Review on Uphold by Nickolas Landry
Uphold falls short of expectations, introduces risk of compromise on numerous levels.
Being a user of Brave web browser, I hoped to advantage of Uphold to utilize BAT (Basic Attention Token), as rewards from Brave are sent to the Uphold wallet after a minimum amount is earned. However, I was never able to link my wallet to the browser, due to numerous issues not just within the app, but apparently the staff as well.
After failing to link the Brave browser with my Uphold wallet, I decided to try and purchase BAT with Uphold. Upon starting the process of linking my bank account, I discovered that Uphold uses a third party application to access your bank account and it's online capabilities. I was shocked when I was prompted for my online banking username and password, as this is in direct conflict with resolving any fraudulent claims that might arise. Debit card/account and routing information being stolen is usually remidied, but giving someone online banking acess with your username and password is specified as a reason fraud claims get denied, at least among all the fiduciary institutions that I have been with. So, that was off the table.
Next, I successfully linked a debit card with a substantial available balance, and attempted to purchase BAT. That also failed, and I recieved a text alert about it from my debit card prvider. Also, on the transaction log I noticed the coin amount and price were different than I had initially accepted. After further study, this is the case with a number custodial exchanges in an attempt to maximize company profit at the expense of the customer. This is when I contacted support through the Uphold app, and was promptly messaged back with a live representative. After informing them of my numerous but failed attempts with their platform, I was told that this issue was being passed to a higher level of technical assistance...
Two minutes later I get a text alert from my debit card provider, stating another failed transaction had just occured, at a different but near price and coin amount. I did not make that attempt, it was done by support, giving me the last push needed to close my account with Uphold, and request a copy plus deletion of my data stored on their servers.
This was a soft but rude awakening to some of the risks involved with cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, and general online safe practices regarding sensitive material. I was not able to complete a single transaction with Uphold, and subsequently tipped out my remaining BAT on Brave browser. At least someone will be able to benefit from it.
Pros
- Easy to use.
- Prompt customer support.
- Brave web browser's native BAT wallet.
Cons
- Does not accept some debit cards.
- Initial purchase price and amount of coins differs from final outcome.
- Support attempts to fulfill failed/declined purchases, at different prices than originally intended.
- Uses third party app for bank info, needs your bank online id/password.
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Comments (1)
July 03, 2021
Hi Nickolas Landry, It was really sad to see this kind of rating on the good wallet, I personally use Uphold for BAT as well and I never had any issue and it is still working very well, I don't think it deserves a low rating.
