Consumerist: PayPal

eBay To Be Credit Card, PayPal Only

Meg Marco — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:23:35 EDT

The word is that eBay is banning checks and money orders, and buyers will have to use PayPal or (if the seller has a credit card merchant account or an account with a service called ProPay), credit cards.

Here's how eBay explains the change:

Starting this fall, we're moving to an electronic checkout process that's faster and more reliable for sellers and buyers. As part of this move, checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay, although buyers can still use these payment methods for item pick-up, at the seller's discretion. In addition, the electronic payment methods will be fully integrated into eBay checkout. For example, if a seller has an internet merchant account, a buyer will be able to directly enter a credit card and never have to leave the site.

Today, items paid with check or money order are 80% more likely to result in an item not received (INR) than those paid with credit card or PayPal. Also, buyers who pay with check or money order are 50% more likely to leave negative feedback than those who pay with electronic methods. So starting in late October, 2008, we are moving to 100% electronic payments - credit cards, ProPay, or PayPal.

This means that sellers will be able to offer credit card payments through their own merchant accounts, and payments through ProPay and/or PayPal, with all payment methods integrated into the checkout process on eBay. Seller will also get paid faster and be able to ship items quicker. And remember, for those buyers and sellers who use PayPal, we're backing every eligible transaction with our buyer and seller protections.

The New York Times says that this is all part of a shift away from auctions and toward fixed price sales.

“Clearly there’s a strong buyer preference for fixed price,” said Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay Marketplace, which includes the eBay site.

The banning of checks and money orders leaves some wondering about anti-trust issues. An official eBay FAQ says that popular alternate payment options such as Checkout by Amazon and Google Checkout, are being excluded from eBay because they compete with PayPal:

Google's and Amazon's products and services compete with eBay on a number of levels, so we are not going to allow them on eBay.

What do you think about this new move? Will it really stop fraud? Or just increase the use of PayPal?

EBay Is Planning to Emphasize Fixed-Price Sales Format Over Its Auction Model [NYT]

***A Message from Lorrie Norrington: New Pricing, More Incentives, and Other Changes to Bring More Buyers*** [eBay]
(Photo: rightonbro )

PayPal Refunds $50 Defraud, Sics Collections On You

Ben Popken — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:42:46 EDT

Last year, Gpotato.com fraudulently took $50 from reader Adam's Paypal account. He disputed the charge, Paypal agreed it was fraud and returned the funds, and Adam closed the account. Now all of a sudden Paypal's internal collections agency is calling up Adam and making rude and insistent demands that he pay this $50 immediately.

They didn't care about Adam's explanation, they just wanted his money. True to form, all of Adam's attempts to contact anyone at Paypal to resolve the issue were unsuccessful and unanswered. So far, though, the debt hasn't appeared on his credit report.

So here's what Adam, or anyone in an similar position should do. Here's a sample letter for making them prove they own the debt. If they can't come up with anything and keep contacting you, here's a sample letter for telling them to drop dead (and stop contacting you).

(Photo: irina slutsky)

Paypal Declares Chris Pirillo Stole $450 From Himself

Ben Popken — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:05:04 EDT

Someone hacked into super-famous blogger Chris Pirillo's PayPal account and bought $450 worth of iTunes cards. On his birthday, no less. After a review Paypal declared to him,"We have completed our investigation of your claim and have determined that this is not an instance of unauthorized account activity."

So typical of Paypal's fascist approach to customer service. I've emailed Chris our post "All The Secret Paypal/Ebay Email Addresses And Phone Numbers You Could Ever Want," containing over 450 pieces of Paypal contact information, in the hopes that it helps him out.

PayPal Denies $450 of Unauthorized Charges [Chris.Pirillo] (Thanks to Griff!) (Photo: Randy Stewart)

EBay & PayPal Phishing Gone For Good On Gmail and Yahoo?

Chris Walters — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:46:09 EDT

If your email account is with Google or Yahoo, your days of seeing phishing emails from fake eBay or PayPal addresses should be over. Google announced last week that it's now using DomainKeys to verify messages really do come from paypal.com or ebay.com—if they don't, they never even make it to your In Box. This is possible because eBay and PayPal are now making sure "that all their email is signed with DomainKeys and DKIM." Since Yahoo! also uses DomainKeys and DKIM (they developed it, in fact), phishing attacks for Yahoo! Mail accounts should also disappear.

No amount of security will stop a bit of social engineering, but this is a great strike against phishing. Now if only banks would start embracing DomainKeys.

From Google's Gmail blog:

Now any email that claims to come from "paypal.com" or "ebay.com" (and their international versions) is authenticated by Gmail and — here comes the important part — rejected if it fails to verify as actually coming from PayPal or eBay. That's right: you won't even see the phishing message in your spam folder. Gmail just won't accept it at all. Conversely, if you get an message in Gmail where the "From" says "@paypal.com" or "@ebay.com," then you'll know it actually came from PayPal or eBay. It's email the way it should be.

eBay and PayPal have worked hard to ensure that all their email is signed with DomainKeys and DKIM. Armed with this information, Gmail can easily reject as a fake anything that doesn't authenticate. We've been testing this for a few weeks now and it's working so well that few people really noticed.

"Fighting phishing with eBay and PayPal" [Gmail Blog]
(Photo: Stryker W@SP)

eBay says it will improve the consumer protections ...

Meg Marco — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:28:37 EDT

eBay says it will improve the consumer protections offered by PayPal. The AP says, "buyers who pay for items with PayPal will be eligible for full refunds, with no cap, if a seller fails to deliver an item as promised." The changes are expected to take place this fall. [NYT]

Worst Company In America 2008 "Sweet 16": eBay/Paypal VS Capital One

Meg Marco — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:50:10 EDT

Here's your fourth "Sweet 16" match-up: #20 Ebay/PayPal VS #36 Capital One.

Here's what some of you had to say about these two companies:

eBay/Paypal:
"In recent years, eBay has become an overpriced junk warehouse. Thirty sellers will auction the same "one-of-a-kind" item at a starting bid of $.01, with a bargain basement shipping rate of $24.99."

"Paying is no longer your pal. The consumer protection process is so convoluted that by the time eBay gets around to denying your claim, the seller has already begun defrauding other unsuspecting buyers under a new identity anyway."

Capital One:
"I'm tired of them wanting to know what's in my wallet."

"Even though I ALWAYS paid my bill on time every month, for some reason (at least 3-4 times a year) I would incur their $25 late fees. I believe this is because they have a special "processing facility" (in atlanta I think) that's sole purpose is to delay mailed payments before sending them off to the final payment processing place."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america.

All The Secret Paypal/Ebay Email Addresses And Phone Numbers You Could Ever Want

Ben Popken — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:24:50 EDT

Here are over 450 pieces of internal email addresses and phone numbers to reach a real live human at Paypal/eBay. Anyone who has ever experienced Paypal unfairly freezing their funds, Paypal siding with someone who scammed them and losing money because of it, Paypal seizing funds from their bank account or credit card without permission, or just the simple impenetrable, rude, and useless customer service can surely appreciate this list. There's contact info for executive relations, high executives, practically every department, and more, both US and international. The information comes courtesy of Screw-Paypal.com, a site started by a man who says Paypal wrongfully denied access to his funds for four years. I guess that's how long it takes to track down every single piece of Paypal contact info. He got his money back eventually, and you can too, with the email addresses and phone numbers inside...

PayPal Phone Numbers: America & Canada

1-408-967-5033 (TOLL NUMBER) Michael Oldenburg, HE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR COMPLAINTS!
1-408- 376-7514 (TOLL FAX Number) Ryan Downs, Senior Vice President Operations, PayPal, Inc. and eBay Inc.
1-402-935-2050 (Toll Number)
1-888-215-5506 (Toll Free Number)
1-888-221-1161 (Toll Free Number)
1-408-376-7400 (Toll Number)
1-408-376-7514 (Toll Fax Number) PayPal, San Jose, General Fax #
1-650-864-8000 (Toll Number)
1-402-935-2284 (Toll Number — Banking and Check Issues)
1-402-935-2212 (Toll Number — ACH Processing & Check Services)
1-402-935-2255 (Toll Number — Account Review Department)
1-402-935-2257 (Toll Number — Account Review Department)
1-402-935-2223 (Toll Number — PayPal Compliance)
1-402-935-2250 (Toll Number — PayPal Compliance)
1-402-935-2000 (Toll Number — Customer Service Department)
1-402-935-2007 (Toll Number — Customer Service Department)
1-402-935-5181 (Toll Number — Debit Card Services)
1-402-935-2116 (Toll Number — Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2129 (Toll Number — Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2238 (Toll Number — Management, Escalations Department)
1-402-935-2239 (Toll Number — Fraud Prevention Department)
1-402-935-2251 (Toll Number — Manager, Resolutions Department)
1-650-251-1101 (Toll FAX Number — Never Fax w/o a Case Number!)
1-408-376-7514 (Toll FAX Number — Never Fax w/o a Case Number!)
1-408-967-1005 (Toll Number — Amanda Pires, PayPal Media Relations)
1-402-537-5755 (Toll FAX Number — PayPal Chargeback Department)
1-402-938-2337 (Toll FAX Number — Compliance Department)
1- 303-395-2802 (Toll FAX Number — Compliance Department)

PayPal Phone Numbers: America & Canada — Senior Agents

Should you have a PayPal problem that needs decision making authority, these are the persons you can contact directly. Each one of these persons has the power to review your account, unlimit your account or arrange for your money to be returned to you (among other things as well). PayPal Office of Executive Escalations:

1-402-952-8691 (Thomas, PayPal Executive Dying to Receive Your Call)
1-402-935-2238 (Tiffany Zaporowski, Strategic Risk Operations)
1-402-935-2116 (Elizabeth Morey, Supervisor, Executive Escalations)
1-402-952-8691 (Thomas, Senior Agent, Dying to Receive Your Call)
1-402-935-2172 (Adam Braasch, Senior Agent)
1-402-952-8902 (Gabriel, Agent, Executive Escalations)
1-402-935-2268 (Beth Beutler, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5146 (Leslie Byrne, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2399 (Janyce Erikson, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5145 (Melody Fry, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2174 (Jackie Hart, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2229 (Michael Lazure, Senior Agent) *ACH/Wire Expert*
1-402-935-5163 (Rick Martin, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-5073 (Stephanie Mikovec, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2157 (Megan Moore, Senior Agent) *WORKS WEEKENDS*
1-402-935-3533 (Peggy Pattavina, Senior Agent)
1-402-935-2331 (Tara Stevens, Senior Agent)
1-402-938-3532 (Megan Wetzel, Senior Agent)

