posted on October 4, 2000 08:04:20 AM new
All right, the $500 limit on accepting payments takes effect 10/16...no bones about that...just another boneheaded P.R. blunder on PP's part. Should have done something like that or more properly alluded to it from the beginning to avoid a lot of the image problems they are having now.
But when does the time period start for determining the $500 begin? Has it begun already or do you start calculating the $500 from 10/16? If someone has already accepted $500 in payments since they started their paypal accounts, will they be automatically pushed out the door unless they upgrade?
The counter will begin on the 16th for the 500.00. There will also be a tool available that users can view to see how much has been done against a credit card.
posted on October 4, 2000 01:30:08 PM new
I'd like to know if this is a "rolling" 6 month period. For instance, if one took in $100 in month June, and $400 in Nov, thus locking the credit card transactions, would one again be able to accept credit card payments on Dec. 1 when the past 6 months activity is now only $400?
El
"The customer may not always be right, but she is always the customer."
[ edited by eleanordew on Oct 4, 2000 01:56 PM ]
posted on October 4, 2000 08:03:52 PM new
Damon -
Many of the uses in PayPal-created scenarios would dump enough cash into a personal account to make them forced to bounce the payments, or upgrade to a business account and pay PP 1.9% for using the service the way it was portrayed.
1. Getting payments for a family reunion dinner ... I know my family is big enough to hit the $500 mark real quick. Heck, just getting the payments for a 4-person sushi orgy could turn soneone into a "business"
2. Sending emergency money to a child at college. A set of tires and a new battery ... the kid is IN BUSINESS!
3. Sending a college grad a gift of money. Just 11 relatives at $50 each, and the kid is IN BUSINESS!
posted on October 5, 2000 03:14:57 AM new
No no, abacaxi...they are supposed to either use their Paypal balance or make an ACH into their account...or some such bullsh*t.
Like the average person will understand the logistics of doing that. Most people will simply use their credit cards. I sincerely doubt most "average" buyers keep a balance in their Paypal accounts like a seller might (from getting payments) that could be used for the payments..
It's just another way that Paypal will use ignorance to make sure that sellers have to pay the fees.
I would normally have no qualms about paying the fees, but considering the two-faced nature of Paypal's business plan and public relations inaptitude, and the queer changes going on at X.com (no credit lines, no new accounts, etc.), my confidence in their company has eroded very quickly. There's an air of scrambling behind the scenes to make slap-dash repairs on a business plan that was not thought out well...evidenced in part that pointless "cash bonus" crap that they are or were trying to intice buyers to force sellers to continue to use the service.
I hesitate to envision how bad things will become once the international payments are initiated.
posted on October 5, 2000 08:44:31 AM new
I agree with the above posts! Auctions payments aren't the only way one could run over the $500 limit in six months! If individuals use the account for the EXACT
way PP says they should, they could still run
over that limit very easily. The previous
poster had some good examples. Many people receive more than $500 for Christmas, graduations, etc. Basically, why dont you just come out and tell us that EVERYONE will be charged and get it over with! Either you cant operate your business as originally planned (which indicates poor business planning-not something I want to be a part of) or else we were lied to from the very beginning (which indicates you are an unscrupulous business which I also want no part of).
Then to have the nerve to out and out lie again by repeating these fees are necessary because of the credit card companies and then STILL charge for payments not made by CC.
Geez Louise!!! When will the cycle of lying stop? Did you ever hear the expression "Oh what a tangled web we weave"???? Fits perfectly here.
If PayPal allows this hole that they are digging to get much deeper, they will have to go international quick and accept customers in China. That's how deep this hole is becoming.
Does ANYONE at PayPal know ANYTHING about customer relations?
posted on October 5, 2000 12:39:52 PM new
Hi abingdoncomputers,
I realize you are upset about some of the changes or issues, but I can't change your perception of the events.
I have covered verification extensively with the users and I can't force someone to realize that we will not access their bank account (a federally mandated item).
I have covered why verification versus a credit check, while at the same time letting it be known that some consumers feel that a credit check would be ok.
Please recognize that I do take note of all customer concerns and pass them forward. It is my job and I take a great deal of pride with it. I receive far more compliments than derogatory remarks from users and that is where the pleasure comes in.
I do try to make all users happy, but I can't change the perception one has when a policy change goes into effect. Users can accept it or not accept it... I will jump in to clarify information that may not be correct to make sure that the decision is based on correct information and not a fear.
