var json_comments = new Array("
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RodAox
February 28, 2009 9:09 PM
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Maybe she should have been driving a hybrid. Good luck getting it cleared up with Paypal.

Reply
3 replies
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Trai_Dep
March 1, 2009 12:14 AM
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@RodAox: The irony is that if Juan was driving a Hummer, there's no way he could have argued that $81,400,836,908.00 isn't an average charge to fill 'er up.

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Streyeder
February 28, 2009 10:47 PM
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@RodAox: It's not Paypal's fault. They were just skipping the middle-man and taking their rightful bailout money directly from the taxpayer! Hell, they probably saved a few million in lobbying and bureaucratic overhead in the process! Kudos to Paypal for saving us money!

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Coles_Law
February 28, 2009 11:16 PM
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@Streyeder: Actually, this is just the standard Paypal fee on a $26 purchase.

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Antonio
March 2, 2009 8:25 PM
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@Coles_Law: Thread is over. You win the internets.

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GuinevereRucker
March 1, 2009 3:07 PM
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@Coles_Law: HAHAHA!

Down with Paypal's idiotic fees.

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chatterboxwriting
February 28, 2009 9:09 PM
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I hope Juan keeps pressing this issue, to find out WHY this happened. What if he was traveling and was counting on using his debit card for food or other expenses? He'd have been screwed. It's fine that they're going to fix it if he proves he didn't get that much gas, but they need to find out why it happened so they can prevent it from happening again.

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7 replies
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Kevin Davis
March 1, 2009 8:17 PM
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@chatterboxwriting: This actually happened in my city. The local paper reported that the \"81400836908\" number was actually the Conoco ID number. Apparently the two numbers ($ amount and ID) were swapped somehow during the transaction.

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ScottRose
March 2, 2009 7:11 PM
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@Kevin Davis:

Probably just a random glitch. There was a similar story on Consumerist about a guy that got charged some millions of $ for a sandwich. I doubt it was happening to a lot of people.

My dad got a $40,000ish electric bill last year. Turns out they mixed up his account with some large business account. Of course, they didn't ask him to prove that he wasn't running a factory in his basement. They just politely unfuckulated his bill.

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magic8ball
March 1, 2009 3:46 AM
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@chatterboxwriting: Also, were there penalties for overdrafting his debit card?

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Trai_Dep
March 1, 2009 12:16 AM
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@chatterboxwriting: Optimistically, that means that someone, somewhere was credited $81B.
If you'll excuse me, I'm going to buy some eBay stock. I sense an upcoming shopping spree of EPIC proportions...

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KCChiefsFan
February 28, 2009 11:52 PM
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@chatterboxwriting:


If they force him to prove he didn't spend 81 billion dollars, there is something MASSIVELY wrong with paypal. This is the type of thing where they should fix it immediately and pray that noone looks into how an 81 billion dollar charge could have possibly shown up. It has to be a glitch in their software, or something, and if it has happened to him, how many other people could it have happened to in amounts much smaller than 81 billion dollars? Would you notice an accidental dollar taken from your account?


On the bright side though, with 81 billion dollars in debt on the books, this guy must qualify for a bank bailout. He might come out ahead if he plays his cards right.

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Melatonin
February 28, 2009 11:34 PM
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@chatterboxwriting: I agree entirely. $81 billion isn't a glitch, it's a system failure of epic proportions.

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Greasy Thumb Guzik
February 28, 2009 9:09 PM
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Then why did he agree to buy a tank of gas for everyone in the country?
I'm being facetious of course.

By the way, the SR-71 doesn't use gasoline, it uses JP-4, a type of kerosene.

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9 replies
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Front_Towards_Enemy
March 2, 2009 6:39 PM
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik: The SR-71 actually used JP-7 fuel. The only AC in the USAF inventory to use it as well.

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artki
March 1, 2009 5:03 PM
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik:

Actually, JP-6. A special formulation of kerosene and boron that only the SR-71 uses.


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Todd Fernandez
March 1, 2009 5:10 AM
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@johnarlington:

and it leaks until the thing gets up to temperature and everything expands from skin friction. the fuel is also a little more complex including some additional additives to the JP-7 to allow it to multi-task as hydraulic fluid running the flight controls AND as a coolant for internal systems before being burned. There are also additives (originally cesium based now....other based) to try and reduce the radar return of the contrails.

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shadydentist
March 1, 2009 8:36 AM
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@Todd Fernandez: Tough to get financing on a new SR-71 these days anyways.

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Ninjastorm66
February 28, 2009 10:49 PM
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik: I thought the SR-71 used hydrogen peroxide as fuel. Not the 3% stuff you put in your ears, the 100% stuff that would make a small plant light on fire if you poured it on the plant.