PayPal Phone Numbers: United Kingdom

08707/ 307 191 (UK Calling Rates Apply)
0870/730-7191 (UK Calling Rates Apply)
0208/ 6053000 (Landline Phone Number)
020/8605 3001 (UK FAX — UK Calling Rates Apply)

PayPal Phone Numbers: Australia

(02) 8223 9500 (Australian Toll Rates Apply)
1800 073 263 (Toll Free Number)
(02) 8223 9555 (Fax Number Australia — AU Calling Rates Apply)
(02) 8223 9501 (Fax Number Australia — AU Calling Rates Apply)

PayPal Phone Numbers: Deutschland

0180/ 500 66 27 (14 Euro Cents Per Minute)
0870/730-7191 (Calling Fees Apply)
030-8019-5161 (PayPal/eBay Hauptquartier)
030-8019-5252 (FAX nummer PayPal/eBay Hauptquartier)

paypal.robert@ebay.de
paypal.nico@ebay.de
paypal.eva@ebay.de

PayPal Addresses America & Canada

PayPal President, Rajiv Dutta, 19700 Montauck Court, Saratoga, CA 95070 (Home Address)
PayPal Inc., 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131
PayPal Inc., 2145 Hamilton Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125
PayPal Inc., P.O. Box 45950, Omaha, NE 68145
PayPal Inc., 11128 John Galt BLVD, STE 300, Omaha, NE 68137
PayPal Inc., Legal Department, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131
PayPal Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
PayPal Inc., 3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304
PayPal Inc., 3404 E Harmony RD, Fort Collins, CO 80528
PayPal Inc., 18110 SE 34th Street, Vancouver, WA 98683

PayPal Addresses: United Kingdom

PayPal Europe Ltd, Hotham House, 1 Heron Square, Richmond upon Thames, Surrey, TW9 1EJ
PayPal Europe S.a.r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 5th Floor 22-24, Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg

eBay (UK) LTD,
P.O. Box 9473
Dublin 15
Ireland

PayPal Managing Director, David Graham Clarke, 3 Woodside Road, New Malton, Surrey, KT3 3AH

PayPal Addresses: Australia
PayPal, Locked Bag 10, ATTN: Error Resolution, Australia Square PO, Sydney, NSW 1215
PayPal, 19 1 York Street, Sydney New South Wales

ADDITIONAL NOTES: PayPal Australia Pty Limited is a registered Australian Company (ACN 111 195 389) and is subject to Australian law.

PayPal Addressen: Deutschland
PayPal Europe S.a.r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 5th Floor 22-24, Boulevard Royal L-2449, Luxembourg
PayPal GmbH., Marktplatz 1, Europarc-Dreilinden, BerlinD-14532

PayPal-Kundenservice
Postfach 750263
60532 Frankfurt/Main

PayPal Email Addresses

Avoid using PayPal's automated email submission center — that email goes straight to New Delhi, India where you will get a prompt reply back that has nothing to do with what you asked in the first place. For faster results, email the following departments (where people with decision making authority can help you or not help you):

moldenburg@paypal.com (Michael Moldenburg, Paypal Complaints)
sthompson@paypal.com (Scott Thompson, PayPal President)
mhentges@paypal.com (Mary Hentges, CFO PayPal)
crme@paypal.com (PayPal Office of Executive Escalations)
appeal@paypal.com
harbor1@paypal.com
account-review@paypal.com
ppelce@paypal.com
cardreview@paypal.com
complaint-response@paypal.com
abuse@paypal.com
Europeanservices@paypal.com
resolutions@paypal.com
appeals@paypal.com
compliance@paypal.com
escalations@paypal.com
webform@paypal.com
service@paypal.com (Unmonitored)
spoof@paypal.com
complaints@paypal.com
aup@paypal.com
press@paypal.com (Let public relations know you are filing complaints)
apires@paypal.com (Amanda Pires — Media Relations Contact)
chargebackresponse@paypal.com
pending_reversal@paypal.com
global2@paypal.com
intl@paypal.com
ppe_courtesycredit@paypal.com
BoEappeal@paypal.com

Tip: Send your problem to EVERY PayPal email address that you can find, not just one. That way you have different people and different departments dealing with your problem.

eBay Contact Information America/Canada

1-800-322-9266 (eBay Customer Service Number — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-800-717-3229 (eBay Customer Serive Number — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-866-304-3229 (eBay Marketing — Toll Free America & Canada)
1-408- 376-7400(eBay General Phone Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7401 (eBay General FAX Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7419 (Gary Dellabo, ebay Strategic Partnership's Group — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7517 (eBay General FAX Number — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7205 (eBay Investor Relations, Tracey Ford — Toll Number)
1-408-376-7458 (eBay Media Relations, Hani Durzy — Toll Number)
1-801-545-2276 (eBay President, Direct Number Salt Lake City — Toll Number)
1-408- 376-7514 (TOLL FAX Number) Ryan Downs, Senior Vice President Operations, PayPal, Inc. and eBay Inc.
1-801-545-1853 (eBay Accounts, Christa, Accounts Specialist, Salt Lake City — Toll Number)

eBay Email Addresses

spoof@eBay.com (Report Spoof or Phishing Emails/Websites)
exec.relations@ebay.com (eBay Executive Relations)
matthewb@ebay.com ( Matthew J. Bannick, President, eBay International)
government_relations@ebay.com (eBay Government Relations Department)
billcobb@ebay.com (President, eBay North America)
paypal.robert@ebay.de
paypal.nico@ebay.de
paypal.eva@ebay.de
paypaldamon@ebay.com

eBay Address/eBay CEO Home Address

eBay Inc.
2145 Hamilton Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
USA

eBay Contact Information United Kingdom

0700 500 3229 (eBay General Number — UK Calling Rates Apply)
020 8605 3111 (UK Power Seller's Help Line — UK Calling Rates Apply)
0906 665 8030 (eBay Customer Service — UK Calling Rates Apply)
0906 665 8030 (eBay Customer Service — UK Calling Rates Apply)

eBay Address UK

eBay UK Ltd, Complaints Department
PO Box 659, Richmond-upon-Thames
Surrey, TW9 1TX

eBay (UK) LTD,
P.O. Box 9473
Dublin 15
Ireland

PayPal Buyer Credit 866-571-3012 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.
PayPal F 888-221-1161 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

300 other internal numbers that might get you what you're looking for...

