Why I'll Never Use Stripe Again.

I've never written a blog before, but my recent experience with Stripe was so shocking that I felt compelled to share it. What follows is a detailed account of my ordeal with Stripe, including a timeline and direct quotes from all the support interactions. I hope this post can warn other small business owners to be prepared for potential pitfalls like this.

Our Setup

My business utilizes Ghost CMS, a popular content management system that's actually listed as a Stripe partner on their own website. We use this platform to offer subscriptions for exclusive content, a straightforward and legitimate business model, all of which falls under the category of goods and services transactions.

The Big Picture

Before delving into the details of my experience with Stripe, I want to emphasize a critical point: regardless of whether my business actually violated Stripe's Terms of Service (TOS) or not (though I am highly certain it did not), the support I received was nothing short of a disaster.

From Hopeful to Helpless: My Stripe Support Email Timeline

August 23, 2024: Stripe's Surprise Notice

On this day, I received a shocking email from Stripe Support stating:

"We're writing to let you know that we have determined that your business, REDACTED, is in violation of the Stripe Services Agreement. Specifically, we are unable to accept payments for accepting charitable or political donations"

This was a shock since we only process payments for content subscriptions, so I immediately replied via the admin dashboard's appeal form, clarifying that we only process payments for subscriptions to our content—a service explicitly supported by both Ghost CMS and Stripe's partnership, and emphasizing that our site does not accept donations of any kind.

August 28, 2024: Support Scripted

Despite my clarification, Stripe's response was the same, offering no acknowledgment of my explanation:

"Unfortunately, following an additional review of your account, we're still unable to support your business as it falls under one of our restricted business categories ( https://stripe.com/restricted-businesses ). We're sorry we can't be of more help, but these restrictions are firm."

Frustrated by this email, I replied asking for specific clarification:

"Could you please clarify which specific restricted business category my account falls under? Additionally, does this mean all businesses using Ghost CMS, which features paid subscriptions via Stripe (https://ghost.org/), are also restricted?

If possible, could you let me know what modifications, if any, would be needed to allow my business to continue accepting paid access for exclusive posts via Stripe?"

August 29, 2024:

Stripe responded with a copy-pasta email, completely ignoring my questions and mischaracterizing my business once again:

"We have determined that your business, REDACTED, is in violation of the Stripe Services Agreement. We are unable to accept payments for accepting charitable or political donations, as mentioned in our Restricted Businesses list."

Increasingly frustrated with the lack of meaningful communication, I reiterated:

"I've already clarified that my business does not accept charitable or political donations; it provides paid subscriptions for exclusive content through Ghost CMS, a platform listed as a Stripe partner and fully integrated with Stripe for this exact purpose. The fact that Stripe is taking down my site for using a supported platform, with less than a week to find an alternative, is outrageous."

Finally, Stripe's response felt human, but still failed to address my specific concerns:

"Thanks for your response. I understand your position on this matter

I want to let you know that my team and I are currently reviewing your situation to properly address your current questions. Please rest assured that we are thoroughly working on your case, and as soon as we have an update for you or in case we need some extra information, we will reach out to you, so please be very attentive to your email.

In the meantime, if you have any other questions or issues, please let me know. I'll be here to help you with anything else you need."

September 4, 2024: Urgent Follow-up

Stripe's website claims that cases are usually responded to or resolved within 48 hours, but sometimes could take 2-3 business days. After 5-6 days with no response, I wrote:

"I'm writing to follow up on our previous conversation from August 29th regarding my account. Since then, I've received an automated email stating that my account will be closed in 3 days, which has caused me significant concern."

Once again, Stripe's response was meaningless and repetitive, offering no answers to my questions:

"I just wanted to let you know that my team and I are still reviewing this information, and we should be back in touch as soon as we're done.

In the meantime, if you have other concerns, please feel free to get in touch. I'd be glad to assist you."

September 6, 2024: Plea for Extension

As the account closure deadline neared with no response, I reached out again:

"As of today, the Stripe dashboard shows that my account is scheduled to be closed tomorrow, September 7th. It has now been over a week since I was informed that the review was actively underway, but I have not received any meaningful updates...

It's frustrating and frankly ridiculous that I've had to send multiple emails just to get clarity on a situation that should have been resolved without this level of back-and-forth. And now my account is to be closed tomorrow with no resolution on the matter.

I ask that the closure deadline be extended at least until a resolution is reached."

September 7, 2024: Account Closed

On this day, my Stripe account was closed without any further communication, effectively shutting down our ability to operate. Ghost CMS, designed specifically for my use case, only integrates with Stripe, leaving no easy alternative.

September 8, 2024: Another Non-Update

Despite the account closure, Stripe's response remained unchanged, offering another copy-paste reply that failed to address any of my questions or concerns:

"I just wanted to let you know that my team and I are still reviewing this information, and we should be back in touch as soon as we're done.

In the meantime, if you have any follow-up questions, please know that I'm only an email away."

September 9, 2024: Expressing Serious Concerns

I wrote to express my extreme frustration with the situation:

"I'm writing to express serious concern about the handling of my case:

• I've asked multiple questions, yet received no answers beyond "I'm only an email away."
• I've asked multiple times about what the issue is and how to resolve it but haven't received any response.
• This issue has halted business operations.
• It's been 3 weeks since my case was opened with no resolution. This is unacceptable.
• We're losing money every day, and have received no meaningful updates on what's happening."

September 10, 2024: Termination of Stripe Relationship

Faced with a complete lack of transparency and support from Stripe, I realized it was time to move on.

"I'm writing to inform you that I am terminating my relationship with Stripe and will be moving my business elsewhere due to the unresolved issues with my account. My business was abruptly shut down for no valid reason, despite using a platform listed as a Stripe partner and only accepting payments for goods and services. I have made it clear multiple times that I do not accept donations and have repeatedly asked for clarification on what the issue is.

It has been nearly a month without any resolution or meaningful updates from your end. This is not only unacceptable but also outrageous, especially after halting all business transactions. The lack of communication or concrete action to address this issue has led to business disruption and financial loss."

Moving Forward

Stripe's support was a disaster—automated responses, ignored questions, zero communication. While this experience has been incredibly frustrating, the most disappointing aspect was the complete failure of Stripe's support team. What began as a simple misunderstanding quickly spiraled into a nightmare of automated responses, ignored questions, and a total lack of meaningful communication.

I've learned that when using any third-party service, you need a backup plan, no matter how big or reliable they seem.

As of today, I'll be trying out Paddle for all my future payment processing. Stripe lost a customer today; don’t let them lose your business tomorrow.

Update: September 11, 2024

In response to my notice of termination, Stripe responded with the following:

"We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete the review of your Stripe account.

I completely understand how important it is for you to complete the review of your account as soon as possible. Here at Stripe, our goal is to make sure that you receive the best support, and we are doing our best to help you out.

That being said, we are currently working on your account. Please bear with us, and rest assured that we’ll get in touch with you as soon as we have an update to share.

Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions in the meantime."