Mikeserv Support Forum

I've had a merchant account for decades that I don't use. I was going to sell services and hosting from my web site at one time (it didn't pan out... I had but a few paying webhosting customers and when they didn't want it anymore, I just stopped doing it... I was spending WAY more time doing things for their sites than the money was worth anyway).

Now Paypal wants me to confirm my information. I went through their shit, having to start over a few times due to site errors and at the end of it all was "upload documents proving your address". There is no way in all of Hell's creation that I am uploading such documents to them. Why would they need that? They have a bank account and if there's some legal issue the bank knows who and where I am.

So I think I'll just close the account... fuck Paypal. It's never the only choice of payment processing anymore and I don't need them, their shit, or their ideological biases.

They haven't done that to me yet, it's probably coming though. Down here the Patriot Act forces financial institutions to require that information, that can make it tough to use a virtual address with them or even a PO box. The CC companies I have accounts with allow using a separate mailing address but my credit union does not, so after I move I'm going to move to a different credit union, probably an online one.

The only thing I use paypal for anymore is to give donations, and it's seldom the only payments accepted (e.g. I could also sign up for Patreon or something else)

Since I don't really trust paypal anyway, I'm leaning towards closing the account. I'm still thinking about it though, so as not to cut off my nose to spite my face, as I'm often wont to do. They already have my address, I just don't want to give them documents.

Any time I've ever received money from paypal I've gotten it out of their system, and out of the bank account connected to them, immediately. I even asked for the overdraft protection to be cut down on that account so paypal couldn't snatch much out of the mostly empty account. I never keep any money in it, just enough (e.g. $30 balance) so it doesn't go into overdraft for any fees. I could close THAT if I close the paypal account.

So, looking at alternatives, Venmo is the most popular and widely accepted. However... it's owned by fucking Paypal too now.

On the road to fascism, another consequence of end stage capitalism... companies conglomerate to the point where it's all the same shit with different branding, and society's wealth flows into the hands of a corrupt few.

I don't want that arsehole profiting from me in any way.

I had to use Zelle to pay for some work on my old house after I moved and before it could be listed. Most banks and credit unions support it, and although it got the job done I don't like it and hope I never have occasion to use it again. It would be very easy to select the wrong recipient, I had to double and triple check that the recipient was correct as there were other similar ones that came up, and once the money is sent there's no reversing it.

Same thing with the major railroads in North America. There used to be a lot of them but they've been dwindling for years, especially since the 90's, and now the four remaining ones in the US are about to become three as Union Pacific engulfs Norfolk Southern (every railroad UP touches becomes UP). One of the well known lessor lines, Kansas City Southern, merged with Canadian Pacific last year to become CPKC. This will probably continue until there's only one or two left. A lot of great iconic paint schemes we'll never see again.