(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Service
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2255 Jasmine Account Review
(402)935-2256 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2257 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2328 Chris Account Review
(402)935-2333 Luke Account Review
(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2223 Sheryl AUP Compliance
(402)935-2250 Katrina AUP Compliance
(402)935-2275 Lisa AUP Compliance
(402)935-2332 Julie Gonzales AUP Compliance
(402)935-5140 Alahandre Elise(?) AUP Compliance
(402)935-2029 Todd Business Development
(402)935-5126 Shane Business Development Schedule: 8:30~5PM M-F
(402)935-5197 Ken Holston Business Development Business Management & Account Management
(402)935-2000 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2007 Call Center Inbound Line Call Center
(402)935-2012 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2011 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2014 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2017 Call Center Inbound: Debit Cards Call Center
(402)935-2019 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2021 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2022 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2023 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2024 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2025 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2030 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2050 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2053 Call Center Inbound: Premier Services Call Center
(402)935-2057 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2065 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2079 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2080 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2081 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2082 Premier Service Line Call Center
(402)935-2084 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2085 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2092 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2100 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2106 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2107 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2124 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2148 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2166 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2194 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2233 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2300 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2323 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-5119 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2165 Jessica Card Services
(402)935-2396 Tamara Spurlock Card Services
(402)935-5181 Lisa Weaver Card Services Debit Card Team
(402)935-2015 Teresa Rains Charge Backs
(402)935-2141 Mikalea Charge Backs
(402)935-2152 Anna Charge Backs
(402)935-2189 Margaret Charge Backs
(402)935-2340 Debbie Charge Backs
(402)935-2063 Taj Education Team Product Education
(402)935-2064 Dona Education Team
(402)935-2116 Elizabeth Executive Escalations Works closely w/Tiffany(detp.mgr). Very Responsive.
(402)935-2129 Joe Executive Escalations
(402)935-2156 Brian Executive Escalations
(402)935-2157 Megan Executive Escalations
(402)935-2172 Adam Executive Escalations
(402)935-2173 John Executive Escalations
(402)935-2174 Jackie Executive Escalations
(402)935-2192 Eric Executive Escalations
(402)935-2128 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2228 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2238 Tiffany Executive Escalations Manager of Executive Escalations.
(402)935-2268 Beth Executive Escalations
(402)935-2269 Michelle Executive Escalations Schedule: Tues~Thur 9:30AM~8PM
(402)935-2334 Luke Executive Escalations
(402)935-5145 Melanie Executive Escalations Schedule: M-F 4PM~Mid. CST
(402)935-5146 Leslie Executive Escalations
(402)935-5163 Rick Martin Executive Escalations
(402)935-2112 Gloria Finance
(402)935-2207 Jeremy Finance
(402)935-2371 Julie Finance
(402)935-2239 Collin Fraud & Security Fraud Prevention
(402)935-2267 Mark Fraud & Security Trust & Safety
(402)935-2272 Michael Fraud & Security Protection Services
(402)935-2366 Suzanne Combes Brown Fraud & Security Risk Management Manager
(402)935-2368 Sheryl London Fraud & Security Protection Services: Senior Agent
(402)935-5134 Bill Gray Fraud & Security Internal Audit. Mountain View Office: 650-864-8046
(402)935-2044 Paula Adams Global Services Global Help Desk
(402)935-2127 Amy Bush Global Services
(402)935-2048 Joyce Brown Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2051 Melanie Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2128 Michelle Human Resources HR/Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2169 Sterling Blackwell Human Resources Employee Development
(402)935-2283 Amy Human Resources Staffing
(402)935-2318 John Latke Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2339 Michelle Mullis Human Resources
(402)935-5128 Michelle Human Resources Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2001 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, play around.
(402)935-2004 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, etc.. play around
(402)935-2026 Password Prompt (?) Internal / IT Line immediately prompts for password. Unsure of it's use.
(402)935-2032 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (try user: 1234 pass:1234, works to play around with)
(402)935-2069 ECS System Testing Internal / IT Play around, not sure of purpose.
(402)935-2299 Internal Software Helpdesk Internal / IT
(402)935-5100 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (user: 1234 / pass: 1234 to play around)
(402)935-5151 Hold Music / Advertisement Internal / IT Test Line for Hold Music ?
(402)935-5149 Monitoring Line? Internal / IT
(402)935-5168 Monitoring Line Internal / IT
(402)935-5184 Gene (or Steve) Internal / IT Technical Support Manager
(402)935-5199 Call Center Status Line Internal / IT This ext. will place the call center in Emergency or Normal state.
(402)935-2274 Matthew Member Services Member Services Supervisor
(402)935-2321 Michelle Member Services Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11A~Mid)
(402)935-2357 Terry Dale Member Services
(402)935-5161 Tim Loban Merchant Fraud & Risk Weekend Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11AM~Mid)
(402)935-5169 Alicia Merchant Fraud & Risk
(402)935-2074 Tammy Galvin Quality Development
(402)935-2226 Jenny Quality Development
(402)935-2034 Janie Bartlett Resolution Services
(402)935-2132 Bryant Resolution Services Team Leader
(402)935-2241 Lynn Vogue Resolution Services
(402)935-2251 Mike McCormick Resolution Services Resolution Services Supervisor
(402)935-2266 Rich H. Resolution Services
(402)935-2353 Lorie Kilstrom Resolution Services
(402)935-5120 Tim Underlow Resolution Services Product Education Trainer for Resolution Services
(402)935-5141 Resolutions Department Line Resolution Services
(402)935-2218 Douglas H. Security
(402)935-5172 Michell Security
(402)935-2002 April Garner Unknown
(402)935-2005 Adonocca Banks Unknown
(402)935-2010 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2013 Pat Unknown
(402)935-2018 Vicki Hernandez Unknown
(402)935-2020 Mary Jo Unknown
(402)935-2028 Megan Unknown
(402)935-2039 Jeff Hagan Unknown
(402)935-2040 Mary Steeley Unknown
(402)935-2041 Michelle Parkins Unknown
(402)935-2049 Jason Finer Unknown
(402)935-2052 Eduardo(?) Unknown
(402)935-2054 Tonya Unknown
(402)935-2055 John Freeze Unknown
(402)935-2061 Rick Unknown
(402)935-2062 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2066 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2073 Kelly Shipley Unknown
(402)935-2086 Jeff Allen Unknown
(402)935-2087 Patience Unknown
(402)935-2091 Dawn Mouski Unknown
(402)935-2095 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2098 Dona Shong Unknown
(402)935-2099 Shelly Unknown
(402)935-2101 John Unknown
(402)935-2103 Latrisha Harris Unknown
(402)935-2104 Lisa Hughes Unknown
(402)935-2110 Amy Lescott Unknown
(402)935-2113 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2115 Maggie Mentato Unknown
(402)935-2118 Paul Ingles Unknown
(402)935-2119 Stacy Price Unknown
(402)935-2123 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2125 Koreen Unknown
(402)935-2126 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2134 Cindy Langstrom Unknown
(402)935-2136 Lynette Lane Unknown
(402)935-2138 Kim Unknown
(402)935-2142 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2149 Mark Rosenthal Unknown
(402)935-2150 Eddie Unknown
(402)935-2154 Charles Unknown
(402)935-2158 Bill Unknown
(402)935-2168 Peggy Unknown
(402)935-2170 Deb Myer Unknown Schedule: M-F 8AM~4:30PM
(402)935-2171 Trish Unknown
(402)935-2175 Zack Unknown
(402)935-2178 Lashaun Unknown
(402)935-2179 Beth Unknown
(402)935-2181 Valerie Dasante Unknown
(402)935-2182 Erin Crain Unknown
(402)935-2183 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2184 Kevin Armstrong Unknown
(402)935-2186 Emily Heldridge Unknown
(402)935-2187 Erin Unknown
(402)935-2188 Lamay Unknown
(402)935-2201 Ray Unknown
(402)935-2203 Sherry Unknown
(402)935-2204 Lisa Thompson Unknown
(402)935-2205 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2206 Osma Unknown
(402)935-2216 Tracy Unknown
(402)935-2217 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2224 Meliss Unknown
(402)935-2225 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2227 Eric Harrison Unknown
(402)935-2129 Name not known Unknown
(402)935-2229 unknown Unknown
(402)935-2230 Mark Peterson Unknown
(402)935-2234 Dave Unknown
(402)935-2236 Brock Unknown
(402)935-2237 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2240 Angie Anderson Unknown
(402)935-2244 Julie Gonzales Unknown
(402)935-2246 Sally Unknown
(402)935-2253 Deb Unknown
(402)935-2254 Ellie Unknown Number changed to 935-1835, per voicemail.
(402)935-2259 Tereasa Unknown
(402)935-2264 Eric Unknown
(402)935-2265 Doug H. Unknown
(402)935-2271 Cynthia Unknown
(402)935-2273 Leslie Walker Unknown
(402)935-2276 Heather Johnson Unknown
(402)935-2281 Jason Alexander Unknown
(402)935-2288 David Unknown
(402)935-2291 John Unknown
(402)935-2298 Chris Unknown
(402)935-2302 Jim Norway Unknown Call was forwarded to a Nextel Phone Afterhours (management?)
(402)935-2305 Amanda Unknown
(402)935-2308 Cathy Unknown
(402)935-2316 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2317 Jason Unknown
(402)935-2322 Jamie Swanson Unknown
(402)935-2324 Jessica Carasoul Unknown
(402)935-2335 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2336 Marissa Unknown
(402)935-2341 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2342 Torrence Unknown
(402)935-2349 Karen Unknown
(402)935-2350 Beverly Unknown
(402)935-2351 Karen Lovette Unknown
(402)935-2358 John Kimmee Unknown
(402)935-2363 Claire Shumiker Unknown
(402)935-2364 Mary Viella Unknown
(402)935-2365 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2367 Mary OBrien Unknown
(402)935-2369 Kelly Carson Unknown
(402)935-2370 unknown Unknown person answered, unsure, will recheck later.
(402)935-2372 Bob Miles Unknown
(402)935-2375 Renee Unknown Schedule: Tues~Fri 1:30PM~Mid.
(402)935-2376 Foreign Speaking Employee Unknown Foreign Employee.. anyone identify language ?
(402)935-2377 David B. Unknown
(402)935-2381 Tina Unknown
(402)935-2386 Cameron Unknown
(402)935-2387 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-2391 Alisha Rhea Unknown
(402)935-2392 Cindy Kathork Unknown
(402)935-2393 Andres Unknown
(402)935-2394 Robin Unknown
(402)935-2395 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2397 Mark Davis Unknown
(402)935-2399 Janice Erickson Unknown Schedule: M-F 6AM~2:30PM
(402)935-5103 Nicole Unknown
(402)935-5105 Natalie Unknown
(402)935-5106 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5108 Gene Unknown
(402)935-5111 Doug Maxum Unknown
(402)935-5113 Becky Unknown
(402)935-5115 Carrie Unknown
(402)935-5116 Paula Baldwin Unknown
(402)935-5117 Dave Burchill Unknown
(402)935-5121 Andy J. Unknown
(402)935-5123 Micheal Jones Unknown
(402)935-5129 Marlow Rumington Unknown
(402)935-5133 Jeanette Unknown
(402)935-5136 Quincy Unknown
(402)935-5138 Terrell Anderson Unknown
(402)935-5144 Lisa L. Unknown
(402)935-5147 Evan McCaul Unknown
(402)935-5152 Jessica Palamino Unknown
(402)935-5156 Steve Unknown
(402)935-5164 Tonya Lynn Unknown
(402)935-5165 Devon Unknown
(402)935-5171 Carrol Unknown
(402)935-5175 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-5148 Jeff Lonka Unknown Admin maybe (msg says if urgent, call: 402-490-9749)
(402)935-5176 Sheila Unknown
(402)935-5178 Unknown Employee Unknown
(402)935-5179 Tim Maxwell Unknown
(402)935-5185 Rich Unknown
(402)935-5186 Jerry Lowe (female) Unknown
(402)935-5187 Brian G. Unknown Voicemail says w/Ebay
(402)935-5189 Brian Unknown
(402)935-5192 Christian Reese Unknown
(402)935-5194 Reese Unknown
(402)935-5195 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5196 Scott Unknown

Source: Screw-Paypal.com (Thanks to L!)

(Photo: Getty, Travelin' Librarian)

Round 39: Sallie Mae vs eBay/Paypal

Ben Popken — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

This is Round 39 in our Worst Company in America contest, Sallie Mae vs eBay/Paypal!

Here's what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies...

Sallie Mae:

"Sallie Mae has a program with my university where they let you divide your tuition for a semester up into monthly payments. But they charge you a $14 service charge for any payment made with a credit card! The only free way to pay is to have it automatically taken from a bank account... and we all know how reliable that is. Needless to say, I don't use this payment plan anymore."

"I recently had to change my home phone number due to harassment by SallieMae and the collection agencies they sold a debt to.

Someone has a similar name to mine (only the middle name is different), and they have been bugging me for 6 months. Once I finally got SallieMax to stop calling, they sold the debt to someone, and now THEY won't stop calling.

Problem is, the new collector does not show up on Caller ID (shows up as Name Unavailable 000-000-0000) and they refuse to tell me which company they work for. "

"they have ruined the lives of many of my friends. They use scummy debt collectors, and are more than willing to garnish paychecks that are already too small to live on."

"Was SallyMae also the one that paid bounties to schools that steered loans their way?"

I pay my student loans on time but I still have a horrible time dealing with Sallie Mae for consolidations and other regular issues.

They outsource their customer service overseas. Financial aid is a complicated business that doesn't need to be further complicated by adding cultural barriers. I have no problem with accents, but I have a problem when the person on the other end doesn't understand the concept of "half time grad student in thesis hours."