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 10:07 PM
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@Greasy Thumb Guzik: Beautiful, beautiful aircraft. The SR-71 is my favorite exhibit at the Air and Space museum.

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fatcop
March 1, 2009 1:22 AM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Fantastic aircraft. There is one on display at the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, KS that you can walk right up and touch. Quite awe-inspiring.

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Closed captioning provided by Homerjay
February 28, 2009 9:12 PM
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Maybe he had a leak in his tank and the gas leaked out as he was pumping it in?

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9 replies
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KMan13 still wants a Pontiac G8
February 28, 2009 11:46 PM
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@Closed captioning provided by Homerjay:
gas station tanks don't even hold that much gas! it's not possible to buy that much in one transaction..

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Closed captioning provided by Homerjay
March 1, 2009 12:25 AM
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@kman13: You mean they don't pump it directly out of the ground and into my tank?

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Joeb5
February 28, 2009 9:56 PM
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@Closed captioning provided by Homerjay:
can the pumps even go that high what is the hard limit $9999.99?

some CC have soft $100 - $75 limits. Do the pumps have any that are not card based?

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Spaztrick
February 28, 2009 10:39 PM
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@Joeb5: Working for a gas station, the highest I've ever seen was $600 of diesel for the train yard across the street from us. The pumps would not allow anymore than that on a single transaction. That was also when diesel was running around $1.45 or so a gallon.

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*
February 28, 2009 10:27 PM
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@Joeb5: over the summer, i got to drive a mini bus with a tank capacity of 30-35 gallons. with gas prices averaging $4/gal, we would usually max out the $100 auth and have to \"start over\" to top off the bus.
it's obvious what happened here- he re-auth'd 800 million times.

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 10:24 PM
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@Joeb5: There's no way pumps ever go anywhere near what is absolutely feasible for most cars or RVs or whatever to hold.

The most bizzare thing in this case is that PayPal, being the dense jerk it is, didn't automatically go \"well that must be wrong...\"

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 10:24 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: Oops. What I mean is, there's no way RVs or cars could come close to pumping any amount of gas that would approach the threshold for what the pumps will interpret as a real amount.

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jeffbone
March 1, 2009 3:36 AM
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@TechnoDestructo: Indeed, but a better pic would be an SR-71 parked on the ramp. At cruising speed and altitude, the leaks go away due to thermal expansion.

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CMU_Bueller
February 28, 2009 9:17 PM
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Paypal thought he was buying a few weeks of the rethuglican conflict in Iraq?

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4 replies
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TracyHamandEggs
February 28, 2009 10:54 PM
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@CMU_Bueller: Love it, everyone piles on the anti-Dem comment and this one goes ignored.

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Rectilinear Propagation
March 4, 2009 5:51 PM
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@TracyHamandEggs: E-mail the moderator directly when you see bad comments. X-Keeper is right that lower comments get missed and it's especially true for comments that don't result in wank.

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Xkeeper
March 1, 2009 6:46 AM
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@TracyHamandEggs: Actually, the further down you go, the more likely a comment is to be ignored, especially if it's something like this. Not at all surprising, really.

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NTC-Brendan
February 28, 2009 11:04 PM
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@TracyHamandEggs: Nothing positive can come from arguing/debating/pontificating with someone mired in the Red Team - Blue Team stuff.

On Point:
I use Paypal on a free checking account that is isolated specifically for e-commerce transactions. No other traffic ever hits this account. I keep $1 in the account unless I am conducting a transaction that mandates the use of Paypal. I then transfer just enough funds to cover the transaction from another account into the Paypal account. I have spoken to my financial institution and instructed them to disable any \"courtesy\" over draft protection (what a joke) on said account.

If a screw up happens I am out $1 and possibly some hassle time. Better than the alternative in my mind.

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aerick79
February 28, 2009 9:17 PM
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Pics or didnt happen!

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2 replies
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snoop-blog
February 28, 2009 9:20 PM
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Someone actually had a problem with paypal? Nuh Huh.

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savdavid
February 28, 2009 9:25 PM
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That's a lot of free car washes!!

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dmatthew
February 28, 2009 9:25 PM
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It's paypal, enough said

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Ameer Hashw
February 28, 2009 9:31 PM
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Uh.. why would he be paying for gas via paypal anyway? Unless it was one of those PayPal visas.

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2 replies
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kmw2
February 28, 2009 11:14 PM
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@Ameer Hashw: I pay for a lot of stuff out of my PayPal account, I have a merchant account, which comes with a debit card. In general, it has fewer fees, better cashback, and more clued-up user reps than my \"official\" BoA account.

