Page 10 - AVN June 2015

WE’VE GOT ISSUES
JUNE 2015
Letter to Chase
Retailer to banker: Get out of our bedrooms!
sounds familiar. Oh, yes—it is familiar.
Getting screwed over by Chase Bank …
A couple years back, JPMorgan Chase
denied a loan to softcore producer Marc
L. Greenberg, a long-time customer of the bank, and
even though Greenberg had assets of $10 million—
more than enough to allow him to sue the bank in
2013. And then in May of 2014 Chase canceled the
accounts of dozens of adult performers, including
Teagan Presley and Dakota Skye.
Now, a year later, Chase is up to its old tricks.
Adult boutique owner Roylin Downs shared this
open letter she penned to her bank, which is prepar-
ing to close her account as of May 29:
“My husband Lee and I had been banking with
Washington Mutual for 20 years when it transitioned
to Chase Bank a number of years ago. It was the local
bank, and when I decided to open a discreet and
classy online sensual products store, in 2009, Chase
was there for me, as it has been for the last six years!
We transitioned from an online-only shop to a lovely
brick and mortar, with a high-end lingerie shop and
separate ‘by appointment’ boutique. The content of
my business was never a secret and Chase and its
employees even supported it—I made deliveries to
the bank for a previous bank manager of some lovely
honey dusting powder.
Unfortunately, we were compelled to change our
name. We became Trystology in October 2014, and
when I went to Chase, with all the proper paperwork,
they welcomed me. I had made an appointment to
insure it was done quickly, only to have the manager
come over to me and gently hold my arm and say,
‘I’m sorry, Roylin, you know we really like you; how-
ever, we can no longer serve your type of business.’
“It was shocking to me, as she had been the one
encouraging me to get the new account opened. I
asked, ‘What kind of business is that? I’ve been bank-
ing here for six years, and Chase has been my only
business bank!’ She declared that since I sold ‘marital
aids’ Chase could no longer open a new account for
me. The ‘banking guidelines’ had changed. She said
she had gone to the top, but there was no way. They
would allow me to keep my old account, as I was
‘legacy,’ but not open a new one.
“I protested and said that we carried high-end
lingerie, and that we were classy, when she asked me,
‘What percentage of your sales is marital aids?’ I was
astounded and knew it didn’t matter what I sold or
how classy my store or customers were. The fact that
I carried ‘marital aids’ was enough to not allow me to
open a new account in my new brand’s name. I was
allowed to keep my old account, even though that
company doesn’t exist any longer—until April 21,
when I received a ‘Your Chase business account(s)
will be closed’ letter from a Chase Senior VP.
We promote intimacy,
passion and love.
—Roylin Downs, Trystology
“So here’s the thing, Chase. What happens in my
bedroom, or the bedroom of any of my respectable
clients’ homes, is none of your business. Target sells
marital aids. Brookstone sells marital aids. All drug-
stores sell marital aids, and yes, lingerie shops almost
all sell marital aids. Are you going after every busi-
ness, manufacture and shop that works to improve
the love life of your customers? Are you making a
moral judgment on how individuals improve their
bond as a couple?
“As you said in your letter to me, it has nothing
to do with the way I handle my business or my
account. This is clear, as I have few to no chargebacks
or bad checks, so it can’t be my customer base, or
my classy, discreet approach to the products I sell.
We don’t carry any vulgar or demeaning products.
Only discreet sensual products for passionate
play. It’s true—we promote intimacy, passion and
love between partners. And in my opinion, there’s
nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that
banks are making judgments, and excluding support
for reputable businesses like mine, simply because
they don’t agree with their product mix!
“So, Chase, and all the other banks out there
that are going after female-friendly, couple-friendly,
sex-positive stores that are trying to improve the
lives of couples …
“Get out of our bedrooms! And get back to the
business of supporting small businesses.”
Roylin Downs (above; image by Fancy Free Photography)
can be reached at Trystology, 451 E. Main Street, #3 & #6,
Ventura, CA; roylin@trystology.com or (888) 801-8952.
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