Buyer Beware: Tradestation will flag you as a professional if you don't use gmail, yahoo, etc

JSOP said:
Talk to a TradeStation manager. Tell them if this is not resolved for you, you will change broker AND at the same time complain to SEC and all the investor protection regulatory bodies.
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I have already filed a complaint with FINRA and am going to change brokers. Their data integrity team seems unwilling to cooperate.
 
Why do you think tradestation is where it is today? They have close to zero broker overhead because they are selling order flow, their software is as inflexible as was 10 years ago. You should thank them actually that their stupidity kept you from advancing your relationship with them.

gaussian said:
I don't normally like to talk negatively about brokers. I have had a generally good experience with even brokers that were really raking me over the coals on commissions.

Today I was flagged as a professional because I do not use gmail, yahoo, or other public email address. I use a personal email domain that I control because I am very privacy conscious. For those out of the loop being marked a professional means they will charge me expensive data rates among other things.

I called Tradestation to explain my situation and the nice tech support person told me there is nothing they can do and my only option is to open a new email account with a public email service. I tried to explain I can't, and they wouldn't work with me.

So if you use Tradestation and don't use a public email service find a different broker. Tradestation uses email domain as a method to determine who is a professional rather than actual professional credentials.
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GRULSTMRNN said:
Why do you think tradestation is where it is today? They have lose to zero broker overhead because they are selling order flow, their software is as inflexible as was 10 years ago. You should thank them actually that their stupidity kept you from advancing your relationship with them.
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What retail broker isn't selling order flow? I thought that was basically standard practice.
 
Care to explain why? Whats the school's stinky business to decide which email domain you are using? Some things are just so third world in the US.

wrbtrader said:
Talk to a sales rep and tell them to click on your website link so that they know it has nothing to do with financial.

If its manually flagged, someone may have gone to the wrong link and then thought in error that its linked to a financial site.

P.S. My kids private schools do not allow parents to use personal email domains as contact info. We have to use gmail, yahoo or whatever that's not linked to a business website like mike@customautopainting.com

wrbtrader
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gaussian said:
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So if you use Tradestation and don't use a public email service find a different broker. Tradestation uses email domain as a method to determine who is a professional rather than actual professional credentials.
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That is total crap, I agree. One question I have though is...Why not just set up a public domain email and use it just for them?

What is the reason you cannot use a public-domain e-mail addy?

I realize you are changing brokers, but just curious...
 
Overnight said:
That is total crap, I agree. One question I have though is...Why not just set up a public domain email and use it just for them?

What is the reason you cannot use a public-domain e-mail addy?

I realize you are changing brokers, but just curious...
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Public email services aren't actually free. They sell your data to advertisers. Email accounts hold all sorts of tasty morsels of information for advertisers. For the privacy conscious person a self hosted domain and email is the only way to go. If you don't control your data, someone you don't want to does almost certainly.
 
The NYSE is behind this like Robert had said, they do their own investigations. According to a TS posting by one of their staff: if you got flagged as a pro it is because the NYSE found that you have some kind of link with a LLC/Corp, or have accessed research from them that they deem as being for professionals.
 
A pretty respected shop for a number cash fx traders I know (I use them as backup and for smaller size, only) . Flexible commission for large volume, very good fx liquidity pools that are customizable and exhibit tight spreads, a solid api and infrastructure and responsible support staff. Can't speak for their other services. But I know they don't sell order flow in equities.

Robert Morse said:
I had to look that one up.
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