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invisiblenemies
February 28, 2009 10:52 PM
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@Ameer Hashw: Cash back. The percentage is pretty high on an $81 billion transaction.

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JollyJumjuck
February 28, 2009 9:32 PM
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Well, their name is half right. You're going to pay, but they're not your pal.

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Zain
February 28, 2009 9:35 PM
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Don't keep money in your Paypal account (Paypal can hold your money for several months without providing a reason per their TOS) and don't bother with their debit card.

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3 replies
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MrsLopsided
February 28, 2009 10:12 PM
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@Zain: I agree about not keeping a balance in PayPal but their debit card is a faster way to withdraw money than waiting 5 days for a transfer to your bank account. You can withdraw up to $400/day via an ATM & unlimited/day as a debit card in stores.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)
February 28, 2009 10:40 PM
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@MrsLopsided: I haven't had a paypal transfer to my bank account take more than 2-3 days.

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invisiblenemies
February 28, 2009 10:52 PM
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@verucalise: That's 2-3 days longer than using the debit.

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 10:25 PM
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@MrsLopsided: Why not just get a debit card from your bank?

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WachoviaEmployee
March 1, 2009 1:22 AM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I have a debit card from my bank, like most people. But PayPal gives you 1% cashback on your PayPal debit card purchases...which is a far greater return than the so-called \"Rewards\" points that I get for using my debit card.

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Zain
March 1, 2009 4:15 AM
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@WachoviaEmployee: So use a credit card, many of which offer better than 1% rewards.

@MrsLopsided: Don't you have to pay ATM fees if you use an ATM to get your Paypal money? I would say that's not worth it.

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MrsLopsided
February 28, 2009 10:32 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: With my PayPal debit card I can access and spend funds deposited to my PayPal account (from buyers and clients) within minutes of the deposit. The alternative is to initiate a transfer to my bank account and wait 4-5 days in limbo before it hits my bank account.

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godlyfrog
March 1, 2009 7:16 PM
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@MrsLopsided: ...and then one day your PayPal account gets frozen because someone used a stolen credit card, or does a chargeback, or claims their account was stolen, or the other myriad of minor issues that PayPal is known to freeze accounts for months for. This guy's story is a perfect example. Nobody would reasonably make an $81 billion purchase via PayPal, and he STILL had to convince them otherwise.

Using PayPal is like crossing a seldom used highway without looking both ways: most of the time it's safe and quick, but it only takes one unlucky day to make your life miserable.

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se7a7n7
February 28, 2009 9:36 PM
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I Use my PayPal debit card all the time because I get cash back.

If he would have used his card as a credit transaction he could have gotten 1% cash back... that's $814,008,369!!!

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4 replies
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obamaramallama
March 1, 2009 3:26 AM
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@se7a7n7:


Look, if you are grandfathered in to the original cash back rate I can understand that you wish to maintain the high cash back. But if not, if you just get the 1% rate, switch to Chase Freedom or another worthwhile card.


You get NO protection with a PayPal debit card. NONE. If you run into an issue, PayPal will find a way to screw you in the end. Chase Freedom is a great card, offers a great bonus (When you accumulate $200 in cash back, you get '$50' for free, effectively making your cash back around 1.75%).


A real credit card is always going to be superior to PayPal debit. Always.

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TechnoDestructo
February 28, 2009 11:02 PM
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@se7a7n7:

They would have paid attention to the error then.

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Applekid
March 1, 2009 1:11 AM
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@TechnoDestructo: Perhaps.

Accounts Payable: Oh ho ho, that's gotta be an error. LOL.
Accounts Receivable: The $81 Billion is late, that's 29% APR.

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 9:53 PM
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@se7a7n7: Considering how crappy PayPal is to everyone, perhaps you should consider something else that gives cash back.

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wcnghj
February 28, 2009 9:38 PM
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Hmm, maybe the gas station will fix their machine when the see the merchant fees they paid on that.

Taking the generic 2%+.20 would be over 1 million dollars.

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1 replies
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Corporate_guy
February 28, 2009 9:40 PM
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This is outright theft and fraud if the store charged the correct amount and paypal adjusted it while still only giving the original amount to the store.

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mykie
February 28, 2009 9:50 PM
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These gas station credit card holds are getting out of hand!

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pecan 3.14159265
February 28, 2009 9:53 PM
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PayPal has debit cards? That's news to me.

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1 replies
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scoobydoo
February 28, 2009 10:12 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: It is the best tool they have as it allows you to instantly empty the account at the local ATM.

