# Am I overreacting to the (IMO) arrogant & unprofessional tone of this Paypal email to me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502 "2011-10-04T01:12:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/1 "2011-10-04T01:12:24Z")
I got this email the other day from Paypal. I don’t recall getting a prior email asking for this info, but it’s quite possible it got lost in the shuffle as I get lots of Paypal notices re payments, transfers etc., and I’m often moving them en-mass to archive or delete directories if they are duplicates. I went ahead and took care of the issue as soon as I got the email. The bit I have trouble with is the “What’s the problem?” question. Honestly, I’ve been with Paypal as an eBay seller for practically as long as they have been in business, who the \*fuck \*do they think they are getting sassy with _me_? It’s just radiates raw arrogance. Am I being overly touchy here, or was that an arrogant and inappropriate tone to take with a customer? > [@](#): > > Dear Astro, > > We emailed you a little while ago about IRS tax regulations that require us to collect your tax ID number. Your tax ID number is one of these: > > - Your Social Security number > - Your Individual Tax Identification Number > - Your Employer Identification Number > > What’s the problem? > We haven’t heard from you yet about your tax ID number. PayPal needs your help to comply with these regulations and avoid interrupting your use of PayPal. > > What should I do now? > It’s easy to provide your tax ID number: > > 1. Log in to your PayPal account. > 2. A message will appear asking you to update your information. > 3. Click Provide Now. > > If you have multiple PayPal accounts, please repeat the steps above for each account. > > We appreciate your help in complying with these IRS rules. For more information, please see our FAQs on the IRS reporting requirements: > [PayPal Help Center Topics | PayPal US](http://www.paypal.com/irs) > > Sincerely, > PayPal ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/2 "2011-10-04T01:18:44Z")
I don’t think that is from PayPal. I have had an account with them since 2000, and have never received such a request. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/3 "2011-10-04T01:21:54Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I don’t think that is from PayPal. I have had an account with them since 2000, and have never received such a request. That is absoutely from Paypal. When i went to the Paypal site the request to deliver the IRS info was in the top header of my login page. You only get the request if you have 200 items sold or $ 20,000 in sales for the year. It’s a new rule. > [@](#): > > Starting in 2011, all US payment providers including PayPal will be required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to report sales information to the IRS about certain customers who receive payments for the sale of goods or services through PayPal. We want to help you understand these changes. > Applies to sellers receiving over $20,000 in gross payment volume AND over 200 payments > Applies only for sales on or after January 1, 2011 ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/4 "2011-10-04T01:25:15Z")
It’s poorly worded, but they’re not asking you “what’s the problem?” They’re writing it as if you’re asking it, just like right below they say, “what should I do now?” as if you’re asking it. I admit that the way you read it would be rude, but this way it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/5 "2011-10-04T01:27:31Z")
It’s just a bullet point. People seem to need them these days in order to work out what the message is. Yes, it is childish, but it’s not rude. Where are we now? What happens next? What can you do to help? How will this effect you? ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/6 "2011-10-04T01:53:24Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > It’s poorly worded, but they’re not asking you “what’s the problem?” They’re writing it as if you’re asking it, just like right below they say, “what should I do now?” as if you’re asking it. I admit that the way you read it would be rude, but this way it’s not. What Alice said. I read it without reading your preamble, and it read like a (albeit poorly-worded, as she said) “FAQ”-style header. You could swap it out for “Why do we need this?” or something else in that vein. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/7 "2011-10-04T11:35:21Z")
I agree that it was very poorly worded. I can guarantee you that a young person wrote it. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/8 "2011-10-04T11:41:28Z")
It’s not a question, it’s a heading to that section in the same way ‘What should I do now?’ is . Doesn’t strike me as rude at all. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/9 "2011-10-04T11:58:20Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > What Alice said. I read it without reading your preamble, and it read like a (albeit poorly-worded, as she said) “FAQ”-style header. You could swap it out for “Why do we need this?” or something else in that vein. This. It would be more obvious if they had more sections with interrogative headers like this, but with just two sections, it becomes a little less clear. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/10 "2011-10-04T12:20:54Z")
I’ve read that email five times and I just don’t see any arrogance. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/11 "2011-10-04T13:39:20Z")
