PayPal 03.14.02

Finnally PayPal gets it. A lawsuit has been filed against the rejeem that claims to help people, but in my experience and many of my friends, they are far from satisfactory. Read on...

The Story:

If you want a reputable company to exchange funds with check out c2it from Citibank.

If you're even thinking of signing up with these guys, think again. Really. You must ask yourself one question, if this was a legitimate business then why is it so hard to contact these people? Why don't they list a phone number on their website? Why did I have to do a search on the web for +PayPal +Fraud to find their REAL contact information? PayPal has more problems than a sinking Titanic in my opinion.

I attempted to sign up with these jokers (March 2000) to check out this nifty new way of sending you friends and co-workers cash for everything from lunches to birthday presents. After reading the rules carefully I thank my positive thinking synapses that I didn't complete the registration process.

At the same time I started my PayPal sucks account, I started a account on eBay (or eSuck as I like to call them). I thought it would be cool to sell some old hardware and software online and use this new PayPal Sucks service.

Man was I wrong. First of all, they set limits on everything you can do.

Anyway, on with my story. When I got the confirmation letter from PayPal Sucks, the instructions said to go online and enter the number in using my name and password I used when I signed up. It didn't work. After a few emails to PayPal Sucks I decided to stop the whole thing. What a waste of time I thought. I decided to send a letter to inform them that I wanted to close the account.. nothing. I contacted PayPal Sucks and asked them to close my account (via email on their site). Never a response did I get. I sent another request... nothing. I sent a registered mail letter to their P.O. Box in Omaha NE and it came back!! Wow! This is ridiculous. I then started to look for a phone number on their website... nothing. So I did a search on Whois.com and found a contact number and eventually got a read number (800-836-1859). Nicole (no last name) took my call.

I told her I wanted to close the account and have any information erased from their records. She said okay. She even sent me a confirmation email which I saved.

Some months pass... and on May 21st 2001 an email arrives in my inbox. Its from a guy named Joe informing me that he just sent $20 to my PayPal Sucks account for a auction I have on eBay for a sports bag...

The top of my head blows off as I pull out my manual for dirty tricks. How the hell did this happen? These fricken idiots at PayPal and eBay can no more run a database as I can fly and people trust these guys to handle personal information like credit cards and the like? Right. This is ample proof folks that you should steer clear of these jokers. The internet is a great place to trade ideas and information, but as far as buying things you should consider it a town square with pick-pockets everywhere. And consider the likes as PayPal and eBay as helpers.

PayPal and eBay back in March of 2000 reassured me that my accounts were closed. Yeah, closed for my ears but accessible to everyone else who has access to the internet. After talking to PayPal and eBay to request my information be permanently erased, I was told they don't. That the information stays in their database... forever! I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told I couldn't. That I would have to write a letter to their fake PO box. Their real information is listed below.

Here are some other not-so-happy PayPal sucks contacts:

PayPalSucks.com - PayPalWarning.com

The real information that PayPal and eBay don't want you to find or know:

PayPal, Inc.
1840 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto CA 94303
800-836-1859 or 402-935-7733

eBay (ie. eSuck)
2005 Hamilton Ave # 350
San Jose, CA
(408) 558-7400
email: safeharbor@ebay.com or support@ebay.com

What you can do:

The Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

Contact you Attorney General. The one in California is at 800-952-5225

Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 877-382-4357

Contact the Better Business Bureau near you. Get a report and make a new one!

Do a search on the Internet with these keywords +paypal +fraud and +ebay +fraud

Ebay Sucks Story

July 14, 2000

Contact Information:
eBay (ie. eSuck)
2005 Hamilton Ave # 350
San Jose, CA
(408) 558-7400
email:safeharbor@ebay.com

Note: They don't list this info on their website, you have to dig for it!

Listed Items they said was illegal!

Have you ever had the displeasure of dealing with eBay? I have.

In July of 2000 I posted my first eBay listing on their website.

I posted listings for software and hardware.

Original items like Windows 98, Photoshop, Modems and backup tape drives. Around 17 items in all.

The very next day, I get an email notice from eBay stating that my items have been removed from their website and that I have been flagged as a software pirate. Nice.

I write back a email (this is the only way eBay communicates) to them indicating that this was absurd! I also asked that my account be closed immediately.

A week goes by, several emails and phone calls later, nothing.

These guys are not to be dealt with. Stay well away from these bungholes!

Since they were so eager to cancel my legitimate listings I can only surmise that they are so paranoid that ANY software item is flagged as illegal to avoid a lawsuit from the likes of Microsoft.

Here's a history of my dealings with eBay:

07/10/00
Post 17 items for sale on eBay.

07/11/00
Got email next day accusing me of being a software pirate on eBay. email said they were removing items from list. This letter came the next day! Gee, how fast... They can pump these out by the nanosecond, but ANY reply to my Urgent requests go to the round file!
I sent a email back immediately demanding they remove me from their service.
No response from them on this day.

07/12/00
Sent another email demanding removal of my account. Informed them that I will not honor any items listed on thief service.
No response...

07/13/00
Went to eBay website looking for a way to close account. Could not find any way to close account. I then start to look for a phone number to call... nice try... they don't even list a phone number! Nice company. Should have known better.
I find the phone number through Yellow Pages on Internet. Give em a call, person on phone says they only take requests via email. "We are a email based company only". Nice. Asked to be escalated to supervisor... Nice try... shot down in a voice mail account.

07/14/00
Sent another email and called number again... Nothing... I'm getting email requests from people who are seeing the auction and bidding on thing that eBay said was closed. How interesting.

07/16/00
eBay called my cell phone and left a message... Wow, working on the weekend. How dedicated. The Superheros never rest! They said they would call me back on Monday the 17th...I was enjoying the weekend, couldn't take call.

07/17/00
Got an email from eSuck today. after 17 requests, they said my account was SUSPENDED. Doesn't say anything about my requesting it be closed, just says, SUSPENDED. Guess that makes them look good.
Anyway, I don't believe them. I bet dollars to donuts they charge me with something or start sending me junk mail from eSuck.com ( see my paypal story above ).

I was going over my notes today and I discovered that closing my account with eSuck took 96 emails!!! Not counting a few forwards... Wow.

More to come I'm sure... Stay tuned...