Your questions and comments are deeply valued, whether or not it is readily noticeable.
I appreciate that. And if you read my posts carefully, you will see that I never address my remarks to you directly. While my opinion of your employer at this time is shaky at best, I have only the utmost respect for you as an individual.
I truly do love the service that PayPal provides and I feel that the price is fair. It's the trust thing that really gets to me. I keep hoping that we can see some attempts by PayPal to change the negative perceptions that users (myself included) have come to have of PayPal as a company. For the long haul, I wish PayPal the best and I hope to be able to use them to great advantage for years to come.
Here is a recommendation that I would like for you to pass on to the powers that be at PayPal:
Customer service, satisfaction, and most of all TRUST is very important to ANY company. But for a company that handles other peoples money the trust part is magnified many times. ANY decision that PayPal makes to undermine that trust does the customers and the company grave harm. PayPal has made quite a few damaging decisions lately. But the trust factor comes in play when PayPal refuses to acknowledge their mistakes and tries to place the blame on users. The "always free" fiasco is one example of many. I won't bore you with more as I know you are well aware of them.
Recommendation to PayPal: Deal straight with your customers. Be upfront and honest about any changes to the TOS. Be upfront and honest about your policies and the reasons for implementing them. If you need to change a policy in order to maintain a viable business plan, by all means do so. But be honest and upfront about it. Don't hide it or mis-represent it. A painful change is easier to accept if the real reason for the change is explained fully, IN ADVANCE, and in a clear manner that does not leave room for interpretation. The last company that I wish to do business with is one that leaves their policies and terms of use open to interpretation. Also, think through any changes and any possible consequences and "what ifs" BEFORE the change is made. When you make it up as you go you are only asking for trouble.
That's it Damon. That's all that's required for PayPal to regain the trust and high esteem held in the past by PayPal's customers. And I sincerely hope that PayPal is able to regain the trust and move ahead and remain the premier on-line payment service. But in order to do that PayPal will have to take a more customer oriented view of their business model. The way it is now, it's like PayPal is saying "It's my ball and if you don't like my rules you can play with someone else's". Well I can tell you that not a few of your customers are beginning to do just that.
Damon, I hope you'll pass this on. Good luck and keep trying to make a difference. I know that you are and I do appreciate it even though at times my posts might not reflect that.
posted on October 5, 2000 03:49:45 PM new
HI abingdoncomputers,
Thank you for the letter. I have taken the bulk of it in for my EOD report.
As promised, all concerns, be they negative or positive, are brought forward to make the service better, more effective, and clearer for all of our users.
posted on October 5, 2000 06:50:47 PM newAs promised, all concerns, be they negative or positive, are brought forward to make the service better, more effective, and clearer for all of our users.
posted on October 5, 2000 07:13:16 PM new
PPD- Is Pay Pal governed by Federal Banking Rules statewide or otherwise? (Please excuse me if this has already been covered, simply point me that way). Thanks!
posted on October 8, 2000 03:00:33 PM new"I have covered verification extensively with the users and I can't force someone to realize that we will not access their bank account (a federally mandated item)."
Excuse me? PPD, I think you might change that statement to say that you are not SUPPOSED to access someone's account, but it does happen and it isn't always the end user's fault.
Glitches happen in companies and things go the wrong way. The difference is the response of the company to find and correct the problem.
Now, about finding and correcting those problems...
posted on October 8, 2000 03:34:54 PM new
Pay Pal does not offer the system integration that Billpoint does with eBay. Both are going to be costly. If you were going to pay extra for a costly option, why not use the option that lets you get extra visibility on your auction site? Fees, fees and more fees. Everyone wants to get their hands in the cookie jar, or should I say further into the jar? The float was not enough to sustain Pay Pal's projected profits (including an abundantly healthy growth rate) so now Pay Pal turns back to the people who gave them any sort of bottom line to begin with and set limits on their "always free" accounts. Cyberspace is a truly unforgiving domain. Pay Pal could add it's name to the growing list of www.deadcompanies.coms. The great thing about cyberspace for the customer is that we don't have to drive any further, spend all day calling phone numbers or even limit the search from 9-5 on weekdays. The next free dot-com payment service is always just a click away.
Unfortunately, to keep my profits growing from year to year, I've got to trim the fat and do a good de-lousing from time to time. Sorry Pay Pal but you are now that parasite that I don't care to support.
