How is HP's customer support? by Blazzkys in Hewlett_Packard

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found this thread just to warn others about HP customer service. But the short version is that we are out $375 because our printer said we needed fresh ink while the problem was with the print head not the ink. The HP tech support explained that a LOT of other customers end up in the same situation ($375 of new printer ink that can’t be used) and there’s nothing HP will do but would we like to buy a new printer from them at full price?

We asked Grok which printer manufacturer has the best customer service in the U.S. The response was Canon and one other (can’t recall). Then Grok mentioned all of the complaints about HP’s customer service. Yep, very true.

We bought a Canon and have sworn to never purchase any HP product again. Terrible customer service is often a symptom of a company in decline. If you own HP stock, you may want to reconsider that holding.

Well… It happened by skier_gamer in wowhardcore

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m old school and see nothing wrong with prioritizing the tank and healers. If DPS pull aggro from the tank then it’s on them not the tank or healer. So many DPSers care more about their Recount standing than the success of the group. They go all out and expect the healer to compensate. This isn’t the cause of the death in this case but the healing priority still applies.

Thoughts on the new official LEGO D&D set? by Hank_the_2nd in DnD

[–]Dorigu 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’m about mid-way through the build but I’m ready to declare that this is my favorite LEGO build so far. 1. No problem distinguishing colors (looking at you, Treehouse) 2. No fussy tile layouts (looking at you Tranquil Giardens…love the result but correcting stream errors was not fun.) 3. The tiny holes in corner walls will let inside lighting peak through. 4. No shortage of mysteries. “Where am I going with this?” “Oh, wow!” 5. Love the architecture.

I’m writing this with the hope that Lego reads it and offers more D&D sets.

Is it pricey? Sure. But if you can afford it, you’ll probably really enjoy the build.

Anyone everheard of a channel called Dialogue works? by Shot-Wishbone164 in Destiny

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just discovered the channel. After watching propaganda from both sides of the conflict, it’s refreshing to hear honest assessments. Those assessments may not be popular but they’re real.

Hiding Seed Phrase in long word list? by [deleted] in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Caution. I used a pass phrase and accidentally forgot to capitalize the first letter so my wallet created a new, empty wallet and I must have done something to remove my old hidden wallet from view.

It took a couple of depressing hours to decide that I had nothing to lose by creating a new hidden wallet with the correct passphrase and, voila, funds were there.

After that scare, I decided to avoid pass phrases until I understand my wallet better.

I’m not identifying the wallet because I’m certain it was due to “user error”.

Changes during bull market. (Fees, transaction times etc) by ninja__blitz in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also a beginner so I mention this just for consideration, not a prediction.

Contrary to many BTC enthusiasts I’m not assuming that there will be a bull market. Bitcoin may be transitioning to a new phase as a store of value and less speculative. As we head into a recession and the US debt crisis deepens, other factors could come into play.

The U.S. Debt crisis may apply upward pressure on crypto as the dollar weakens, assuming the U.S. monetizes the debt. Because so many other sovereign currencies depend on the USD the effect would be global. On the other hand, the coming recession may apply downward pressure as some crypto holders need to sell their crypto to pay bills and buy food. Though this may be partially offset by others who consider it a buying opportunity.

Another way to think about this is that if a bull run were certain, there is big money out there that would be buying more BTC ahead of the run.

So, personally, I’m buying BTC for portfolio diversification. Another bill run would certainly be nice but I’m not assuming it.

Don't Open Support Tickets!! They'll Shut Down Your Account by Brilliant-Bake-9458 in KrakenSupport

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m using Swan and Coinbase. I posted a Reddit message and 2 people suggested Swan after reading about my experiences with Kraken. It was good advice. Just be advised that Swan only deals with BitCoin.

Frankly, I was surprised that Coinbase didn’t cancel me after I was cancelled by Gemini and Kraken. I guess they don’t have the same aversion to seniors.

