Bitinstant investigation - community effort.

[Herodes]

Update: http://bitinstantscam.com/index.php
(link fetched from https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=128314.msg1824328#msg1824328)
I think we should do an investigation into Bitinstant at this point.

Update: Gareth from Bitinstant contacted me, and he basically said: They're swamped with orders, and some are falling through the cracks, but that they will do their best to help everyone.

We should contact everyone that has claimed funds not received (since at least April the 1st) in this thread https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=128314.0;topicseen

We should ask them something to the extent of:

---
This is a community investigation, we're not affiliated with Bitinstant, but would like to determine how many are having issues with having their funds credited.

You can see the result of the investigation at https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=171473.msg1783305

Could you kindly state whether your order with Bitinstant have been resolved satisfactorily at this point ?

If yes - how long time did it take, and what is your impression about Bitinstant support ?
if no - are you still in a communication process with BitInstant, or have you given up ? How helpful have they been towards resolving the issue ?
---

Then the data could be gathered in this thread so we could have more information to determine whether Bitinstant have started to scam people, or if they're just overwhelmed.

Yeah, if you do anything of this, state it in this thread - so we don't do things double up.

[xqr]

No - order was placed on April 2nd and have yet to receive transfer. Bitinstant staff only responding to support requests on the boards. Issue has not been resolved despite it having been "escalated" (which I can only assume means discarded).

[xqr]

From what I gather from all of the forum posts and responses from bitinstant employees is that they're not intentionally trying to scam anyone, they're just having trouble dealing with the huge influx of transactions. They're not malicious, just slightly incompetent.

That being said, it still doesn't change the fact that you run a risk by using their service. Even though their heart may be in the right place, their current system can't guarantee your transactions will arrive safely or in a timely manner (or at all), which is a major setback if you need coins right away.

Better off using a more stable service until they get their act together.

[repentance]

Charlie does have time to give interviews.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/04/inside-the-bitcoin-bubble-bitinstants-ceo.html

[tionil]

My payment has been confirmed for 3 days and have had no bitcoins deposited on my blockchain.info. Should I be worried?

Starting to believe I lost my money on this scam too.

Charlie, if your listen, could you do something to solve my problem?

[Epicblood]

No, it has been almost a week now and still no response from them, I have gotten a reply on a thread I made asking for order ID, I happily sent it to them and have since received no further info.

[catcow]

order id: d33f0cf0-4aac-4ef7-afcd-2950e1174c6d
placed: Sun Apr 7 01:16:25

it has now been 5 days.  i have not heard from bitinstant even once.  i have received vague recognition of my problem by Charlie (Yankee) in one thread; no ETA, and nothing done.

i have contacted them on the website, email, telephone, and have posted in nearly every current bitinstant complaint thread on this board.  there has been no response through any of their official support channels.

this order was a simple transfer from mtgox to bitstamp that failed because they had no reserves.  simple problem to prevent, and simple problem to fix.  if they had the funds it would take them 1 minute to refund me.

[Herodes]

http://bitinstantscam.com/index.php

[Bjork]

They stole $404 dollars from me 9 days ago.  The issue was "escalated" (which as somebody already said is code for "discarded") and they have made multiple promises, all of which have been broken.  The support (lol, non-existent) is unresponsive, unhelpful, and frankly--rude.

Still no money from these pigs.  I encourage everyone to log their issues here:

http://www.bbb.org/

and

https://econsumer.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Hopefully they will be held accountable and somebody will sue them in small claims or that Class Action Suit will go through.

[URSAY]

Hi everyone.

I want to apologize for any delays.  I recognize many of you from the support thread and we've already discussed the process that your issue is going thru to receive the proper attention it deserves.

We are in the process of converting all cs personal a new software solution to log and track your issues.  Currently the best place to get attention on your issue is thru our website.

When you log your issue at bitinstant.com/contact you are sent directly into our support queue where our customer service team can work on your issues.  I apologize for any delay as we work thru a minor back log.  All issues are different and require different types of solutions.

Thanks for your patience.

[Severian]

Bring it to the attention of the Bitcoin Foundation. If people are getting screwed by Bitinstant, does the Bitcoin Foundation want that kind of association with their CEO?

http://peculium.net/2013/04/16/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-bitinstant-heres-who-to-contact/

[URSAY]

Bring it to the attention of the Bitcoin Foundation. If people are getting screwed by Bitinstant, does the Bitcoin Foundation want that kind of association with their CEO?

http://peculium.net/2013/04/16/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-bitinstant-heres-who-to-contact/

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

[Severian]

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

I used to use Bitinstant. I stopped when I heard about the problems people were having.

