In the fourth part of our series of reviews of ten well-known exchanges we focus on the inbuilt FAQ and guidance mechanisms each offers to its customers as well as its accessibility; whether multiple languages are catered for and how well this has been executed.
Lost in Translation
As the only one of the exchanges not to incorporate an official FAQ, instead favoring a thread in Bitcointalk, ICBIT makes it difficult for users to find specific quality information. Add to this the haphazard semi-translated Russian interface, which tends to revert English pages to Russian depending on the page accessed, and it is unsurprising that ICBIT does not come especially well recommended by us.
Easy to find what you want: 1
Information: 2
Design and features: 1
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 3
While LakeBTC does offer a good standard of English translation, its FAQ section leaves something to be desired. Only five basic questions are answered, some with no particular relevance to technical aspects of the exchange at all. Email support is offered, with additional telephone support for Mandarin speakers.
Easy to find what you want: 2
Information: 2
Design and features: 2
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 3
An almost identical draughty FAQ section is to be found on Bitfinex, and customers are directed to other support options in the event of queries. English is the only language offered.
Easy to find what you want: 2
Information: 3
Design and features: 3
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 2
BTC-E fares slightly better, however, with a fuller FAQ including indication of the time taken to respond to manually submitted queries (normally within one hour but at times up to 12 hours). The site is offered in English, Russian and Chinese, but the last of these appears fairly incomplete and the FAQ page is English or Russian only.
Easy to find what you want: 3
Information: 2
Design and features: 3
Number of languages/
Quality of translation: 4
ANXBTC’s FAQ is considerably more extensive than any covered so far, including information on all aspects of everyday use of the exchange. Translations are available in both traditional and simplified Chinese, and all three languages appear to be fully supported.
Easy to find what you want: 4
Information: 4
Design and features: 2
Number of languages/
Quality of translation: 3
Cryptsy goes a step further and has developed a standalone wiki to cover all aspects of using its services. There is furthermore an active community surrounding the tool which enhances customer support. Both Cryptsy and its wiki are English language only, with a more informal forum-like style, which may deter less linguistically adept foreign users.
Easy to find what you want: 5
Information: 5
Design and features: 4
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 2
Bitstamp’s FAQ is surprisingly basic given the huge amount of traffic it handles in nine languages. However, its continued popularity is perhaps proof of its straightforward interface and trustworthy operation. Language support is not entirely complete, with news bulletins available only in English.
Easy to find what you want: 3
Information: 3
Design and features: 4
Number of languages/
Quality of translation: 5
Clear and Concise
Hitbtc offers what is so far a unique feature among exchanges in the form of an automated demo option, “a special mode when you are able to credit yourself unlimited test funds and try your strategy as a real trader, but without the risks,” it describes in an update.
Users are hence afforded the option of ‘learning by doing,’ something which could make many more novices crypto-literate than traditional text FAQs. The tool could even encourage foreign users in the absence of a non-English language version of the website at present.
Easy to find what you want: 3
Information: 4
Design and features: 5
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 2
BTC China has perhaps the best text guide of all, with screenshots complementing explanations to produce a de facto demo of the site’s operation. General information on Bitcoin is also available, with all material uploaded in both Chinese and English.
Easy to find what you want: 4
Information: 4
Design and features: 4
Number of languages/Quality of translation: 3
Finally, Kraken possesses a detailed and thorough FAQ, albeit without images. The quality of information is very good indeed, however. It also offers a Korean version of its main website, but the FAQ is English language only at the current time.
Easy to find what you want: 4
Information: 5
Design and features: 3
Number of languages/
Quality of translation: 3
Exchanges have several media for publishing FAQs to customers, with varying quality and effectiveness, although almost all have noticeable difficulty in providing multi-language interface.
In the penultimate part of the review series, we will focus more on the support experience with each exchange, as well as overviewing their API capabilities.