I tried out a Bitcoin transaction last year just to see how it worked. First I signed up with Dwolla because they seemed like the cheapest middleman to get money to MtGox. I thought was a somewhat annoying process especially since I had never heard of Dwolla and didn't necessarily trust them. Dwolla had very poor customer service and I was generally unhappy with them. The fact they didn't scam me was their biggest plus. So I started out with an initial few dollars and then sent in the rest when that worked. That took about a week, which is six days longer than I was hoping for.
I repeated that process with MtGOX which also took another week if I remember correctly. They were slightly easier to deal with, but seem to have the same customer service level (approximately zero). Later on I went to pull some USD out of my account they required my complete life story and all kinds of personal info. I'll basically hate them forever for holding my money hostage. I honestly thought I was being scammed, but they eventually gave it to me.
Needless to say, my first Bitcoin experience was a bad one, especially considering the complete round trip. I decided that Bitcoins were the best option for anonymous transactions but the worst option available for practical money.
But, after the recent dramatic improvements, especially the Bitcoin ATM in Cyprus, I'm much more enthusiastic about Bitcoin as a practical currency for everyday use. So much so that I am going to look into mining bitcoins, probably using an Avalon rig if I can manage to get one.
What I'd like to see to really be perfectly enthusiastic is a de-centralized Bitcoin exchange that works more like eBay.
I hate identity confirmation on anything, poker sites, spread sites... and that is why I do not use mtgox. It's not that I am scared of people knowing who I am, its the bureaucracy tht pisses me off! Find document, scan, e-mail and wait... worst process, ever.
