# Paypal Sucks; Fuck Paypal horror hell **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 28, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412 "2013-08-28T16:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/21 "2013-08-28T22:52:16Z")
…good to see you posting more often again sailor. Nice to see the “old faces” around here. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/22 "2013-08-28T22:54:24Z")
> [@Canadjun](#): > > \ > I heard somewhere (no cite) that problems arise if you DO have a Paypal account tied to your credit card but don’t want to actually use your Paypal account for a particular transaction and just want to use your credit card directly. Since I don’t have a Paypal account, that’s not an issue with me. I think that’s the problem I have with the Straight Dope renewals - I don’t want to use the Paypal account that I had but don’t use, but once they have you registered as having had a Paypal account, you can’t just use a credit card to renew on the SDMB if you’re outside of the US. That reminds me - I have to go delete my credit card number off of Paypal again. Who knows what shenanigans they might get up to with it! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/23 "2013-08-29T08:16:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They were right and you are wrong. DrDeth, you are a moron. You have been informed of this many times on this board and libraries have whole sections dedicated to the topic. When you are the only one in disagreement with everybody else you are probably a moron. In your case everybody here already knows it so I won’t engage you any further. You might want to seek a job with Paypal customer service or with the TSA. They both employ many people like you at minimum wage. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/24 "2013-08-29T10:58:48Z")
Can I join the rant against PayPal? I joined when someone insisted I do so if I wanted the $135 they owed me. Long story short: When I finally wanted to disburse some of the money I was told No. I couldn’t spend MY money unless I gave PayPal my credit card number. (Other options were difficult for me.) A lot of e-mail was exchanged. The only responses I got were from _[meg@ebay.com](mailto:meg@ebay.com)_, my messages to her beginning “Dear Ms. Whitman, Sorry I needed to escalate to your level.” (Of course I was being silly; I figure _[meg@ebay.com](mailto:meg@ebay.com)_ just connected me to some drone earning $1/hour more than the regular e-mail drone.) My messages finally took the form: “I’ve given up on recovering my $135. Please just donate it to your favorite charity, but first answer the question I’ve asked twelve times: Why do you need my credit card number to disburse MY funds to ME?” The story “ended well.” After wasting $135 of my time, and much email drone’s time, they finally did mail a check to the address I’d given long before. Eventually I did learn, via Google not PayPal, that the requirement might be to comply with federal banking laws allegedly to counter money laundering. (I suspect the laws were designed by bank lobbyists to thwart PayPal, not launderers.) ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/25 "2013-08-29T11:55:56Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Can I join the rant against PayPal? I joined when someone insisted I do so if I wanted the $135 they owed me. Long story short: When I finally wanted to disburse some of the money I was told No. I couldn’t spend MY money unless I gave PayPal my credit card number. (Other options were difficult for me.) PayPal will mail your money to you as a paper check if you want it that way. Used to be a free service, they may charge a couple bucks for it now. Takes a few days. No need to give them a credit card number, ever. I know because I don’t have a credit card, but have two PayPal accounts. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/26 "2013-08-29T12:28:22Z")
The thing is that federal regulations are getting to be ridiculous but that does not excuse PayPal in the least for their disorganized mess and terrible customer service. If they need to verify the addresses of account holders then how about informing them with plenty of advance time? How about something like > [@](#): > > Dear account holder, due to federal regulations we are required to verify your mailing address. To this end in the coming weeks we will be mailing you a form to the address we have on record and we need you to sign the form and return it to us before date (three months from now). If by that date we have not received the signed form then we will be obligated to freeze your account until that formality is complied with. Instead they randomly freeze accounts with money in them and they make it very difficult to restore them. Looking around the internet you can read many cases of people who had their accounts frozen for months for no good reason. I guess some people just give up but even if you get your money in the end they’ve had your money for several months. My account was dormant for months and they never said a word. Then I make some purchases and they take the money from my bank and _then_ freeze the account. That is just being crooked because if they can’t or won’t make the payment then they should not take the money from the bank in the first place. They are crooks but they are not stupid. They know very well what they are doing. ---
**Author:** ![Crumbled\_Bumble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@Crumbled\_Bumble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crumbled_Bumble)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/27 "2013-08-29T14:19:25Z")
Using PayPal is like not being experimental in the bedroom - after a while, it gets old and someone always complains. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/28 "2013-08-29T14:25:12Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > Looking around the internet you can read many cases of people who had their accounts frozen for months for no good reason. Every time I read something like this, it’s the fault of the complainer. Didn’t read instructions, didn’t follow them, didn’t contact PayPal, didn’t have ID, whatever the case might be. PayPal is easier to deal with than most banks, and they have easy access to all the help you could want. Anybody bitching about PayPal service just needs to get out and experience a bit more of life. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/29 "2013-08-29T14:31:33Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > PayPal will mail your money to you as a paper check if you want it that way. Do you ever read posts beyond the first paragraph? **septimus** clearly stated: > [@](#): > > After wasting $135 of my time, and much email drone’s time, they finally did mail a check to the address I’d given long before. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/30 "2013-08-29T14:47:43Z")
