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I'm no fan of PayPal, but this customer was aware that a sudden onslaught of sales (where before there was none) might set off some sort of alarm with his payme

I'm no fan of PayPal, but this customer was aware that a sudden onslaught of sales (where before there was none) might set off some sort of alarm with his payment processor. Seems like a legitimate concern for both the processor and a pro-active measure by the customer. We all know the horror stories of frozen PayPal accounts but I can't say I can blame PP given the scope of what they have to deal with when transferring money and dealing with regulators/government.

ajpos 13y ago
I don't know how well regulated Paypal is, as you infer, since it is not a bank and does not have to follow bank rules. Banks and credit card companies seem to get it right with many more regulations, why can't Paypal? If I use my credit card for a spending spree, all it takes is one phone call with Visa to have everything cleared up. Paypal wouldn't have earned their reputation if they were able to provide that level of service.
- mkesper 13y ago
  https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/about https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/about PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. is duly licenced as a Luxembourg credit institution
mhurron 13y ago
Informing them in this instance does seem more like the situation where you tell your bank your traveling overseas between X and Y. It's reasonable to assume a flood of cash would be enough to set off various alarms. It is a shame you have to be so wary of PayPal, but in this case it did lead them to do what would be the right thing no matter what you were using to cover payment processing.
- kroger 13y ago
  Calling them it's not a big deal, but they could make it clear. If you email their support you'll get these long and vague emails. I've learned my lesson: if I need anything from PayPal I'll call them presto. Once I was accessing PayPal while using a VPN (I was on a public wifi) and they blocked my account. I called them and the matter was solved very efficiently in seconds. But, how on earth would I know that my account would be blocked if I used a VPN?
  - mhurron 13y ago
    I don't think anyone would say the way PayPal handles things is the right way, including the clarity of their communications. I just saw the story highlighting that you probably should have a better relationship with your financial institutions in general. In this case the fear of dealing with PayPal lead the author of the link to do what would have been the right thing no matter who they were dealing with.
SanderMak 13y ago
Of course what you say is true. Let me put it another way: when my CC issuer detects an anomaly, they block the charge and contact me rightaway to resolve it. I don't fear anything because I know they'll do the right thing and keep me in the loop. Why can't PayPal have such a symbiotic relationship with their customers, rather than instilling fear?

ajpos 13y ago

I don't know how well regulated Paypal is, as you infer, since it is not a bank and does not have to follow bank rules. Banks and credit card companies seem to get it right with many more regulations, why can't Paypal? If I use my credit card for a spending spree, all it takes is one phone call with Visa to have everything cleared up. Paypal wouldn't have earned their reputation if they were able to provide that level of service.

mkesper 13y ago
https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/about https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/about PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. is duly licenced as a Luxembourg credit institution

mhurron 13y ago

Informing them in this instance does seem more like the situation where you tell your bank your traveling overseas between X and Y. It's reasonable to assume a flood of cash would be enough to set off various alarms. It is a shame you have to be so wary of PayPal, but in this case it did lead them to do what would be the right thing no matter what you were using to cover payment processing.

kroger 13y ago
Calling them it's not a big deal, but they could make it clear. If you email their support you'll get these long and vague emails. I've learned my lesson: if I need anything from PayPal I'll call them presto. Once I was accessing PayPal while using a VPN (I was on a public wifi) and they blocked my account. I called them and the matter was solved very efficiently in seconds. But, how on earth would I know that my account would be blocked if I used a VPN?
- mhurron 13y ago
  I don't think anyone would say the way PayPal handles things is the right way, including the clarity of their communications. I just saw the story highlighting that you probably should have a better relationship with your financial institutions in general. In this case the fear of dealing with PayPal lead the author of the link to do what would have been the right thing no matter who they were dealing with.

SanderMak 13y ago

Of course what you say is true. Let me put it another way: when my CC issuer detects an anomaly, they block the charge and contact me rightaway to resolve it. I don't fear anything because I know they'll do the right thing and keep me in the loop. Why can't PayPal have such a symbiotic relationship with their customers, rather than instilling fear?