Cards are issued by Chase, so you can use any Chase ATM for free (Paypal does charge a $1 fee for all ATM transactions).

The card also comes with cashback, I'm grandfathered in with a 1.5% CB bonus.

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HawkWolf
February 28, 2009 9:54 PM
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if you buy gas on a regular VISA or MasterCard or Discover, they limit the amount per transaction to something like 70 bucks.

I'm guessing that the debit system with PayPal does not have this limitation, although my regular bank debit card has a 400 dollar a day transaction limit to avoid fraud

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1 replies
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Spaztrick
February 28, 2009 10:43 PM
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@HawkWolf: Locally, the limit was raised to $150 for all credit cards due to the cost of a full tank. Even though the price at the pump is less, the same $150 limit is still there (summer isn't too far away).

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Rachacha
February 28, 2009 10:00 PM
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Good thing this was not a Credit card, at 18% finance charges, he would have owed almost 15billion in interest every month assuming that he could not pay the credit card off in full every month (but every Consumerist reader always pays off their CC bill in full every month so this is a non issue...right?!?!?)

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2 replies
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krunk4ever
February 28, 2009 11:12 PM
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@Rachacha: If he indeed used by a credit card, the transaction would never have gone through. It's way over his credit limit.

I would have definitely suggested using a credit card. Not only are you protected from situations like these, your debit account would not have been depleted while you wait for this situation to be resolved.

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MrsLopsided
February 28, 2009 10:06 PM
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By my calculations it would take about 17,000 years to pump that much gas.

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1 replies
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Quilt
March 1, 2009 1:35 AM
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@MrsLopsided: But with the way that gas prices have been fluctuating, who can really tell these days?

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Tiny Bug
February 28, 2009 10:08 PM
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The lesson I take away from this story is DON'T USE PAYPAL unless you absolutely must.

Why? 1)They're not a bank, and they're not bound by the same laws and regulations that banks are; 2) They have absolutely no compunctions about fucking you over very badly; and 3) If they do, you'll have virtually no recourse as long as they abide by the rules that they themselves wrote, because of #1.

You can bet your ass that if Juan had been charged $81 instead of $81 billion for his 26 dollar fill-up that he STILL wouldn't have his money back, and would likely wind up having to write it off.

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2 replies
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kathyl
February 28, 2009 11:01 PM
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@TinyBug: Yes, every story I read about PayPal and every anecdote I hear from my friends about their lousy run-ins with the \"service\" make me more and more happy I'm not in a position to have to use them.

Yes, the moral of this story is to try to reduce or remove your dependency on PayPal.

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Snarkysnake
February 28, 2009 10:31 PM
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@TinyBug:

Good points. The fear that I have is that PP is just the first of many financial service providers that are/aren't what they purport to be . Paypal takes in money,but it's not a bank. Paypal pays interest and charges for handling money,but it's not a savings and loan. In fact,the list of what PP isn't is a damn sight longer than what it says that it IS.
Since they have exploited every comma splice and ambiguity in the law,they are running what amounts to a large unregulated bank that doesn't pay for or have any intention of getting FDIC protection. They also sidestep laws that are intended to protect depositors from malfeasance and outright theft by getting you to agree to TOS that pretty much takes away any rights you may have with a regulated entity.

I have always had a queasy feeling about Paypal, and the events of the last 8 months have made me even more leery of a financial company that seemingly answers to no one,not even it''s customers.

If it ever blows up,it shouldn't surprise anyone.

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bohemian
February 28, 2009 10:14 PM
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What I find concerning is that a CSR was trying to argue that an $81 billion gas station card swipe wasn't an error. Is logic forbidden in call centers now?

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2 replies
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Nicole Smith
February 28, 2009 10:45 PM
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@bohemian: Unfortunately when you only speak enough English to read from a script it's easy to see anything as arguable. (Note: I'm not justifying the arguing in any way. This comment is 100% snark.)

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sburnap42
February 28, 2009 11:08 PM
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@Nicole Smith: The CSR may also not have a good idea of what the value of a dollar actually is.

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RandomHookup
March 1, 2009 12:02 AM
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@sburnap42: If he's in India trying to make the conversion from rupees, he might not make the connection. A billion rupees is only $19,615,535 so it's easy to confuse the two.


Or if he used to live in pre-Euro Italy, a billion Lira is only $12.87.

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synimatik
February 28, 2009 10:34 PM
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'What moral is Juan taking away from the story? \"Pay cash.\"'

I find it just a bit annoying, lazy, and fickle for your advise to be 'pay cash'. Especially considering ALL your other posts tell everyone they should charge it to a card so you can fight the company or do a charge back.