2 part post. 1 (pertaining to the OP) - I was just asked to verify too. I don’t think it’s a fraud thing but just a general, widespread thing where people are getting verified. I had to do 3 things. a: Change my password, b: Answer/update my security questions, c: prove who I am. c could have been done 3 ways. I: Verify by phone where they text/call with a confirmation code to the phone number supplied and you key it in to the computer, II: upload utility bill, III upload picture of photo ID. It was a hassle, but not too big a hassle. 2 (tangential to the OP): How are you guys using paypal? It sounds like there’s a lot of bank-transfers going on. I just hold funds essentially in escrow. I keep a couple hundred dollars in the paypal account at all times. That way I don’t have a bank transaction whenever I want to Ebay something. That seems like just asking for fraud investigations and honestly I don’t trust my bank or paypal to be secure enough for that, even if I only use paypal sparingly. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/31 "2013-08-29T14:59:12Z")
I’ve been using Paypal for many years without a problem, although I use it very infrequently any more. Because of that, I delete bank account and credit card info until I need to use it for a payment, then delete it again afterward. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/32 "2013-08-30T09:42:48Z")
Call me naive or ignorant, but I did not realize a credit card or bank account was necessary to use PayPal on a cash basis. Even a no-identification check is perfectly negotiable if receiver just waits for check to clear. (And recall that I didn’t even want the account – my debtor insisted on it after complaining about the fees he’d need to pay for a money order or check. :rolleyes: ) > [@aNewLeaf](#): > > PayPal will mail your money to you as a paper check if you want it that way. You need a credit card to “confirm” a mailing address for the check. An alternative confirmation is available, difficult or impossible for some, including me. As soon as I realized my PayPal account was dysfunctional, I asked for it to be closed with all funds mailed out in a check. I got this: [QUOTE=webform@paypal.com Jul 5, 2006 11:34 AM] Dear [Septimus G. Stevens], Thank you for contacting PayPal. I apologize for any inconvenience, but I am happy to be of assistance. I understand that you want to make a payment using your PayPal balance but do not want to provide PayPal with any financial information. Unfortunately, you will need to add either a credit card or a bank account if you want to make a transaction. To withdraw the amount from your PayPal balance, please add a bank account and withdraw the funds to your bank account by clicking on the ‘withdraw’ subtab that you can find on your PayPal account. You can also request for a physical check t be mailed to a confirmed address. To confirm an address, you need to add a credit card that has the same billing address information. If you do not have a credit card registered and the address is NOT a P.O. Box, fax the following information to 1-402-537-5780: -A proof of address (current utility bill) in your name with the address listed on your PayPal Account -The email address listed on the account -A copy of a valid photo ID showing name and current address, as listed on the PayPal Account -A copy of this email [/QUOTE] I have a U.S. address, but my name is not on the utility bill, nor on required ID. My relative offered to change the account name on the utility bill. That proved unnecessary: I did finally get a check after two months, authorized by “Meg” personally. (None of my e-mails to PayPal were ever answered except those sent to “[meg@ebay.com](mailto:meg@ebay.com).”) I suppose much of this would have been explained had I clicked all the links when applying for PayPal in the first place. But most of the instructions were YouTube videos :smack: – I 'd dislike them anyway, but they were impossible with the slow Internet I had then. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/33 "2013-08-30T09:51:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Paypal does indeed suck. They presume far too much. And I HAVE to use them if I want to continue my membership with this site (since I’m not in the US, I can’t just pay for my membership with the credit card that I use for all my internet purchases). I had this problem, but when I switched to another internet browser (Chrome, I think?) I could pay with my credit card. For some mysterious reason, it wouldn’t work with Firefox and IE. Someone else had the same problem and solved it in the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/34 "2013-08-30T10:09:20Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > So part of this clusterfuck was self inflicted, because you never changed your address with PayPal. Plenty of blame to go around. PayPal does not allow such changes. When I left the US I tried to change the PayPal account’s address to one in Spain: not doable. OK, so close the account. Not doable either, they suspended it but if I ever accessed it again it got reactivated. It happened once, when I was trying to access the other PayPal account I’d set up from Spain and used my main email by mistake; they finally stopped trying to charge me some 12 cents worth of “inactivity fee” after I pointed out that the time they’d spent emailing back and forth was already worth more than that. The way they work if you’re trying to set up an account from a non-US country is also… I don’t wanna think about it, right now my back is killing me and I don’t need my head to join the party. Back in 2003 it wasn’t so complicated, but already a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_ae2045b34c1b52cc1bbcf3c7ba1b1c9a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@Anonymous\_ae2045b34c1b52cc1bbcf3c7ba1b1c9a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_ae2045b34c1b52cc1bbcf3c7ba1b1c9a)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2013, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412/35 "2013-08-30T10:52:06Z")
That’s what happens when you have citibank… I have Wells Fargo and had a paypal account linked to my checking, PayPal took my money, I told Wells Fargo that I didn’t authorise them to take all of my money, not only did they reverse the transactions, but they also sent me $15 for the time and hassle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-sucks-fuck-paypal-horror-hell/667412.md?page=1)