As a consumer I could care less about secure web sites...

You're not kidding there. Both me and and a close friend of mine have had bad experiences in that area. Sure, you fill out the online form with SSL, but you have no control over what happens to your credit card number once the vendor's got it.

In our case, we both placed SSL orders at two different companies. In both cases, we discovered that the web sites were just "storefronts" at a hosting service which simply e-mailed the orders in clear text (card numbers and all) to the actual companies who filled the orders.

In my friend's case, the actual company's mail server was briefly down, so the mail message bounced. It happened to have HIS return address on it, so he got the bounce message. Imagine his irritation to have his own credit card number bounced back to him in a clear-text email.

Of course, we happen to know that this isn't the case with Empeg, I'm just illustrating the fact that SSL gives you a false sense of security. What's more important is how much you trust the company you're sending your credit card number to. This is no different than placing a credit card order over the phone- you have to trust that the company will keep it secure once they have it. Fortunately, we know that Empeg will do the right thing.

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Tony Fabris