Paid Account Mishap

[calliopes_pen]

I opened a support request and asked about whether or not my payment (via check) for the x_meggan paid account (for a year, with extra icons) ever actually arrived, as it had been a month and a day since I sent the check as of today. Apparently, it didn't, which explains that.

Their mailing address hasn't changed and not been updated on the payment page, has it? All I know is the envelope never arrives when I pay for something, and it's never cashed either. It's bizarre.

That happened at least two other times with LJ--I once sent a payment for Insanejournal on the same day, and that got to that place fine, so I don't know what's going on.

Ah, well. I just won't buy anything from LJ anymore.

Comments

[ausmac.livejournal.com]

People who want to use payments methods other than credit are always disadvantaged. I'm the same with eBay. I hate using paypal or credit card, but eBay is making it impossible to purchase via any other method. And LJ of course, is out, because outside the US there is no way to pay other than via the internet.

[calliopes_pen]

I've heard enough horror stories about Paypal that I refuse to ever use them. Nor will I use credit cards. The only things I'll pay with are money orders or checks.

I heard about the eBay thing. Most of the people selling stuff tend to only allow Paypal anyway. There are the rare gems that allow money orders, though.

As I live in the US, things should've been okay with buying from LJ (via check) on that front, but apparently not.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

How do you feel about pre-paid "credit cards"? They're not really credit cards, they're basically like a gift card attached to a Visa or Mastercard number. It might be a good solution to your 'buy things on the internet' problem.

[calliopes_pen]

I tend to avoid anything credit card related, no matter what--even if it is somehow like a gift card. I don't care for them.

It's just easier for me to keep track of, if it's just a check or money order.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's unfortunate that the spectre of credit card fraud is so huge. It makes a lot of things very inconvenient. Sadly, I suspect that the way things are going, you may not have a choice at some point. I know that (as an example) my bank doesn't even allow you to get a non-Visa Debit card now. I mean, you can refuse an ATM card entirely, but you can't get an ATM card that's not attached to a instant-withdrawl VISA number.

[evilawyer-fic.livejournal.com]

I'm not entirely sure that they work exactly like credit cards on all the merchants' ends. In bigger retail brick-and-mortar stores, they are no problem, but I've seen small store owners be unable to run them through on the credit card terminals and/or complain that the merchant fee they have to pay is double for the pre-paid cards.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

It's not a perfect solution...

[evilawyer-fic.livejournal.com]

It certainly has the advantage of being a finite amount of money that can be stolen if it does get hacked into.

[ktprincesswitch.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but as an Ebay seller, I want to be sure I'm getting my money. I don't want to wait and sit around for your check or money order, and I shouldn't have to.

Get with 21st century, please.

[wackinessensues.livejournal.com]

Ugh, this would be why I never use checks for anything I can't deliver in person.

Have you thought about getting a Visa gift card and paying it that way? You can pay cash for them in most grocery stores (at least around here you can).

[bluejeanbaby.livejournal.com]

I love how refusing to let someone intercept your credit card information online in order to steal your identity makes someone a backwards 20th century gal. Keep up the good work. :-)

[calliopes_pen]

Better to be a backwards 20th century person than neck deep in debt for something you never bought or ordered. That's just my feelings on that, so thanks.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

Unfortuanlty, checks are actually no safer. With a check, your account and routing numbers are printed right on it, and with that, anyone can access your bank account - printing fraudulent checks is a much larger problem than banks will admit to. (I've just been through this, as I had a checkbook stolen from my car)

[bluejeanbaby.livejournal.com]

Yikes, sorry you had to go through that. I'm afraid I'm probably going to be one of those credit card identity theft people. Too much of an instant gratification type.

[frito-kal.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I've actually never had a CC/Debit identity issue - but I've been hit twice with checks.

Granted, I'm also REALLY REALLY paranoid about my Visa Debit card and the types of places I use it - if I don't trust the encryption they use, they don't get my money at all.

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

I respect that you found a method you like. Here's my take.

I remember well one day I took my stack of bills, mailed them from the office and they were lost in the mail. Technically they weren't lost. I put them on a mail slot on the the 50th floor or so and they got stuck on the 23rd floor or so and never made it to the lobby until the post office came and personally cleared the jam because only the post office was allowed to.

I rewrote some, some got paid twice when the mail finally made it through, yadda, yadda. I was just out of college living paycheck to paycheck - it was ugly.

I consider companies without some form of electronic payment inferior because my goal is to never write a check again.

Paypal is pretty damn secure. I'm sure that folks have run into issues, but I haven't had a problem with them in the last ten years. Bonus they have a buyer guarantee that lets you file complaint and bt money back from bad e-bay sellers.

[evilawyer-fic.livejournal.com]

Good for you! The pressure for credit card numbers so they can charge you should be resisted.