If Juan's car broke down and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere would your advice be 'ride a bike'?

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2 replies
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dddoistutter
March 1, 2009 3:03 AM
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@synimatik: Very astute observation...hindsight is 20/20, and giving advice post hoc to fit the situation isn't exactly helpful.

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Spaztrick
February 28, 2009 10:46 PM
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@synimatik: No, he should pay cash to the taxi that shows up.

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Nicole Smith
February 28, 2009 10:44 PM
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Paypal outsources the CSRs at their call center, but the supervisors all seem to be \"local.\" I've had a few calls where I escalated the call and got the desired result that way.

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pythonspam
February 28, 2009 10:52 PM
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You're saying a business would turn down $81 Billion dollars at the cost of a measly $1.6 Billion (and 20 cents). I think not.

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Ken Blakely
February 28, 2009 11:02 PM
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Ummm...What kinda nimrod uses a debit card to purchase anything anyway, and more to the point, what kinda nimrod uses a >>PAYPAL<< debit card?

For the information of those few people who haven't figured it out yet: PayPal is not a bank. They don't operate under the same rulse that banks and other established financial institutions work under. You and any money to have on deposit with them are totally at their mercy. Please, for the love of GOD: Use PayPal to pay and receive payments, and remove money to your bank acoount as soon as humanly possible, Do not allow PayPal any leverage over you at any time ever.

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aguacarbonica
February 28, 2009 11:28 PM
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I think PayPal thrives off bad publicity or something.

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1 replies
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madanthony
March 1, 2009 12:33 AM
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@aguacarbonica:

It's more that they don't really have an incentive to care. They are owned by eBay and have a near-monopoly on eBay payments, especially since eBay has pretty much banned paying by check or money order. If you want to buy or sell on eBay, you pretty much have to use PayPal, so they have no reason to try to have a good reputation for customer service.

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JoeWoah
February 28, 2009 11:29 PM
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He's too big to fail, get his a bailout!

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JoeWoah
February 28, 2009 11:29 PM
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...get him a bailout.

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CompyPaq
February 28, 2009 11:59 PM
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I don't believe this story. PayPal's debit cards are operated by Chase; if he was really charged that much, Chase's fraud department would have caught on. And even paypal wouldn't actually think that someone charged that much. Besides, PayPal debit cards have daily limits as do all other debit cards.

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I_have_something_to_say
March 1, 2009 12:00 AM
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Paypal's day has come and gone. They need to go to way of the other horrendous companies that are undeserving our our money.

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FuryOfFirestorm
March 1, 2009 12:44 AM
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Is there even $81 billion worth of gas on Earth?

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1 replies
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Quilt
March 1, 2009 1:37 AM
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@FuryOfFirestorm: Exxon Mobil would likely say there is. AND HOW!?

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yevarechecha
March 1, 2009 1:07 AM
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$81,400,839,908 would only have gotten him half a tank in Zimbabwe.

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PLATTWORX
March 1, 2009 1:52 AM
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\"Somebody from a foreign country who spoke in broken English\". GREAT, another company throws customer service out the window and hires a foreign call center with employees who can't understand problems beyond the script handed to them!


That said, while the economic timing is horrid, Paypal should have been ruled a bank by the courts years ago and be under FDIC laws. Them being able to act like a bank, offer financial services yet not have to follow any laws has cost consumers countless dollars.

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Corporate-Shill
March 1, 2009 2:15 AM
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Yes it is a laughing matter.


The CSR should have been laughing along with the customer during the 30 seconds it took to correct the problem.


Beyond 30 seconds.....


I would have contacted my local investigated TV/newspaper reporter and let them have fun with the FleaBay Management

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Anonymous
March 1, 2009 2:25 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

The explanation for the figure, which I heard in a radio news account this evening, was that the customer was charged the merchant's account number with Paypal. Now we need an explanation for how the merchant's number was confused with the debit amount.

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Amanda Boles
March 1, 2009 2:52 AM
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No one should be using Paypal, period. I had legitimate business with paypal for several years. I used instant bank transfers when buying small items on eBay. Then one week I had 3 \"paypal debit card\" transactions totaling $140 show up on my personal checking account. I never had a paypal debit card, and paypal had no record of me ever having one. They said that the charges did not come out of my paypal account, so they did not exist as far as they were concerned. Even though I had proof on my bank statements. My bank said it looked like internal fraud from paypal, and returned the money. I had to close my personal checking account and open a new one. I will never use paypal again.

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Papa Midnight
March 1, 2009 3:11 AM
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Unsurprisingly, PayPal saw nothing wrong with the charge and demanded that Juan prove that he didn't actually buy $81.4 billion worth of gas.

