Reply from StartFleet.ioAug 22, 2023
Jordan,
We genuinely appreciate all feedback, including our first ever negative review on Trustpilot. In response to your concerns, I'd like to clarify certain facts that emerged during our correspondence:
1. You expressed a preference for opening bank accounts with traditional institutions like Chase, Bank of America, and CitiBank, as opposed to the banks with which we partner. Our Startup plan specifically mentions our associations with select banks that cater to non-US residents for remote account openings. With these partner banks, there's no need for an in-person visit to the US. We have successfully opened thousands of bank accounts at our partner banks for our clients using the addresses we provided. Suggesting the addresses we provide are unhelpful is, in our view, not fair. While our primary focus is on these partner banks, occasionally, we do facilitate in-person account openings at Chase (despite not promising an account at this bank in our package) as a gesture of goodwill. We extended this offer to you and provided guidance for the necessary preliminary steps before visiting our Chase contact in New York. Unfortunately, this offer was not pursued from your end.
2. Subsequent communications from your side addressed account openings with our partnered banks. It appeared you had a keen interest in obtaining a credit card from them. However, when you learned that some of these banks do not offer credit cards or require significant deposits to get a credit card, you chose not to continue. It's vital to clarify that these banks typically offer debit cards instead of credit cards. Acquiring a credit card instantly as a non-US resident, especially without a US credit history, can be a huge challenge. We've always been transparent about this. Our services have never promised an immediate credit card upon joining, but rather debit cards. It's not accurate to suggest that it's impossible to open a bank account through our service based solely on the credit card aspect. We have, however, successfully guided several clients toward obtaining credit cards in the long run. Offering guidance on credit cards is an additional service we extend, hoping to assist our clients further, provided they understand and are willing to undertake the necessary efforts.
3. Regarding the sales tax permit or reseller certificate from Wyoming, state regulations require the disclosure of the principal's actual address for the company. In your situation, this would be an overseas address, in line with your non-US resident status. Using a domestic US address could be misleading and not in keeping with transparent business practices. Once informed about these state regulations, you chose not to proceed. Regrettably, these are regulations that are beyond our control.
Our track record of 100+ 5-star reviews stands as testament to our commitment and the quality of our services. We believe your feedback may be based on some initial misconceptions about what we offer. We remain dedicated to supporting you and are open to collaboration, provided it is in good faith. Please let us know how you'd like to move forward.
Response to your Update:
I would like to clarify that on our website and via email, we did NOT make any promises regarding a bank account with traditional banks like Chase. However, we did inform you that if you wished to apply with them, we could provide assistance, with certain requirements that needed to be fulfilled. Our address is compatible with our partner banks, and we have successfully opened numerous bank accounts for our customers through them and continue to do so.
Regarding the Wyoming Sales Tax License, please refer to the "Sales and Use Tax License Application (with instructions)" form on Wyoming Revenue Department. It clearly states that you can use your home address (real physical address, even when its a non-US one) if you are operating an online store as you can't use a virtual address.