Bad enough that PayPal is trying to deny you your right to a day in court with a binding mandatory arbitration clause that you must send them a SNAIL-MAIL letter to opt out of. (How's that for showing their intentions --- the online money service apparently believes we should go back to snail mail sometimes!)
Read all about that part here:
http://www.nextavenue.org/blog/paypal-gets-sneaky-what-you-need-know-about-new-fine-print
But, wait, there's more! In fact, there's another part that may be even worse -- after all, not that many people get into disputes with PayPal; but there are MILLIONS of Americans who are harassed by bottom-feeding debt collectors, whose track record in terms of making mistakes and harassing people who don't even have the same name as the real debtors (and harassing people who have paid the debts, etc.). Now PayPal wants to help these debt collectors make your life hell by slipping in a consent where you give your OK for PayPal to "share" your mobile phone number with those debt collectors and for those debt collectors to call your cellphone using robodialers.
Note what a vicious hidden trap this is: a mice-type consent in a form that most people aren't going to read, letting them give your mobile phone number to debt collectors and robo-dialers. Without your consent, this is illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Why should PayPal be hiding this language in their agreement for the benefit of debt collectors? Here's the offending language (bold added):
Anyone who gives consent to let any debt collector in the universe call their cell phone is asking for a lifetime sentence to debt collections hell -- and not owing a debt is not necessarily a reason for debt collectors not to harass you.
The picture above is an opt-out letter for the arbitration piece of this abomination, but the only way to avoid this hidden vicious consent to enter debt collections hell is NOT TO GIVE PAYPAL A MOBILE PHONE NUMBER. (Or any other number, really.)
Read all about that part here:
http://www.nextavenue.org/blog/paypal-gets-sneaky-what-you-need-know-about-new-fine-print
But, wait, there's more! In fact, there's another part that may be even worse -- after all, not that many people get into disputes with PayPal; but there are MILLIONS of Americans who are harassed by bottom-feeding debt collectors, whose track record in terms of making mistakes and harassing people who don't even have the same name as the real debtors (and harassing people who have paid the debts, etc.). Now PayPal wants to help these debt collectors make your life hell by slipping in a consent where you give your OK for PayPal to "share" your mobile phone number with those debt collectors and for those debt collectors to call your cellphone using robodialers.
Note what a vicious hidden trap this is: a mice-type consent in a form that most people aren't going to read, letting them give your mobile phone number to debt collectors and robo-dialers. Without your consent, this is illegal under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Why should PayPal be hiding this language in their agreement for the benefit of debt collectors? Here's the offending language (bold added):
- By providing PayPal a telephone number (including a mobile telephone number), you agree to receive autodialed and prerecorded message calls at that number. The ways in which you provide us a telephone number include, but are not limited to, providing a telephone number at Account opening, adding a telephone number to your Account at a later time, providing it to one of our employees, or by contacting us from that phone number. If a telephone number provided to us is a mobile telephone number, you consent to receive SMS or text messages at that number. We won’t share your phone number with non-affiliated third parties for their purposes without your consent, but may share your phone numbers with our Family of Companies or with our service providers, such as billing or collections companies, who may contact you using autodialed or prerecorded message calls or text messages. Standard telephone minute and text charges may apply if we contact you.
Anyone who gives consent to let any debt collector in the universe call their cell phone is asking for a lifetime sentence to debt collections hell -- and not owing a debt is not necessarily a reason for debt collectors not to harass you.
The picture above is an opt-out letter for the arbitration piece of this abomination, but the only way to avoid this hidden vicious consent to enter debt collections hell is NOT TO GIVE PAYPAL A MOBILE PHONE NUMBER. (Or any other number, really.)
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