Beware of PayPal


I made a payment via PayPal and just noticed that they took the money out of my checking account instead of my credit card. They made this change without notifying me! Worst thing is that there's absolutely no way to contact them. They don't respond to my emails and they have no phone number to call! This is horrible!
boros
I use Paypal a great deal, pretty much from their inception, and they consider me a business member, so I think I write with a little authority. For some of you I will say you are reading the instructions wrong, because I know you can get all your cash transfered out electronically(to a verifed bank account) with ease,and as far as new banks and such, you have to register and verify them. You have to go throught the verification process, and it is not the easiest site to navigate or understand, but the verification systems pretty much protects all of us. And I like getting money back when I pay for things with the card, a nice incentive and you are credit card protected. Also, its easier to prevent things from getting mixed in in your "non audio related" checking account. In other words, you wife or you girlfriend never has to know what you paid for those mono blocks.
Now that I have defended them, I must also write this.They must rank amoung the worst customer service in the world. You can pretty much give up trying to talk to them, I have tried on a regular basis for months now. No problem is so large that it deserves a return phone call or God forbid a letter. BILL E. above is right on that one. Here is a most current example. I had a scam sent to me on a last week about having "won" a DVD player from Apex. Since I already own 1 Apex, I thought possibly true, warranty registration and all, but I will write them and verify. Apex wrote back immediately stating it was a scam. Now I send this to Paypal, as there is a link to Paypal in the body of the scam in order to pay the shipping and handling for the DVD player. Heard nothing else. I check the link day before yesterday, still good, write them again, still they don't get it. So there are people out there paying 19 dollars to a Paypal account that will soon dissapear for a DVD player they will never receive. That is scary, as it would take nothing for Paypal to stop it, just close that link.
So, in essense, keep as little money as you need in your Paypal account. Keep it linked to your credit card and not you bank account, they have clout if anything does happen to your funds. Transfer funds out on a regular basis if you are not using them. Paypal though, with all its faults, is a good idea, and I wish I had done it, just needs a lot of work still. They are going public here shortly as I got contacted about the IPO this week as well. Once they are trading stock, you will most see a dramatic change
in they way they do things because there will be a lot more people watching and that will bring them up to speed. Stockholders(and I will be one) and the SEC have a funny way of doing that.
Make sure that you accept Paypal's email updates. Don't rely on the email notification either so its a good idea to check your profile and preferences regularly. They change so often at Paypal its absolutely ridiculous. Shady operation. They are associated with Providian Bank (Visa Card), which is just as shady.
Here's a phone number you can use to contact the folks at PayPal: 402 935 7733

I enjoy the convenience of the service, but I agree that they're shady.

-Kevin
I have closed my account with paypal, but not without considerable difficulty. i did get hold of them on the phone, and after considerable attempts, did finally close the account..as for the reasons, mostly the difficulty in contacting them and getting simple answers to questions..
I too could offer specifics of another horrible story regarding my dealings with PayPal. I tried resolving it with the company but to no avail. I am currently filing a dispute with my credit card company and must await a verdict. The more I read about PayPal, I realize that my experience is not atypical. I also read that many people have successful experiences with this service. Obviously this must be true or they would be out of business by now. However, do take the complaints seriously as you may be the next one voicing your displeasure. Their customer service is atrocious. They hide their phone number on their site, and offer the typical mindless "I can't help you" responses if you do make phone contact. I requested to speak to a supervisor and was told that I could expect a return call within 48 hrs. I'm not holding my breath. I urge people to read some of the sites which report the abysmal practices of this company. Included are www.paypalwarning.com and www.paypalsucks.com. Beware!