Rapid Travel Chai

RadPad has announced via its blog that its AndroidPay promotion is terminated effective immediately, shortly after it started. Any AndroidPay charges after August 31, 2016 will be charged a 2.99% fee.

This follows the August 17 announcement that debit card payments will incur a $4.95 fee, effective from that day. Shortly after my rent was billed with $4.95 tacked on.

I was steamed about not having any grace period on the debit card payments. I have been using RadPad for over a year and felt entitled to at least a one month reprieve. I thought about switching to the AndroidPay promotion and decided the switch effort not worth saving 4 x $4.95. Ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Why stick with a company that has blown it twice this month?

The blog apology from RadPad CEO Jonathan Eppers is honest, blames themselves, not customers, and gives his contact info. It is as good as you are going to get from a US company. Yes, you want them to honor it and will be furiously filing BBB complaints over it. I am not going to burn my time.

I have been a happy customer of RadPad for over a year. It is preferable to me over other rent pay options. Operationally, thee has not been a payment hiccup.

In this hobby we see companies rise up, we pound them, and they often fall to earth. We play a part. Instead of early adopters we are early exploiters. Some retool and go mainstream. It was a blast from the past at a recent dinner when friends offered to use Venmo. I had not thought of them since Peyton Sherwood days.

RadPad was not charging me for a debit transaction and the back-end of printing and mailing a check to my landlord. That was not sustainable. If paying $4.95 a month means I will have a long-term reliable service, I will stick with them, despite grumbling about that $4.95 this month.