee smacks of one of two possibilities. The first, you don't want to be bothered with clerical errors and, much like a traffic ticket, you want to hit us in the pocketbook to minimize your need to deal with those issues.

If the first possibility is true, then my response is, wrong attitude. You have put a feature in place that requires this kind of follow up, you charge a healthy membership fee and take an equally healthy portion of profits from our sales. I'm not complaining, but between just those two income sources you should more than cover the occasional "Form Error/Decimal Flip/whatever..."

If the need to declare the fee is not due to possibility #1, then I submit possibility #2. You're trying to maximize profits any way possible. This one is equally agitating. I see this all the time.
A restaurant charging extra for sauces.
A Hotel charging $3-$5 for a 16 ounce bottle of water in the room fridge.
The movie theater concession, that at the very least quadrouples the price of everyday snacks.

Plenty more to list, you get the picture(oh ho pun!). My point is, if it's possibility #2, then you MUST suspect that you gain favor by not choosing those incredibly cheap methods of income.

That's all, I really enjoy this site and what it stands for. To me this place is what you strive for when you quit your job to start your own business. It's one of my best images of personal success and freedom, all the while including family and fun.

If it's possibility #3, which is the bank somehow charges you for these errors, then disregard this message and have a nice day.

Is there a #4?

/end rant, Mike

Comments

  • AndyAndy Registered Users Posts: 50,016 Major grins
    edited April 2, 2010
    macerone wrote:
    If it's possibility #3, which is the bank somehow charges you for these errors, then disregard this message and have a nice day.

    Is there a #4?

    /end rant, Mike
    As the guy that runs, among other things, the financial stuff, I can tell you that yes, we do get that same fee from the Bank. I'm very sorry that we had to put this in -our intent was more to draw folks' attention to the need for accuracy and precision, and certainly not to offend in any way.

    I'm sorry that this tripped you up and made you feel differently :(

    Thanks ever so much for posting this - we don't ever want you guys to hold back.

    PS: We're still a family business. Toni is the Mom of SmugMug and the wife of co-founder Baldy. Kim is her D-i-L, married to SmugMug #4, Ben MacAskill, our Director of QA (amongst other things).
  • timk519timk519 Registered Users Posts: 831 Major grins
    edited April 2, 2010
    Andy wrote:
    As the guy that runs, among other things, the financial stuff, I can tell you that yes, we do get that same fee from the Bank. I'm very sorry that we had to put this in -our intent was more to draw folks' attention to the need for accuracy and precision, and certainly not to offend in any way.
    You really really need to get someone to help you with your communications and avoid these misunderstandings.

    If the banking information we have on file for you is inaccurate and our bank has difficulty processing a direct deposit to your account, they will assesses us a $10 fee. This fee will be passed on to you in the form of a deduction from your future profits.
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