Paypal is shit, round 2: Destroying antiques edition.

[Tyche]

www.regretsy.com/2012/01/03/from-the-mailbag-27

As you know, I have had my share of issues with Paypal recently, and while I appreciate the effort they made to do the right thing in our case, I still have a lot of misgivings about them as a company.
This e-mail didn’t help.

Dear Helen Killer,
I love your site and was thrilled to hear of your “win” against PayPal. I recently had a heartbreaking experience of my own with them.
I sold an old French violin to a buyer in Canada, and the buyer disputed the label.
This is not uncommon. In the violin market, labels often mean little and there is often disagreement over them. Some of the most expensive violins in the world have disputed labels, but they are works of art nonetheless.
Rather than have the violin returned to me, PayPal made the buyer DESTROY the violin in order to get his money back. They somehow deemed the violin as “counterfeit” even though there is no such thing in the violin world.

http://static.regretsy.com/wp-conten...2/01/bourg.jpg

The buyer was proud of himself, so he sent me a photo of the destroyed violin.
I am now out a violin that made it through WWII as well as $2500. This is of course, upsetting. But my main goal in writing to you is to prevent PayPal from ordering the destruction of violins and other antiquities that they know nothing about. It is beyond me why PayPal simply didn’t have the violin returned to me.
I spoke on the phone to numerous reps from PayPal who 100% defended their action and gave me the party line.
Erica

I forwarded this e-mail to my contact at Paypal several days ago. They have not replied.
UPDATE: I neglected to mention in the original post that the violin was examined and authenticated by a top luthier prior to its sale.
UPDATE 2: Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Mr. Pete, who found this paragraph in Paypal’s Terms of Service:
http://static.regretsy.com/wp-conten.../01/paypal.jpg
UPDATE 3: Paypal has advised that they are now looking into the matter.

[Dantrag]

Fuck paypal.

[Cail]

what the fuck?

[bechyni]

Seriously what in the fuck is wrong with Paypal? Besides everything....

[FNH]

Why would you deal through paypal with something like that?

[archibaldcrane]

Wait, so was it an incorrect label or not?

[hey]

It was too expensive to ship it back.

[Tyche]

Wait, so was it an incorrect label or not?

The seller said they had it authenticated. If there was any dispute in authenticity, Paypal shouldn't assume the buyer is correct and have an antique destroyed.

[Blarg]

There was strong evidence that the violin was a serial rapist so they did the right thing.

[Tyche]

Even if it was counterfeit, some high end fakes such as a fake Stratavarius can be worth thousands of dollars.

[archibaldcrane]

The seller said they had it authenticated. If there was any dispute in authenticity, Paypal shouldn't assume the buyer is correct and have an antique destroyed.

Not the point, if the seller is misrepresenting her product I'm not going to have sympathy if shit got smashed and she's out money.

Rain, wedding day, etc.

[Dantrag]

Not the point, if the seller is misrepresenting her product I'm not going to have sympathy if shit got smashed and she's out money.

Rain, wedding day, etc.

It was authenticated. Regardless paypal has 0 right to have something destroyed...

[Seanr]

Doesn't make paypal any less retarded

[Yuri-G]

it's like paypal heard people saying "well at least they can't get any worse" and just had to prove us all wrong. this is beyond the pale.

[archibaldcrane]

Doesn't make paypal any less retarded

no doubt about that

[Bregor]

Shouldn't have been violining in a warzone.

[Orden]

The buyer contested the label and the paypal devil refunded AND TOLD HIM TO DESTROY THAT SHIT. Fuck I hate paypal.

[Silenka]

Welp never using my paypal account again, if there was any doubt before this, there isn't now.

[Deadgye]

Shouldn't this be illegal... shouldn't paypal now owe the seller the amount of the item?

How the fuck do they get away with this shit, and why is there no class action lawsuit against them for being who they are.

[aurik]

They get away with this shit because people agree to their insane ToS, and then don't have much of a case to bring against Paypal. It's extremely well documented how shit PayPal is, but morans keep using it.