Going downhill but better than nothing (paypal.com)

Member Name: bored_at_home

Product:	paypal.com
Date:	14/10/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Secure payment method, flexible options, possibility of refund

Disadvantages: Catches everywhere, more appearing all the time

Paypal is a digital payment service owned by Ebay. You can pay through your card, bank account or an online balance with flexible options. It is supported by a lot of online retailers, ebay being the biggest.

Paypal has a lot of good ideas that were initially implemented excellently. The possibility of a complete refund with an independant adjucator reviewing your case who is able to see other buyers problems and take that into account seems revolutionary. For sellers you could receive money without the hassle of setting up a card system or taking cheques and you can pay your postage costs digitally through Paypal.

After using Paypal since 2001 I'm finding the reality increasingly bitter, especially since they were purchased by Ebay. More and more catches are appearing and they now completely discourage email customer services in favour of phoning a national rate number. Every time I place a claim with them I'm having to abandon it because of their catches, for example, you can't claim for concert tickets which seems to allow open fraud. Claims can't be opened for 2 weeks (even if the seller simply states that he will refuse to send you the item) and if you miss the 60 day claim window then you are not entitled to a refund. Sellers have 2 weeks to respond to every case update and they can easily spend the 6 week claim window messing you around or sending lies.

The Paypal fees are gradually increasing. The online postage recently increased to cost more than going direct to royal mail. If you request a refund on a bank account transfer then you have to wait 2 weeks to receive the funds in your Paypal account. They flog a PayPal credit card but this isn't even run by them and has no link at all to your PayPal account.

In retrospect Paypal is still better than sending a wire transfer, giving a random company your card details or playing "Where's the cheque?". Always read the terms and conditions before taking anything they say for face value.

Summary: Dissappointing to watch it decline