Have a Penny, Donate a Penny, PayPal takes a Penny.
Posted: May 29th, 2006, 1:10 am
When the 'Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign' started I thought "That’s a brilliant Idea!", and then this mess with PayPal taking the penny as part of the cost for the transaction occurred.
I'm personally hoping it's just an oversight and that they'll smooth it over.
I thought it may make an interesting chat topic, so what does everyone else think?
I've include the relevant news entries (So far) for those who haven't be following main page's news:
(Classic DOS Games News - 17 April 2006)
"Started the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign. I realized that the site gets about 6000 unique visitors per month. If 1 in 6 of them were to donate a penny, all of the site's expenses could be covered. PayPal allows donations of a single penny, so if you find the site worth a penny to you, please consider donating one."
(Classic DOS Games News - 18 May 2006)
"A major problem has been identified with the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign. I forgot that PayPal charges a commission on all donations made by credit card (but not from bank account or PayPal balances), which is the most common way for people to transfer money. The fee apparently rounds up to the nearest penny, so PayPal is simply keeping all donations. I have contacted PayPal to request that they refund all donations to the donors and have offered a compromise where they can take their commission from all pennies donated on a monthly or annual basis, rather than on every donation, so that they aren't charging a 100% commission. If necessary, I will refund all donations out of my own pocket (through my bank account so that it actually gets to them). In the meantime, please donate your pennies by means other than credit cards, or donate them to charity instead. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far."
(Classic DOS Games News - 28 May 2006)
"PayPal's response to my concerns about charging a 100% fee on transactions and keeping all donations to the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign was that they cannot change their fee structure, so they apparently believe that charging a 100% fee is acceptable and ethical business practice. I have sent two additional emails to request that the policy be reviewed, which have gone unanswered. Rather than let PayPal keep your donations, I have refunded all donations to the campaign. Although I was assured that the fees would also be refunded, PayPal seems to be charging a fee of $0.01 on the refunds, so it appears that PayPal has "refunded" your money, only to keep it for themselves as a transaction fee. I have sent an email to ask why a fee appears next to the refund in my transaction list. Rest assured, I will fight for the return of your money on ethical grounds."
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Edit Note:
Odd, the boards Quote code didn't work.
I'm personally hoping it's just an oversight and that they'll smooth it over.
I thought it may make an interesting chat topic, so what does everyone else think?
I've include the relevant news entries (So far) for those who haven't be following main page's news:
(Classic DOS Games News - 17 April 2006)
"Started the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign. I realized that the site gets about 6000 unique visitors per month. If 1 in 6 of them were to donate a penny, all of the site's expenses could be covered. PayPal allows donations of a single penny, so if you find the site worth a penny to you, please consider donating one."
(Classic DOS Games News - 18 May 2006)
"A major problem has been identified with the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign. I forgot that PayPal charges a commission on all donations made by credit card (but not from bank account or PayPal balances), which is the most common way for people to transfer money. The fee apparently rounds up to the nearest penny, so PayPal is simply keeping all donations. I have contacted PayPal to request that they refund all donations to the donors and have offered a compromise where they can take their commission from all pennies donated on a monthly or annual basis, rather than on every donation, so that they aren't charging a 100% commission. If necessary, I will refund all donations out of my own pocket (through my bank account so that it actually gets to them). In the meantime, please donate your pennies by means other than credit cards, or donate them to charity instead. Thank you to everyone who has donated so far."
(Classic DOS Games News - 28 May 2006)
"PayPal's response to my concerns about charging a 100% fee on transactions and keeping all donations to the Have a Penny, Donate a Penny campaign was that they cannot change their fee structure, so they apparently believe that charging a 100% fee is acceptable and ethical business practice. I have sent two additional emails to request that the policy be reviewed, which have gone unanswered. Rather than let PayPal keep your donations, I have refunded all donations to the campaign. Although I was assured that the fees would also be refunded, PayPal seems to be charging a fee of $0.01 on the refunds, so it appears that PayPal has "refunded" your money, only to keep it for themselves as a transaction fee. I have sent an email to ask why a fee appears next to the refund in my transaction list. Rest assured, I will fight for the return of your money on ethical grounds."
------------
Edit Note:
Odd, the boards Quote code didn't work.