They also cheated me out of my grace period, refused to tell me why and instead, just threw some economic hardship deferment forms at me to get me to stop asking.

Also, their marketing is insane. I was receiving consolidation offers even after I called to find out I couldn't consolidate until after I graduated!

Now that I'm in repayment I get bombarded by emails about their special programs and services. It's difficult to sift through the crap to figure out what is important.

They don't have to worry about customer service because once they've got us we can't go anywhere else and the government subsidizes them. "

"Way back when I was going to grad school, I decided to take the minimum amount of credits (all credit requirements already met) while working on my dissertation. Sallie Mae (or one of its progenitors) promptly started requiring me to repay my student loan. I called and asked how I could get it postponed. Their rep told me I had to become at least a half-time student. So I added a few more credits (at several hundred dollars a credit). The notices for repayment continued to arrive. I called again and was told being a half-time student didn't entitle me to receive a postponement. I told them I had been told otherwise by one of their reps. They said tough, they couldn't be held responsible for misinformation by their reps. Ended up my paying some $500 (a nice chunk some 20 years ago for a grad student) more than I should have. A really great organization. We're not responsible for any information we might give you."

Sallie Mae is terrible. My wife has student loans through them and while she was still in school, she was constantly bombarded by credit card offers, "deals" on MP3 players and TV's, car ads and freaking LIFE INSURANCE offers.

Now that my wife is out of school, I have begun repaying the loans. The latest thing Sallie Mae emails us constantly about is this thing called UPromise. Basically it supposedly helps you save to pay off your loans by automatically putting aside the change on debit card purchases (so if you spend $2.48, it would put $0.52 in your UPromise account). For me, totally unnecessary, but it would seem on face that this is a genuine program. That is until you really check it out and see that it's just another way to expose you to more ads imploring you to blow your money on anything BUT student loans.

On top of that, Sallie Mae will not automatically withdraw monthly payments from my bank account in excess of their preset payment plans. Surprise, surprise, all of their plans are as close to the minimum payment as possible with no indication that this will end up costing you thousands of dollars during the lifetime of the loan.

I understand they are running a business not a charity, but I just think it's sick the way they prey upon college students and recent college graduates. I would never consider them for any loan of any type ever again."

"I dislike Sallie Mae for the simple fact that they send me TONS of junk mail, even after changing my accounting settings and submitting a request in writing."

eBay/Paypal:

"In the early days, eBay used to be a flea market shopper's paradise. I could find one-of-a-kind items sold by honest sellers cleaning out Grandma's attic. Quality homespun niche businesses sold unique items not found in regular retail stores. Items were priced fairly and shipping rates weren't outrageously inflated. Shopping on eBay was fun, additively so.

In recent years, eBay has become an overpriced junk warehouse. Thirty sellers will auction the same "one-of-a-kind" item at a starting bid of $.01, with a bargain basement shipping rate of $24.99.

If anything is left in Grandma's attic, the heirs are selling it at double its value.

Retail chains have an eBay store that only sell merchandise the foot traffic didn't want.

Unscrupulous sellers bait customers in with low prices only to kick them in their Paypal buttocks with sneaky fee-avoiding, high shipping rates.

Paying is no longer your pal. The consumer protection process is so convoluted that by the time eBay gets around to denying your claim, the seller has already begun defrauding other unsuspecting buyers under a new identity anyway.

I used to be an eBay addict. I simply had to browse everyday just in case I missed that special item I didn't know I wanted. Now, it might be four times a year I find myself on eBay...and rarely do I leave having place a bid or purchased something.

Nothing exciting, nothing unique, nothing cheap (unless you are referring to quality). "

"Ebay is Just EVIL, They grew and grew off of their community, bought paypal, and are now Raising their Rates to up to 10% of the value of your listing! INSANE! Their saying its to "improve their website".... you need BILLIONS to improve your website? I WILL NEVER SHOP EBAY AGAIN after their recent fee changes, They stabbed every customer they had in the back"

I got scammed for a car that arrived with $2000+ of damage off eBay. The auction stated just $400 of damage. Paypal told me I was wrong without asking for my side of the story, or any estimates for that sake. That's enough for me.

A list of the damages stated in the auction: Cracked windshield, broken control arm, minor ding.

Actual (that I told PP about): Cracked camber, rims were scraped/spray painted, rear bumper was painted dark blue (the car was black), Cigarette holes in the back seat, larges holes on drivers side carpet, passenger side rearview mirror was missing, four flat tires.

And they told me that they sided with the seller and not to contact them. When I did I was told that they get many scams on cars from fraudulent buyers.

Boy wish I had the Consumerist back then "

"ebay/paypal no contest. They sent me a letter telling me that they weren't going to credit my account for a fraudulent failure-to-refund (mail fraud was involved) charge.

The first paragraph of the letter said they weren't refunding me.

The second said that Paypal does not support or condone fraud.

Hypocritical idiots, and I'm already working on closing my account (but paypal claims I need to wait for 4 months to pass since the last transaction before being able to close my account. I think that's bullshit).

BTW, I did finally get my money back from my bank. Suck it, paypal. (and I just tried again to close the account and it failed again, and the CSR who claimed he'd close it for me by phone the other day was apparently a liar)"

"EBay is full of scams. In my opinion, one of the more insidious is the hijacked account scam.

Phishers send out millions of emails - "Your eBay account will be suspended"; "There is a problem with your eBay
item", etc. Emails have a "click here to respond" button that asks you to log in.

And that's it. The scammers have a legitimate username and matching password! The account has been hijacked!

Shortly thereafter, up to three dozen one-to-three day listings of very expensive, usually sold at list price electronic, athletic or similar equipment will appear as if for sale by the hijacked account holder. Listings always say: "Email me here (not the eBay contact address) for shipping or buy-it-now or other information".

Those who email are given a spectacular price . . . perhaps 1/3 of list including shipping. They are told that they will receive a payment invoice through eBay's Trust and Safety or similar department and that the transaction is perfectly safe because it is approved by eBay. The seller asks only for name and shipping address.

If the potential buyer asks about PayPal, he is told that the seller's account is temporarily full; or there is a problem; or there is a divorce; or some other reason why he needs to deal directly through eBay.

Shortly afterward, he receives an authentic looking "invoice" from eBay and perhaps a second eBay email stating that they have investigated the transaction and it is safe.

The invoice asks the buyer to send the money by Western Union to somewhere in Europe. Once sent, the money is lost. Gone. Of course, the buyer never receives the purchased item because it never existed.

Everything in this scam is forged: the phishing email; the eBay invoice; the eBay verification letter. Nothing appears in the buyer's eBay inbox because nothing is sent from eBay's own server.

If eBay receives complaints about a listing, it will eventually remove it —- perhaps in minutes, perhaps in hours. During that time, the scammer receives email for potential buyers, some of whom will end of sending money by Western Union because the deal is just too good to turn down. The scammers never expect these listings to stay valid for an extended period; just long enough to get some people interested.

A few days latter, the same scammers return with new hijacked accounts and the same listings. Even the "email me here" addresses are the same.

This is a HUGE business. We are talking about $1,000 - $2,000 or more per transaction. In cash.

I believe eBay is part of the problem. They have no organized system to screen for obviously hijacked listings; they frequently leave the listings up even after complaints. More important, it is just too easy to list a sale on eBay. There is no secondary "sale only" password or other verification. Finally, even though these scams leave a mile long electronic trail (including having to show up at a Western Union office somewhere to pick up the money), eBay seems to make minimum, if any attempt, to shut them down.

In my opinion, eBay needs to stop saying: "we are only a venue" and start protecting its customers."

"Paypal freezes your money for no good reason. They regularly screw both buyer and sellers. They claim to have protections but the requirements are so convoluted its nearly impossible to get coverage even if you're trying to follow the steps. They take a huge chunk of the sale price in fees for doing nearly none of the work or risk."

"It isn't a transaction "on eBay". It is a scam that uses hijacked eBay accounts to make offers to people who send them emails. They try to make the buyer think that it is a legitimate transactionthat is approved and escrowed by eBay. Of course, eBay doesn't send out invoices; doesn't approve transactions; doesn't collect or escrow money. But to get a $3,000 computer, audio or other product for only $1,000. Wow! Just send the money by Western Union! Ebay will hold that money until you receive your product!

I understand that there are lots of scams and scammers; and lots of people looking for a bargain. But with very little effort, eBay could shut this whole thing down by responding instantly to reports; by making it harder to list sales (extra password?); and by using the law to go after the scammers."

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING: TransUnion vs Diebold, Best Buy vs CompUSA, DeBeers vs Verizon, Exxon vs United Airlines, Sony vs Ticketmaster, Comcast vs The American Arbitration Association

Seller Gets Scammed On Ebay, PayPal Won't Help

Chris Walters — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:11:19 EDT

Matt just got his first taste of Ebay, and it wasn't good—as soon as he mailed off the Best Buy gift card to the buyer, the buyer reversed payment on Matt's PayPal account and stopped communicating with him. We're pretty sure he's screwed on this one, but does anyone have any good advice for what he can do next?

I was just scammed from selling a 100$ valued best buy gift card selling it on ebay for 96$. I wanted to get an mp3 player but not from best buy because they have no selection of mp3 players greater than 20 gb at all.

Everything looked fine because someone bought this gift card and "supposedly" sent me the money. It was shown i had 96$ on april 3 in my paypal account, so of course i did the "right" thing and sent my card to the unfortunate fraudulent buyer.

Then the same day after I say i sent the package, the money gets somehow reversed. I get this notification from paypal that i might have been dealing with fraud. They notified the man and even received confirmation via email. Paypal finally gets back to me on April 22nd just saying that I did not have seller protection so they will not refund me in any sort of way.

I have his address, phone number and e-mail, but I do not know what to do. He has not responded to my emails though.

I need some advice in dealing with this besides any more pointless responses from paypal. Where is the justice? What can I do to get my money back if possible since paypal will not help or refund me? Why should only certain sellers get seller protection but not others? I would like to sell more stuff on ebay but after this risky transition I'm not so sure if I still want to. Thank you.

