We all know that the e-commerce scene is still a little too dicey to be sure every online merchant will deliver what you pay for. But shouldn't you be able to feel safe when making a small transaction via such established online systems as PriceGrabber.com and EBay's PayPal? Apparently not.
"I'm only out $20, so no one really cares, but I'm still ticked off," a reader recently wrote. "I used Price Grabber because it was recommended by Good Housekeeping -- guess that doesn't mean anything anymore. I located a cradle for my camera for $14.99 + $4.00 shipping and handling. The merchant had decent ratings and took PayPal so I put through an order. PayPal transferred the funds from my account to the merchant."
The reader had paid his money, but the camera cradle did not arrive. "When nothing came, I tried to e-mail the merchant -- no response. I filed a complaint with PayPal, who then e-mailed the merchant. He never responded so. PayPal found in my favor ... BUT there are no funds in that merchant's account anymore so they can't recover anything."
The reader tried every avenue for recourse he could think of. "I contacted PriceGrabber again and they said they have a $15 deductible and that they don't cover shipping costs so there is nothing they can do for me. I asked for contact information on the vendor and they sent me a name and address in a city in New York. I have even sent an email to the police chief of that city asking who would have jurisdiction for online fraud but didn't get a reply."
What about PayPal's vaunted Buyer Protection Plan, I wondered, shouldn't that have protected the reader in a case like this? To demonstrate how much protection PayPal provides, the reader sent me a portion of PayPal's response to the buyer complaint he filed:
"We have decided in your favor, however, we were unable to recover any funds from the seller's account. As stated in the PayPal User Agreement, recovery of funds associated with a Buyer Complaint cannot be guaranteed."
"Please know that we will make our best effort to recover the funds in question if they become available in the seller's account in the future and will take appropriate action against the seller. Such action may include issuing a warning, a temporary restriction, or terminating the account."
"Keep in mind that PayPal uses a number of factors to determine when to take action, including member complaints. Due to privacy laws, we cannot discuss the details of any action taken. We hope you understand our policy and that it assures you that you are safe using PayPal."
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