The ever so 'user-friendly' PayPal service

[Thierry Henry]

Trying to use Paypal has been a constant headache for me almost from day one.
If it's not their ''we are sorry but most non US addresses cannot be confirmed at this time" then it's "we cannot process your payment at this time- try using another browser or clear all your cookies" lol
This time the problem is "the paypal site is currently experiencing technical difficulties with our credit card processor. We are working to solve this problem as quickly as possible. Please return to the PayPal website to complete your transaction"
This latest problem has been going on for over a week now! So my hands are basically tied with any eBay purchases that I wish to make. Most of the sellers I deal with only accept payment via PayPal from overseas buyers.

So basically I'm asking if any of you guys have previously had this sort of problem, and if so, how was it eventually resolved?
I mean I've e-mailed PayPal numerous times and the one and only reply I received was that I should restart my computer and try again. What the fuck kind of advise is that?! I mean they don't even acknowledge that there is a problem at all.
This is not a problem with my Credit Card itself, I mean I've used it just now to purchase stuff from PlayAsia and Amazon, so the problem is definately on the side of PayPal.
So guys, you got any advise for me? I'd appreciate any input that you might provide.

[tacofairy]

1.call paypal talk to someone about it
2.go to paypalsucks.com

[skate323k137]

good luck; it took them YEARS (literally) to clear an obnoxious dispute notification off my paypal account, it was over an 18 dollar PC game. I'd log in and BAM! Obnoxious red box right in my face. Every time I wrote in they'd say the dispute was open still and funds might still be recovered (even though it was years old and the other guy was long gone).

I finally wrote a very extensive idiot proof email and sent it to them repeatedly until they fixed my account. Aside from the whole story, it basically said that this guy screwed me three years ago and I'm over it, I no longer want them to even try to get the money back, and if I'm reminded of it once more logging in I'm going to stop using the service altogether.

[Thierry Henry]

call paypal talk to someone about it

About as useful as banging your head against a brick wall. But thanks anyway.

@skate,
I'm also kinda thinking that my issues with them aren't going to be resolved in the near future.
You know, PayPal is great and all if you mean to use it as a means of protection against fraudulent or dishonest sellers. But for me that's a not an issue at all to be honest. All the sellers that I deal with are top notch people so I don't worry about PayPal claims and disputes and that other crap.
Anyway, I'm gonna give it another day or so and then I'm done with them if they don't get their act together. For me it looks like it's going to be a simple case of making my purchases with sellers that I've had good transactions with in the past and asking them to do payment outside of PayPal.

[Ack]

What other methods have you got for sending payment online without using PayPal? I'm wondering, since everybody's been having trouble with them, could you spell it out for us?

[Thierry Henry]

Well, some guys that I've dealt with in the past have online merchant accounts which do not involve PayPal at all, so via credit card I can do my payment and not have PayPal be an issue in my transactions.

[racketboy]

I hope Google Checkout grows -- that service is do dead-simple and refreshing to use.
Never had to deal with their support, so who knows what that will be like, but so far I like it.

Somebody needs to crack down on eBay for not letting people pay with Google Checkout.
Pure Monopoly there.

[lordofduct]

Ebay owns Paypal.

Supporting one of your products through another product isn't really a monopoly.

[MrPopo]

Amazon Payments might not be a bad alternative:

https://payments.amazon.com/sdui/sdui/about?nodeId=5963

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I hope Google Checkout grows -- that service is do dead-simple and refreshing to use.
Never had to deal with their support, so who knows what that will be like, but so far I like it.

Somebody needs to crack down on eBay for not letting people pay with Google Checkout.
Pure Monopoly there.

Love Google Checkout it's what Pay-Pal could have been had they taken their heads out of their asses.