Paypal is something else

[Gilligan]

So when I was buying my GX-24 recently the guy gave me the wrong email address.

Being a large purchase Paypal called me and verified... that was nice.  Then he mentioned there was no account associated with this email and I should cancel it till I get that straight.

Makes sense... thanks!

I get with the guy and he gives me another person's email address, obviously the one associated with their paypal account... no harm no foul.  Boom money is off!

I get my cutter, it's dusty but great!

I look at my checking account and something doesn't seem right... 842.36 deducted twice.

So I go look and 842.36 was the balance that had to be pulled from our checking... bah, ok it's still in limbo, that is taking a while.

Check the transactions... oh no, it's complete... no hold any more.  Yet all that money is sitting in paypal's bank (my account).

That could have obviously caused some accounting issues as well as bounced checks if I wasn't careful and had a tighter cash flow.  What the hell... do they just think it's cool to hang on to that money?!  I never gave them permission to do that sh!t.

Refund = refund!

[blue moon]

you think that is bad? I have horror stories galore! Will give you tow off the top of my head.

we were doing about $100k per month through paypal. They decide that $15k of that (from 100+ different purchases) is questionable and they first lock us out of the account so we have no access to the money even though the sales are still being processed, then freeze the funds. It took two months of paperwork and forms to get it back!

another one. . . $4k purchase from Russia. OK, this is a scam, but the customer calls us and we have  a nice chat. All is legit. We call PayPal and request authorization and verification. All is good they say, go ahead and ship. We ship and three months later they take the money out of our account. It was a scam after all, but they did not care that they approved it! We are out $4,000 and there is nothing we can do about it.

pierre

[GraphicDisorder]

www.paypalsucks.com

Seriously, horrible way to do business.

They bit me for $250 once, I no longer use them.  Their loss, I moved 5 figures a month through paypal before, but they stuck me with $250 once because "they can" basically.  So I refuse to use them.  I will actually tell a customer to walk before id take paypal again.

[Gilligan]

Oh, I got plenty of horror stories... basically paypal always screws the good guy and the criminal always gets away with it.  That is my experience.

I had a small order take FOREVER in customs (canada) and the guy filed a complaint and I sent tracking...  Well, he eventually just closed the dispute and got a refund.  I got the email and immediately sent the tracking info that showed it was at customs.  Paypal said "yeah, but it doesn't show delivered"  And that is my fault HOW?!?!  So NEXT day, it shows "delivered"  Ah, the guy refused it I bet and then closed the dispute... jerk.

So I submit tracking info again (they have already refunded the guy) and they say "Oh, yep... it was delivered... your appeal is approved.  Now, go get your money back."  WHAT?!  The guy on the phone literally said "the appeal is more so you being able to get the last word"  I was like... Umm, no appeal means I won, you were wrong now get me my money back.  Nope... wouldn't happen.  I was supposed to contact the guy and ASK him to give me my money back.  No black flag on his account NOTHING.  Luckily I was only out 15 bucks here (bill was for $65 but only 15 bucks in hard cost).

I'd LOVE to avoid them... just very hard to do.

I may move our website to a merchant account... how does that compare in a low volume situation vs paypal... money wise.

[GraphicDisorder]

Oh, I got plenty of horror stories... basically paypal always screws the good guy and the criminal always gets away with it.  That is my experience.

I had a small order take FOREVER in customs (canada) and the guy filed a complaint and I sent tracking...  Well, he eventually just closed the dispute and got a refund.  I got the email and immediately sent the tracking info that showed it was at customs.  Paypal said "yeah, but it doesn't show delivered"  And that is my fault HOW?!?!  So NEXT day, it shows "delivered"  Ah, the guy refused it I bet and then closed the dispute... jerk.

So I submit tracking info again (they have already refunded the guy) and they say "Oh, yep... it was delivered... your appeal is approved.  Now, go get your money back."  WHAT?!  The guy on the phone literally said "the appeal is more so you being able to get the last word"  I was like... Umm, no appeal means I won, you were wrong now get me my money back.  Nope... wouldn't happen.  I was supposed to contact the guy and ASK him to give me my money back.  No black flag on his account NOTHING.  Luckily I was only out 15 bucks here (bill was for $65 but only 15 bucks in hard cost).

I'd LOVE to avoid them... just very hard to do.

I may move our website to a merchant account... how does that compare in a low volume situation vs paypal... money wise.

Paypal charges you more, be it low or high volume than a merchant account will. 

[Shawn (EIP)]

My PayPal horror stories would be enough to write a book about. I use Square now from my iphone. If I get a customer that cant pay any other way I borrow my mothers's paypal, looks unprofessional using hers but screw paypal! They black balled me, I will NEVER be allowed to have account with them after getting irrate with some poor soul at other end of the line and then her manager.

[royster13]

Paypal charges you more, be it low or high volume than a merchant account will.

I had a processor tell me that yesterday......So I applied and was told they could not touch flat rate of 2.2% PayPal charges....

[ebscreen]

An Ebay/Paypal exec jumped in front of a train here the other day.

Jus' sayin.

[inkbrigade]

We've been using google checkout for a few weeks. Cheaper than merchant account. Good so far.

[Shawn (EIP)]

We've been using google checkout for a few weeks. Cheaper than merchant account. Good so far.

I have that but never used it, it looked like to me we are not allowed to deposit the funds until a proof of shipment is made.

[ericheartsu]

dwolla.com is a site we just started using. but i don't think we've gotten any orders from it. $.25 transaction rates.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

Check the transactions... oh no, it's complete... no hold any more.  Yet all that money is sitting in paypal's bank (my account).

I don't think PayPal is a bank. I think if PayPal was classified as a bank, they would need to comply with regulatory things that would make it harder for them to take such draconian account measures as they are known for.  I think PayPal enjoys their non-bank status.

[Gilligan]

I didn't mean Paypal AS a bank... I meant the money was literally in Paypal's bank.

Paypal makes a killing off the revolving balance in everyone's account.  Not sure if everyone remembers but paypal used to be completely free on both ends.  They made their money on the fact that there was always money in their account that they collected interest on.

[Chadwick]

I don't have any major horror stories with them, but, a long time customer made a simple mistake
some time back, as I had changed internet service providers, and as such needed a new email.
So I took care of my accounts and such, but someone was still in the habit of using the old email.
From the sounds of things their money went in, and basically disappeared...
I no longer had that email, nor was it associated any longer with the account ( shouldn't have been as it was removed awhile before ).
So where'd the cash go? poof?
Oh well.
I got paid, but it was a weird situation..paypal shouldn't have accepted that first goofed transfer.

That's the only one though.
I use it a fair bit, don't usually have an issue.

Are there any proper alternatives?
When paypal works, it works great, but sometimes not.

[Gilligan]

You can send money to any email address.  It doesn't have to be valid or real.

That's what started all of this off.

They should have been able to cancel the transaction.. but maybe in that case it got held because it WAS attached to an account but then it didn't get deposited in the right account because it was "technically" removed.