I don't want to sound crude or judgmental but damn you surprise me a whole load of stupid. I'll use Amazon for example, they accept fiat right now and not BTC too bad. But if you buy something they'll take it back no matter what it is DOA or not, and if they don't contact your credit card company and show them a copy of their guarantee and you get your money back the same minute. With BTC, once you transfer your coins they are gone. Plus, with you talking about bank transfer and iDeal and all this other non protective garbage that's exactly like BTC. So my questions are asking how can we as a community come up with a solution or they may already be one, like Clearcoin. Bottom line is don't come on these forums and write stupid shit. Thanks. Either say something smart to help or shutup.
Sorry if the others are a little touchy. The question you're asking gets brought up a lot by people new to the forums, particularly as an argument
against bitcoins. This is probably why you've been getting condescending comments from certain corners. There are a lot of people out there who fail to grasp that bitcoins are a bit of a cash analogue.
As for your concerns, there have been a number of ideas floated on the forums. ClearCoin is probably the most successful consumer-protection service so far. The Bitcoin OTC web of trust is also pretty effective, though its interface is a bit byzantine and out of reach for most users.
If you'd like to start a consumer advocacy group or service, go for it. If you want to see what's been done so far, search the forums. I couldn't tell you off the top of my head though. Sorry.