Matt

This Buyer's Experience Pretty Much Sums Up What's Wrong With Ebay

Chris Walters — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:18:08 EDT

Veteran Ebay buyer/seller Monty has just come off a triple play of misrepresented auctions, each from a different seller, and has had zero luck getting things straightened out with any of them.

It seems that eBay's latest squeeze on sellers is just the tip of the iceberg. eBay's pressure on their sellers is, if you ask me, having a "trickle down" effect on us eBay shoppers, too. I have over 500 feedbacks and have been with eBay since pretty much they began. Thanks to a string of about three or four really bad auction experiences, however, I am starting to see this trickle-down effect.

It all began with a pair of refurb'd Sony wireless headphones I bought. The seller shipped them to me, but the power supply was the wrong voltage for the headphones. With them being Sony, with everything they sell proprietary, I was pretty much hooped. I called around, and wow, Sony wants $70 for an adapter that'll power the $56 9plus $20 shipping) headphones I bought! I wrote the shipper and he was dismissive and rude to me. In the end, I ended up filing an "Item Not As Described" filing with Paypal. Check this: 45 days later, eBay tells me I can ship the item back to the shipper, at my cost, for a refund of my purchase price. So... let me get this straight, eBay: I'm going to lose a total of $40 in shipping for my $56 item??

I recently bought a "Brand New, Sealed" laptop from eBay. The auction clearly stated that the item had Windows XP on it, which I wanted, after hearing about all the problems with Vista. It came with Vista, not XP, which promptly crashed. nearly $300 in "Geek Squad" rescue fees later, I had a working laptop, albeit with Vista on, which I didn't want. The Geek Squad informed me that the laptop had been "used" before, and the manufacturer refused to honour the warranty since it was not a "hardware" issue. I asked the seller to split what I'd spent to get the laptop working— money I spent due to HIS error. Naturally, he refused. I filed with eBay, and it's been 30 days, and no word.

Just the other day I received a wireless mouse I'd ordered, but it's dead. The mouse arrived in a plain envelope, with no packaging, dead. Should I even bother? I've learned that eBay will leave me hanging and that sellers don't fear eBay's totally "nerfed" so-called consumer protection assurances. It's a load of crap, and I'm going to start shopping elsewhere.

What Can You Do If PayPal Holds Your Funds For 21 Days? Gamble With It In Their Money Market Fund

Chris Walters — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:45:38 EST

EBay's highly criticized fee changes—lower listing prices but a 67% increase in seller fees—kicked in last week, and next month eBay's payment service PayPal will start holding certain deposits for up to 21 days if PayPal considers the transaction "high risk." PayPal earns interest on any money it holds—and it's perfectly legal because PayPal is a deposit broker and not a bank. If you do find your money stuck in "high risk" detention, there's only one way you can attempt to earn money from the delay, and that's by sticking it in PayPal's Money Market Fund.

Although PayPal earns interest on the money it holds, it's not very much when compared to the rest of the company's revenue streams. PayPal doesn't release data on how much it earns in interest, but outside analysts estimate it's less than $10 million per quarter—"a drop in the bucket" compared to the $1.8 billion PayPal earned in 2007.

None of that matters for sellers, though, who will now run the risk of losing access to funds for up to three weeks, even though they still must ship the sold item.

What is sparking reactions ranging from annoyance to panic among some of eBay's sellers is the company's criteria for determining what transactions fall into the "high-risk" category. Factors beyond sellers' control, including the number of "feedback" comments they have from previous buyers and how many of those comments are positive, can trigger the freeze.

"It's like a bad dream, really," said Dana White, an eBay seller who lives outside Ocean City, Md., and deals in used clothing, shoes and accessories. "I'm a small seller. All I need is two negatives in a 30-day period, and they will hold funds."

If you started selling within the past six months, have a low number of feedbacks, have had too many instances of negative feedback in the recent past, or are selling a high-priced item or charging a high shipping & handling fee, you could earn the high risk designation.

PayPal's representative tells CNN Money that the one way you can put that held money to use for yourself is to enroll in PayPal's Money Market Fund (download a PDF of the prospectus here):

PayPal's Pires said accountholders should be aware that they have the power to collect interest for their own use on delayed funds. It's as simple as enrolling in the company's PayPal Money Market Fund, Pires said.

For enrolled accountholders, any funds earmarked for a hold are diverted into the Money Market Fund rather than PayPal's corporate bank account, Pires said. The dividends earned are credited to user accounts on a monthly basis.

"Every U.S. accountholder has the ability to invest in the Money Market Fund," Pires said.

PayPal's Money Market Fund is run by Barclay (BCS)'s Global Investments. No minimum balance is required, and the fund's current interest rate is 3.46%.

The other solution, CNN Money notes, is to abandon PayPal (and eBay along with it) and go with an alternative e-commerce solution—they list five potential candidates on their website.

"What PayPal does with your money" [CNN Money]
"EBay's PayPal funds freeze plan draws fire" [CNN Money]

Seller Gets Scammed On eBay Despite Doing Everything Right

Ben Popken — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:05:08 EST

Read the tragic tale of this screwed eBay seller over on Metafilter. He did everything Paypal told him to do to avoid being scammed when he sold a cellphone, including, when the buyer returned the item, opening it in front of a police officer. Problem was, the buyer/scammer sent back a smashed gold cellphone instead of nice $500+ cellphone that was sold. Seller protection policy should apply, right? Nope, it doesn't cover "items not as described." Failure.

So, as a follow up, here is what happened. Spoiler alert: I was scammed in the end and learned that PayPal has absolutely no protection for sellers against the kind of scam that was used against me.
The buyer initially filed a claim that the very nice new cellphone I sent him as different in that it was black, not purple, and was significantly damaged, which it wasn't. I responded in brief immediately, telling PayPal that I knew he was lying, and that I would dispute it. I called and spoke to a PayPal resolutions specialist twice, and then sent a long email describing every reason why I thought that the buyer's claim was invalid. At the suggestion of the PayPal representatives, I included links to many different things, including high-res pictures of the cell phone that I took to show color and lack of damage, and web pages that indicated I had a much better reputation than the buyer and that I would have more to lose by trying a scam then I would by getting the money. After one month from the date of sale, exactly, I received an email saying that the buyer was allowed to return the item for a refund, and that he would receive the money as soon as he provided a tracking number. Which was clearly outrageous.

So I spent a very sleepless night, and the next day I called PayPal. They informed me that they would not release the money until I had a chance to see the item. I asked how to prove he sent me back something bogus, and they told me to only receive the item in the presence of a neutral police officer. I also checked my web server logs and saw that they had not even looked at any of the links I provided. I suspect that the case was not even reviewed by a human at this point.

A few days later, they forwarded me the tracking number, and I managed to get UPS to hold the package for me to pick up. Once I did that, they scamming buyer changed tactics (maybe he saw from the tracking that I was having the box held instead of delivered) and he filed a charge back with his credit card company. I checked with PayPal again, and they told me to go ahead with picking the box up in front of a police officer, and that provided with a police report, they would dispute the charge back. They also told me that about 70% of the time they were successful. Fortified with the idea I was doing the right thing and that I had a good chance of winning, off I went.

I spent an afternoon off work, and went to the UPS station. I told them what was going on, and the manager tried to get me to take the box and leave. I refused, and called the police non-emergency line. An officer came pretty quickly, and I received and opened the box in front of him. Sure enough, there was a smashed gold cellphone inside, and almost all the accessories were missing. The police office filed a report of theft that described what he had seen. A week later, I had to take another afternoon off to go to the Police records department to pick up copy of the report, which was a pain in the butt because they charged $5 and only took money orders. I faxed the report off to PayPal and waited to hear about getting my money back that they had held.

Today, they refused to contest the credit charge back. Yes, after sending me out twice to get the supporting evidence they asked for, they didn't even do anything with it. Even though I had police evidence to show that what he sent back wasn't what he claimed to have received, they chose to not do anything.

So I called PayPal again. I eventually talked to an escalation supervisor, and was informed that they only disputed charge backs that fell under their seller protection policy, which doesn't in any way cover claims that the item was not as described. In fact, the 70% statistic that I heard earlier was in reference to things covered under the seller protection policy, and not any not as described scam. So in essence, everything I did a their direction to get the police report was a wasted effort, and I won't get any of the time or money I spent doing it back.

The real lesson here is that, as a seller, you can absolutely positively get screwed selling something. All a scammer has to do is set up an account, buy some cheap things to rack up some positive feedback (if they want), and then claim you sent him a rock. At that point, unless you used an escrow service, you are screwed. And it takes a long time. For me it was seven weeks of stressing about it until today.

Sure, I complained and PayPal is forwarding my case to some special investigative unit, and they were kind enough to refund my fees, but all they will do is block the buyer in the future. The kicker - my only recourse is to sue, PayPal won't release any documentation unless I have a supoena.

So there you have it. It used to be buyer beware, but for PayPal it is seller beware. Anyone can run this scam at least once and get away with it.

Can I trust PayPal's seller protection? If not, what can go wrong? [Metafilter]

PayPal Error Stymies One Laptop Per Child Shipments

Carey — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 10:55:27 EST

Tired of repeatedly hearing that his One Laptop Per Child was on the way, PC World's Harry McCracken called OLPC and was surprised to discover that the charity didn't have his mailing address on file. Apparently, PayPal passed McCracken's payment to OLPC without providing his address.

On January 17th, my colleague Matthew Newton poked his head into my office. He'd also donated, and was also impatiently waiting for his XO. He told me that he'd just spent an hour on the phone with OLPC customer service, and had been told that they didn't have his shipping address, as a result of some glitch relating to the fact he'd paid via PayPal.
I too had paid with PayPal...but I didn't have an hour to spare. So I checked the "Track Your Order" link and entered my e-mail address and tracking number. That sent me to a page saying I'd probably received my XO, with...confusingly...a link to a page that it said would let me track my order. I clicked on that link, and got a page not found error.

Today, I happened to be in the office early, so I called OLPC support and turned on my speakerphone. Thirty-five minutes later, the call rang through to a rep. Who told me that they didn't have a mailing address for me. (Like Matthew, I paid via PayPal.)

I gave him the address and asked when I might expect the laptop. He told me that OLPC doesn't tell them when machines are going out...but that I might have good news in February. I'll believe it when I see it.

