Paypal for points rental

[snowbunny]

We recently rented 100+ points from a DVC owner for member transfer. 50% payment via Paypal, transfer of points, then remaining 50% transfer also via Paypal. It all went fine.

So I was surprised when a day or two later, a Paypal staffer calls me and asks whether I authorized these two payments. OK fine, they're checking for possible fraudulent use of my account. I say yes, I made these charges.

Then she asks, how did myself and the other person make our arrangement, was it an auction? I say, it was a private transaction. Ok, so they're checking to make sure ebay isn't missing out on any action, or something.

So then she wants to know what I bought. I say, Excuse me? Why would you need to know that? She says Paypal has to make sure that with these transactions, "everything is okay." Whatever that means. Instead of just hanging up on her, which I should have done, I tell her that it was for a transfer of vacation points. At which point, she attempts to clarify what that is...I let her ramble on for a few seconds before semi-politely getting rid of her.

This is so over-the-top intrusive. When has my bank ever called to ask what I bought with that check I wrote? I never liked Paypal but this just seals it.

 

[CarolAnnC]

One has to be so careful these days. How do you know it was Paypal calling you for sure? I think I would have asked for the name and phone number and then verified it before answering any questions at all....

 

[snowbunny]

One has to be so careful these days. How do you know it was Paypal calling you for sure? I think I would have asked for the name and phone number and then verified it before answering any questions at all....

Hmm, good question...she knew the dates and the exact amounts of the transactions??

 

[browniemtb]

This seems like a strange situation. First off, Paypal is used by many in all kinds of credit card transactions, not just ebay. I can see them calling you if both payments were the same in a very short period of time. But after you answered the initial question of you authorizing the charge the conversation should have ended. After that its an invasion of your privacy........keep an eye on your paypal account and any linked bank accounts for the time being.

I have used paypal several times and have yet to recieve a call or email questioning the transaction......

Brownie

 

[squirrlygirl]

"4.4 Payment Review. Payment Review is a process by which PayPal reviews certain potentially high-risk transactions. If a payment is subject to Payment Review, PayPal will place a hold on the payment and provide notice to the seller to delay shipping the item. PayPal will conduct a review and either clear or reverse the payment. If the payment is cleared, PayPal will provide notice to the seller to ship the item. Otherwise, PayPal will reverse the payment and the funds will be returned to the buyer. All payments that clear Payment Review will be marked Seller Protection Policy eligible. PayPal will provide notices to you by email and/or in the Transaction History tab of your PayPal account. "

Might this be what's going on?
I'm a big fan of paypal--the few times I've had a problem they've come through for me!

 

[snowbunny]

This seems like a strange situation. First off, Paypal is used by many in all kinds of credit card transactions, not just ebay.

Right, I know that, but since Ebay owns Paypal meaning that they share all their information, one of my first thoughts was that they are somehow trying to get an angle on every sale, everywhere. Sometimes it seems like ebay and paypal are ubiquitous, they (and Amazon) are becoming the default way to shop. Convenience is great but - there is no privacy anymore.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

We recently rented 100+ points from a DVC owner for member transfer. 50% payment via Paypal, transfer of points, then remaining 50% transfer also via Paypal. It all went fine.

Did you just do a PayPal transaction, or did you rent the points through eBay? If it's an eBay transaction I could see them checking into it for fraud investigation-purposes. I've used PayPal to transfer large amounts of money to others and vice versa, and have never had this happen.

 

[U2FanHfx]

Wish PayPal would have called and held my transactions. I have been ripped off twice on eBay for PayPal payments. Once for a Digital Camera and once recently for a GPS unit. Both times when I called PayPal fraud, they said, "We did what we were required to do and exchanged the money. We are not responsible for the item itself." I phoned Visa and they told me that it's a lost cause. They go fight with PayPal in front of the committee and lose. PayPal is the Visa Merchant and they "did their job". The seller is not the Visa Merchant and therefore you have no way to go after them. I know the old saying that I shouldn't have let myself get burned again. But I really gave it over 3 years and it was my first purchase again. I will NEVER buy anything online except from 'big box' stores that are trustworthy.

Buyer beware.

Chad J.

 

[snowbunny]

Did you just do a PayPal transaction, or did you rent the points through eBay?

Nope it was a paypal transaction only, the other member and I found each other on the boards. Also to Chad J. above, that's the same sense I get from paypal - they do not really offer any buyer protection (not that I expected it). I did not get the sense, after I affirmed that the charges were legitimate, that the rep wanted to help me. She simply wanted me to tell her everything about what I bought and why.

 

[squirrlygirl]

Gee, am I only supposed to post if I agree with the OP opinion?

Paypal sucks. Can I get acknowledged now? Or do I need to come back when my post count is higher?

Thanks!

 

[snowbunny]

squirrlygirl, I kinda acknowledged your reply (I thought) in saying that it did seem to me that paypal was first asking if the charges were indeed mine. I did not have a problem with this. From time to time I've had a credit card company do the same. It was the rest of it that really irritated me.
Don't worry, I'm the original thread killer...after my post they seem to die a lot

 

[goalie5hole]

Gee, am I only supposed to post if I agree with the OP opinion?

Paypal sucks. Can I get acknowledged now? Or do I need to come back when my post count is higher?

Thanks!

I think Paypal sucks too!!!!!!!!!!