Many people are feeling screwed, regardless of what you think the company is doing. At a certain point, incompetence is indistinguishable from a scam. People won't be able to tell the difference.

Since Bitinstant is the first stop to Bitcoin for many newbies, you're hurting Bitcoin's rep as well as your own. Get your shit together or stop offering the service.

[Herodes]

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

I used to use Bitinstant. I stopped when I heard about the problems people were having.

Many people are feeling screwed, regardless of what you think the company is doing. At a certain point, incompetence is indistinguishable from a scam. People won't be able to tell the difference.

Since Bitinstant is the first stop to Bitcoin for many newbies, you're hurting Bitcoin's rep as well as your own. Get your shit together or stop offering the service.

I've heard about turnaround times of 11 days - which is like an eternity in the crypto-world. I am sure the influx of customers are high, but really you should work around the clock + weekends to clear the backlogs. Wish Bitinstant the best of continued success.

[URSAY]

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

I used to use Bitinstant. I stopped when I heard about the problems people were having.

Many people are feeling screwed, regardless of what you think the company is doing. At a certain point, incompetence is indistinguishable from a scam. People won't be able to tell the difference.

Since Bitinstant is the first stop to Bitcoin for many newbies, you're hurting Bitcoin's rep as well as your own. Get your shit together or stop offering the service.

I've heard about turnaround times of 11 days - which is like an eternity in the crypto-world. I am sure the influx of customers are high, but really you should work around the clock + weekends to clear the backlogs. Wish Bitinstant the best of continued success.

I currently work 7 days a week and FAR more then 8 hours a day.  We are in the process of hiring more staff.

[Severian]

I currently work 7 days a week and FAR more then 8 hours a day.  We are in the process of hiring more staff.

You're not the problem and I'm sorry for directing a harsh tone at you. Please accept my apologies.

The problem is your boss and his questionable business ethics.

[URSAY]

I currently work 7 days a week and FAR more then 8 hours a day.  We are in the process of hiring more staff.

You're not the problem and I'm sorry for directing a harsh tone at you. Please accept my apologies.

The problem is your boss and his questionable business ethics.

I believe he has the best of intentions and he wants to resolve everyone's issue.  We are facing a large amount of volume, upgrading our current software solution to better serve you, fixing technical issues which hold back orders, and all while trying to be as available and open about our current situation as possible in almost real time.  I completely understand your frustrations and I am doing my best to improve BitInstant we can bring you the service you all expect.

The majority of our orders are actually instant.  We just need to better serve our customers who are stuck in the pipeline for whatever reason.  I can assure you that it's all I think about everyday, all hours.  I am very sorry for your delay.

[Bjork]

Bring it to the attention of the Bitcoin Foundation. If people are getting screwed by Bitinstant, does the Bitcoin Foundation want that kind of association with their CEO?

http://peculium.net/2013/04/16/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-bitinstant-heres-who-to-contact/

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

Please stop spewing this bullshit everywhere, none if it is true.

If you can't see that your company is screwing HUNDREDS of people than you are simply delusional.  "does not happen overnight" LOL....  As somebody above said, you are not the problem.  It is your company/CEO.  Maybe your boss should stop arguing on the internet and getting interviewed when his company is in the middle of a huge clusterfuck.

[URSAY]

Bring it to the attention of the Bitcoin Foundation. If people are getting screwed by Bitinstant, does the Bitcoin Foundation want that kind of association with their CEO?

http://peculium.net/2013/04/16/if-you-are-having-trouble-with-bitinstant-heres-who-to-contact/

We are not screwing anyone.  It takes time to resolve your issues.  Converting and improving our support infrastructure to serve you better also does not happen overnight.  If you can help me understand your issue then I will work to help you find a solution.

Please stop spewing this bullshit everywhere, none if it is true.

If you can't see that your company is screwing HUNDREDS of people than you are simply delusional.  "does not happen overnight" LOL....  As somebody above said, you are not the problem.  It is your company/CEO.  Maybe your boss should stop arguing on the internet and getting interviewed when his company is in the middle of a huge clusterfuck.

Are you sure you didn't receive your order on the SAME DAY?  It appears that way.

https://blockchain.info/address/1fiY3FCc8TVDufmxB7q7Hxhz8dHsaLajT

[URSAY]

I currently work 7 days a week and FAR more then 8 hours a day.  We are in the process of hiring more staff.

You're not the problem and I'm sorry for directing a harsh tone at you. Please accept my apologies.

The problem is your boss and his questionable business ethics.

I don't personally have much info logged on your issue.  Would you mind providing me some order info so I can check into your situation?  Thanks!