This snafu has two parents. PayPal's mistake is surprising since they proudly boast of their ability to confirm an address for most credit card payments. Still, where was OLPC's customer support? Why would OLPC send out emails reassuring donors that their little bundles of charity were on the way, instead of contacting Give One Get One participants who didn't have a listed mailing address? Maybe they'll get around to that in February.

Where the Heck is my OLPC XO Laptop? [PC World]
(Photo: fumi)

DirecTV Screws Reader Six Ways From Sunday Night Football

Ben Popken — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:49:30 EST

About six months ago I moved into my apartment in Chicago to learn that the only service available was with DirecTV. Not only that, but we were forced to use MDU communications, a DirecTV reseller. With no options for television, I reluctantly purchased my own HD receiver off eBay (The HR-20) to avoid entering into a contract with them for two years. When I received my unit, I called MDU to sign up and the CSR at MDU told me that since I had my own receiver, I could sign directly up with DirecTV. Awesome I thought, I can cut out the middle man. The CSR at MDU even transferred me to DirecTV account set up line himself.

This being The Consumerist, so you know now is just about the point where the story takes a turn for the worse...

I went through the process of trying to get a signal, but was having issues so they dispatched a tech two days later, which required me to use one of my vacation days. The tech showed up and notified me that I would have to sign up through MDU because I needed some special equipment which they did not provide. Great, I'm getting MDU and DTV to point fingers at each other. At this point, I'm signed up for service yet still don't have any TV. The next day I called MDU to get service set up and a tech dispatched FOUR DAYS later (burning another vacation day). The tech shows up and informs me that I needed some sort of signal splitter, he sets me up and I have service within the hour. This is not where the troubles stop...
Because MDU told me to sign up with DirecTV, I now have an account open with DirecTV and an account with MDU. I didn't find this out until the first billing cycle. On top of that, I am charged for installation since technically I didn't initially sign up with MDU first. So now I have MDU Access Fee + DirecTV + Setup fee's. I spent the better part of nearly two weeks discussing, fighting, eventually yelling, to screaming at these people that their install process was why all of this happened in the first place. They agree to waive the setup fee.

A few days later, I go to check to make sure with DirecTV that I am not in a 2 year contract with them since I bought my own receiver. Low and behold, I'm apparently locked in for two years. I call customer service and they say no problem, fax us in your receipt and we'll take it off. I fax in my information, the Paypal receipt, along with all the eBay printouts/documentation and am told that since I "got such a cheap price on the unit, they cannot waive the contract". Wait what? I buy my own receiver from someone completely unaffiliated with DirecTV and you still wont waive my contract? Arent the 2 year contracts used to offer a "rebate" for buying a receiver from DTV?

I also opted in for the HD service, since I am a big Cubs fan and wanted to watch them in HD. It turns out however, that DTV cant get a WGN-HD (the main Cubs channel) signal in this building. I call tech support, they schedule another tech to come out, I burn another vacation day to learn they cant do anything about it. Fine, by this point I'm sick of them all and I can deal with one channel not being in HD even though its the main channel I got HD service for. I'm sick of the headaches.

The final straw came today.

Last night I tried to watch TNT-HD only to see it cut in and out constantly with no audio and that famous grainy "bad signal" picture you get. It was storming pretty hard down here so I didn't think anything of it, figured it was due to that. But today I turn it on and get a message stating that the "channel is not purchased". I've had this problem before (go figure) where the permissions on your receiver go a little crazy. All you have to do is call DTV and have them "re authorize" your unit and you're fixed in a few minutes. Today was a different story. I call tech support to complain and they know it's an issue. The reason?

Apparently on weekends, DirecTV has capacity problems with their system due to all of the "NFL Network" games so they've been having to cut service (channels) to everyone. Thats right, they're DE-AUTHORIZING people's access to certain channels so they have enough room on their system to provide everyone with their precious NFL Network.

Shame on you, DirecTV for advertising all your new, snazzy HD channels and then having to take them away from people because you dont have enough resources. What did they give me? Oh a free month of Showtime. Whoopty doo, Showtime sucks.

I cant even get the new HD channels they launched (and I pay for) because MDU wont upgrade the satellite on our roof.

....and I cant even switch to Comcast.......

A head-shaking tale of incompetence, poor customer service, and inadequate service. Can they really be called "service" companies if they don't provide any? That thing about getting locked into a 2 year contract because "you didn't pay enough" for your receiver on eBay makes no sense. You're right, the 2-year contract is supposed to recoup the costs of them providing you with a discounted receiver. The NFL issue sounds like it won't be fixed anytime soon, but we would escalate that contract issue. Escalate escalate escalate. Supervisor supervisor supervisor executive customer service. In fact, it sounds so wrong, it might just be wrong enough to direct your Attorney General's office attention towards it.

(Photo: cmorran123)

Paypal Hates You

Ben Popken — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:37:36 EST

Both people were happy to talk to me for as long as I wanted, but neither person was able to do anything at all. The system is clearly designed this way... to insulate the people who make decisions from the actual customers.

- Marketing maven Seth Godin on his experience dealing with Paypal customer service after they seized his money and treated him like a criminal. He eventually got his money back, but he will forever have an exasperated taste in his mouth. Consumers hate on Paypal all the time but in some ways you can kind of understand where they're coming from, people are trying to scam them all the time. One of the other online payment alternatives, "e-gold," is frequently used by credit card thieves to exchange funds. They probably have very friendly customer service.

Thanks for calling, please go away [Seth Godin's Blog]

Add Super-Protection To Your Logins With $5 Security Key

Chris Walters — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:38:22 EDT

If you have a PayPal or eBay account, or use OpenID to login to participating sites, then for $5 you can add a second layer of security that is virtually impossible to break unless the thief physically locates you and steals a little plastic device. The PayPal Security Key is a small, keychain-ready fob with a unique ID that's tied to your account. It generates a new six-digit code very 30 seconds, which you have to enter whenever you log in. The down side is you have to have your security key with you in order to read the code. But the benefits are huge: you basically have a 2nd password that changes 2,880 times every day—and that isn't available anywhere online.

PayPal is selling the security keys directly, although they're made and maintained by Verisign. According to this technology blog, the keys "will work with many banks in the future," but Verisign makes no mention of this anywhere on its site. However, if you have begun to use an OpenID on sites like Basecamp, Zooomr, LiveJournal, Technorati, and hundreds of others, then you can create an OpenID account through Verisign and use the security key with OpenID.

If you lose the security key, PayPal says there are ways to verify your account in order to regain access, but they don't provide details on their website. So, uh, don't lose it.

[Update: Ben says if you lose your security key, you can regain access to your account by answering a few additional security questions.]

PayPal Security Key [PayPal]
"PayPal's New Security Key Opens a World of Possibilities" [CaveMonkey50]

RELATED
Entry on OpenID [Wikipedia]
Verisign Identity Protection Token [Verisign]

302 Phone Numbers To Reach A Human At Paypal

Ben Popken — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:10:43 EDT

Paypal is not known for being friendly or easy to reach, so we'll help you out with a whole bunch of unpublished internal phone numbers. Tons of people trying to scam them probably turned them off the whole friendly customer service bit , but why should us regular customers be subjected to the same treatment as a 419 scammer?

First, try these:

PayPal Buyer Credit 866-571-3012 Say "agent" at each prompt, ignoring messages.
PayPal F 888-221-1161 Press 0 at each prompt, ignoring messages.

Failing these, inside are 300 other internal numbers that might get you what you're looking for...

