Hi all. I am very new to bitcoin so perhaps I am not familiar with all the technical bugs that can occur. So about a day ago, I purchased 0.20 bitcoin on my Coinbase account, after waiting for about a week for it to confirm my bank account. I did everything up to the identity verification, which it failed me on (I can't really figure out why). I received my bitcoins instantly, as I had a $100 instant buying limit. I also had a tiny amount from that introduction to bitcoin website where they help you set up a Coinbase account. After buying bitcoin for the first time, I also tested out their export transaction data function, which sent me an email detailing the transaction. Very cool.
Okay, flash forward to just a few moments ago. I log on, hoping to be able to confirm my identity and well, there it is right on the screen. Bitcoin balance: 0.00. I didn't really freak out that much, because it's a small amount, but I am still very concerned. I linked my savings account to this site and placed a lot of personal info in their hands. I did log on to my bank account to check if the transaction went through, and it hasn't. Could this be a source of the problem? If it does go through and my bitcoins have not been returned, what do I do? Should I get the bank to try to block it? I am very confused. I also checked my wallet and there were no addresses in it. No transaction history at all, but in the verification section, the "Buy your first bitcoin" requirement was clearly marked as "Pending".
I did chat up a support person and he mentioned that they are experiencing a bug of some type, but that my account indicated it had the correct amount. I was asked to contact their support by email but it looks like they've done that for me automatically (I received an automated email saying they received my request and are working on it). Overall, I think the service was great...they were very quick to respond and said some helpful things that put my mind at ease a bit...but I am still concerned nonetheless. I know Coinbase is a reputable company, and that they are very noob-friendly. Still, please understand that this is all very unsettling to me, that bitcoins can just vanish in such a bizarre manner. I am now quite a bit uncertain about the whole thing...what if I poured my entire worth in from the get go? I'd have a heart attack. Does such events occur regularly on sites like Coinbase? As of right now, I still have the same issue. Is anyone else experiencing this? I know that I should have created one of those offline wallets for safety, but it all happened so fast! I was planning on learning how to do that this weekend....but this caught my by surprise. I should have been prepared, but so soon?
Anyway, thank you all for considering these issues! I really hope that this was just a one time thing, and I have not lost faith just yet.
EDIT: I have just checked, and everything is back to normal on Coinbase. Phew!
