PayEnemy — If you’ve ever sold anything online, you’ve probably used PayPal (paypal.com), the Internet’s largest electronic pay site, often used in conjunction with eBay and online stores far and wide. However, the site is far less than a pal to many folks who claim to have been horribly ripped off by the service. Just check out some of the grievances voiced at paypalsucks.com.
Chock-full of both information and opinions, the site has traced a high-profile class-action lawsuit against PayPal for fraud. It also provides forums for PayPal bitchery, from people who’ve had their PayPal accounts hacked into and were unable to recoup the money lost. The site claims that by accepting PayPal’s terms of service, you “waive your rights to credit card consumer protection laws if you want to use their service, and that you may not issue a chargeback for unauthorized use of your credit card and PayPal account, or if you do, then they have the right to limit your account.” The site does offer links to alternative services, but no particularly strong endorsements.
But be wary of where you take your warnings: The site paypalwarning.com rejoices in churning out a laundry list of PayPal horror stories, all the while extolling the virtues of a competing service, free-merchant.com. Same deal with aboutpaypal.org.
PayPal has responded by releasing several reassuring statements about security. But the bottom line? If you want 100 percent security when buying online, you’re better off sending a check.
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