One more "Paypal screwed me" thread!

[emperor_black]

I'm so freakin Mad! So, in a live.com shopping spree, I purchased 4 items on the fleabay and went ahead and paid with paypal. On the paypal payment page where I can choose whether to pay with credit card or bank account, it said "You can pay with your bank account and if funds are not available, then we will take it out of the backup which is the credit card". I knew there was hardly any money left in the bank account and intended to pay with credit card anyway. So, I fell for that message and paid with the bank account.

Well, bank of america did pay paypal but assesed me overdraft fees 4 times! 2 times $25 and 2 times $35. I'm so freaking mad! I'm very careful with bank balances and only one time in my 8 years with BOA that I have been charged because one guy was told not to deposit the check until tuesday but he did it anyways! So, ALWAYS PAY WITH THE CREDIT CARD!!! Paypal bastards, you screwed me again!!

[Matt_B]

While I'm becoming less and less of a fan of PayPal, it seems that you kinda set yourself up for that. Please understand that I do feel that what happened to you sucks but this doesn't seem like PayPal's fault.

Your bank is the one that controls how overdrafts are handled. If you bank's policy is to pay out, not matter what, and just charge you overdraft fees how is PayPal going to know that?

To me, the moral of this story is don't spend money you don't have.

[emperor_black]

Yeah, I know. But if only that message was not printed on the paypal page, I would never have paid with the bank account in which I very well know there is no money. I think they put up that message only recently. I dont remember seeing that message a few months back.

Basically, this thread is a summary of my lesson learnt and to avoid anyone from falling for this trap like I did.

[StukaJU87]

BOA sucks. My g/f has had nothing but trouble with them.

[toejam]

BOA sucks. My g/f has had nothing but trouble with them.

+1. My roommate has had nothing but trouble with them, also. Then again, half the problem is usually her fault for being a dumbass. :ROTF:

[shreddermon]

It annoys me to no end that Paypal won't let you select your CC as the deault payment method. You have to switch it with every transaction.

[Newc]

That message has been on there for a long time, actually. You just have to go through the seemingly increasing hassle of choosing your CC as payment method.

Used to, you could just select it from the list of available payment options all on one page, then they had a big button that said "Change" next to the Payment Type.

Now it's a text link right over your address so it looks like it's the link to change your personal info.


However, you really shoulda selected the CC option from the beginning.
PayPal has to wait for the bank to tell them when you're overdrawn and to start on the CC. If the bank has to tell someone you're overdrawn, you get hit with the fees.

[Rich#6]

Your bank fucked you not paypal. They have an overdraft protection on your account so your bills won't bounce but they stick it up your ass when you can't pay for all the overdraft fees.
My wife did that to me a few years ago on here account. she kept using the debit card(as a credit card) and I told here she needed to make sure she had enough money. she said don't worry it shouldn't go through if there is no money. after 5+ charges of like $5 for smokes we get the letters in the mail $29 per issue and $7 a day that the account is overdrawn.

[DonP]

I'm so freakin Mad! So, in a live.com shopping spree, I purchased 4 items on the fleabay and went ahead and paid with paypal. On the paypal payment page where I can choose whether to pay with credit card or bank account, it said "You can pay with your bank account and if funds are not available, then we will take it out of the backup which is the credit card". I knew there was hardly any money left in the bank account and intended to pay with credit card anyway. So, I fell for that message and paid with the bank account.

Well, bank of america did pay paypal but assesed me overdraft fees 4 times! 2 times $25 and 2 times $35. I'm so freaking mad! I'm very careful with bank balances and only one time in my 8 years with BOA that I have been charged because one guy was told not to deposit the check until tuesday but he did it anyways! So, ALWAYS PAY WITH THE CREDIT CARD!!! Paypal bastards, you screwed me again!!

Been there, done that. Luckily I did it only once. I think I tried fighting with National City, but I can't remember if I won or not. They pissed me off and I closed the bank account.

[lerxstcat]

Yeah, that one's really not Paypal's fault. You're responsible for knowing your bank's overdraft policy.

Not only that, since you paid with your bank account, you don't have the same level of protection on the transactions since you don't have the option of doing a CC chargeback if Paypal rules against you on a dispute.

So make the extra effort to select your credit card as the primary method of payment and not the backup. You can always pay the creditcard payment from your banck account before the interest charges kick in and that way you'll have more protection, plus accumulate points towards whatever promo programs your card company has.

Pretty soon your CC companies will be pulling your cards anyway iuf you don't use them, with the way the economy's going. Why should they bother maintaining an account with you if you don't use the cards?

Lesson learned...

[emperor_black]

yes, I always use my credit card. ...thanks to the horror stories I've read on this forum. But this time, I let my guard down and became lazy!

[Spivonious]

I think the message from Paypal means that if your bank won't release any money it will use the back up automatically. Since BoA allows you to overdraw, Paypal got their money and therefore didn't use the back up method.

I got hit with overdraft charges a few times from my bank a few years ago. Now I always check my balance before making big purchases.

[Bert]

I tried to pay with credit card recently using paypal but it insisted on exhausting my paypal balance before charging anything to my CC... I recall I used to be able to use CC even when I had a positive paypal balance, but this time it wouldn't work. Is this a new policy or am I missing something?

[Rich#6]

I tried to pay with credit card recently using paypal but it insisted on exhausting my paypal balance before charging anything to my CC... I recall I used to be able to use CC even when I had a positive paypal balance, but this time it wouldn't work. Is this a new policy or am I missing something?

It has always taken your paypal balance first.

[DonP]

I ALWAYS keep my paypal account at zero, and the checking account linked to the paypal account zero. Of course this doesn't prevent the bank from still paying (overdraft) if some F-tard hacks paypal and attacks the checking account. I wonder if you can tell a bank "Do not pay if no funds are available".

Anyhow, I've closed my bank accounts that were linked to paypal so my account is a "buy only" linked to my Amex. If someone hacks that, I'll dispute the charges.