Peeps crazy on internet shopping (international), I think
you would have already heard but for those uninitiated, here's a
shot....
http://blog.statcounter.com/?p=88
Excerpt from Statcounter's blog:
The Issue
We are having ongoing, critical problems with Paypal.
In view of the complete lack of assistance from Paypal in this
regard, we have decided that we have no option but to inform
you, our members, about the facts of the
situation. This will allow you to make an informed decision about
whether to use (or whether to continue to use) Paypal.
Please note that these problems may arise not only in
relation to payments made to StatCounter but in relation to ANY
Paypal payments that you make. We hope that this post will equip
you with the information necessary to make sure that YOU do not
become another victim of this ongoing Paypal saga.
The Problems
On 15 May Paypal performed a site update -
this is confirmed by Paypal here.
After this date numerous problems were reported across the
globe:
The main problem that we have with Paypal is NOT the list of
issues above - we all know that errors happen - we are
absolutely furious at the complete lack of acknowledgement or
assistance from Paypal in relation to these matters.
At StatCounter we have tried phoning, emailing, posting on the
Paypal forums… Many of our contacts are ignored, but even when we
do get an answer all we are told is that “Upon review of your
account, unfortunately we do not have a time frame for a resolution
to your issue we are currently actively investigating your issue
with subscriptions.” You can see our posts in the Paypal
forums
here and
here.
It appears that all of these problems are the result of the
update made by Paypal on 15 May. Typically, any software upgrades
can be “rolled back” if they are found to be flawed. Paypal’s
inability (unwillingness?) to do this does not bode well.
What does this mean for me as a StatCounter Paypal
Subscriber?
Unfortunately, we will be unable to issue invoices to many of our
customers who pay us via Paypal until such time as the above issues
are resolved. This is because the “payment file” provided by Paypal
and from which invoices are generated is incomplete.
There is also a danger that you may be “double
billed”. Please make sure to check your Paypal account to
see if this happens. Although we would be delighted to sort out any
double billing for you, in the current climate of confusion we are
unsure whether WE are actually receiving the erroneously charged
amounts. This means that WE are not currently able to refund any of
these overpayments to you. We strongly believe that since this is a
Paypal error, Paypal should rectify the situation - and leave us to
focus again on our members rather than cleaning up a mess of
Paypal’s making. Please do report any double billing to us and we
will take action to report each case directly to Paypal.
Other StatCounter Upgrade Options
Please note that you can also make subscription payments to
StatCounter using your credit card directly, by cheque or by
electonic transfer to our bank.
Conclusion
Folks - we sincerely regret any problems you are experiencing and
assure you that we are doing our best to get all of these issues
resolved for you. We strive to offer a high level of customer
service and pride ourselves on being responsive to the needs and
suggestions of our members. To have our hands “tied” in this way as
a result of Paypal’s inaction is frustrating to say the least.
These problems with Paypal have already cost us thousands of
dollars. We continue to expend large amounts of time and resources
on these issues - resources which we would much prefer to
concentrate on improving the service we provide to you. We would be
very grateful for your patience at this time as we wait for Paypal
to resolve these issues.
We would also ask you to be patient with any of our fellow
internet merchants experiencing difficulties with Paypal at this
time.
P/S: I must say I used Paypal only once or twice and it went ok.
It was about just a few months before the fiasco happened. I do
frequent international online shopping and have opted for other
more reliable payment methods.
Good Luck!