LocalFireDept

You can now pay by check in the mail. If 600 people set this up, it will sustain the site and its development perpetually.


It is very important that you read the instructions.
You do not supply your username or a bank account number for Kiwi Farms.
Read the instructions.

How To​

The process is easy but slow. It will take up to 21 days for the check to be cashed and for your upgrade to be applied. However, once the process has started, you will not have to think about it again. Just be sure to keep your account above $20.

Your forum account is identified by a secret 9-digit number found only on this page. Don't share it.



Billpay is a system where your bank prints physical checks and sends them on a schedule to a physical location by mail. The process of setting this up depends on the bank. You can google "My Bank Billpay".

For instance, with Old Glory Bank it looks like this. This varies by institution but this is a general process guide.

1. Add a payee. If it asks if this is a company or personal transfer, select company.



2. Enter your details carefully. Pay special attention to anything related to a "billpay id" or "account number". The terminology changes by vendor, but basically this is the identifier for the payee's system that identifies you.



3. Fill in mailing details. My system asks me for my name to put on the check. You may be able to replace this with an LLC or omit this entirely, depending on your bank's rules.



4. Set up a recurring payment with this payee. For continuous supporter status, arrange $20 per month at any day of your pleasing. There is no minimum or maximum. You will get premium upgrade time distributed pro rata: if you send a dollar you will get 1/20th of a month, if you send a hundred you will get 5 months.



That's it. Your bank will send a check to mountain momma every month. Our mail guy will stop by the post office, collect the mail, sort out the checks, and send them for processing.

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Rewards​

As explained above, time is given to your account pro rata. You can check it on the billpay page.

Gilded Profile​

See: @Null Test Account. You have the option to gild your avatar which will display on any place your avatar does. It will also gild your banner from green to gold. You may disable each of these.

The True & Honest Fan banner will default to green and appear regardless of preference if you run out of time. This will confer to you the same benefits as anyone else who has donated $20 at any point in the forum's history.

Sponsored Posts​

Currently, once a week, you can sponsor a post to appear in advertising positions around the site.

Special Stickers​

You will receive access to all reactions which are only available to True & Honest Fan.
You will also receive access to a special sticker only available to the monthly supporters in good standing.

Possible: Additional Customization​

I'm considering other things such as custom user name color or banner customization. As above, I'd like to discuss these things before committing time to it.

Planned: Gifting​

I do not advise paying for somebody else by asking for their billpay id.

I will provide a way to gift time to users from your own account. So, if you donate $100 in a month, you will be able to apply a month to five people or two months to one person or whatever you want.

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F.A.Q.​

Q. Can I send more than $20? Can I send $40 every two months? Can I send $240 a year? Can I send less? What happens if I send an odd amount like $31?​

Yes. Amounts are applied pro rata, which is to say: You will get your money's worth, always.

The formula for calculating time goes as follows:

• Take either the existing expiration time of your upgrade OR the current time at the point the payment is processed.
• Add +n months, where n is the quotient of $AMOUNT divided by $20).
• Add +x hours, where x is the remaining amount over $20, then multiplied by the total number of hours in the month. Specifically, the hours in the month arrived at after Step #2.

Example:
If you donate $31 and it is processed by me on January 1st, your upgrade will expire on February the 16th at 8pm (1 month + 55% of the amount of hours in February).

Q. How long does it take?​

I estimate between 2 to 3 weeks after your institution cuts the check and sends it. For my breakdown, see here. I know, it sucks, I was hoping for closer to a week. In the future, we may have a way to improve the speed at which checks are deposited: our bank, Old Glory Bank, is interested in issuing a check deposit machine to us directly which will completely remove about 6-9 business days of processing time. The good news is that once you send your first check and it comes through you never have to think about it again.

Q. When is money withdrawn from my account?​

This is an institution-specific question. Many banks withdraw and endorse the payments as soon as they are created. Some do not. If you do not see a withdrawal for the amount you send, you should ensure that your balance stays positive so that it will not bounce or overdraw.

Q. What Security Measures are in place?​

The gist is: No one party ever holds both the check and the user account associated it. This is why you specify your bill pay id, not your account name.

Here is a rundown of the safety precautions being taken.

• There are federal and state laws in regards to the handling of financial information.
• The billpay id that is created for your account is known only to the Kiwi Farms, not the check deposit clerk.
• Payment information is stored by the bank, not any online device, individual, or business location that I manage.
• Payments are applied to user accounts by a receipt generated by the banking service.
• No information about the depositor or the financial institution are stored on the server.
• USPS money orders and bank checks are accepted for this.

In short, who is donating to which account will be unknown to every individual. The mail clerk, the teller at the bank, and myself will never see the depositor and the user account at the same time. The clerk receives the checks with numbers on it. The bank receives the same. I receive a receipt of which payees received what payments. The Kiwi Farms receives instructions to update those accounts. Even in the event of a total breach at any of those locations, cross-contamination is not possible.

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Refund Policy​

No refunds, including if you are banned. Sorry, but I'm not writing checks to people who bought it and then sponsored a gross post or something.
This is a way to support the forum and the gimmicks are just my thank you.