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1
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Tree Rodent (0)
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It usually turns out to be much more than that, because CCBill charge rip off conversion rates. They are probably the biggest rip off artists around when it comes to converting dollars into pounds, but people go with them because they feel safer. That's fine, but you just have to be aware that you will pay about 30 per cent over the conversion rate with this organisation, as the price you pay for feeling safer.
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12-18-08 06:13am
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2
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mbaya (Disabled)
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I am in the US and recently benefitted from this nonsense. I joined a European site that had the membership in Euros, but CCBillEU charged me in dollars. Nowhere on the site was there a price in dollars, so I was really surprised.
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12-18-08 06:46am
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3
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Khan (Suspended)
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REPLY TO #1 - Tree Rodent :
I'm not sure how many times it has to be repeated before everyone gets it but ...
What you're seeing is *not* a CCBill conversion ratio. It is regional pricing. If you care to learn more, see my lengthy reply to remark by another user on another site.
https://www.pornusers.com/replies_view.html?id=27865#27906
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12-18-08 07:27am
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4
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Khan (Suspended)
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largeun, I just spot checked and am still seeing the $9,95 USD special price. If you are not seeing that price, you might try clearing your browser's history and any cookie you have for that site and revisiting directly fro a link at TBP/PU.
If you still don't see the special price then it's almost certainly a case of the site having "regional pricing". We've discussed that pricing policy many times here at PornUsers. If you follow the link I posted above, you can learn more about it.
If it turns out it is a case of regional pricing, you might try contacting the site owners directly, Some PornUsers have had good luck with webmasters honoring the PU special price when they are contacted directly.
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12-18-08 07:34am
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5
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largeun (Suspended)
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REPLY TO #4 - Khan :
Hi,
Thanks for your response.
The price I am talking about is for the higher res membership and I am looking at their 'join' page right now and the price to be billed is 17.95 EU.
I was a member of Videobox for two years and recently canceled my membership as I joined two other sites. But I wanted to join again this week and was faced with these price hikes.
I have tried to use their contact page but there is nothing there for simple inquiries and all their email addresses are subscription related.
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12-18-08 07:46am
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6
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Denner (0)
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One hint from this old "conversion-raider":
If you cannot obtain the price in US-dollars, but is charged the same amount in Euros (which is more expensive, of coruse - AND the Euro is still rising compared to the Dollar) - then write the webmaster or the Co. - they normally got a way around, so you can pay in dollars...thay also want your bussiness, from Europe, US or elsewhere...
BTW, KHAN is right here - just got a US-dollar membership at Video Box here in Europe (Scandinavia), no problems
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12-18-08 07:58am
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7
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #3 - Khan :
I am going to have to disagree with you here. If it's regional pricing then it should be regionally priced for me in pounds, euros, or even dollars, but this is most definitely not the case. I signed up to Video Box for instance at the discount rate of $14.95. This was then converted into £10.54. You cannot argue it is regional pricing simply because it is not. The exchange rate at the time incidentally was around $1.30 to the pound. The dollar was close to 55 pence. I know this from the sites I signed up for and anything I bought in dollars at the time. It is not regional pricing when not only is the price quoted not quoted in pounds it is an overall price for everyone. I signed up through Paysite Discounts. Everywhere else I have seen the same thing though. There is never any mention of regional pricing anywhere by CCBill. You sign up for the dollars, which are quoted in dollars and are then converted from dollars. If they are not converted from dollars then the price in pounds or euros should be quoted. In this instance they were not.
I have looked now, and at the moment they are charging in euros from here. That is more like it. But at the time I signed up it was quoted in dollars. If they do not mention euros or pounds, unless it's in the really small print somewhere it is even worse than rip off conversion rates, it is deliberate deception. The way they have it on Video Box at the moment is more up front. But in the past it has not been as clear as that.
I have found the same thing from CCBill in the past. The price in euros or pounds does not appear clear. It is always the price in dollars that is quoted.
If they are going for regional pricing, the pricing should be CLEAR, not deceptive.
By the way, I know what you are saying and take the points you make on board. I accept the regional pricing idea. I just want it to be made CLEAR by CCBill and sites what the policy is and what the prices are when I am signing up. Not finding out afterwards.
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12-18-08 08:00am
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8
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #3 - Khan :
Come to think of it I'm not even disaggreeing with you here. From your perspective there is regional pricing. This is okay by me. But from my perspective, when the pricing policy is not made clear and sometimes not even quoted up front, it is basically dishonest, which is as bad or even worse than being a rip off artist. Either way it seems that through CCBill we are getting worse deals in Europe than from other billing agents. That's the way I see it anyway
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12-18-08 08:17am
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9
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largeun (Suspended)
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REPLY TO #6 - Denner :
Hi Denner,
Thanks for the advice but I do not know how to join using dollars.
I just clicked on their join page and everything is in Euros.
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12-18-08 08:40am
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10
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #4 - Khan :
My maths is shot to pieces. The exchange rate was $1.80 to the pound a few months ago. There is obviously a difference between $1.3 and $1.8. At the time I signed up the dollar was indeed worth about 55 pence. In fact here I have erred in CCBill's favour. At a rate of 1.8 or 1.9 (it got close to 2.0) the dollar is worth less than 55 pence. Now the pound is worth less than 1.3, but I am talking about when I signed up. I remember getting very close to 50 pence to the dollar on some sites, and for some purchases.
