Reply to post: Paypal has issues, but I like them

Paypal has issues, but I like them

Paypal has some major issues, but they serve and protect customers in a way that Credit card companies don't. For the consumers, Paypal always has someone there to chat with or speak to on the phone. Paypal works to resolve the issue and makes sure things end well for me.

I've made a lot of purchases online over the years and on more than four occasions Paypal has helped me out.

1) I bought an $80 toy (out of production) on eBay, the seller sent me another toy by the same name, but not the model of toy pictured. The toy they sent was in production and worth $10. They said they accidentally copy pasted the wrong picture, I think it was a scam, but it doesn't matter I had Paypal at my back. Paypal had the eBayer pay return shipping costs and send me the correct item.

2) I bought the plastic piece of a laptop that goes above the keyboard with the media buttons and a power button on it. In the service manual the part number displayed in the auction included the electronics. The eBay seller shipped me the plastic piece without the electronics. After I contacted him, he told me to keep it and refunded my payment.

3) I've bought many computer products from companies with unpronounceable Asian names that I've never heard of before, because I knew Paypal would be there for me if the product didn't function as described. I wouldn't have done business with these people otherwise.

4) I bought an expensive and heavily, nastily DRM'd piece of software from an independent author because it was exactly what I needed. I provided all necessary information through Paypal, but not my address as the author would not be mailing me anything. The less people who have my personal info the better. The author ignored me. After I followed up he insisted on an address I declined to provide it unless he wished to mail me a copy on disk. He ignored me. I followed up and he finally said he was not giving me a key now or ever. The author did not refund my money. I contacted Paypal providing a record of the conversations and they forced a refund. I've been pirating that piece of software ever since. I'm very grateful to the pirates too because the nasty DRM that secure deletes (makes unrecoverable), if the program has a licensing issue, the data files that the program creates has been removed.

A business accepting Paypal for the most part means they are a legitimate respectable company, that they will do what they say, and that I'm safe ordering from them even if I've never heard of them before. It means while I deal with the company first if they don't do what they say, or deliver what I ordered, I've got somebody to back me up

Credit card companies are supposed to provide some protections, but they're legally required to. With my Chase Credit card when I had an issue with a merchant, I found the people I talked to disinterested, they frequently transferred me and gave me run around answers eventually I got Chase to solve the issue, but it took 4 hours and a huge amount of effort on my part.

Paypal makes international purchases safe and easy too. In fact I'd go so far as to say that if a business on the internet doesn't accept Paypal I'm going to find a company who does and buy there instead even if the product is 10% more expensive. So while I'll acknowledge Paypal has issues for those selling goods I must say many of your competitors selling goods on the internet are scamming fraudsters, and I feel I need protection from you on the whole. Paypal allows me to have the trust to buy from you.