I really hate PayPal. Not only does it pretty much have a monopoly on online shopping and donating outside the huge charities, it also provides nil customer support, crappy FAQs and the assurance that if I don't like it, I can go blow a goat.

And now it keeps me from registering my credit card, just because I used it on another now de-funct account on the same site, which was properly zapped. But noooo, no reusable credit cards here.

PayPal is the antichrist.

Couldn't agree more.

I tried to terminate my account with them the other day... but I got back a message from them saying I have to re-register and confirm my details BY PHONE before I can close the account...

Now they've taken over e-bay too...

Can't you do some sort of password recovery on your old, defunct account?

I COULD, if my previous E-Mail address site hadn't died and gone to Cyber Heaven, meaning I can't access that email address, meaning I can't recover any old passwords.

Now I can't buy those bloody games offa Ebay that I just won!

I think all the sentiment expressed here would be equally at home targeted at ebay too. I have never come across such a poxy company. Ebay is the antichrist, paypal is a simptom of the evil.

Dunno, I've used Ebay two times to buy chop-socky movies from Asia, both times they came through excellently and for half the cost of finding them elsewhere. I'm currently buying two adventure games (Faust: Seven Games of the Soul and Runaway) over Ebay, which I unfortunately will have to borrow a credit card to pay for.

Do you have bad experiences with Ebay?

I've only ever used PayPal for paying for things I brought on ebay. I found PayPal hard to use and the user documentation was badly written.

I cancelled my PayPal account partly because of the poor service and partly because of all the PayPal related scam emails I received, as I feel that PayPal and eBay aren't doing enough to track down fraudsters. Don't they realise that it is in their best interests to stamp down on people who send me emails that go "Dear valued customer, we have lost your account details. Please enter them again so we can go on looking after your money."???

I mostly use eBay for things that are impossible to find in the shops, such as accessories for my Psion II PDA (Manufacture ceased in 1991). Before I bid, I make sure that the seller will accept a cheque and he has good feedback. So far, I haven't had any problems with eBay.

I don't think I explained it in the right way, I agree with you - in principle the idea is good, you can buy really cheap stuff, particularly games and cd's but the company is shocking. As Accounting Troll says, the scamms are horrendous. I have told them on numerous occasions of scams that were tried on me (some were very clever I admit) and they agreed that the scams were dangerous to customers but have I ever seen specific warnings about these scams? That'll be a big NO then.

They don't give a toss and that is because they make so much money they don't care if a few thousand customers get ripped off.

Sorry to be a moaner but I find these kind of companies not much better than the scammers.

I'll have to go and lie down now.

Yes eBay now sucks BECAUSE PayPal now owns them.
eBay was actualy not that bad before... only after PayPal took it over has it gone down hill.

Isn't it the other way around? I always assumed that it was.

I've never really had a problem with either. Any emails I receive asking me to input any account info get deleted. I don't like PayPal much but it does what it says on the tin. I do a lot of business over eBay, and have had one or two problems in hundreds of transactions, which is less than with anyone or anywhere else.

That's what I thought too.

Opps... looks like your right.

Well... both still got bad once they joined up.

I've only bought one thing via eBay, and that was via a direct transfer of my cash into someone elses bank account.

I don't have a credit card.

Hussa! That makes two of us on the planet.

Three. Me neither!

I don't have a credit card either... but I do have a debit card... which is different... I think.

Yes. It means the money goes straight out of your bank account instead of being borrowed from the credit card company.

The advantage is that it's cheaper as you don't pay interest at a rate of 30% APR, but the disadvantage is that you tend to get less protection if you're ripped off.