Whenever we’re explaining one-click payments to our partners or clients, it’s always good to add the “just like Amazon or Apple” phrase. In most cases it says more than any detailed description would and there’s always the “big brand effect”. Of course one of the greatest advantages of one-click payments is that this solution is fast and convenient. That’s why when making a purchase, I was a bit surprised that Apple asked me to provide additional specific documents in order to prove my identity. But, as I wrote recently, confirming my identity is completely understandable in some cases. What struck me was the way it was handled.

Before I tell the story, I have to clearly state that this was a local Apple department (not the US Apple), but after some googling it looked like the same department contacts also, for example, UK customers. We also do not intend to mock or criticize Apple – we just want to present an interesting case study and an example that even really big brands either make mistakes or sometimes do not fully control their representatives.

Are you a small business technology geek? If not yet, you definitely have to talk to Ramon Ray — the most enthusiastic technology evangelist and a great source of knowledge about technologies for small businesses. He is also a funny interlocutor. We talked about the culture of running small business in the US and the rest of the world, about role of technology in small businesses and social media. Hope you enjoy reading this interview as much as I enjoyed interviewing Ramon.