PayPal is a joke! Long...

[cinelli]

Many of you buy and sell on eBay. PayPal is becoming the preferred method of payment because eBay touts the "buyer protection" PayPal offers in case the merchandise is not received or is less than expected. I had the misfortune of finding out just what PayPal's buyer protection is really worth.

A couple of month's ago, I bought an older Schwinn Paramount on eBay that was described as "excellent condition" with only a few minor scratches. After waiting 3 weeks for delivery and no response from the seller, I started a dispute with PayPal to get my money back. PayPal said I would have to wait 10 days before they made their decision.

On the tenth day, the bike finally arrived and PayPal immediately sent me an e-mail saying they saw the bike had shipped and they closed their case. Unfortunately, the bike was not nearly as described: paint missing everywhere. rusty parts that were not shown in the eBay images and the stem is seized in the steerer tube.

PayPal required me to start a new dispute and said I would have to wait another ten days for resolution. If the seller did not respond in ten days, they would rule in my favor. Ten days past, then 14 days. Finally PayPal responded: the case was decided in my favor, but the seller does not have any funds in his account. Therefore, since PayPal cannot backcharge the seller, they cannot refund my money.

Is this the impression you got when you signed up with PayPal?

[e-RICHIE]

i have had nothing but perfect luck with paypal
and run a shopping cart with its help. luv it atmo.

[Delpo]

I had a recent dispute resolved in my favor and the process worked fine. Nevertheless, did you pay using a credit card via paypal? If you did, the credit card company will usually refund your money no questions asked.

Good luck.

Delpo

[barry1021]

I had a recent dispute resolved in my favor and the process worked fine. Nevertrheless, did you play using a credit card via paypal? If you did, the credit card company will usually refund your money no questions asked.

Good luck.

Delpo

10,001

b21

[Big Dan]

Paypal is a big joke. I'm still waiting on a claim for an item that was not received 2 months ago. I think they are just waiting for me to drop the claim.
Whatever happens I'm getting out of paypal a.s.a.f.p.


:(

[ti_boi]

Call PAYPAL and talk to a rep...their number is listed under contacts...I have had several claims settled on my behalf. A few times I have needed to call and expedite the process. In fact the quality of the seller these days on eBay is to blame...more popularity means more people think that they can 'sell' and usually buyers are reluctant to leave negative feedback. Paypal has always made the eBay experience a little easier for me. Keep on them--

[Volant]

I haven't had any issues with Paypal personally. However, their fee structure is getting about as rediculous as ebay's.
Good luck with a resolution.

[gt6267a]

i use paypal for the convenience. most importantly, the ability to pay a non-business using a CC and the ability to receive money without having relationships with CC companies.

that is the service they provide. if you paid cash would you get protection?

per the other services that you get to play with ... they are a last resort and used only because failure happened that would have gotten you hosed had the transaction gone down with cash. they are subject to opinion which is never the place you want to be in a financial transaction. best to ask a lot of questions and avoid shady situations. plus, with increased documentation, if you have to go the route of using services, you have information on your side. in the end, buyer beware.

for what they really do, make commerce easier, they do a great job.

[ClutchCargo]

Dude, sorry to hear your bad experience, but seems to me in these situations
you can't forget that you are buying over the internet from someone whom
you do not know. Your main problem is with the seller. The Paypal small
print probably warns of their inability to do anything for you when the other
party has no funds in their account.
You got a right to be upset, but those are the waters you waded into.

Trust in the seller is one of the reasons why this forum is such a nice place.

Good luck with it.

[handsomerob]

PayPal is only the better of all the evils... ATMO.

If you had paid by check or money order you wouldn't have any online recourse at all.

More importantly.... who was the seller? have they completely denied giving you a refund or do they just not have the money right now? Was the seller covered under the PayPal Buyers Protection?

[steelrider]

I had a recent dispute resolved in my favor and the process worked fine. Nevertheless, did you pay using a credit card via paypal? If you did, the credit card company will usually refund your money no questions asked.

Good luck.

Delpo


Paypal will send you an email asking "why did you stop payment?" Email them back and tell them that you got ripped off and that you want your money back. Paypal is what it is.

[Dave B]

Ebay owns paypal which is why they speak highly of it, and charge so much.

I had a guy dispute something of mine once (he did not like the frame and dented it to get his money back...he even admitted after everythign was done) and they froze my account that had money in it. He was given his money right then and there and they would collect on mine like a credit card would.

UPS ended up finally refunding the moeny as it was supposedly a shipping error.

Anyway Paypal should get you your money back ASAP if you have waited their BS length.

Unless theyhave completly changed their policies.

Good luck.

I think Payapl is great. It might be slow, but it does work....most of the time.

[gdw]

I recently had an bad experience with a buyer who claimed that he never recieved an item. He filed a dispute and won because PayPal never read the emails forwarded to them in which he acknowledged recieving the part. I wasn't too happy with the affair and emailed PayPal threatening to close my account and was issued a "complementary refund". The process took two months and was pretty frustrating. I've talked with several people who have had similar problems with dishonest buyers but PayPal has not refunded their money.

[Chad Engle]

ALWAYS OBTAIN PROOF OF DELIVERy WITH A SIGNATURE.

[Tobias]

The Paypal small print probably warns of their inability to do anything for you when the other party has no funds in their account.Good point.
There is a lot of small print to consider in the PayPal User Agreement, which I consider too one-sided for my taste.
IMO accepting their terms and conditions gives them the right to be judge, jury, and executioner with my money.
Whether they screw up or not on a regular basis is beside the point.
The fact that they might and that I’d be unable to do anything about it is enough for me to pass.
And I’m OK having to pass on sellers who require PayPal also. I'll just buy from others.

Also, what good is language that can not be enforced? Protecting the Privacy of Others is indeed a joke.
The only way for them to protect my private info is to not share it with anyone in the first place. Thanks but no thanks.

[Avispa]

I had a recent dispute resolved in my favor and the process worked fine. Nevertheless, did you pay using a credit card via paypal? If you did, the credit card company will usually refund your money no questions asked.

Good luck.

Delpo

I am not sure about the "no questions", by bank surely asked a lot of questions on a recent fraud involving a PP account. But it was much better than losing $$ out of my bank account while the CC company refunded the cash.

With that said, I don't use my PayPal linked bank account for anything over $25.00

I have used PP for quite some time and have had no serious problems.

..A..