Regular complaints from patrons re declined pledges

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#1

Is anyone else experiencing a significant rise in Patrons complaining that their pledges are not being processed at the start of each month?

I’m not talking about the usual declined pledges, that’s always been the case. But as of the last few months, I’m getting a regular stream of Patrons writing to say: “I’m trying to send you money but whatever I do Patrons won’t process my pledge”

I have sent Patrons the usual links on how to manage declined pledges and change cards. The common response to this is that the process is very counter-intuitive.

I’ve had Patrons complaining that it took them 20 minutes to update their card. And sometimes even when patrons complete the process successfully, the new card is still not accepted.

Obviously this is really frustrating, so I’m wondering: is anyone else experiencing this?

And Patreon, are you aware of this issue?

1 Like
#2

Nobody? Is this just me?
bump @mindy :smiley:

#3

(Thought I’d paste my message to the Help Desk here in case it provides more info on this issue)

Lately (the past 2-3 months) I’ve been getting a significant rise in Patrons complaining that their pledges are not being processed at the start of each month.

I don’t mean the usual declined pledges: I’ve been a creator for the past 4 years so I’m well aware that declined pledges are a reality every month. I’m talking about something else: I’m now getting a regular stream of Patrons writing to say: “I’m trying to send you money but whatever I do Patreon won’t process my pledge.” The problem often seems to revolve around the need to update cards for no reason (ie. the cards are not expired and funds are available).

So I respond to these Patrons by sending them the usual links to your databse which explain how to resolve declined pledges and how to update cards:

  1. patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203913799-Why-did-my-payment-decline-How-do-I-retry-my-payment-
  2. patreon.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203913769-How-do-I-update-my-payment-information-

The common response to this is that the process is very counter-intuitive. Some Patrons said they spent 20 minutes trying to update their card. There’s confusion about the terminology, eg. “Membership”. And sometimes, even when patrons complete the process successfully, the new card is still not accepted.

This is of course frustrating for people who want to support us and some Patrons end up cancelling their pledge - which is a huge loss for us.

Some opt instead to support us via PayPal or bank transfer. Which is fine by me, but seen as this means Patreon is losing income it would be in your interests to help resolve this matter as I’m guessing it’s not happening just to me.

Questions:
Is this a known issue; and if so, is it being addressed?
Can you please offer any advice for Patrons whose payments are being constantly declined?

Thanks for your assistance!

#4

I’m surprised no one else has anything to add.

I know I have to go through PayPal to get Patreon creators paid. I thought it was just a side effect of Patreon being based in the US but the card processor being in Great Britain due to their slightly more lenient policy towards the naughty stuff some creators post.

I’m familiar with what you produce, so I fail to see how any of that effects what is happening to you. I’m stumped and I hope sopport comes through for you.

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#5

I’ve had a couple patrons have card issues because of the processor change but tbh, it’s been far and few between and when it has happened, while a pain, was cleared up by them calling their bank and informing them it was legit. Since then I’ve not had any issues. Anyone who’s card has expired, they have been able to put in the new info just fine without my help mostly. (Though I definitely agree its not the most intuitive last I had to update my own.)

But I also have ~30 patrons and most have been around a while so they are familiar with the platform.

I hope that they can figure out why this has been causing you grief and fix it.

1 Like
#6

Hey @thejuicemedia, thanks for reaching out! I’m so sorry your patrons are experiencing this and applaud you for speaking up on their behalf. If card details are correct, not expired yet, and have sufficient funds, the next conclusion could be that their bank or PayPal is blocking their payment :frowning:

Do you see the same patrons have this issue month after month? Or is it a new batch of patrons every month?

#7

Hi @reyna thank you for the response. As our Patron base is growing, it’s often newly joined Patrons who experience this issue. But there’s also quite a few who say they’ve faced this on more than one occasion: they usually write to say they’re tired of trying to resolve this issue and that whilst they want to support us, they have to cancel their pledge / support us in other ways. As I said, it’s not due to expired/incorrect cards or insufficient funds. So what should I be saying to them to support them?

Thanks to everyone else who responded here! :raised_hands:

#8

Hi! Sorry to drag up an old topic but I’ve been experiencing the same, starting July/August. Now in September there are even more patrons with declined cards, even at the start of their patronage! I’ve messaged all of them, but when they go to update their cards it says ‘declined’ again instantly.
I don’t know about the US, but here in Europe it’s VERY unusual to contact one’s bank about this so I expect it to be a problem on Patreon’s end, especially since this has been happening suddenly with quite a few patrons!
Any updates on this are welcome…