Just another day at PayPal. I mean, it's entirely reasonable of course that a service station REALLY is carrying $81.4 Billion Dollars in Gas.

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ma5t3rw1tt
March 1, 2009 3:30 AM
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I can agree with this guy because Paypal is greedy. When I was getting a couple hundred dollars for helping some friends for doing good and they paid me this way, Paypal limited my account with some bull saying stuff such as \"Your a risk user\" or something like that and they want you to verify all your personal information.

So this story makes sense to me about Paypal. Google Checkout anyone?

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Mistrez_Mish
March 1, 2009 3:35 AM
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WTF?

\"When Zamora returned to the Conoco gas station, he said, the attendant would not believe him until he showed her the printout of the PayPal receipt.\"

As if the gas station actually has the capacity to hold $81,400,836,908 worth of gas.. wow.... I'm surprised, but not as surprised by the PayPal rep in (India?) arguing this, but the gas station attendant? brilliant

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N.RobertMoses
March 1, 2009 3:38 AM
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How long would it actually take to pump $81,400,836,908 worth of gas?

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crazydavythe1st
March 1, 2009 3:57 AM
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That $35 overdraft fee finally seems to be in proportion to the actual overdraft....

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3drage
March 1, 2009 4:03 AM
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I came for the story, I stayed for the comments. lol

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Jamie Lancaster
March 1, 2009 5:45 AM
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My favorite part is where they draw a parallel to GM's losses since 2005...

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Geblah187
March 1, 2009 6:06 AM
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Yet another reason (as if we needed any more) that Paypal sucks.

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dazzlezak
March 1, 2009 6:32 AM
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Nascar's gas bill is less than this, for the whole season.


Good call paypal.


Reminder to self, cancel paypal acct.

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AgentTuttle
March 1, 2009 7:20 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

I can't believe he would even have to explain himself to anyone. I think I would have to ask the CSR what gas station could hold 32,560,334,763 gallons of gas. (And that would be premium btw)

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CharlieInSeattle
March 1, 2009 7:22 AM
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Paypal just recently screwed a friend of mine, I say boycott them.

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deadspork
March 1, 2009 2:36 PM
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Why wasn't the transaction declined?

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nevets68
March 1, 2009 3:41 PM
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Question is ..was his Camaro , bitchin?

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Michael Murdock
March 1, 2009 3:42 PM
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81 Billion Dollars is a lot of money and for anyone to argue on the phone for 15 minutes about this is really ludicrous. All the guy had to do was talk to a supervisor. I use paypal constantly. The problem is with the stations that do a double hold on money because they've been ripped off when gas prices were really high.

So they double the amount of the deposit. If you have an SUV, the normal deposit would be $75, but they charge $150. One night I found that my card had been tapped as well, for $250 for a fillup. I freaked out and called paypal, they released the holds within minutes.

So this story is a bit bizarre.

But it is funny. In the end, nothing would have happened to him. PayPal is owned by EBAY and there's never been a transaction that large in one fell swoop through ebay.

Have a nice day.

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microcars
March 1, 2009 3:45 PM
Moderate |Flag for review

has no one brought this up?:
[www.newsvine.com]

the number in the email was the merchant ID number and not the amount?

OK, everyone go back to complaining about how evil PayPal is and how he should have used cash.

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MrsLopsided
March 2, 2009 12:06 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

@microcars: It would have been helpful to see a screen shot of his receipt and/or PayPal statement to validate the story.

You know, like journalism.

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ameyer
March 1, 2009 5:46 PM
Moderate |Flag for review

@microcars: And I was starting to think that the charge got converted to Zimbabwean dollars and never got converted back.
Darn you, reality.

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DadCooks
March 1, 2009 5:11 PM
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Conoco is majority owned by the country of Venezuela.

Venezuela is having trememdous monetary problems (among other things).

This is just a way that Hugo Chávez is trying to get his country back on a stable finacial footing. ;)

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Papa Midnight
March 2, 2009 3:12 PM
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@DadCooks: Please do research next time. Conoco is not a Venezuelan company. That's Citgo.

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ZManGT
March 2, 2009 12:39 PM
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@DadCooks: No. Citgo is owned by Chavez. Conoco is not.

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Borax-Johnson
March 1, 2009 5:37 PM
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Seems like a pretty decent referral to his State's attorney general.

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Barney_The Plug_ Frank
March 1, 2009 6:04 PM
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PayPal sucks ass! Unless you live in a hole or in an area where there is a news blackout, you're a fool for using PayPal. I've heard nothing good about PayPal.