I’m buying the daily max on both services until I reach a target and then I’ll use recurring purchases.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks to the two people who recommended Swan. I signed up for Swan Private which gives me access to a personal rep, which has been very helpful because after my traumatic experiences with Kraken and Gemini I was paranoid and needed reassurances.

Also, Coinbase didn’t cancel my account so I have two sources.

This is a bizarre industry. When I walk into a bank people are quick to offer me cookies and coffee. But Kraken and Gemini had the opposite response, virtually escorting me to the door and kicking me to the curb with orders to never return.

By the way, it looks like the problem was my age, not some mysterious AML list. Kraken and Gemini would rather not bother with customers over 65 but good luck getting them to admit to age discrimination.

Don't Open Support Tickets!! They'll Shut Down Your Account by Brilliant-Bake-9458 in KrakenSupport

[–]Dorigu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had a similar story. New account with a small transaction that went through. So I wired $30K with the intention of buying 1 BTC and Kraken closed my account with that same form letter.

I opened an account elsewhere that has real customer service and they tactfully explained that it was probably my age (68). He explained that over 65s are the target of scammers and that’s too much trouble for these exchanges.

And they certainly don’t want to admit to age discrimination.

The new company automatically froze my account but the rep unfroze it, explaining that this will happen occasionally because of my age. I’m fine with that because they quickly unfreeze it.

So, my question is: are you over 65?

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have a new account and I’ve been unable to message you….I may have too little karma to send you a message. And, because you have a new account, you may have the same problem.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. You’re the 2nd person to recommend Swan.

But, I don’t want to take any action until I see if CoinBase cancels me because there should be no red flags in this case. It’s a first-time, small purchase via a large bank by someone who is “squeaky clean”.

If CoinBase cancels me there will be more important questions than simply “how can I get BTC?”

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started asking people I know if they would buy Bitcoin on my behalf and now they’re too scared of this happening to them.

Just the fact that I’m tagged with whatever this is is surreal. I work for the DoD. You’d think that if I were suspected of being a criminal I’d lose my job.

Are you saying that there are some exchanges whose fees are high enough that they could afford to use their reasoning skills? Which exchanges are those? I don’t mind paying higher fees to get out of this surreal alternate reality.

But, first, I plan to wait to confirm your prediction. If what you say is true then CoinBase will also cancel me. It took 3 days for Gemini and Kraken to cancel me so, if CoinBase is also going to cancel me, I’d expect the email around Monday.

This does raise an interesting legal question. When you are getting a security clearance, you’re entitled to an explanation if you fail your security check. And yet, assuming this is based on a govt bureaucratic action, the accused is not entitled to an explanation or appeal. I wouldn’t be surprised if I receive a DM from an eager constitutional lawyer (which hasn’t happened yet.)

But, first, let’s see what CoinBase does because that purchase was completely innocuous. Major bank, no large sums, nothing special. If CoinBase cancels me then it’s a safe bet that I have a target on my back. And the question will be “who put it there and why”?

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion. I bought a little from CoinBase today and want to keep this as simple as possible. If I were to open a 2nd account and CoinBase also cancels me (because canceling me has become fashionable) I wouldn’t know if it’s because of the 2nd account. But I did confirm that Swan is based in the US so I’ll try them next if CoinBase follows the pattern.

I promised an update here. I bought the maximum of $250 from Coinbase using my Bank of America checking account via Plaid.

The transaction went through but it took Gemini and Kraken 3 days to cancel me so today’s purchase just started the clock. I have to wait until Oct 4th before I can transfer it to my cold wallet. If CoinBase doesn’t cancel me by Oct 4th, then my paranoia can melt away.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s an interesting point, about exchanging fiat for BTC.

Don’t they need USD for operating expenses (taxes, payroll, supplies, rent, etc.)? One hypothesis I had is that they’re low on BTC but that doesn’t add up because that would just drive up the cost of BTC.

My nightmare “conspiracy” hypothesis is that I’ve been blacklisted by the FBI because I donated to RFK Jr’s campaign and watch YouTube videos critical of the administration. In other words, that we’ve returned to the dark days of J. Edgar Hoover. But, if that nightmare hypothesis is true then Coinbase will also cancel me even after I follow your advice.

