Paypal the .....

cpirtle

cpirtle

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I knew that would get everyone's attention.

Since there has been so much heated debate on BF about Paypal.com I thought I'd start a new battle :D

Now that Paypal is officially owned by eBay, are more of the non-users going to start using them?

Just so you know where I stand, I like and have liked the Paypal service, just very convenient.
 
I think PayPal will get allot more users now. I know all the stuff said about there stance on gun control and all, But its a very good system and now with my PayPal debit card, I use it like a bank account. Its easy to keep track of things you bought, Way faster than Money orders and it offers fraud protection for buyers as well. All in all, People who don't sign up are missing out.
 
Should we expect any change? The new owners have a similar record of ignoring their customers, making themselves impossible to reach, tolerating fraud as long as they're not the victims ... the owners of Ebay don't have a record of seizing their customers' money and holding it for months while they don't get around to investigating allegations, but on the other hand they've never had the opportunity to do that until now....
 
I am in the process of dismantling my paypal account and starting over as a basic account holder. The ability to receive credit card payments just is not worth the screwing, especially if you sell a high dollar item on ebay. They literally get you coming and going. Oh, and about their "fraud protection", forget that crap. I had a seller sell me bogus goods and due to the fact that a) it was directly pulled from my account and b) it was < $25, my protection was non-existent. I like the ability to pay for things quickly but in a lot of cases on ebay, the seller has 30 days to ship an item. Why quick pay for slow shipping? YMMV
 
I just tried to use my account and found that they are focing me to use some "anonimyzer" service to use paypal. 5$ per month. Bulls.h.i.t.
Screw them. I am furious. :mad:
 
If all is going okay Paypal is great. But, if you have a problem, Paypal refuses to understand your dilema and will not help you. I have had several problems with Paypal and one or two where Paypal was definitely wrong or was at fault. In each case Paypal refused to accept responsibility, was arrogant, ignored the facts and refused to correct their error.

Paypal has yet to learn who their customer is (you and me) and until they do, good luck if you have a problem.

My solution to their arrogance is to only make payments via my credit card. That way I have recourse. My credit card company was my only help when I had a Paypal problem that paypal refused to accept. One of the cases involved fraud and I have been contacted by a U.S. Postal Criminal Investigator (they caught the perpetrator) who likewise sees the same scenario with Paypal.

I refuse to accept payments via Paypal. Maybe eBay can wake them up to be reasonable and businesslike - but don't count on it.

If you doubt me - just try to make contact with a responsible Paypal person - it's impossible! They will not talk to you except via email which they choose to use to dictate to you and refuse to answer or understand your questions or demands.
 
On top of the woes said, I've heard stories where paypal accounts are hacked and definately didn't got the so call fraud protection.
Call me old fashioned, I'm stilll using the good ol' MO. It cna cause trouble for US banks, and some dummy USPS office may somehow be stupid and not accept them, but at least I got to phone up USPS and file an complaint and hopefully they'd listen.
If I get my credit card I'd only use it for purchases from Canadian companies.... don't know how international fraud protection would work.
 
Well, it's interesting to see the sentiment has not changed.

I had a friend and fellow forumite have his money held by Paypal because when he moved he changed his address with his bank but not Paypal. So when he tried to withdraw the money from his account Paypal flagged it as being suspect and he had to wait his 5 days. After 5 days he talked to some people and faxed his proof of residency then the payment was released.

Personally I think that's the kind of service I'd like to see, heaven forbid someone changed an address and the check was still sent and intercepted by the wrong person. Most places would be envious to have that kind of efficiency in place. Error checking between multiple organizations is still a rearety even in the information age, look at the CIA - FBI - INS et al.

Hey Calyth, recieved your check today (or is that cheque in Canadian :)), will try and cash it tomorrow and let you know how it goes.
 
Isn't there another service that is better than PayPal?

Personally, I will never use PayPal, because of the horror stories, and like Dann, I just don't trust them. I don't trust E bay either, and I refuse to shop on that site for the very same reasons. (Too many horror stories).
 
I have heard of the horrible experiences from numerous Paypal users although I have not experienced them myself. A lady in Florida told me the best way to deal with Payapl is to open up a bank account but not at your regular bank. By doing it that way, they will not be able to seize or freeze your regular checking and savings accounts.

