Red Ink Diary

Prominent (and modest) UK public relations firm Fishburn Hedges

“A bespoke team is put together for each client, creating something genuinely different. The result is powerful: fully-integrated communications programmes based on clear insight and deep experience.”

issued a press release on behalf of their client MoneyBookers February 5th. It trumpets

“The Moneybookers partnership is part of eBay’s efforts towards making its own online checkout process a more consistent and secure experience, providing a better choice to its sellers and buyers. A system like Moneybookers directly integrated on eBay.com will allow for a more efficient and reliable service, increasing the safety of both buyers and sellers in every single transaction as well as ensuring the best possible conversion rates during the checkout process.”

I realize that Fishburn Hedges job is to make MoneyBookers look good but guys, that just is not the most diplomatic language to use about eBay or their payment service PayPal.

To be fair PayPal is relatively efficient and a good system for sellers just as long as it is not being used on eBay. Fishburn Hedges spinners should know right now that Paypal is the only safe way for buyers to pay on eBay. I know that this is true because eBay tells me so, ad nauseam.

Unfortunately either the ‘fully-integrated communications programme’ is suffering from a strategic lack of communication somewhere along the line, or, there is no intention to permit US users to utilize MoneyBookers services. I am beginning to wonder. Might I respectfully suggest that no further trumpets be tootled in the USA until there is something to toot about?

This is the second national level press release on this subject. U.S readers might well assume that the service is available. They would be wrong. The headline says

“eBay.com Integrates Moneybookers as one of its Official Worldwide Accepted Payment Providers”

Maybe eBay has integrated MoneyBookers, however at 7pm London time on Friday February 6th the MoneyBookers website is still returning this message:

click image to enlarge

The questions are:

1. Why are MoneyBookers PR firm promoting a service that is not ready for prime time?
2. At one time MoneyBookers was available to US residents, why was it withdrawn?
3. Will it be available in the USA at some point in future?

Some tidbits about Fishburn Hedges:

Fishburn Hedges is owned by Abbott Mead Vickers, the UK’s largest advertising agency, which is in turn ultimately owned by the global communications group Omnicom.

Fishburn Hedges was the organizer of the tobacco industry front group Associates for Research into the Science of Enjoyment, or ARISE

Isn’t that interesting? As Auntie May would say “Lie down with dogs, get fleas”

Y’all come back!