[zx76]

This feels like more like a Reddit post than an HN one to me - light on the details with plenty Russell Conjugation [1]. I know Stripe has had it's support lapses but I highly doubt they'd just suddenly suspend an account doing $10 million per month without any prior engagement.

In fact, lower down the thread we can in fact see the OP mentions that rather than processing since 2018 "without issues" as they claim in their post they had their reserve requirements increased a few months ago by Stripe to 50% of revenue held for 90 days!

This is a very substantial reserve requirement and presumably there was a conversation between Stripe and the OP's company at the time about the fraud or risk profile that lead Stripe to impose these increased reserve requirements. Presumably whatever prompted the increase in reserve has got worse and caused Stripe to decide the business relationship is no longer worth it.

On the other hand - just 48 hours to leave doesn't seem like fair play. So either 1. the OP is misrepresenting the communications they've had with Stripe over the past few months (including how abrupt the shut down notice from Stripe actually is), or 2. Stripe really will make snap algorithmic decisions over the future of businesses without remorse...

Maybe there's a way for Stripe to show which it is without breaking any of their privacy considerations.

[1] https://www.edge.org/response-detail/27181

[namdnay]

or 3) OP is misrepresenting their business (they're a payment provider themselves, not a merchant), and is staying deliberately vague because they're never told their customers they were actually relying on Stripe.

From OP's website (pomelo pay):

> By partnering with international banks in 2018 we engineered a simple and effective method for their merchants to receive payments using secure QR code technology.

> In 2020 the world has changed and social distancing has become the norm. From city-based side-hustlers to local sole traders there is a need for flexible, safe and adaptable finance tools that are reassuring, not rigid.

> We truly believe that our toolkits, that include low-cost payment features, simple e-commerce platforms and innovative QR code solutions, will help businesses get back on their feet without costing the earth.

[chinathrow]

Could they be using Stripe Connect for this?

https://stripe.com/connect

[namdnay]

would definitely make sense... shame OP disappeared, I'd be interested in knowing what exactly they were doing. and TBH i'm not sure why they needed to hide what they were doing, it seems a legitimate use of Stripe Connect? Although a bit cheeky not to mention it in any way on their own website

[Sebb767]

> On the other hand - just 48 hours to leave doesn't seem like fair play.

We can't say that as a general statement. You can't suddenly start using your account to process, say, ransomware payments and expect a month grace period since it's Christmas and you need to update all your infected clients.

I'm not saying that this is what OP did and it seems likely to me that 48 hours is an uncalled-for short notice period, but there definitely are circumstances where this would be fair.

[mocheeze]

I worked at a payment processor and I overlapped with the risk department many times there. If one of our merchants were going against the card-brand guidelines or engaging in illegal activity we would have cut them off the same day. The processors are the ones carrying the risk, and could lost their whole portfolio if they are found to not be diligent with the activity of their accounts.

[zx76]

Good point. I just presumed there was a general pattern at play - I guess because the OP's statement didn't mention any specifics that imply a sudden change in what they process. But yes, for certain types of a fraud it's entirely reasonable that Stripe have an immediate blocking function of sorts.