Agree totally with \*\*Alice \*\*- it’s a heading. It’s not really clear that it’s a heading, and I absolutely agree that it could be reworded to make it a little more clear (and much less accusatory, because I can see how it can be misinterpreted), but it does look as though it’s supposed to be in parallel with the “What should I do now” heading underneath. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/12 "2011-10-04T13:57:15Z")
I read the OP before the e-mail, and I first thought that it was a clumsy attempt at humour that came off really badly - but still nothing to be offended about. As someone who works for a large organisation that often has to send such e-mails, from some of the responses we get I know for a fact that some people will see offence where there really is none (though I’m not saying **astro** is in this category - it _is_ poorly worded when read in that way). But having read the actual e-mail, I saw it was exactly as **Alice the Goon** has said. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/13 "2011-10-04T14:04:50Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’ve read that email five times and I just don’t see any arrogance. My WAG is that **astro** is interpreting the “What’s the problem?” phrase as being “what’s **your** problem?!” rather than “why is this a bad thing?” ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/14 "2011-10-05T01:02:48Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > My WAG is that **astro** is interpreting the “What’s the problem?” phrase as being “what’s **your** problem?!” rather than “why is this a bad thing?” Pretty much the way I took it. The issue they are inquiring about is obvious in the initial question. They need the tax ID info and have not received any feedback. I’ve never seen a professional business communication constructed quite that way. The stand alone position of the question and the fact that it came right before their claim they had not heard from me made me see it as a complaint, not a framing question. > [@](#): > > Dear Astro, > > We emailed you a little while ago about IRS tax regulations that require us to collect your tax ID number. Your tax ID number is one of these: > > - Your Social Security number > - Your Individual Tax Identification Number > - Your Employer Identification Number > > What’s the problem? > We haven’t heard from you yet about your tax ID number. PayPal needs your help to comply with these regulations and avoid interrupting your use of PayPal. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/15 "2011-10-05T15:05:33Z")
Yes, you’re overreacting. Even with the worst possible reading of it, they’re not calling you an idiot or accusing you of a crime or anything, they’re just asking you why you haven’t done this simple necessary thing (and again, that’s the worst interpretation). Give them the info they need, or decide to ignore the letter, or whatever, but complaining about the tone is IMO way overreacting. I mean, really, your life is so perfect that the biggest problem with it is getting an e-mail with a slightly familiar tone? And yet your life is so meaningless that the best thing you’ve got to do with your time and emotional energy is spend it being personally offended by form letters? At the risk of causing further indignation with the informal tone, I’ll say Dude, let it go. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/16 "2011-10-05T15:55:09Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Yes, you’re overreacting. Even with the worst possible reading of it, they’re not calling you an idiot or accusing you of a crime or anything, they’re just asking you why you haven’t done this simple necessary thing (and again, that’s the worst interpretation). > Give them the info they need, or decide to ignore the letter, or whatever, but complaining about the tone is IMO way overreacting. > > I mean, really, your life is so perfect that the biggest problem with it is getting an e-mail with a slightly familiar tone? And yet your life is so meaningless that the best thing you’ve got to do with your time and emotional energy is spend it being personally offended by form letters? > > At the risk of causing further indignation with the informal tone, I’ll say > > Dude, let it go. I can’t, I hate Paypal.. so much. First they stole my woman, then they killed my dog and … now this. Beats tiny fists against floor. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/17 "2011-10-05T15:59:56Z")
PayPal is getting shit from the IRS. They are just passing it on. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/18 "2011-10-05T16:09:54Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I’ve never seen a professional business communication constructed quite that way. This is your mistake, it’s not professional business communication. It’s customer communication, which means you write it on a third grade level, include the questions that the customer should ask, but probably aren’t, and hold their hands through the entirety of the process. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/19 "2011-10-05T18:54:15Z")
I complained [a few weeks ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=622578) about exactly this sort of “Q&A” format that every piece of correspondence from businesses seems to use these days. It’s not rude (unless you misinterpret it as **astro** did), but it sure as heck is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502/20 "2011-10-05T19:00:15Z")
If you read the whole thing in Joe Pesci’s voice it becomes a lot more funny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-overreacting-to-the-imo-arrogant-unprofessional-tone-of-this-paypal-email-to-me/598502.md?page=2)