Code 3, I believe Western Union offers a system to pay with money orders. If I remeber correctly, they guaruntee delivery of the money orders. I do not think it is better than the Paypal system, but it is an alternative. Some times a money order sent by regular mail does get lost or the seller loses it for some reason or another. With Western Union, at least you have proof that the money was received by the seller since they have to sign for it. It's kind of pricey, higher than Paypal fees, but it might be worth peace of mind.
Big D1
 
Cancelled my membership when I learned of their stance on gun control. Will not renew, period. And the horror tales I read about on various forums convince me I did the right thing, at least for my personal situation. Paypal was convenient, but I just flat refuse to support a service that is unilaterally opposed to certain personal freedoms I consider important.

ralph
Patron Member NRA
 
Originally posted by ralphtt
Cancelled my membership when I learned of their stance on gun control. Will not renew, period. And the horror tales I read about on various forums convince me I did the right thing, at least for my personal situation. Paypal was convenient, but I just flat refuse to support a service that is unilaterally opposed to certain personal freedoms I consider important.

ralph
Patron Member NRA
Click to expand...

Hi Ralph, Paypal is under new ownership which was why I started this thread. I have no idea what eBay's stance on gun control is and I cannot find them in THIS list, or any others.

Unfortunately there are so many companies and organizations that support gun control and are against other issues which I feel strongly about, that it would be nearly impossible to go through a day and not come in contact with or support them in some way.

The problem is that most of these companies are supporting these things from the executive level without employee knowledge.

Look at Unions, they donate more money to Liberal Democrats and support more policies limiting our rights than probably any other group of organizations, yet many, if not most of their members would not support their money going for those causes. I swore off unions when I was 17 and bagging groceries when I found out my union was one of the largest contributors to Jim Trafficant, who's now sitting in jail.

How many people still own a Smith and Wesson gun? (I don't)
How many of you wear Levi's?
How many of you are Catholic?
Beattles fans?
Have Road Runner or SW Bell ISDN or even worse yet AOL?
AOL is affiliated with all of the following: Netscape, Time, Newsweek, Life Magazine, the WB network, Warner Brothers, TBS and TNT.
Purchase anything made by the following: Sara Lee, Ball Park, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Aoste, Douwe Egberts (Burger King coffee), L'eggs, Bali, Playtex, Champion, Coach, Dim, Sanex and Kiwi

I'd challenge anyone to go through the link I provided above and swear off any involvement with every group on that list. It'd be damn near impossible. Not to mention you'd have to learn every company they were in partnership with or owned to be effective.

The point I'm trying to make is that unfortunately we can't control what idealistic idiots support. By boycotting these companies you're having a greater effect on the employees who are just like you and me, the people in charge will still be idealistic idiots.

I would much rather support groups who are out fighting directly for my rights than live every day trying to figure out if I just gave money to a company who is against them.

Don't get me wrong, there are some companies who are so anti freedom and democracy that I will never support them. (Smith & Wesson, K-Mart, ACLU & Barbara Streisand to name a few)

Sorry for the rant :)
 
I've been using Paypal for over 3 years now. Started using a regular account, then upgraded to a "Premium" account later, which was one of the biggist mistake I've made.

Your only gain is to receive credit car payment over $100 per month. But, you now will be charged for "all" received fund up to about 3%. The overall "Premium" account terms are rather "lousy".

I recently only use Paypal to send online purchase payment to the sellers who accept Paypal. And, I always use a credit card instead of my own bank account. Because, when there is a fraud or dispute, your credit card company will provide some "real" help.

I was hoping that the ebay buyout will make the Paypal service better and improved. But, I already saw some additional charges Paypal soliciting for some sort of "Protections". It's seems that they care more about getting more money from the customers than really spending efforts to improve their services. That's too bad!

Regards,
Ted
 
A lady in Florida told me the best way to deal with Payapl is to open up a bank account but not at your regular bank. By doing it that way, they will not be able to seize or freeze your regular checking and savings accounts.
Click to expand...

Before you open that account ask the bank what they will do if Paypal claims you owe them more money than you have in that account -- and if the answer isn't they'll pay the claim and bill you for it plus the usual outrageous overdraft fee, make them put that in writing.
 
I will say I have been a member since day 1. I have never had a problem. I can tell horror stories about what banks and other financial institutions have done over the years - I have worked in the financial community in data processing for nearly 20 years..it's not unique to Paypal.. any bank can screw up and overdraw your account and take a week to make it right, or not properly post deposits, etc,etc,etc. Just my humble input to this always interesting debate. The fact is, you can't trust anyone with your money, not even the wife! ;)
 
azwilly

You make a good point in that any business can screw up. The difference between Paypal and any budsiness is you can telephone any business and talk to someone. And, if you make your case, any business will correct the error. You cannot telephone Paypal and the will not correct the error. I speak from experience, been there and don't intend to be there again.
 
As far as I'm concerned they are a fraud. I did one transaction. Spent months trying to get the $125 from them. It never happened. I gave up. Glad I didn't do two transactions.
 
What did you do to confirm that this is the "straight dope"?

Oh, I know... someone took the time to write about it so it must be true. :rolleyes:
 
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