Compared to other purchases where I received good exchange rates, or whatever you call it, CCBill's was dreadful.
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12-18-08 09:50am
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11
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Denner (0)
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REPLY TO #9 - largeun :
Write/mail the webmaster - ask them to give you a link from which you can join using dollars even is your're joining from Europe - it has worked for me every time...
BTW - I had no problems (without any mailing) to join Video Box in dollars from Europe..
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12-18-08 12:48pm
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12
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moonbyrd (0)
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REPLY TO #11 - Denner :
Have you tried to join lately? I joined Videobox last week, and the only option was in euros, €14.95 through TBP's link. At the current rate it is about €4.45 more per month than the dollar price. I certainly don't like paying this extra, but at least it is less extra than with the more expensive sites which I am avoiding due to this situation.
Even the main page shows the price in euros to surfers from Europe. This implies that Videobox obviously embraces fully the idea of regional pricing and might not be willing to offer the dollar prices to Europeans even if asked to.
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12-18-08 01:55pm
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13
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Denner (0)
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REPLY TO #12 - moonbyrd :
You got me there - joined last time less than two months ago - THEN they did not have that imidiate Euro 9.95 deal - but the same amount in $.
If you look at the "thumbnail" for the frontpage before clicking on the site here at TBP, it says: $ 9.95, but when you NOW click from a european destination, it's suddenly Euro 9.95...
I'm really supprised that also Video Box is going for that unfair conversion deal - so, that site is off for this user in the future - at leat til they get the charge back to the same/even amount in dollars.
Anyway I'll try to mail them about the euro-problem, but here I do not think it'll help ...
Anyway - it sucks.
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12-18-08 02:02pm
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14
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Tree Rodent (0)
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Yes it is now in euros on Video Box. There is no way of finding out what the amount they are going to charge in pounds is, without signing up. I'm certainly not going to do that. I also hate the idea of this regional discrimination. I consider this is what it is. This is because the site is receiving the amount in dollars. So I consider it discrimination. This is also why I have no moral scruples about downloading stuff free of charge. When I consider I am getting ripped off, I stay away from pay sites and just download for free.
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12-18-08 03:24pm
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15
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exotics4me (0)
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REPLY TO #14 - Tree Rodent :
Have you tried a currency converter? Here is one that I used to use when the sites were charging in Euros.
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter?u
Just type the amount in and what you want to convert it to. The dollar had been picking up steam, I was about to post a comment last week about the European sites that said they raised their prices because the dollar value was falling, but the dollar took another fall this week.
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12-18-08 08:07pm
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16
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largeun (Suspended)
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REPLY TO #14 - Tree Rodent :
I'm with you squirrel and I am not bothered about the conversion rate as that's easy to find out.
I am just thoroughly pissed off that an online site distinguishes between regions and charges what they 'feel' to be the right price.
I cannot justify the extra costs just because I live in the UK.
As I stated earlier, I own an e-commerce site and short of the usual taxations I do not charge so excessively.
We have the same problem here in the UK with online companies like Adobe that charge dollar to pound as 1-2-1 which means Dreamweaver at $800 costs us £800.
Go figure.
Either way, I am now going to look to join another site.
The loss is Videobox's.
What a lot of these sites, and some members, do not realise is that a few euros here and there makes a huge difference to people like me who join multiple sites.
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12-19-08 02:41am
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17
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #16 - largeun :
I totally agree. The only way to deal with this is to do what we do - vote with our wallets. I am referring to this regional variation as discrimination. Even when there isn't regional variation, I too often find the amount you are eventually going to pay is not quoted in pounds. You then have to depend on the opposition to convert the currency to the amount they choose, using their conversion rate.
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12-19-08 05:36am
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18
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #15 - exotics4me :
I am usually up to date on what the conversion rate is. That's why the Video Box bill was a surprise. As far as I knew, at the time I was signing up for Video Box, the charge was $14.95 which I din't find out until I received the bill turned out to be £10.54. This was at a time when the dollar was worth 55 pence. That would mean the dollar must have been around $1.80. If they actually convererted the amounts close to the real rate I wouldn't complain. But as I noted, with the dollar at 55 pence I should have been paying about $8.30. I am mainly complaining because I did not see an amount even in euros when I signed up. Even now the amount is only in euros on Video Box. Some sites do give the amount in pounds. If the rate in pounds is close to the amount in dollars, these will be the first sites I consider signing up to. I have decided to boycott all sites that have regional variation and no amount stated in pounds.
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12-19-08 05:49am
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19
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largeun (Suspended)
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REPLY TO #17 - Tree Rodent :
So, while we are on this subject: any sites you guys can recommend that is either as good in quality as the DDF (hot legs and feet, hands on hardcore) or as abundant as videobox?
Brazzers is ok but their quality is not up there with the likes of the above. DDF update really slowly and are expensive for the amount of updates provided (and current EU pricing).
Short of trawling all the reviews I am hoping some of you ...ahem...'veterans' can provide quality recommendations.
Thanks
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12-19-08 05:58am
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20
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Tree Rodent (0)
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REPLY TO #19 - largeun :
I know Toadsith speaks very highly of American Vice. Been thinking of subscribing there nyself. All depends on whether they have regional variation or what their sign up policy is. It doesn't have the abundance of materials that Video Box has, but sounds pretty good, and very cheap.
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12-19-08 06:25am
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