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Bog
March 1, 2009 6:33 PM
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It's the new gas tax! The $26 was correct. The extra $81,400,836,882 was the tax to cover his share of the stimulus package.

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Darren W.
March 1, 2009 7:13 PM
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At $3/Gallon, and 20mpg, that's enough gas to travel nearly one tenth of a lightyear, or from the earth to the sun AND BACK 2917 times.

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orlo
March 1, 2009 8:45 PM
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@Darren W.: MPG of gasoline does not apply well to space travel.

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tina043
March 1, 2009 8:53 PM
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What is plates talking about?! Your whining doesn't belong here.

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edrebber
March 1, 2009 10:12 PM
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I would be tempted to let the charge stand and see how paypal handled it on their own.

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Robert Francis Corrigan
March 2, 2009 3:14 AM
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you can use Pay Pal to buy gas?!?

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ryaninc
March 2, 2009 3:20 AM
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My PayPal debit card has a daily spending limit of a thousand dollars or something, I forget. I can't imagine any system letting a transaction like this go through. It really must have been a simple glitch.

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Hawkins
March 2, 2009 3:36 AM
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I'm as left-wing a socialist hippie as you're likely to need, but dammit, the SR-71 makes me proud to be an American.

Grossly ahead of anything else of its time, or ANY time. Everything about it is wildly superlative, from the J58 ramjet engines (32,500 lbs. of thrust; enough to drive the largest ocean liners) to the wild altitudes (at 85,000 feet, the sky is black and the curvature of the earth is evident).

For many the SR-71 is the most amazing object made by the hand of man.

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Barry Gilpin
March 2, 2009 5:27 AM
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@nevets 68

He should have used his Exxon credit card to fill his Bitchin Camaro.

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ZManGT
March 2, 2009 12:35 PM
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I actually heard this story on the news this morning. They said it was not the pump or the gas station that was at fault, rather that Paypal charged Juan all of their merchant fees for the month. That explains the high charge, although that's a hell of a mistake to make.

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flyromeo3
March 2, 2009 4:12 PM
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the phone agent is just as dumb as the system that made this mistake. A lot of these reps lack common sense.

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shepd
March 2, 2009 4:13 PM
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Step 1: Buy $81 billion in gas via paypal
Step 2: Find out company that now has $81 billion in cash from paypal
Step 3: Work out deal with this person whereby they give you ~$1 billion cash when you go bankrupt
Step 4: ?????
Step 5: Paypal eats $81 billion, you and the other person profit!

For all the IAALs, this is, of course, just a joke.

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Anonymous
March 2, 2009 4:18 PM
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I had the same experience with PayPal customer service when my account was hacked and used fraudulently. Couldn't explain how it happened or how I could prevent it from happening again. I was not happy with that answer, so I went to the E.E.C.B. Wow, I can tell you that PayPal execs respond to that. I received a phone call from one of their execs the same morning I sent the E.E.C.B. Everything was explained and taken care of. Try it if you still have problems.

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jcargill
March 2, 2009 5:45 PM
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But just imagine the frequent flyer miles!!!

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starrion
March 2, 2009 6:36 PM
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I'm going with don't use Paypal.


My wife wanted to buy some stuff from an Amazon reseller who only accepts Paypal. It only took a couple of pages from nopaypal to convince her otherwise.

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Smorgasbord
March 2, 2009 8:20 PM
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Juan didn't say WHERE he bought the gas. If it was New York City, it's possible they have extra charges they have added on to get themselves out of debt.

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Plates
March 2, 2009 9:51 PM
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Py Pl prbbly jst ssmd tht t ws mr txs frm th bm-Pls mf.

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15 replies
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Edward Lionheart
March 2, 2009 12:26 AM
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@Plates: Very nice. Georgie's pal Kenny Boy Lay (\"Who? Never met the guy!\") helped orchestrate the rolling blackouts by Rethugs like you and Bobby (\"Arrest me, too! Man the lifeboats!\") Jindal lie your butts off but you know what? We're not fooled anymore. You drove the country down the drain. Suck it up like a man or move to Antigua where you stand a chance of being knighted. Buh-bye, blowhard.

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GuinevereRucker
March 1, 2009 3:10 PM
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@Plates: Heh, I love how people thought it was ok to bash Bush but, now that Obama is popular, saying something against him is off-limits. Sounds like a bad case of double standards to me.

I totally agree with the OP, good for you!

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zyodei
March 1, 2009 4:25 PM
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@GuinevereRucker: Another way to look at it is that, as a result of the Bush/Obama bailouts, which are a continuation of a general pattern of fiscal recklessness and erroneous \"Keynesian\" nonsense that stretches back decades...A fill-up in a '94 Camaro may one day cost $81 Billion.