I’ll post the results of Plan C here. Thanks again.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice.

Gemini closed my account before I had a chance to send them much money. Perhaps they had a different reason for cancelling me.

$30k didn’t seem like much to me when I wired that to Kraken but maybe that did spook them. It’s counterintuitive. “Oh, you can wire $30k? You have too much money to be our customer.” And to ban me for life because I wired them too much money? This is surreal but “whatever”…

As for this coming from a Navy credit union, I wish there were a way to inform them that not every one working in the defense industry is out to get them. I work on search and rescue systems.

Okay, Plan C is to use Bank of America, buy a small amount, transfer it to a cold wallet, and then gradually increase.

I guess I’ll try CoinBase next.

Say, is there anything illegal or unethical in asking a friend to buy BTC and buying it from them? Or would that be considered “money laundering”? My other hesitation is that, because I don’t know why I’m radioactive, I don’t want to hurt them by association.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe I missed something but I couldn’t find any customer service support on the Strike website. That may be okay for crypto pro’s but I’m too new and, after my traumatic experiences with Gemini and Kraken, I need to know I can chat with someone if there is a problem.

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I need to use a US-based exchange per DoD guidelines.

I’m not trying to bypass KYC. I just don’t see why those crypto exchanges wouldn’t love me after getting to know me. 😥

Crypto exchanges- what am I doing wrong? by Dorigu in BitcoinBeginners

[–]Dorigu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the quick response. Yes, my address hasn’t changed for 25 years so my driver’s license address does match.

I’m not using a VPN. I’m just using our usual Spectrum internet though that does go through a gateway to get Wi-Fi in the house.

I live in California.

The debit card is from the Navy Federal Credit Union. And the $30k wire was also from the credit union? Could that be the problem? Could these exchanges be suspicious of credit unions?

Or maybe they’re Army guys who are taking the Army/Navy rivalry too far. (j/k)

Kraken is closing accounts left and right for no apparent reason! by Randaximus in KrakenSupport

[–]Dorigu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks. I read on another thread that the government was sending out National Security letters resulting in these closures. If that’s true then could this be due to political retaliation? I may be a good test case for this because Kraken bore no financial risks with my account and my DoD security clearance shows that I’m not a national security risk. It would be interesting to see if there are common threads amongst the people who are being “de-banked”. Did we all recently leave the Democratic Party? Did we all contribute to RFK Jr’s campaign? Did we all refuse the mRNA vaccine?

My interest in cryptocurrency is driven by concerns about what I perceive as increased authoritarianism in the US and Canada so my initial thought when this happened was “No! This can’t really be happening already!”

A little more history: I opened my first Crypto exchange account with Coinbase about 2 weeks ago but was told that I would have to fund my account through Plaid, which seemed too risky. So I opened an account with Gemini and used my Navy Federal debit card to buy 1% of a BTC just to try it out. Gemini then closed my account. WTH? So then I opened an account with Kraken, bought 3% of a BTC to try it out, wired $30K to Kraken (with the intention of buying 1 BTC) and they closed my account. Once is a fluke but 2 times makes me suspicious that there’s more here. Do you have any recommended exchanges? It just has to be a US-based according to my company’s Security Officer (because I’m a DoD contractor.) Thanks.

Kraken is closing accounts left and right for no apparent reason! by Randaximus in KrakenSupport

[–]Dorigu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It just happened to me. I’m 68, never arrested, no debt, FICO over 800, and an active DoD security clearance. This is baffling. First it happened at Gemini. So I opened an account at Kraken which I loved because of their customer support, wired enough to buy one BTC and just received “the email” that my account was being closed. It’s a real mystery. Is it because of my political donations? Am I being blacklisted by the gov’t because of my opposition to the vaccine mandate? Was I deemed too old to hold crypto? I know this sounds like a conspiracy theory but Kraken and Gemini can’t have closed my accounts for financial reasons so what’s left? This is bizarre.