Independence.

[Gob]

Money received. I will make up the remainder and also pay for the domain registration.

Awaiting the bill, as per my last message.

[Gob]

Paid with PayPal balance
£117.38
VISA Debit Card xxxxx
.
£39.99

6ME17076VR998842F
Seller information
DreamHost, LLC
877-829-4070

paypal@dreamhost.com
Purchase details
Item amount
$191.06 USD
Total
$191.06 USD

So, yet again, I'm out of pocket to the tune of £40.

Not happening again.

[BoSoxGal]

What happened between March 15 and this:

This is a friendly reminder that your DreamHost account #396839 will be rebilled $155.88 in the next five to seven days.

DreamHost renewal details:

$155.88 - "My Happy Hosting" Annual Plan'

We will automatically bill the payment method that we have on file for you on your next rebill date, so no action is needed.

Please note that unpaid balances that are outstanding more than 30 days will be considered past-due, and your account will be at risk of suspension and deactivation.

To today and this:

Paid with PayPal balance
£117.38
VISA Debit Card xxxxx
.
£39.99

6ME17076VR998842F
Seller information
DreamHost, LLC
877-829-4070

paypal@dreamhost.com
Purchase details
Item amount
$191.06 USD
Total
$191.06 USD

So, yet again, I'm out of pocket to the tune of £40.

Not happening again.

Is there some failure to communicate with Meade and/or the rest of the board about exchange rates or something?

If the auto-billing reminder you received and shared on March 15 set the billing at $155 (dollars, not pounds) with no mention of an increase, how did it become a bill of $191USD? Did DreamHost provide an invoice explaining the 23% increase in billing?

Trying to give the benefit of the doubt, but if the 'Not happening again' is yet another snarky threat to shut down the board in future, how are we supposed to know what the billing costs are going to be when nobody but you has access to the DreamHost account or the inner workings of everything?

Do we really deserve a rebuke for not predicting the exact billing increase?

Could you not just say, hey mates I need another chunk of change?

As an aside, how is it that your paid amount is $198 (and change) USD rather than $191.06? Did the exchange fluctuate that much in the time since you paid to when I ran the rate just now?

Very confused, please advise.

Nobody here is trying to screw you, Gob. You really needn't be a jerk about it when you offered to continue administering at least as far as forwarding funds to DreamHost. Please, formally rescind the offer if that's your desire, and we can go about deciding whether someone else takes responsibility or whether we choose to let the board die. The yearly snark and threats are really unnecessary.

[Gob]

2024-03-22 - $31.18 for "Tax Charges: Value-Added Tax:" for My Happy Hosting.
2024-03-22 - $155.88 for "My Happy Hosting: Recurring" through 2025-03-21.

[Bicycle Bill]

Nobody here is trying to screw you, Gob. You really needn't be a jerk about it when you offered to continue administering at least as far as forwarding funds to DreamHost. Please, formally rescind the offer if that's your desire, and we can go about deciding whether someone else takes responsibility or whether we choose to let the board die. The yearly snark and threats are really unnecessary.

Look who's calling out someone else for snark and threats.

-"BB"-

[MajGenl.Meade]

Dear all,

DreamHost sent Gob an estimate of their charges for the coming 12 months: $155.88

We sent $158 which turned out to be the equivalent of £117.38 although we expected it to be £122.17 Gob was OK with that currency loss and would cover the 5 pounds diff. when the invoice arrived

But the actual invoice he received added £39.99 VAT. The total DreamHost bill with VAT is roughly $191.06 depending on Forex at any given time.

He paid the VAT plus £5 shortfall from our £117.38 so he's really £45 out of pocket.

Today's Forex is about $1.26 but we'd be wise to assume $1.29 or worse. So, we owe Gob 45 x 1.29 = 58.05 at a minimum.

I'll put in $10 (my wife won't stand for more right now). I need 5 others to put in 10. Those who generously contributed know who they are. I know who they are. So - 5 different people $10 each.
Send me a PM if you're willing to contribute because I seem unable to PM anybody except by "Reply" function. If I get 5 x 10 I will announce the arrivals (though not names) and those who are still considering donating can relax for another 11 months.

And yes, Gob could have been more diplomatic in pointing out the shortfall. I'm sure he's stooped with his head in his hands right now regretting that moment of madness

[ex-khobar Andy]

$10 on its way from me, Meade. I'll PM you too so you can tell me how to do it - check (cheque) PayPal, used singles, please don't ask me to use Venmo because I have only just learned how to spell it.

[Bicycle Bill]

I'll kick in a sawbuck too.  Tell me where to send it, and a paper check will be on its way via snailmail.

-"BB"-

[Gob]

And yes, Gob could have been more diplomatic in pointing out the shortfall. I'm sure he's stooped with his head in his hands right now regretting that moment of madness

I'm happy to apologise to Meade, for the misinterpretation of my last post. I could have been more explanatory, but didn't want to engage with the harridan.

Your system is fucked. You tell the customer that an item costs £XXX.00, but when they get to the till, they find that £X.00 has been added for tax. Nowhere in the civilised world would that occur, any purveyor of goods would be bankrupted for trying to pull that stunt. A pox on your system.

Profound apologies Meade, mea culpa.

[BoSoxGal]

VAT is a UK thing, I would think someone living there would expect it on a bill?

https://help.dreamhost.com/hc/en-us/art ... -Taxes-VAT

If the account was US based, we wouldn't incur VAT on the yearly billing.

[MajGenl.Meade]

We need to dial this back.

In the past, Gob hasn't asked Dreamhost to tell him in advance what the next billing would be. He just got the invoice, paid it and asked for donations. So, in the past (if he thought about it at all) he'd be aware of VAT on the INVOICE.

This time he asked them in advance what the renewal would be. They gave him the number $155.88 and he did not realize that THEY were not including the VAT. Nor did they write "155.88+VAT" which any UK company would. Much as we might think he could have known, any one of us could have been caught out like that.

His anger with Dreamhost was expressed this way:

So, yet again, I'm out of pocket to the tune of £40. Not happening again.

And that was not directed at me or any Plan B 'netizen. Gob vented about Dreamhost and that led to a misunderstanding.

But you should blame me, if blame is needed. Gob told me he didn't have the invoice yet but was expecting it momentarily and I went ahead sent $155.88 just days before the invoice came. Had I waited, he could have corrected the situation.

I'm the guy that had both his own and his wife's cell phones stolen upon arrival at Johannesburg airport in January. Not on purpose obviously. And that despite having spent 10 years living in the durn place taking all the usual precautions. I KNEW when we got to the airport we'd have to fend off thieves and I thought I did a good job. But they tricked me even though I should have known better.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I'll kick in a sawbuck too.  Tell me where to send it, and a paper check will be on its way via snailmail.

Thanks BB. If you send me a PM I can reply to that. As stated below, it seems I can no longer send a PM unless it's via the Reply function.

ETA and even then I'm not sure they all go.

[Joe Guy]

I'm happy to see that we're up and running for another year. The generosity and comradery of the membership here is unparalleled.

Gob and Meade deserve a round of applause. Thank you Gob and Meade...

[MajGenl.Meade]

I'm happy to see that we're up and running for another year. The generosity and comradery of the membership here is unparalleled

Back at y'all