Personally, I don't see any way of avoiding hyperinflation in the next 1-5 years.

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deadspork
March 1, 2009 2:30 PM
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@Plates: I'm just glad that joker Roosevelt is finally out of the White House!!


*note: I'm as topical as you are.

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blainer
February 28, 2009 11:47 PM
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@Plates: Geez. Everyone knows it's the Soros mafia.

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zentec
February 28, 2009 10:18 PM
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@Plates:

You sir, have just won my vote when Consumerist does the next user purge.

While I respect your right to have whatever political view you so desire, with that right comes the responsibility to know when it's appropriate to let loose. This probably isn't a good place.

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AdvocatesDevil
March 1, 2009 2:32 PM
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@zentec: Yeah, they ban people all the time for not contributing enough to the conversation, but this guy is still posting? Because he contributes such well-thought out comments to the discussion, I guess?

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bohemian
February 28, 2009 10:10 PM
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@Plates: Can we get a report button? I am so tired of seeing the out of place political whining injected into comments.

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badgeman46
March 1, 2009 1:21 AM
Moderate |Flag for review

@bohemian: Now wait a minute, just because you dissagree with someone does not give you the right to call security. He does bring up a valid point. Anyway, enjoy paying 40 grand for that new plug in car that gets mandated. Also enjoy the rolling blackouts when power companies take their ball and go home rather than pay \"cap and trade\" taxes.

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jamar0303
March 1, 2009 3:21 PM
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@badgeman46: Which brings up a point- why did deregulation happen? Electricity should be government-regulated, as should be water/gas.

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badgeman46
March 1, 2009 7:52 PM
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@jamar0303: I don't think re-regulation is a good idea at all. My area went from the most expensive electricity in the country to some of the cheapest in the country since deregilation. My electric bill is rarely over a 100 bucks, and everything in my house is electric. Another example is car insurance. Try buying cheap car insurance in regulated Massachusetts.

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Hamtronix
March 2, 2009 3:11 PM
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@badgeman46: Mass is about 3/4 of the price I paid for better coverage in 'Free Market' South Carolina.

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Feminist Whore
March 1, 2009 4:08 AM
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@badgeman46: Did you just stick up for Enron? Hmmm, I'm pretty sure you did.

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badgeman46
March 1, 2009 2:34 PM
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@♥♥♥: Nah, I don't stick up for any ponzi scheme, including Enron and Cap and Trade. Honestly I'm surprised this error doesn't happen more often with all of our electronic transactions.

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czetie
February 28, 2009 9:46 PM
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@Plates: Where is the devoweler when we really need some completely irrelevant, unrelated and inappropriate political sniping removed?

Yeah, I know: banhammer for complaining about another commenter... but really, what is this comment doing on Consumerist?

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GothamGal
February 28, 2009 9:41 PM
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@Plates:

Someone is still all pissy about the election results because this comment has no value about the original story. Here's a tissue, you're welcome.

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Traveshamockery
February 28, 2009 9:59 PM
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@GothamGal: That didn't stop Bush haters for the past 8 years (and it still continues).

But, I agree with the gist...this is a useless comment.

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Con Seannery is apparently an ADMIN...
March 1, 2009 4:19 PM
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@InfiniTrent: Remember, it's only political sniping if it's against the Democratic party.

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Ubik2501
March 2, 2009 9:57 PM
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@Con Seannery is apparently an ADMIN...: You keep on touting that strawman as if it were true. Most of us are also sick of seeing political sniping at Bush in completely unrelated contexts. But, you know, whatever you need to sleep better at night and score political points.

Consumerist desperately requires a \"report\" button for completely useless comments like the ones Plates invariably makes in every single damn threat.

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metsarethe...
February 28, 2009 9:40 PM
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@Plates: Nancy prefers the \"Pelosi-Obama\" mafia as we all know who wears the pants in this political relationship

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Chongo
February 28, 2009 9:27 PM
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@Plates: Based on your well spoken, thoughtful and cited 16 words on a blog comment system, I have to believe your ideology is the correct one.

/yeah right

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Anonymous
March 2, 2009 10:08 PM
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Also considering the fact that even when gas was $4+ a gallon I doubt theres a gas station that has $81 Billion worth of a single grade of gas on hand at a time(Heck not even close to that much in all grades combined at a time)

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Jason C. Knobloch
March 3, 2009 3:52 AM
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Hey Hey......wait everyone.........Juan could easily get this taken care of...........Just call or email President Obama, Im sure that he could easily get a bail-out for $81 billion.........LMAO

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