Soon, anywhere you see a Discover logo, you’ll be able to use your PayPal account to buy everything from coffee to clothing in 7 million retail locations across the country. PayPal has been all about expanding its offline presence, and this next step is a pretty big push in that direction. [More]
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Why Won't PayPal Accept My Secure Account Number?
By 8.22.12
Discover has a neat account security feature: the ability to generate numbers that only work with one merchant. Imagine how handy this would be in the case of a credit card number breach! Only PayPal, arguably the biggest third-party payment processor in the solar system, won’t accept one of these numbers. It could have something to do with that third-party nature…or do they hate account security? That’s what Doug thinks. [More]
I Sent eBay Buyer A Pair Of Sunglasses, They Sent Me Back A Brick
By 8.14.12
Someone bought a pair of sunglasses from Nataly on eBay. That happens. Usually it’s a good thing. The problem for Nataly was that the buyer claimed to be unhappy and wanted to return the sunglasses, even though she had a strict “no returns” policy. Thanks to eBay’s strict pro-buyer stance, she was ordered to send the customer a refund. In return, they sent her a package back. That package did not contain the sunglasses. [More]
Stuck Without Refund, Should I Listen To Walmart Or PayPal?
By 6.27.12
J. is stuck between two commercial titans and regular Worst Company in America contenders: Walmart and PayPal. After he returned a defective tablet for a refund, Walmart held on to the money. J. filed a PayPal dispute, and has been told to drop the dispute in order to get a refund from Walmart. PayPal says not to drop the dispute. Who should J. trust? [More]
PayPal Bans You For Life, Won’t Tell You Why
By 6.13.12
During his misspent youth, Jake’s PayPal account was frozen. He tells Consumerist that it was due to “suspicious activity” that he knew nothing about and that Paypal/eBay never identified. He was never able to prove his identity to their satisfaction, and PayPal apparently didn’t want a no-good ruffian like him as a customer. Even if they never told him what it was he did that was no good. Half a decade later, as a responsible adult with a real job and a good credit score, he bought something on eBay and set up a new PayPal account to pay for it. Not so fast, Jake! They shut down this account, too, and blocked his credit cards from use on eBay…and still won’t tell him why. [More]
Judge Allows Payment Monopoly Lawsuit Against eBay/PayPal To Proceed
By 6.1.12
When you go to the eBay Seller Information Center section about how to accept payments, there is no mention of any other payment service than PayPal, which as you likely know, is owned by eBay. This oh-so-close relationship is at the core of a lawsuit against the online auction site. [More]
PayPal's Real-World Dominion Expanding To 15 Additional Major Retailers
By 5.24.12
For so long, PayPal has been a convenient way to make payments online (so long as you don’t care about things like customer service or getting your payment disputes settled or even responded to). But the company has been edging its way into real-world retailing, especially through its Home Depot partnership. And today PayPal announced its plan to go whole-hog in this sphere with 15 new major retail partners. [More]
Fraudulent eBay Buyer Leaves You Minus $1000 And A MacBook Pro
By 5.21.12
Earlier this month, Jacob sold a MacBook Pro on eBay. His buyer appeared to be in Australia, but contacted him after payment and asked to have the computer shipped to Indonesia. Since he’s both a Consumerist reader and a person with a functioning brain, Jacob was wary of this change, suspecting some kind of fraud. He called up eBay to see what he should do. The customer service representative told him that he needed to mail the laptop, or it would negatively affect his seller account. So he sent it along, then heard from eBay less than 24 hours later that the buyer’s account had been compromised. You don’t say! Now Jacob is out both a laptop and the $1,023.74 payment. [More]
Why You Shouldn't Use PayPal On Target.com At All
By 5.11.12
In past reader stories posted to this site, we’ve learned that if you you use PayPal to buy an item from Target online, then later return it, you’re only going to get store credit back. That’s cool if you shop at Target a lot, but not so cool if you don’t. Now Bethany has discovered an exciting and infuriating variation on this concept. If you order something from Target using PayPal and it’s never delivered, sure, you’ll get a refund. In the form of an e-gift card to Target. [More]
PayPal Leaves Small Business Out $500 And A Snake
By 3.30.12
Shawn runs a small reptile business, selling habitats, supplies, and animals. A customer’s purchase of a $500 snake went smoothly, with payment via PayPal and a critter off to a happy new home. Then the buyer reported the transaction to PayPal as fraudulent. They ruled in the buyer’s favor after an “investigation” that didn’t include talking to Shawn, and took back the $500. Voil√† – free snake. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 3: PayPal Vs. Walmart
By 3.27.12
Which is mightier: bricks and mortar or bits and bytes? That age-old question will finally be resolved on the blood-soaked ultrasuede floor of the Worst Company In America Ellipse of Evil. [More]
The 8 Remaining Worst Company In America Contenders Sure Are An Elite Bunch!
By 3.27.12
Two weeks ago, 32 of the nation’s worst businesses entered the Worst Company In America Battledome Nonagon, hoping to prove they could out-twit, overcharge and outlast the others to ultimately be named the Worst Company In America 2012. Two dozen companies have since been fed to the shark-eating robot piranhas and only eight remain with a chance to be crowned with the Golden Poo. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 2: PayPal Vs. Charter
By 3.23.12
It’s the final day of competition in Round Two of Worst Company In America 2012, but there are still an awful lot of awful businesses still waiting to do battle. So let’s get to it and do it, shall we? [More]
Please Join Us In Welcoming Your Worst Company In America 2012 Sweet 16!
By 3.21.12
The floor of the Worst Company In America BattleDome is stained with the blood of the vanquished. But only one company can earn the privilege of placing the WCIA Golden Poo in its trophy case, so the violence must continue. [More]
PayPal Moves Into The Physical Realm With Mobile Credit Card Reader
By 3.15.12
PayPal is dangling its new dongle out there for small businesses who want to take mobile payments from customers’ credit cards. Its new “PayPal Here” gadget and PayPal app will join its fellow phone dongle, Square, in plugging in on iPhones and eventually, Android phones, so owners can accept payment wherever they happen to be selling stuff. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: PayPal Vs. Capital One
By 3.15.12
At the end of this bout, one of these competitors will have paid the price in blood. And lord help them if they try to dispute that payment with either company’s customer service departments. [More]
PayPal Changes Its Mind, Decides You Can Use It To Buy Erotic E-Books
By 3.13.12
On the eve of its first match in this year’s Worst Company In America tournament, PayPal has changed its relatively new policy that would have forbidden the service’s use in the purchasing of e-books detailing certain sexual acts and behaviors. [More]
Here It Is, Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2012!
By 3.12.12
Welcome to Consumerist’s 7th Annual Worst Company In America tournament, where the businesses you nominated face off for a title that none of them will publicly admit to wanting — but which all of them try their hardest to earn. So it’s time to fill in the brackets and start another office pool. That is, unless you work at one of the 32 companies competing in the tournament. [More]