e(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Service
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2255 Jasmine Account Review
(402)935-2256 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2257 Jamie Account Review
(402)935-2328 Chris Account Review
(402)935-2333 Luke Account Review
(402)935-2114 Kay P. ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2212 ACH Processing Main Line ACH / Check Services
(402)935-2284 cindy ACH / Check Services Processing / Bank Only
(402)935-2295 Chuck ACH / Check Services Processing Manager
(402)935-2223 Sheryl AUP Compliance
(402)935-2250 Katrina AUP Compliance
(402)935-2275 Lisa AUP Compliance
(402)935-2332 Julie Gonzales AUP Compliance
(402)935-5140 Alahandre Elise(?) AUP Compliance
(402)935-2029 Todd Business Development
(402)935-5126 Shane Business Development Schedule: 8:30~5PM M-F
(402)935-5197 Ken Holston Business Development Business Management & Account Management
(402)935-2000 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2007 Call Center Inbound Line Call Center
(402)935-2012 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2011 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2014 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2017 Call Center Inbound: Debit Cards Call Center
(402)935-2019 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2021 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2022 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2023 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2024 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2025 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2030 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2050 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2053 Call Center Inbound: Premier Services Call Center
(402)935-2057 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2065 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2079 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2080 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2081 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2082 Premier Service Line Call Center
(402)935-2084 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2085 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2092 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2100 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2106 Call Center Inbound Call Center Premier Services Line
(402)935-2107 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2124 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2148 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2166 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2194 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2233 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2300 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2323 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-5119 Call Center Inbound Call Center
(402)935-2165 Jessica Card Services
(402)935-2396 Tamara Spurlock Card Services
(402)935-5181 Lisa Weaver Card Services Debit Card Team
(402)935-2015 Teresa Rains Charge Backs
(402)935-2141 Mikalea Charge Backs
(402)935-2152 Anna Charge Backs
(402)935-2189 Margaret Charge Backs
(402)935-2340 Debbie Charge Backs
(402)935-2063 Taj Education Team Product Education
(402)935-2064 Dona Education Team
(402)935-2116 Elizabeth Executive Escalations Works closely w/Tiffany(detp.mgr). Very Responsive.
(402)935-2129 Joe Executive Escalations
(402)935-2156 Brian Executive Escalations
(402)935-2157 Megan Executive Escalations
(402)935-2172 Adam Executive Escalations
(402)935-2173 John Executive Escalations
(402)935-2174 Jackie Executive Escalations
(402)935-2192 Eric Executive Escalations
(402)935-2128 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2228 Stacy Executive Escalations
(402)935-2238 Tiffany Executive Escalations Manager of Executive Escalations.
(402)935-2268 Beth Executive Escalations
(402)935-2269 Michelle Executive Escalations Schedule: Tues~Thur 9:30AM~8PM
(402)935-2334 Luke Executive Escalations
(402)935-5145 Melanie Executive Escalations Schedule: M-F 4PM~Mid. CST
(402)935-5146 Leslie Executive Escalations
(402)935-5163 Rick Martin Executive Escalations
(402)935-2112 Gloria Finance
(402)935-2207 Jeremy Finance
(402)935-2371 Julie Finance
(402)935-2239 Collin Fraud & Security Fraud Prevention
(402)935-2267 Mark Fraud & Security Trust & Safety
(402)935-2272 Michael Fraud & Security Protection Services
(402)935-2366 Suzanne Combes Brown Fraud & Security Risk Management Manager
(402)935-2368 Sheryl London Fraud & Security Protection Services: Senior Agent
(402)935-5134 Bill Gray Fraud & Security Internal Audit. Mountain View Office: 650-864-8046
(402)935-2044 Paula Adams Global Services Global Help Desk
(402)935-2127 Amy Bush Global Services
(402)935-2048 Joyce Brown Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2051 Melanie Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2128 Michelle Human Resources HR/Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2169 Sterling Blackwell Human Resources Employee Development
(402)935-2283 Amy Human Resources Staffing
(402)935-2318 John Latke Human Resources Training Department
(402)935-2339 Michelle Mullis Human Resources
(402)935-5128 Michelle Human Resources Benefits Coordinator
(402)935-2001 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, play around.
(402)935-2004 IVR Testing Line Internal / IT Tests voice recognition, etc.. play around
(402)935-2026 Password Prompt (?) Internal / IT Line immediately prompts for password. Unsure of it's use.
(402)935-2032 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (try user: 1234 pass:1234, works to play around with)
(402)935-2069 ECS System Testing Internal / IT Play around, not sure of purpose.
(402)935-2299 Internal Software Helpdesk Internal / IT
(402)935-5100 Employee Attendance Line Internal / IT (user: 1234 / pass: 1234 to play around)
(402)935-5151 Hold Music / Advertisement Internal / IT Test Line for Hold Music ?
(402)935-5149 Monitoring Line? Internal / IT
(402)935-5168 Monitoring Line Internal / IT
(402)935-5184 Gene (or Steve) Internal / IT Technical Support Manager
(402)935-5199 Call Center Status Line Internal / IT This ext. will place the call center in Emergency or Normal state.
(402)935-2274 Matthew Member Services Member Services Supervisor
(402)935-2321 Michelle Member Services Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11A~Mid)
(402)935-2357 Terry Dale Member Services
(402)935-5161 Tim Loban Merchant Fraud & Risk Weekend Supervisor (Sat/Sun/Mon 11AM~Mid)
(402)935-5169 Alicia Merchant Fraud & Risk
(402)935-2074 Tammy Galvin Quality Development
(402)935-2226 Jenny Quality Development
(402)935-2034 Janie Bartlett Resolution Services
(402)935-2132 Bryant Resolution Services Team Leader
(402)935-2241 Lynn Vogue Resolution Services
(402)935-2251 Mike McCormick Resolution Services Resolution Services Supervisor
(402)935-2266 Rich H. Resolution Services
(402)935-2353 Lorie Kilstrom Resolution Services
(402)935-5120 Tim Underlow Resolution Services Product Education Trainer for Resolution Services
(402)935-5141 Resolutions Department Line Resolution Services
(402)935-2218 Douglas H. Security
(402)935-5172 Michell Security
(402)935-2002 April Garner Unknown
(402)935-2005 Adonocca Banks Unknown
(402)935-2010 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2013 Pat Unknown
(402)935-2018 Vicki Hernandez Unknown
(402)935-2020 Mary Jo Unknown
(402)935-2028 Megan Unknown
(402)935-2039 Jeff Hagan Unknown
(402)935-2040 Mary Steeley Unknown
(402)935-2041 Michelle Parkins Unknown
(402)935-2049 Jason Finer Unknown
(402)935-2052 Eduardo(?) Unknown
(402)935-2054 Tonya Unknown
(402)935-2055 John Freeze Unknown
(402)935-2061 Rick Unknown
(402)935-2062 Nick Unknown
(402)935-2066 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2073 Kelly Shipley Unknown
(402)935-2086 Jeff Allen Unknown
(402)935-2087 Patience Unknown
(402)935-2091 Dawn Mouski Unknown
(402)935-2095 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2098 Dona Shong Unknown
(402)935-2099 Shelly Unknown
(402)935-2101 John Unknown
(402)935-2103 Latrisha Harris Unknown
(402)935-2104 Lisa Hughes Unknown
(402)935-2110 Amy Lescott Unknown
(402)935-2113 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2115 Maggie Mentato Unknown
(402)935-2118 Paul Ingles Unknown
(402)935-2119 Stacy Price Unknown
(402)935-2123 Kelly Unknown
(402)935-2125 Koreen Unknown
(402)935-2126 Michelle Unknown
(402)935-2134 Cindy Langstrom Unknown
(402)935-2136 Lynette Lane Unknown
(402)935-2138 Kim Unknown
(402)935-2142 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2149 Mark Rosenthal Unknown
(402)935-2150 Eddie Unknown
(402)935-2154 Charles Unknown
(402)935-2158 Bill Unknown
(402)935-2168 Peggy Unknown
(402)935-2170 Deb Myer Unknown Schedule: M-F 8AM~4:30PM
(402)935-2171 Trish Unknown
(402)935-2175 Zack Unknown
(402)935-2178 Lashaun Unknown
(402)935-2179 Beth Unknown
(402)935-2181 Valerie Dasante Unknown
(402)935-2182 Erin Crain Unknown
(402)935-2183 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2184 Kevin Armstrong Unknown
(402)935-2186 Emily Heldridge Unknown
(402)935-2187 Erin Unknown
(402)935-2188 Lamay Unknown
(402)935-2201 Ray Unknown
(402)935-2203 Sherry Unknown
(402)935-2204 Lisa Thompson Unknown
(402)935-2205 Kimberly Unknown
(402)935-2206 Osma Unknown
(402)935-2216 Tracy Unknown
(402)935-2217 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2224 Meliss Unknown
(402)935-2225 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2227 Eric Harrison Unknown
(402)935-2129 Name not known Unknown
(402)935-2229 unknown Unknown
(402)935-2230 Mark Peterson Unknown
(402)935-2234 Dave Unknown
(402)935-2236 Brock Unknown
(402)935-2237 Shaun Unknown
(402)935-2240 Angie Anderson Unknown
(402)935-2244 Julie Gonzales Unknown
(402)935-2246 Sally Unknown
(402)935-2253 Deb Unknown
(402)935-2254 Ellie Unknown Number changed to 935-1835, per voicemail.
(402)935-2259 Tereasa Unknown
(402)935-2264 Eric Unknown
(402)935-2265 Doug H. Unknown
(402)935-2271 Cynthia Unknown
(402)935-2273 Leslie Walker Unknown
(402)935-2276 Heather Johnson Unknown
(402)935-2281 Jason Alexander Unknown
(402)935-2288 David Unknown
(402)935-2291 John Unknown
(402)935-2298 Chris Unknown
(402)935-2302 Jim Norway Unknown Call was forwarded to a Nextel Phone Afterhours (management?)
(402)935-2305 Amanda Unknown
(402)935-2308 Cathy Unknown
(402)935-2316 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2317 Jason Unknown
(402)935-2322 Jamie Swanson Unknown
(402)935-2324 Jessica Carasoul Unknown
(402)935-2335 Steve Unknown
(402)935-2336 Marissa Unknown
(402)935-2341 Laurie Unknown
(402)935-2342 Torrence Unknown
(402)935-2349 Karen Unknown
(402)935-2350 Beverly Unknown
(402)935-2351 Karen Lovette Unknown
(402)935-2358 John Kimmee Unknown
(402)935-2363 Claire Shumiker Unknown
(402)935-2364 Mary Viella Unknown
(402)935-2365 Frank Unknown
(402)935-2367 Mary OBrien Unknown
(402)935-2369 Kelly Carson Unknown
(402)935-2370 unknown Unknown person answered, unsure, will recheck later.
(402)935-2372 Bob Miles Unknown
(402)935-2375 Renee Unknown Schedule: Tues~Fri 1:30PM~Mid.
(402)935-2376 Foreign Speaking Employee Unknown Foreign Employee.. anyone identify language ?
(402)935-2377 David B. Unknown
(402)935-2381 Tina Unknown
(402)935-2386 Cameron Unknown
(402)935-2387 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-2391 Alisha Rhea Unknown
(402)935-2392 Cindy Kathork Unknown
(402)935-2393 Andres Unknown
(402)935-2394 Robin Unknown
(402)935-2395 Jim Unknown
(402)935-2397 Mark Davis Unknown
(402)935-2399 Janice Erickson Unknown Schedule: M-F 6AM~2:30PM
(402)935-5103 Nicole Unknown
(402)935-5105 Natalie Unknown
(402)935-5106 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5108 Gene Unknown
(402)935-5111 Doug Maxum Unknown
(402)935-5113 Becky Unknown
(402)935-5115 Carrie Unknown
(402)935-5116 Paula Baldwin Unknown
(402)935-5117 Dave Burchill Unknown
(402)935-5121 Andy J. Unknown
(402)935-5123 Micheal Jones Unknown
(402)935-5129 Marlow Rumington Unknown
(402)935-5133 Jeanette Unknown
(402)935-5136 Quincy Unknown
(402)935-5138 Terrell Anderson Unknown
(402)935-5144 Lisa L. Unknown
(402)935-5147 Evan McCaul Unknown
(402)935-5152 Jessica Palamino Unknown
(402)935-5156 Steve Unknown
(402)935-5164 Tonya Lynn Unknown
(402)935-5165 Devon Unknown
(402)935-5171 Carrol Unknown
(402)935-5175 Cindy Unknown
(402)935-5148 Jeff Lonka Unknown Admin maybe (msg says if urgent, call: 402-490-9749)
(402)935-5176 Sheila Unknown
(402)935-5178 Unknown Employee Unknown
(402)935-5179 Tim Maxwell Unknown
(402)935-5185 Rich Unknown
(402)935-5186 Jerry Lowe (female) Unknown
(402)935-5187 Brian G. Unknown Voicemail says w/Ebay
(402)935-5189 Brian Unknown
(402)935-5192 Christian Reese Unknown
(402)935-5194 Reese Unknown
(402)935-5195 Angie Unknown
(402)935-5196 Scott Unknown

(Thanks to Laura!)

