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PayPal: Wretched hive of scum and villainy?


wook1138

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So, I had a weird thing happen to my PayPal account.  PayPal has "limited" my account.  Which means they have frozen my PayPal account.  I can't buy anything, transfer funds, or send money... but I can receive payment.  :blink:  Well, PayPal can receive payment since I have no access to the money.

 

They were not very clear on why they did this.  I called in and talked to customer service to little avail.  They want me to provide additional personal information (which I have now done) to unlock my account (pending review of documents).  But after reading a number of posts online, this is no guarantee.  We'll see.

 

The thing is - I've had the account for 15 years and it has been verified the whole time with updated banking info added throughout.  This last month (or so) is the first time I actually carried a PayPal balance.  A balance which PayPal has essentially seized and basically held ransom for more personal info.  After a Google search, I found out this is not uncommon.  If PayPal "suspects suspicious activity" they can limit (aka freeze) your account for 180 days (according to a quick Google search) plus whatever time it takes to get it reopened (see Anovos' customer service record for analogy - just kidding, but some of the frustration translates IMO). 

 

Once the account is returned to normal (they say three days) I will be making a point of never carrying a PayPal balance.  I'm sure they have issues enforcing security measures to ensure accounts are valid - but in my case, they provided no transparency as to why I was flagged.  In fact, I believe the customer service agent mentioned it was a systematic audit.  I find it too much of a coincidence that this occurred the first time I carried a PayPal balance (do this to a few thousand people every day - I'm sure the interest on the money would add up - if that is the game here).  

 

As PayPal seems to be the main method for payment for merch, this is very disappointing and alarming.  I will see how this turns out in the next couple of days - but when I logged into my account last night and found it deactivated I lost a lot of faith in using PayPal. 

 

I just wanted people to be aware of this and see if others have had the same experience.

 

end rant

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Yup, a few years ago I received a "flag" on my account and I was effectively unable to use it. Calling customer service was no help as the service rep--bless her heart--clearly didn't understand English too well, and when I asked for an explanation, or when the account would be opened again, the only response I'd get would be a short pause followed by "...you have flag on account"

 

"Yes, I understand that. I would like to know why there's a flag on my account."

"...you have flag on account."

 

So I just hung up and waited a few days.

 

PayPal sucks but it's the option--something we need to brace ourselves for as competitors die out and the big guys become the only option (Comcast, Disney, etc.)

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2 hours ago, Frank75139 said:

Maybe next time just divert the money to my account and I’ll transfer it to you in slow amounts so it doesn’t look as suspicious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Thanks Franks. It is good to know you have my back. :laugh1:

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If there's too much use of the "friends and family" option they can get suspicious.  Yes, Paypal is evil in the same way as Stub Hub and Ticketmaster.  They have a monopoly and exploit it.

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There are alternatives but some are US only or require you have certain devices.  Others mean you need to set up an account and pay a fee etc etc etc.  Ultimately paypal is the only real option unless you are a business and in a position to set up to take credit/debit cards.

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I do a lot of business through paypal and sadly they can be real jerks sometimes.  I've yet to find an alternative that has the same level of buyer confidence and usage though :/

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I cant say I have ever had a problem with them "YET" and I transact frequently through. I always have a balance in the account which varies depending on what I am selling v buying.

This is through Paypal Australia, so maybe we are not as suspicious here :P

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I’ve never used PayPal alone. But I have it setup to utilize a credit card. I have done this for two reasons though. First is PayPal purchase security (should I need to dispute purchases like $800 armor) second is my separate Visa card security. So it gives to failsafes. Honestly never thought I’d need it, but it has happened before when working with vendors.

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Yeah, 15 years and no problems... and then... . 

 

I did some reading and there are a couple of flags that might have caused PayPal to slap the limitation on my account.  They wouldn't say what the issue was other than a "random audit"

  • I sometimes log in from work which uses a VPN - security flag for PayPal apparently.
  • Increased transactions due to my patch sale - which was pretty minimal in total dollar amount, but did sell fast.
  • My PayPal balance - I had one for the first time in 15 years.

My gripe now is that I submitted the required info, and it has been about a week with no movement or word from PayPal.  Account still frozen (yet, I can still receive payment) - my money still being held by PayPal.

 

Until a week ago I gushed about the virtues of PayPal, too.  So yeah - knock on wood, fellow troopers.  This sucks!

 

 

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Yeah, 15 years and no problems... and then... . 
 
I did some reading and there are a couple of flags that might have caused PayPal to slap the limitation on my account.  They wouldn't say what the issue was other than a "random audit"
  • I sometimes log in from work which uses a VPN - security flag for PayPal apparently.
  • Increased transactions due to my patch sale - which was pretty minimal in total dollar amount, but did sell fast.
  • My PayPal balance - I had one for the first time in 15 years.
My gripe now is that I submitted the required info, and it has been about a week with no movement or word from PayPal.  Account still frozen (yet, I can still receive payment) - my money still being held by PayPal.
 
Until a week ago I gushed about the virtues of PayPal, too.  So yeah - knock on wood, fellow troopers.  This sucks!
 
 



Sooooo when’s the next wave of patches? I’m in need of a version 2.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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19 hours ago, Frank75139 said:

 

 


Sooooo when’s the next wave of patches? I’m in need of a version 2.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

haha.  Funny - I got some new software with my graphics tablet - makes designing these things way easier.  Plus, doing Matt's coins has given me a chance to learn some Illustrator skills.  The first patch was a learning experience - I have high hopes for version 2. ;)

 

However, this time you or Matt can deal with the sales... and PayPal.  I'll do another run when PayPal becomes more transparent about their service agreements, their customer service becomes more accountable, and glitter-farting unicorns emerge from morning rainbows.

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haha.  Funny - I got some new software with my graphics tablet - makes designing these things way easier.  Plus, doing Matt's coins has given me a chance to learn some Illustrator skills.  The first patch was a learning experience - I have high hopes for version 2.
 
However, this time you or Matt can deal with the sales... and PayPal.  I'll do another run when PayPal becomes more transparent about their service agreements, their customer service becomes more accountable, and glitter-farting unicorns emerge from morning rainbows.



Yea cause transferring money from my account to yours won’t look shady at all...

And since you brought up Matt’s channel I think we should shamelessly plug it if anyone wants to see your graphic talents.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCN2jWuTVPm-oOeretX2YLWw


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4 minutes ago, Frank75139 said:

 

 


Yea cause transferring money from my account to yours won’t look shady at all...

And since you brought up Matt’s channel I think we should shamelessly plug it if anyone wants to see your graphic talents.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCN2jWuTVPm-oOeretX2YLWw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Oh, don't post that.  I really phoned it in on Matt's stuff.  The time constraints and relentless pressure was just too much to bear.

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