Information for Visa card holders

Information for Visa card holders

Dear customer, the Internet becomes more and more insecure. Forget about "secure" messaging systems such as that ridiculous SSL et al. How to hack that is perfectly described on the Net; a keyword search on Google for cmaster4.zip and the pertinent cracking software throws up dozens of sites. The Visa credit card company in particular experiences widespread fraud. These guys recently announced a drastic increase of their so-called "service charge" as from 01 JAN 2003. In our case, it would increase from about 2 EUR per mail order to effectively more than 6 EUR - not considering the extra time involved for installing and using their idiotic new debit-via-PC procedure! -, and the transaction should be executed - believe it or not! via that horribly insecure and infamous Microsoft Internet Explorer on a SSL link.

As a matter of fact, you will not accept that drastic price increase, and we will not accept that complicated and time-consuming procedure. By consequence, we - and many other small and medium companies worldwide! - refuse to accept Visa card payments since 2003. Thank you for your understanding. As an alternative, please

use your American Express, Eurocard or Mastercard instead (click here), or that of a relative or a friend;
send a Postal Money Order;
do not send cheques or bank drafts or bank transfers, because (even if made out in EUR!) these cost another 15 EUR bank "service charge" that you would have to pay in extra;
if everything else fails, by courtesy of the so-called "worldwide credit card company" Visa you're back to the Middle Age: just send cash EUR banknotes in an airmail letter!

In any case, we urgently recommend you to raise a protest to the bank that issued your Visa credit card. Advise them clearly that small and medium business enterprise CANNOT afford such drastic "service charges" and complicated procedures and that, by consequence, your Visa credit card CANNOT be used for ordering goods from such enterprises, and is outright useless. Strangely enough, no other so-called worldwide credit card company makes such a fuss about credit card payments from abroad!

By the way, the Visa guys in Switzerland announced a new annual basic charge for small and medium companies of 300 CHF per year and payment to be made only 6 months after the date of purchase. After a storm of protest, they realized the damage of such disastrous business terms and recently sent a letter of apology for their bad business attitude, begging for continued business relations ...