PayPal Question.


Yesterday I sent a payment via PayPal and I thought that the paymenet would be charged to my credit card. The reason for this is that I had to update my credit card information since I just received a new card and I really thought that when I clicked on the send payment button, the last four digits of the new credit card came up as the billing account. I swear I saw them right before my eyes. Well my bank account was charged for the payment. I called PayPal today and they advised that since this is a customer initiated transaction, I must have made the error (the system cannot make a mistake). I tried to fake a payment today and up comes the credit card number by default with the same last four digits. PayPal tells me that they do not allow multiple transactions for large dollar amounts (mine was $1,000) to the bank account in a row so that is why it is defaulting to the credit card now. I tried faking a $100 payment and a $1000 payment and the credit card account comes up as the default. I was also using an address that was not listed as a PayPal account so I never got past that screen, but it seemed far enough to see the account number to be charged come up. So, how do I tell if I really used the bank account versus the credit card account number? Since I just added the new credit card account number, could the card not have been verified in time to make the transaction and thereby default to the bank account automatically?

All comments appreciated. I had a 12 month, 0% interest, on the credit card option.

Thanks.

Peter
bigkidz
I refused PayPal my bank info when I signed up. That's the simplest way to avoid this kind of problem. Then If they refuse payment via credit card, you and the seller can make other arrangements.

Aside from the free interest your card offers, you probably lost some leverage in terms of returns and warranty. Not to mention lost points in membership programs. Have you ask PayPal to transfer this to your credit card and return the money to your account?

I have an inherent distrust of PayPal. Several Audiogon members have posted stories, several were worse than yours.
When you go to pay, you need to hit the link that says something like "other funding options," just under your credit card info. It takes you to a page where you have to check the box for your credit card. You are then taken to another page and asked if you wish to "switch" to this option. Answer yes.
I always pay with my credit card on PayPal and have never had a problem. The first page lists your credit card as a backup, but you must follow these steps each time to use it as the option to pay.
Good luck getting Pay Pal to fix anything. They wouldn't respond to e-mails or phone calls in two instances with me. I wont use them for either end of a transaction.
I've only have had good experiences with pay pal. It's much faster, safer, and definitely more convenient than other options for sending funds between private parties.
Ncarv
I was told the same thing by PayPal and yes there is an option for source of funds but when I just tried to make a payment to test this, here is what the screen says:

"Source of Funds

Credit Card:
$1,000.00 from Visa XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-9805"

So how would I know that this is not the account that is going to be charged?

Peter

and while it offers the option to change the source of funds, my credit card is marked as the default, just like the night before.
PayPal is now owned by ebay. Of the top 40 richest people in America under the age of 40..ebay has 3 of the top 5..and Michael Jordon comes in at #40..tells you something about how much money ebay is making. All this was from an article in Money or Fortune.

A picture hosting service that I liked alot called Picturelist was also bought by ebay...

So what PayPal has is what ebay has...my way or no way...kinda like the power that most pretty women and rich men use...my way or no way.
To add to my post, the funds were sent as an instant transfer and as I am now trying to dupilcate this transfer right now with PayPal on the phone and have clicked on source of funds, the instant transfer option is not available to me. They are telling me that that is not an option now because there is the large amount pending from the other day. The have advised me that the payment hit there risk model and defaulted to my bank account. I was supposed to check the funding option to verufy this, but then why would the previous screen say source of funds is my Visa account.

Well this sucks!!! I have to pay my Visa bill with a balance transfer to my MasterCard account to get the 0%, for 12 months interest offer.

Thanks for all your replies.
I personally have never had a bad experience with Paypal. Paypal is great for transactions under about $500. It is especially good for transactions less than say $100.

Over $500, and you might as well overnight a certified check. Paypal's fees become more than the cost of overnighting service.

I have easilly done over 200 transactions with Paypal and all have been great.

KF
To all who have had "great experiences" with Paypal.... I was in that boat once. Greatest thing since sliced bread. until you have a problem... and it's not a matter of "if" you have a problem... but a matter of "when". See what happens then.... they are utterly unresponsive, non-helpful and impossible to deal with or contact. In my case it was a buyer backing out of a deal (buyers remorse? who knows.. he turned out to be a loser in any case.).... so I get hit with an unauthorized chargeback to my paypal account... $100+ of positive balance gets sucked into oblivion by them... plus another $500+ negative balance now... Fortunately I had started the account before April 2002, so they had no implicit authorization to charge any of my accounts for that neg. balance... they will just have to eat it which of course serves them right... the "seller protection policy" is a joke - absolutely no honoring of that from them (and of course I complied to the letter of it).... IMNSHO, avoid Paypal like the plauge.

-Ed
I had no trouble getting a live person but they were unwilling to do anything but tell me that I must verify the payment option first and that the system does not make mistakes. Well it did for me.
Ed_Sawyer is right. When (not if) you have a problem with
PayPal they will be totally unresponsive. Avoid PayPal
at all costs.

John.
I haven't used it. Based on what has been posted here over time, it seems like a good idea run amok. No thanks!
Complaints from the above Audiogon members (and in previous threads) are exactly why I am hesitant to trust PayPal. If they did it to them, they will do it to me.
Bigkidz...you can view the details of the transaction if you look in the history.

Paypal is not perfect, but where is the real harm here? Something was purchased and it was paid for. If Bidkidz really wants it on the credit card and not his checking, all he/she has to do is take one of those VISA/MC checks they are always giving out with the statement, and make a deposit in their checking account (hopefully one without a fee). Was it the Paypal VISA?

These kind of posts usually bring forth comments from folks not happy with Paypal. It has millions of users. Many of those who are satisfied, are not likely to have a strong desire to defend it.
Think "Terminator" here- "GET OUT!" I got screwed by these guys badly about two years ago on Ebay, and have absolutely REFUSED to accept or use their "services" ever since. All of my sales on Ebay, and now here, state "NO PAYPAL". Sure, I've missed alot of good opportunities in the process, but at the end of the day, I can sleep well. Can they? With a clear conscience? Doubt it.
I am presently at my 11th PayPal transaction. I have not had one bad experience. I will make a couple of suggestions to you folks regarding usage. I set up a statement savings account with my local bank. I had an ATM/Visa attached to the account. When I need to make a payment using PayPal, I transfer money from my statement checking to my statement savings (by phone).
I transfer just enough money to complete the transaction. I then use the ATM card to make the payment. The checking and savings have absolutely no connection to one another by online methods. I must make transfers by phone.

When receiving a payment, I have the payment made to the ATM/ savings account #. As soon as payment arrives, I then immediately transfer (by phone) the money into my statement checking, leaving no balance in the savings account. If someone happens to get through the PayPal "level" of security, they now have to get through the bank "level", at which point, there is no money in the account anyway.

Up to this point, I have had no problems. An ounce of prevention....
Do funding options change depending on the person you are paying? I tried to pay via credit card once, and the only account they allowed me to pay with was with my bank account. Every other time, I've been able to do as Ncarv describes and pay via credit card.