 

[robinb]

If the payment was to a Personal Account then eBay may have been after more fees. If you use Paypal for an auction or for "goods", then the seller is limited to accepting only a certain amount in payment before they must upgrade to a Professional Account where each and every transaction is assessed a fee ... even Paypal transfers. If it's for "Service/Other" then there is no limit. So ... perhaps they wanted to force an upgrade for the buyer.

 

[abeyst]

Doesn't Paypal have a saying somewhere that they will never call and ask you for information?

 

[Sammie]

The only thing I can wonder how about is, where they concerned about the tax situation. I still do not know how DVC members that rent get around collecting the tax on these units.

We rent condos often in other parts of Florida and we always have to pay tax.

 

[Pennyguy23]

I use my Paypal card atleast 4 or 5 times a day. I have never been called about a transaction.

 

[Pennyguy23]

Wish PayPal would have called and held my transactions. I have been ripped off twice on eBay for PayPal payments. Once for a Digital Camera and once recently for a GPS unit. Both times when I called PayPal fraud, they said, "We did what we were required to do and exchanged the money. We are not responsible for the item itself." I phoned Visa and they told me that it's a lost cause. They go fight with PayPal in front of the committee and lose. PayPal is the Visa Merchant and they "did their job". The seller is not the Visa Merchant and therefore you have no way to go after them. I know the old saying that I shouldn't have let myself get burned again. But I really gave it over 3 years and it was my first purchase again. I will NEVER buy anything online except from 'big box' stores that are trustworthy.

Buyer beware.

Chad J.

You need to file a claim with paypal about the GPS unit if it was resently. I just bought a new cell phone and didn't recieve it and they gave me my money back.

 

[snowbunny]

If the payment was to a Personal Account then eBay may have been after more fees. If you use Paypal for an auction or for "goods", then the seller is limited to accepting only a certain amount in payment before they must upgrade to a Professional Account where each and every transaction is assessed a fee ... even Paypal transfers. If it's for "Service/Other" then there is no limit. So ... perhaps they wanted to force an upgrade for the buyer.

...this sounds plausible. The person transferring the points to me listed them as "goods" and she had told she had just signed up for paypal.

 

[robinb]

I know this because my season ticket partner wanted to pay me using PayPal for his half of our play-off tickets which were more than $600 USD. I thought the limit was only $500, but after researching it I found out that I could request the payment as Services/Other (which it was) without a limit.

I also have a Business account for things like eBay and DVC point rentals. If a DVC buyer insists on using PayPal I simply pass the cost of the fees onto them.

From eBay:

Question :
Is there a limit to the amount of payments Personal accounts can receive?

Answer :
Yes. Depending on the primary currency of the Personal account, the receiving limit is $500.00 USD, $650.00 CAD, €500.00 EUR, or £250.00 GBP. (The receiving limit is based on the primary currency of the account. If you receive payments in more than one currency, your limit will be calculated based on the total amount you receive each month – after the amount is converted into your primary currency. To view your Personal account limit, log in to your account and click the View Limits link.)

The receiving limit applies to the following payment types: eBay Items, Auction Non-eBay, and Goods-Other (Website sales). All applicable payments that exceed the monthly limit will be placed in accept/deny status until you upgrade your account to receive the payments or you choose to deny them. If no action is taken, the payment is returned to the buyer after 30 days. The limit is reset monthly.

 

[CarolA]

We recently rented 100+ points from a DVC owner for member transfer. 50% payment via Paypal, transfer of points, then remaining 50% transfer also via Paypal. It all went fine.

So I was surprised when a day or two later, a Paypal staffer calls me and asks whether I authorized these two payments. OK fine, they're checking for possible fraudulent use of my account. I say yes, I made these charges.

Then she asks, how did myself and the other person make our arrangement, was it an auction? I say, it was a private transaction. Ok, so they're checking to make sure ebay isn't missing out on any action, or something.

So then she wants to know what I bought. I say, Excuse me? Why would you need to know that? She says Paypal has to make sure that with these transactions, "everything is okay." Whatever that means. Instead of just hanging up on her, which I should have done, I tell her that it was for a transfer of vacation points. At which point, she attempts to clarify what that is...I let her ramble on for a few seconds before semi-politely getting rid of her.

This is so over-the-top intrusive. When has my bank ever called to ask what I bought with that check I wrote? I never liked Paypal but this just seals it.

They did this to me on an apartment rental in Paris and then REFUSED to process the transaction to "protect me" FROM WHAT? THEM???? They claimed since "Paypal" didn't know the vendor it might be fraudulent. WHen I quizzed them they did NADA to verify the "vendor" who by the way is a long standing reputable firm..... (who OTHER renters have been able to pay using paypal for years!) This was not a large transaction (maybe $200)???? So the "amount limits' didn't apply. There was no good reason other then the truth. Paypal REALLY provides NO (NONE NADA ETC) security to you that if the transaction does not go they will deal with it. They don't want to process anything that might in any small way cause them to have to spend any money doing anything to assist the customer. (Paypal is NOT protecting you and if you think they are, Fantasyland is at the MK!) I think the problem was that I don't have a Paypal account which lets them "touch" my bank account. (I wouldn't let those thieves near my cash with a 10 foot poll LOL!)

To the person with the GPS unit. As you have seen, if the vendor tells paypal that they provided you a working unit then paypal is done! (there is consumer protection there???? WHERE???)

IDIOTS

I only use them if there are NO other options and then only for small transactions.