PayPal forcing customers to have PayPal account.

[14Steve14]

commercepundit So I take it that you would be prepared to create accounts and register your details with all the payment providers just because they are safe and secure, and because you will use them through your buying activities online.

 

[DotMedia]

I think it's more of a case of bad wording, instead of using 'Create an Account' or whatever it says, they should change it to something like 'Want to pay by Credit / Debit Card?'

 

[KM-Tiger]

i think paypal is safe and secure so, one should not have a problem to create account in it.

Nothing on the internet is safe and secure, particularly not where money is involved. It's a question of risk assessment and risk reduction.

So the fewer places that have financial data on me the better. Some cannot be avoided like your bank and credit cards, but I have no need of Paypal, and given their track record of shafting small businesses will have nothing to do with them.

So only option Paypal? I'll go elsewhere, thank you.

 

[andygambles]

Nothing on the internet is safe and secure, particularly not where money is involved. It's a question of risk assessment and risk reduction.

So the fewer places that have financial data on me the better. Some cannot be avoided like your bank and credit cards, but I have no need of Paypal, and given their track record of shafting small businesses will have nothing to do with them.

So only option Paypal? I'll go elsewhere, thank you.

Using PayPal often means you give your financial data to fewer people.

 

[LondonPlumber]

Never liked Paypal, they just don't care about theirs clients - no one likes to be forced to do anything...

 

[RogerBa]

Using PayPal often means you give your financial data to fewer people.

Exactly so if that is what, as appears to be, the priority of some of the users posting here.
Twice when chatting to high street banks PayPal has been quoted as safest way to make payments online, not sure if they are correct and I dont have any data to back it up but it is w representatives of major banks have said to me.

It always seems quite fashionable to have a go at PayPal, however they offer a reliable service, are often the only option for start up businesses , are well know and provide a different service from other merchant accounts as the funds are available to you instantly rather than in a few days time, this is important to some, less so others.
The choice to offer them is down to the site owner, but as others have said if you don't offer PayPal then you are likely to loose some customers, PayPal alongside another card processor should really be the best option, giving customers a choice is always a positive.

 

[cmjs3]

Paypal giving you access to your funds instantly is no longer true. Having just opened another Paypal business account I have found they will hold onto your money for up to 21 days before releasing it until you have had a Paypal account for 90 days and taken $10,000 in sales.

It is easy to knock Paypal but then again they deserve it at times with their deceptive advertising on their website encouraging businesses to sign up to take Paypal.

They say

"Accept payments more securely

Easily accept credit card, debit card and PayPal payments
Your customers don't need a PayPal account to pay
Your funds are available in minutes - transfer them to your bank straight away

Get paid fast

With PayPal, you get your money fast. When the order is complete the money usually shows up in your PayPal business account within minutes. From there, transfer it directly to your bank account, pay suppliers or spend it wherever PayPal is accepted.

None of this is true.

Your customers need a Paypal account if they have paid more than 10 times without one

You don't get instant access to your funds until you have met other criteria

Hiding things in terms and conditions is not enough to excuse the blatant lies on their website and I fail to see how anyone can defend them on this.

 

[japancool]

I thought you were only allowed to have one business account.

 

[cmjs3]

You can have separate accounts for separate companies

 

[andygambles]

Hiding things in terms and conditions is not enough to excuse the blatant lies on their website and I fail to see how anyone can defend them on this.

They tell you upfront when you start. You do not have to open a PayPal account. We had a rolling reserve when we moved to PayPal Pro. But they were completely clear about how much it was for and how long it would last. It reduced gradually over 24 months to zero.

Many other card processors request reserves depending on your business. They don't put that on their website.

 

[fisicx]

Hiding things in terms and conditions is not enough to excuse the blatant lies on their website and I fail to see how anyone can defend them on this.

Nothing is hidden, you just chose not to read the conditions.

 

[apricot]

I've a business account and pay £20pm to be able to accept cc/debit cards. I never had any problems. I'll be surprised if they force clients to have paypal account. Something is not right.

 

[andygambles]

I've a business account and pay £20pm to be able to accept cc/debit cards. I never had any problems. I'll be surprised if they force clients to have paypal account. Something is not right.

PayPal Pro does not enforce PayPal accounts. If you have PayPal Standard and the user has used Guest checkout 10 times then they must sign-up for an account the next time they try and pay.

 

[MarkHopkins]

Can you use someone like stripe.com as well?

That way you will not be dependent on PayPal.

 

[BusinessPlexus]

Paypal have taken over... they always had to separate themselves from Ebay for consumers to think it was safe because quite clearly they knew Ebay would soon face cyber threats... and who would want such a company handling money. Its quite extortionate in price also if you ask me. Sage pay has always been a good one depending on the volume of transactions your business has.