(Photo: Travelin' Librarian)

College Student Learns How Overdrafts Work

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:20:32 EDT

Forgive me, I'm a bit emotional over this. I'm raging mad and sad and disappointed because today Wells Fargo just lost my business. Yeah, I screwed up in this, but I'm a poor college student, and I thought I fixed it before it was a problem...

So, Saturday night I made two Paypal purchases. When I looked at my bank account, I noticed that I didn't have enough to cover them, so I transferred enough to cover both purchases and the overdraft fee from my ING Direct account. Monday rolls around, my Paypal purchases come through, and my transfer shows up as pending. Okay, I thought, so I've got that covered, cool. Tuesday morning rolls around and my deposit has posted and I'm in the green, with enough to cover the inevitable overdraft fee. Then, Tuesday night I decided to check in on my account. TWO overdraft fees has posted, and I'm deep in the red. Not to mention I had bought a stamp today that puts me deeper in the red, though not by much. So I call Wells Fargo, explain my situation and confusion, and ask to speak to the manager. I'm put on hold, the music plays for a little while, then stops. I sit for another five minutes with no reaction from the phone, so I hang up and try again. I am transferred to the manager, but this time I don't even get the music, it just cuts off. The third time I finally get through to a manager, who, after I explained the situation, informs me that, yes, every item will be subject to an overdraft fee. This means I might get another overdraft fee from having bought the stamp today.
I know this is mostly my own fault, but after about ten minutes on the phone I couldn't even get her to reverse one of the fees because it "wasn't a bank error." I just think it's a little unfair that I'm looking now at potentially over $100 in overdraft fees for something I thought I had corrected. Consumerist, I put this out as a warning. I used to love Wells Fargo, but now... the magic is gone. I have to move on. Probably to a Student Credit Union- I've heard good things about them.

-DM

DM,

In the final tally, deductions are taken out immediately. So if at any point there wasn't enough money to cover the charge, there's going to be an overdraft. Technically, you're screwed, but if you call the Wells Fargo 1800 number and say please, they might show mercy and refund one of the overdrafts. Switching to a credit union is a good idea anyway, but don't expect them to be more lenient on the issue of how quickly items are debited, though they might be more sympathetic when you overdraft again.

Check Credit Card Statements For "STC SAWA RECHARGE RIYADH SA"

Ben Popken — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:36:02 EDT

Check your credit card and debit card statement for unauthorized charges from STC SAWA RECHARGE RIYADH SA. The Saudi Arabian phone card company is fraudulently passing charges to consumer's cards, usually for sums of $80. If you find one of these unwanted charges, contact your card company to dispute the charges. This may not be enough, as consumers report being the charges hitting their cards multiple times, even after reporting them. In these cases, it may be better to cancel the account.

There's seems to be no correlation between vendors victims used their cards with, perhaps pointing to a breach at the credit card company level.

STC SAWA Credit Card Fraud [Reseller Ratings]

Northwest Airlines Accepts Paypal?

Meg Marco — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:44:40 EDT

Northwest Airlines has announced that it will begin accepting Paypal as a payment method on its website. Why? Apparently, there is a demand for this. Stephanie Tilenius, vice president of merchant services for PayPal, said in a Northwest Airlines Press Release:

"We are excited to add Northwest Airlines, one of the world's largest airlines, as the first airline to accept PayPal. Many of our customers already book travel with Northwest Airlines and are eager to use their PayPal accounts to do so."

We guess Northwest Airlines is the eBay of airlines, so that makes sense. Their planes have that "yard sale full of late 70's stuff" feeling.

Northwest Airlines Offers PayPal For NWA.com Ticket Purchases (Press Release) [NWA]
(Photo: drewski2112)

eBay Only To Verified PayPal Addresses Or You Can Get Scammed

Ben Popken — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:08:12 EDT

I haven't sold very many things on Ebay. I run a DJ company and had a brand new Pioneer DJ CD player that sells for over $1000 that I wanted to sell on Ebay. I went through the process of selling it and the winning bidder (who had very low feedback) payed me very quickly via paypal. The address the person gave me was for her son in Nigeria. Yes, I know Nigeria I should have known, but I was naive and trusted this person. Plus, I had seen on the Paypal website that they have up to $1000 - $2000 of seller protection. So I figured if it was a scam, then I was covered.

So I received the money and went ahead and deposited it into my checking account via Paypal direct deposit. Then all of sudden after I shipped it the buyer filed a claim against me saying that I didn't ship it...

I was contacted by Paypal and provided documentation of me shipping it to the address that she gave to me. They told me that since it wasn't a Paypal verified address that I was out of luck and out of my $1100 that I sold it for. I tried calling the USPS and stopping the shipment, but it was gone already. So I was out of luck.
After a month or two of fighting with Paypal and not wanting to pay them they sent my claim to a collection agency. So I kind of had to pay it at that time or my credit would have been tainted. I ended up paying the $1100 and change to the collection agency via my credit card. I figured that my next line of defense was my credit card company. So after I paid on my credit card I contacted my credit card company and explained to them what happened. They sent me some forms to fill out and I sent them all the proof that I had that I had gotten scammed. They sent me information back saying that they talked to the collection agency and they couldn't help me with my claim.

So now I'm out the $1100 which I could really use and I don't really know where else to turn. I know I made a bad judgment call by shipping to Nigeria, but at the same time I would have never done that if I knew I didn't have any type of protection from Paypal or my credit card company.

If you have any ideas as to how I can get this money back could you please help?

- Evan

Sorry Evan, you're screwed. Paypal seller protection only works when selling to a verified address. Whenever we sell, we only sell to US, Canada, and UK, require paypal, and make it known that we will only ship to a verified address. Only then will you qualify for seller protection, and for big ticket items like yours, you need to require signature confirmation as well. Consider it a hard lesson learrned, pay your bill, and move on. Next time, a good rule of thumb is, if it involves Nigeria, it's probably a scam. Those advance fee scams filling your email where you deposit $40,000 in gold bullion and send the princess the difference ? That's also called the "Nigerian 419 Scam." Nigeria = Scamopolia. Stay away. — BEN POPKEN

The $61 Billion Dollar PayPal Error

Meg Marco — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:44:12 EDT

Reader Dan tried to purchase a product mentioned on The Unofficial Apple Weblog, but it turned out to be a little pricey:

The item is priced at $28.95, which TUAW said seemed a bit high. It seemed fair to me. I should have listened. When I went through the purchase process and clicked "buy," my Paypal order screen listed the price as $61,803,552,167.70 USD.
No kidding. I've attached the screen shot.

I guess I should always listen to TUAW.

Silly Dan, you accidentally tried to buy the one manufactured by Halliburton. —MEGHANN MARCO

By Air, Boat, Or Plane, Paypal Sucks For Transaction Disputes

Ben Popken — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 14:11:04 EDT

How is that Paypal gets away with having a customer service system completely unreachable by humans?

"Hey, nice website...consumers need as many of these sites as possible so that peoples' horror stories are heard. I myself have a little rant about Paypal and USPS. Turns out USPS makes a mistake and ships one of my ebay packages via boat rather than airmail (how in the digital age???). I have the receipt proving that I paid for airmail shipping. My local USPS claims agent confirmed that they did indeed ship it by boat. So of course the customer complains after about a month that they didn't get the package, and Paypal immediately refunds their money, despite my badgering them by phone, trying to explain what USPS did...."

...Paypal just doesn't listen. Well, the package was shipped in Sept.2006, and according to USPS it arrived in Turkey "on or around" Jan. 10, 2007 ("on or around?" again, how in the digital age???). USPS sent me a letter indicating this, but no proof. Also, they are denying all liability and won't even give a refund of the postage even though they sent it by boat rather than air. Of course, getting the insurance claim is out of the question, too. AND, Paypal is now hiding behind their seller protection policy, refusing to reverse the refund even though USPS is indicating that it was delivered. So I have no recourse whatsoever. But I'm guessing that my customer in Turkey ended up with a free mp3 player. I'm beginning to feel like these offerings of "insurance" and "seller protection" made by USPS and Paypal are just a scam. I paid USPS extra money in order to get insurance. I felt like that might encourage them to take good care of it. What happens? It takes 3 months to deliver a package (and I'm still not sure whether it really was delivered) that should have taken 2 weeks. And now they refuse to compensate me. And as for Paypal, they made a refund to MY customer prematurely even though I was communicating with them and letting them know the situation. The whole time, USPS online tracking said "in transit". Paypal's official reason for granting a refund to MY customer: "invalid tracking info".

— BEN POPKEN

Hacker Taunts Americans For Letting Him Steal Their Identities

Ben Popken — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:17:04 EST

This could be you.

A Romanian hacker posted this and 15 other people's profiles in the eBay Trust and Safety forum, taunting Americans with his identity thieving prowess. He said,

...what make the american and canadian boys at 14-15 years old ????? Eaet burgers at Mc Dolnalds and watched naked girls on internet porno webspages.... Romanian guys at 14-15 years old scam people...Is so easy to stolen your eBay account and your Paypal.....is just a funny game for us...

We have to agree with the fellow. Stop eating your cheeseburgers and watching your porno and protect your identities, fools.

How To Spot A PayPal Spoofer
12 Steps To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
ORIGINAL VIDEO: PayPal Security Key First Look
What To Do When Your Identity Is Stolen
HOW TO: Get Through Having Your Identity Stolen

Full screencap of the nose-thumb, inside...

Click to enlarge.

— BEN POPKEN

(Thanks to Bud!)

Paypal Security Key Fob User? Log In Faster

Ben Popken — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:29:25 EST

A minor annoyance of the Paypal security key is that it introduces a second login screen for your six-digit code. Did you know you can skip the secondary screening?

Simply append your six-digit security key code to your password when you login. Shazam, you're in.

A handy tip for those who enjoy shaving off needless seconds. — BEN POPKEN

PREVIOUSLY: ORIGINAL VIDEO: PayPal Security Key First Look