There is another facet to PayPal that I find disturbing.
I only buy on ebay. I have received emails from PayPal several times asking me to get myself "verified" by giving them my checking account number. The emails are from PayPal and the following is on the screen when I sign into my PayPal account and check on "Status - Unverified":
Why should I get Verified?
Verification gives you :
* Higher spending power - There's no limit to the amount of money you can send once you are Verified.
* Increased security - Verification helps increase the security of the PayPal network because more members have confirmed their identity.
* More buyer and seller confidence - Buyers and sellers value your Verified status - it shows you have successfully passed PayPal's identification checks.Hmm - not matter how many times I read those reasons, they still are a crock with no substance. What do those reasons mean? Why would I give somebody my checking account number because of those reasons?
I got so annoyed with emails at one point that I called the 800 number and challenged one of their CSRs. I asked him, if I was paying for transactions using my credit card, to explain to me EXACTLY WHY they needed my checking account number. He started down a path that got deeper with BS with every step he took.
Every time I interrupted him, he started re-reading his script. After several restarts, I explained that he wasn't answering my question with anything approaching solid, logical facts that provided incentive or reasonable need for them to have my checking account number. I asked to speak to his supervisor.
When the supervisor got on the line, I explained the direction of the discussion and asked the question again -
if I was paying for transactions using my credit card, to explain to me EXACTLY WHY they needed my checking account number.
New script came out and was clearly being read. Music turned up a little louder and dancing got a little faster to the same effect.
I finally told him to just stop. I asked him to simply answer my question without reading a script because neither the need to have my account number, nor the BS they were spreading thickly for me provided any rational reason to give them my account number. He started reading again.
I stopped him and told him that I did not want to see another PayPal email asking me to "verify" my account - ever.
I also told him bluntly that they should be embarrassed for treating customers as though they were stupid, that there was nothing here for the customer, only something for their benefit that I would research and figure out. I went on to explain that this episode of unprofessional inability to deal with a simple question absolutely convinced me that they would NEVER have my checking account number and I would make it a personal quest to alert other folks about the episode whenever PayPal came up in conversation.
His response was.... CLICK. BUZZ.
That's when I went to do the research on PayPal because the whole thing just smelled bad. I was surprised with the enormous amount of information I found out there that included lawsuits and An amazingly large incidence of State Attorney Generals in actions against PayPal.
The freezing of accounts, as experienced by Rick, is the largest issue and there are an incredible number of instances with horror stories abounding.
Ha Ha Ha - I just re-read my post and you might form a visual of a wild-eyed mad man with hair flying and spitting as he tries to convince the authorities that he has just seen a were wolf as they drag him off to be sedated and put into a small padded room.
I'm actually sitting here quite calmly, (OK, I AM on my third cup of coffee), trying to describe the whole series of events and impart an understanding of the depth of what sits underneath this whole thing with PayPal. You are just seeing my annoyance bubble up when I think back on being treated like I am stupid, especially with the facts I uncovered later.
To be fair, the vast majority of people who use PayPal may never see this dark side. Just understand it is there.
OK - rant off. What's for dinner?
