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If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

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Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded. Paypal froze my account with $2K for no apparent reason. They did not reply to numerous emails. Their "upload documents to verify your identity" form literally did not work. They've deliberately made it easy to get your money frozen and deliberately made it difficult to rescue it. At every opportunity I insist to people not to use Paypal and I will use any alternative - including snail mailing checks - when…

Simple Bank, in addition to having instant transfer to other Simple members, also mails checks to people. Haven't done it yet, but seems handy.

I used Simple until someone cloned my debit card the day before I moved to California. Getting Simple to send a replacement card to my temporary address was virtually impossible. They make you submit two forms of proof you have a new address, there were like 7 options, and I couldn't provide any of them (bank statement, driver's license, utility bill, voter registration, etc.)

I opened a new account at a bank with a physical branch and walked out with a debit card. I don't plan on using an online bank ever again.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#292
post #80

I only ever use Paypal as a wrapper around credit card transactions for merchants I trust enough to purchase from, but not necessarily enough to handle my credit card information directly. I can't say I've ever had a problem using them that way.

Why do you care? It's easy to dispute credit card charges. Most banks will overnight you a new card if needed.

For a lot of people that is a pain. The old PAN is blocked and things that depend on it (and you might have forgotten about) cannot draw money from it anymore.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#293
post #266
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Learn from their mistakes? I think the biggest lesson has been that you can scam a small percentage of users out of their money, without any real impact. There's been so many stories about paypal stealing people's money, but their core business is still going strong.

The hilarious part of it all is that we're supposed to put them up as a payment option because users "trust them." Easily the service I hold the most disdain for on the 'net.

>The hilarious part of it all is that we're supposed to put them up as a payment option because users "trust them."

And users, indeed trust them. It's merchants that have the most reason to complain.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#294
post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How's Bitcoin an alternative? It would be very tricky to convince a business to pay your invoice in Bitcoin.

What are you talking about? 10% of my clientele pay in bitcoin. Source: independent sysadmin/automation/'devops' consultant.

Are those 10% small 2 person businesses? From my experience even early/mid-size YC startups are not very open to bitcoin.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#296

I signed up for PayPal (and eBay) on my 18th birthday, before I even got dressed and went downstairs to eat breakfast. I'm still worried that they might want to block me though, because I have more than one account. PayPal accounts must be linked to a bank account in the same country. So I now have different PayPal accounts in the UK, US, New Zealand, Korea, and Taiwan.

Why were you so enthusiastic to sign up for PayPal and eBay?

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Simple Bank, in addition to having instant transfer to other Simple members, also mails checks to people. Haven't done it yet, but seems handy.

I used Simple until someone cloned my debit card the day before I moved to California. Getting Simple to send a replacement card to my temporary address was virtually impossible. They make you submit two forms of proof you have a new address, there were like 7 options, and I couldn't provide any of them (bank statement, driver's license, utility bill, voter registration, etc.) I opened a new account at a bank with a…

You should have set up post office address forwarding and had your replacement card sent to your original address so it could have been forwarded.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#298
post #241

If ever there was a single shining example of how not to treat your customers, PayPal is it. Every year or two there is another story of a different arcane rule they have in place that is enforced with zero human consideration, oftentimes to deprive people access to their funds. They don't learn from their mistakes, nor acknowledge them in the first place. I can't think of another company that has drummed up such bad…

Curious how detractors would explain PayPal's beyond outrageous success?

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#299
post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

in the US wire transfers cost about $30 per transfer, international cost about $50. If you're transferring to another customer in the same bank then they're free but I've never had that luxury. Were you referring to bank transfers to same bank customers? Because I've never heard of zero fees for bank transfers

What's the reason to use a wire transfer compared to ACH?

A wire takes place in real time, whereas an ACH goes into a batch which is cleared later, like a paper check.

If you want the funds transferred instantly and with certainty, use a wire and pay the fee for the real-time service.

If not, use an ACH (cheap or free). But be aware the funds won't show up for a day or two. And possibly never, if, for example, the sender's account has insufficient funds or doesn't exist.

Re: If you opened your PayPal account before you were 18, close it

#300
post #202
post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Wallet is significantly lower friction than writing out and mobile-depositing a check, at least in my experience.

Last i checked the android app refuses to run on hardware without nfc, even for the features that don't require it. Maybe it's an option if you have the right phone, or if it lets you do payments on desktop. (haven't tried the latter)

AFAIK, the Google Wallet app doesn't, anymore, have any features that require or use NFC (tap-and-pay did, but that moved years ago to Android Pay.)

Plus, not only can you do everything "on desktop", you can do it on web generally; the browser version works great on phones.

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