Have you been a victim of PayPal and their horrific business ethics? If you are like me and millions of individuals and business owners you have. I own a self defense and security business. We sell non-lethal personal protection items like pepper spray, stun guns, personal alarms, tasers, etc. We also carry items such as folding knives, throwing stars, kubotans and more. As a service to our valued customers we decided to add PayPal as a payment option.
Things were running smoothly for over six months, and then one afternoon we received an email from PayPal stating that we (Guardian Self Defense & Security Products) violated their ‘Acceptable Usage Policy’ and that our account had been permanently limited! I logged into the account only to find out that I could no longer send or receive funds, in addition all of the money in our account was frozen. This means we cannot access it in any way for at least 180 days! PayPal advised that because we sell knives and kubotans we were in violation, this was the reason for our account being locked or limited.
Thinking this must be a joke or some misunderstanding. I picked up the phone and called PayPal only to be told that the ‘Acceptable Usage (AU)’ group is only available via email. I was instructed that the next step was to send an appeal to ‘AU’. Within hours I composed and sent the email explaining that we were not aware of any violation but we would happily make any changes requested, in order to continue offering the PayPal option to our customers.
Our appeal was denied in less than five minutes via email. No explanation, just an email to say “sorry but PayPal feels it is in our mutual best interest to part ways.
This decision is final, etc” And I almost forgot; “all funds currently in your account are inaccessible for at least 180 days”. At this point to say I was mad is a severe understatement. I felt like a victim of a crime, like someone stole from me!
I began to research PayPal and the problems other have had. To my surprise hundreds of thousands of former PayPal customers had received the very same email! I’m sure some of the actions PayPal took were legitimate, but I am also convinced that the majority are not. As I continued my research it became evident that PayPal has serious customer issues that include outright theft of money!
PayPal has been the subject of numerous “class action” law suits regarding their business practices. So far they have settled each case out of court paying out millions of dollars to avoid the court room. PayPal has literally stolen money from millions, ruined businesses and lives. It is past time that they are held accountable for their unscrupulous actions. Today you can find numerous websites that expose PayPal for what it is, the best one I’ve found is http://www.screw-paypal.com. This site was started by an individual who had over $ 40,000 in his PayPal account “frozen” for over four years! On this site you will find real life “horror” stories about PayPal and their disgusting business practices. You will also find up to date contact information for top ranking PayPal executives as well as a wealth of helpful resources for dealing with PayPal.
As of today, December 12, 2008 PayPal still has my money “frozen” and my account is limited. I will continue to fight PayPal and do everything in my power to expose them for what they are “thieves”. I encourage you to visit http://www.screw-paypal.com to report your “horror” stories. You should also take full advantage of the resources and contact information this site provides. Send your story, problem or issue to the “top brass” at PayPal. If you don’t get a response send it again and again. Don’t give up and continue to fight for what is your’s. Remeber their is power in numbers and together we can get what is rightfully ours.
Self Defense & Surveillance consultant and business owner. Opened Guardian Self Defense & Security Products in 2005. Has successfully helped over 19,000 people and businesses to date improve their security situation. Member of South Louisiana Better Business Bureau.
