PayPal
BIG GIANT WARNING to PayPal users:
On Nov. 6, I was hangin' out in my living room, piddling about with knitting and the TV. I had my computer beside me, and periodically checked my e-mail and stuff. At one point there were messages from people I'd never heard of, with words like "Transaction Approved" in the subject line. At first I thought these were just spam... and then there was an e-mail from PayPal, saying that this charge was approved. I flew to the PayPal website, where I discovered that someone had made a charge of $31.77 on my account to some random company based in Germany, I think (it had a .de web address), though the website was in Portuguese. While I was checking the PayPal site, two more charges for the same amount were made to my account. Before I could change my password and security questions on the PayPal account, a fourth charge in the same amount was made. You've never seen ANYBODY report fraudulent charges via a website so quickly, and straightaway I got on the phone to the PayPal people. I explained to some guy with a very soothing voice that I had NOT made or authorized these charges, and I expected the issue to be redressed with all speed. He assured me that, having changed my security information and reported the claims as unauthorized, I had done everything I needed to do, and within a few days the matter would be all taken care of.
I was pretty displeased that they didn't simply cancel the charges straightaway, but I understand that they're a business, and so they have to investigate this sort of thing, because it would be quite easy for people to charge stuff and then dispute it immediately, and so get out of paying. Days went by, and each day I checked the PayPal site to see the status of the claims. They remained listed as "disputed," and the site informed me that they were "waiting for other party's response." Slow burn, baby.
So today I check the site, and not only are the claims still in dispute, but PAYPAL HAS TAKEN $127.08 OUT OF MY BANK ACCOUNT TO PAY FOR THESE CHARGES. WHAT THE SQUIRRELS-IN-SPRINGTIME FUCK?!?! Instantly I became the Tasmanian Devil. Does this make ANY logical sense AT ALL?! If you are a multinational financial corporation, and your client disputes a claim, it does not require multiple business degrees to know that the appropriate action is to FREEZE THE TRANSACTIONS COMPLETELY until the dispute is resolved. You CERTAINLY don't go yoinking money out of people's accounts when they've ALREADY ALERTED YOU THAT IT'S A CASE OF IDENTITY THEFT OMG WTF. I burned up the cell towers getting on the phone. For God's sake, I'm a graduate student -- I don't HAVE $127.08 for these people to be taking out of my bank account without my authorization! I. was. enraged. But I tried to be calm. I did not scream at the customer service girl. I DID let her know that I was sincerely displeased. She informed me that PayPal had already determined that the claims were, in fact, fraudulent -- NO SHIT, SHERLOCK -- and that the money had been returned to my PayPal account; I could, if I so wished, transfer the money from the PayPal account back to my bank. Again I say, WHAT THE FUCK?! You took it OUT of my bank account; why the hell did you not put it back IN THERE, IDIOTS? So I had to go through the website again and transfer the funds back to my bank account, which will take 3-4 business days to complete. *MURDEROUS RAGE*
Having established that, once the funds have transferred back to my bank, the matter is settled on my end, I asked the woman what the most expedient process would be for me to cancel my PayPal account once the money's cleared. I do not trust these people as far as I can throw their big skyscrapey office building. This sucks, because there goes my ability to use eBay, which is completely dominated by its enmeshment with PayPal. But ultimately that's probably for the best, because as has been established, I don't have any money to be spending there anyway.
DON'T TRUST PAYPAL. REALLY.
Purposely leaving this entry public, just in case anyone should randomly stumble across it. If I could afford to, I'd take out an ad in Times Square. *seethe*
On Nov. 6, I was hangin' out in my living room, piddling about with knitting and the TV. I had my computer beside me, and periodically checked my e-mail and stuff. At one point there were messages from people I'd never heard of, with words like "Transaction Approved" in the subject line. At first I thought these were just spam... and then there was an e-mail from PayPal, saying that this charge was approved. I flew to the PayPal website, where I discovered that someone had made a charge of $31.77 on my account to some random company based in Germany, I think (it had a .de web address), though the website was in Portuguese. While I was checking the PayPal site, two more charges for the same amount were made to my account. Before I could change my password and security questions on the PayPal account, a fourth charge in the same amount was made. You've never seen ANYBODY report fraudulent charges via a website so quickly, and straightaway I got on the phone to the PayPal people. I explained to some guy with a very soothing voice that I had NOT made or authorized these charges, and I expected the issue to be redressed with all speed. He assured me that, having changed my security information and reported the claims as unauthorized, I had done everything I needed to do, and within a few days the matter would be all taken care of.
I was pretty displeased that they didn't simply cancel the charges straightaway, but I understand that they're a business, and so they have to investigate this sort of thing, because it would be quite easy for people to charge stuff and then dispute it immediately, and so get out of paying. Days went by, and each day I checked the PayPal site to see the status of the claims. They remained listed as "disputed," and the site informed me that they were "waiting for other party's response." Slow burn, baby.
So today I check the site, and not only are the claims still in dispute, but PAYPAL HAS TAKEN $127.08 OUT OF MY BANK ACCOUNT TO PAY FOR THESE CHARGES. WHAT THE SQUIRRELS-IN-SPRINGTIME FUCK?!?! Instantly I became the Tasmanian Devil. Does this make ANY logical sense AT ALL?! If you are a multinational financial corporation, and your client disputes a claim, it does not require multiple business degrees to know that the appropriate action is to FREEZE THE TRANSACTIONS COMPLETELY until the dispute is resolved. You CERTAINLY don't go yoinking money out of people's accounts when they've ALREADY ALERTED YOU THAT IT'S A CASE OF IDENTITY THEFT OMG WTF. I burned up the cell towers getting on the phone. For God's sake, I'm a graduate student -- I don't HAVE $127.08 for these people to be taking out of my bank account without my authorization! I. was. enraged. But I tried to be calm. I did not scream at the customer service girl. I DID let her know that I was sincerely displeased. She informed me that PayPal had already determined that the claims were, in fact, fraudulent -- NO SHIT, SHERLOCK -- and that the money had been returned to my PayPal account; I could, if I so wished, transfer the money from the PayPal account back to my bank. Again I say, WHAT THE FUCK?! You took it OUT of my bank account; why the hell did you not put it back IN THERE, IDIOTS? So I had to go through the website again and transfer the funds back to my bank account, which will take 3-4 business days to complete. *MURDEROUS RAGE*
Having established that, once the funds have transferred back to my bank, the matter is settled on my end, I asked the woman what the most expedient process would be for me to cancel my PayPal account once the money's cleared. I do not trust these people as far as I can throw their big skyscrapey office building. This sucks, because there goes my ability to use eBay, which is completely dominated by its enmeshment with PayPal. But ultimately that's probably for the best, because as has been established, I don't have any money to be spending there anyway.
DON'T TRUST PAYPAL. REALLY.
Purposely leaving this entry public, just in case anyone should randomly stumble across it. If I could afford to, I'd take out an ad in Times Square. *seethe*