Paypal / echeque / Wallpaper war

[Tapewolf]

After going berserk trying to find out why the EeePC battery I ordered off ebay hasn't arrived for more than a week, I think I've finally figured it out.  The reason is that Paypal has apparently changed the way payments are being processed from their instant transfer system of before, to some heinous monstrosity called Echeque, which takes the inconvenience and speed of a paper cheque and puts it online.

The reason it suddenly clicked is because the payment for it went through on exactly the same day as the payment to the DMFA Wallpaper War went through - i.e today - after the wallpaper war had finished.

Has anyone else had this problem when donating to Amber?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Yes, although mine went through yesterday.

I note that this means that it took 3 days, instead of instantly.

I suspect it's something to do with either the US govt wanting to get their sticky fingers on the information on the way through, to protect us all from the terrorists in charge of the US govt, or Paypal deciding that since all the other banks do it, they should be able to as well.

Erm. Did it, since the Faster Payments thing in the UK means the banks over here are stopping that 3 days to transfer money cross-banks things.

[CameronCN]

I understood echecks were completely different from instant transfers. I've used both. Thing is, see, echecks are in some ways better for the recipient, because while they take longer, PayPal doesn't charge anything for them.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The annoyance is that Paypal is using one or the other, but not providing the user with the choice as to which he or she wishes to use at that point in time.

Happy to have one or the other, provided it's clearly identified who pays for what and how much and when and how long it takes. The problem here is that Paypal has gone from "as long as it takes an email to get there" - ie, anywhere from 1m to 30 minutes, mostly - to "three days, if I feel like it" without changing the user interface in any way.

[Reese Tora]

hmm... *checks*

no, I paid with my credit card and it is dated the same day on my statement.

I recall hearing that it's changed for payments made with cheque cards, but that regular credit cards and paypal accounts were not affected, but that's only hear say.

[Tapewolf]

I understood echecks were completely different from instant transfers. I've used both. Thing is, see, echecks are in some ways better for the recipient, because while they take longer, PayPal doesn't charge anything for them.

If I was given a choice, I'd be happier about it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.  Now I know what to look for, I'll double-check it and see what I can do.

no, I paid with my credit card and it is dated the same day on my statement.
I recall hearing that it's changed for payments made with cheque cards, but that regular credit cards and paypal accounts were not affected, but that's only hear say.

The fund source was a direct bank transfer (originally because Zina couldn't take a card-sourced payment).  I might try setting the card up again and see if it helps matters.

Also, are you certain the recipient actually got the money?  When I was looking into this last night, what someone claimed was happening on ebay was that the money was taken from the buyer's account immediately, but then sat in Paypal's account for days on end (so they could cream off the interest) until it was finally sent to the seller.  There have been a number of people marked for non-payment because of this, and to be sure, when Zonal dawdled over one of my purchases I wrote in their feedback that they were a little slow to process the order.

Is it just me, or did their slogan used to be "Send money - instantly"?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Fund source in my case is a debit card; instant money transfer from my account, theoretically.

I don't have my bank account identified with paypal because, well, I can't guarantee how hard it is to breach their firewalls; I know my bank has some severe paranoia, because I keep having to deal with it, and I dealt with it from the inside when the company I was working for was bought out by Chase Manhattan, back a few years now. It's justified, for a bank, to be that paranoid about their IT systems.

However, Paypal theoretically _isn't_ a bank, and hence doesn't have to follow the same rules; it's a bank in the US, which means the US government can, and has, do an end-run around the security, at which point there's another copy floating about on a laptop in the back of someone's car or something...

Not that I'm cynical or anything.

[Raffe]

Hmmm....the only time paypal has delayed on me has been when I use credit card, if I go straight from checking it moves instantly.

[rabid_fox]

No, but then, I don't donate, because I hate Amber. Her and her drugs.

[Tapewolf]

Zina's comic gave me an opportunity to examine the payment methods more closely.  E-cheque is the only option given.  If you actually go into the payment details screen, it does point out "Takes 3-5 days to clear" in small letters.

[Tapewolf]

The payment to Zina has now gone through, so it seems Paypal takes 10 days to clear.

[Goatmon]

It doesn't really matter when the actual money arrives, when it comes to wallpaper wars, does it?

Paypal sends an email to the recipient as soon as the sender confirmed payment, so they know how much they're getting and when to expect it.

So anyone donating via e-check would still be credited to Amber immediately, unless she only counts donations that have cleared...