posted on November 1, 2000 03:47:26 PM
Now I think I've seen it all! Well, OK, most of it! I am both a buyer and a seller on eBay. I just received the strangest email from a seller that I bought from.
Auction ended late September, EOA came fine, I PayPal'd immediately, they shipped quickly, they left great feedback, I left great feedback. All of this happened in September. Everybody's happy. End of story? No!
Today I get an email from the person "reminding me to verify my PayPal account so that they can get their bonus." Now, before I say this, yes, I know it was stupid, but I did it anyway----My PayPal account has been verified since it was offered (to an account with no money in it), and I have been a Premier account holder since August. There was never any mention of any referral-my PayPal account has been opened since early 2000!
I realize I know nothing-my feedback rating is 52 (ALL +), and hers is 243(all+ but 3 neutrals), but isn't this a bit tacky? Especially since there was never any mention of a referral bonus in all our emails?
I've never tried to get a referral from a customer. The few I have the customer has always asked ME to refer them.
posted on November 1, 2000 03:53:25 PM
I offer practically every online payment service, and have *never* asked a customer to refer me, and I never will. If they do it, it should be on their own.
I, also, believe it is tacky. Especially to write to you and ask you to verify your Paypal account - I personally feel they have no business to ask you that whatsoever.
If I had gotten that email I would have been tempted to tell them how unprofessional it was to ask me that.
posted on November 1, 2000 03:57:54 PM
Write them a snotty letter telling that you had your Paypal account LONG LONG before your transaction with them and prior to Paypal's verification requirement---and when you did open it you made sure the referral bonus went to a person that you knew personally not just one that you met through a transaction.
And even though PAYPAL would consider her letter to you to be SPAM or solicting for bonuses---you will refrain from contacting them, but others may not be as forgiving and that they should reconsider their practice of sending such a letter
posted on November 1, 2000 04:07:24 PM
Maybe there was a glitch at paypal and your name showed up on her "pending" referral bonus list. Paypal will no longer pay the referral bonus unless the person "verifies". So what they do is list the person who was "referred by you" on a pending list until they verify, then the bonus is beamed into the "referree's" account.
It also could be that she accidently picked up your name and email addy when she meant to pick up one close to your name on her account history list.
Was it tacky? Not particularily if she meant to send the email to someone who had said they had named her as a referral. She was only reminding them they needed to verify in order to get the bonus.
