PayPal Bug - Who is Richard Brezovec?

by: jm

Why nothing on the PP announcements?
http://announcements.paypal.com/us/

They could save themselves a lot of grief. Or do they have something to hide?

Whatever the case, this company cannot and should not be trusted. It's glitch and lie after another after another

by: Marvin

While I gave up on oBay several years ago, I am seeing the same type of thing from hostgator and Terapeak. At first, I thought the same thing as everyone else (hacked), but the details showed everything just fine. So it looks like the PayPal bug is affecting more than just oBay.

by: RicRoe

A PayPal spokesperson confirmed the problem is a bug. "We are aware of it. We will get you more details soon."


In other words, give us some time to invent a plausable excuse, run it past legal to make sure we do not get caught with our pants down, and then we will pass the fabrication along to you.

by: Ming the Merciless

How many more examples of ebafia/PreyPal's abysmal security and/or thoroughly imcompetent coding will it take to get the feds' attention?

I nothing else, however, this stupidity and sloppiness gives us another reason to use USPS Click n ship or shipping Assistant for your shipping labels PLUS you're not contributing to PrePal profitability!

by: Grasping At Straws

Just a guess... but I imagine that eBay gets a kickback or percentage of the value of all postage printed through their servers.

Even though the postage is discounted for the sellers, there's probably an additional discount that's figured-in to the ''overhead'' costs that goes to PayPal.

Richard Brezovec is probably the designated POC or the ''account holder'' as far as the USPS is concerned, so his name appears in strategic points in the interaction between the eBay servers and the USPS servers.

Somewhere along the line, the eBay programmers goofed (AGAIN!) and started reading the WRONG ''name'' field. Instead of reading the info in the SELLER'S NAME field, someone wasn't paying attention and told their code to read the ''ACCOUNT HOLDER'' name field. And in this case, it's Richard Brezovec.

This is just ONE MORE example of the VERY POOR checks/balances/oversight with eBay programming. Clearly, NOBODY tests anything (except the programmers) and that's a mistake.

Having PROGRAMMERS try to ''break'' and debug their own code is STUPID. It's like trying to proofread your own essay... very difficult to do because you know what it's ''supposed'' to say, so your mind skips over the errors.

With programming testing and debugging, the programmer also knows how a program is ''supposed'' to work, so he/she isn't likely to do the things that will cause it to fail. The programmer is never confused about HOW their program works because they WROTE IT!

Testing needs to be done by REAL SELLERS of ALL SKILL LEVELS to make sure that the code has good error checking and trapping, and that the flow is logical and coherent.

Programming a site as complex as eBay requires coordination. As it stands now, it's quite obvious that the various components of eBay are programmed by dozens of independent committees... none of whom have the vaguest CLUE what the other committes are doing (and how (or whether) their code will blend and mesh seamlessly with all the other code.

Everything appears to be coded separately, then AFTERWARD someone runs around trying to quickly patch the obvious bugs (but still ending up with inferior code!!)

Pathetic!

by: tekgems

I do agree eBay coding committee is a mess. One doesn't know what the other is doing. After years of this, the result is eBay.com. Its a jumbled mess of badly written code.

Paypal never used to have this kind of problem mentioned until eBay took it over. Once eBay bought out Paypal, its really been downhill as far as technology and coding goes.

eBay has the midas touch. Instead of everything turning to gold, whatever eBay touches turns into the brown stuff that smells.

by: Rick1313

To those who expecting to see eBay,inc. posting an announcement on the problem, think again.

Since spring of 2010, eBay,inc. has gotten into the habit of announcing problems if it affects buyers and their big boy accounts.

This problem does not qualify as I imagine the big boy accounts do not use eBay,inc.'s links to shipping services.

And, of course, it has nothing to do with buyers.

Maybe my posting here will get them to do so.

They have posted three announcements (actually two were re-posts of removed announcements) in the fall of 2009 due to a couple of emails/a phone conversation (comical to say the least)/and the everybody's favorite ''seller's advocate'', Mr. Griffith.

Was going to ask Mr. Griffith about the removed announcement, from 2008, that had him fully supporting eBay's decision to count neutrals as negatives, but he and eBay's legal department decided I was a little too much for him on his ''Ask Griff''.

But I digress...

As Grasping has noted, eBay,inc.'s current operating system is one patch/fix after another.

They must wait for full implementation of Mr. Donahoe's grand plan before they can address any plan to give their operating system a complete overhaul.

by: Rick1313

And for those of you wondering why I said ''seller's advocate'' and not ''sellers' advocate'', it is because Mr. Griffith only had one client...eBay,inc.

by: Joel

Just payed some seller fees and got this Richard Brezovec name as my payee. What the hell is going on in this country? Haven't we all been raped and pillaged enough?

by: John

@ Joel.....We may think its enough, but sadly I think it's just beginning.
I wonder how buyers will view the bug when they purchase something come FB time

Pay-Pals fault or the sellers

by: John

I did look on eBay announcements for pay-pal, and included the links I could find here. Appears this Richard Brezovec thing has been going on since Jan 26th....ALSO on the other link it appers to include a name Robert Wolter with the same problems....Some interesting comments makes me ask just
How SAFE is Pay-Pal ?....

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Paypal/Who-The-Heck/5202
57826

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/topic/Paypal/Richard-Brezovec/510302160

by: John

Also I was looking over the topics in the eBay discussion forums for PP,  and if this problem has been going on since the 26th, some of the other problems buyers and sellers are having dated the 26th thru the 29th. Could be associated with these bugs.

You should look the links over before eBay pulls the threads or closes the discussion forums for '' a hide the page site maintenance''

by: googled him

Richard Brezovec CTP
       
                                                     Treasury Consultant at eBay      
                                               San Francisco Bay Area
     
                                 Current                                      
                 Treasury Consultant                                                                                                                                            
                 Sr. Treasury Analyst                                                                    
                 Treasury Analyst                                                                
                 AVP Float Management                                                                                                                          
                 ELM     at B Co. 319th Signal Battalion, USAR                                                        
                 Sr. Treasury Analyst     at ilogistix Corporation                                                        
                 Treasury Analyst     at Leasing Solutions Inc                                                                    .                  
                                         Education                                                    
                                  De Anza College                            

               

by: Rick1313

To John's first post...

Joel is talking about paying eBay fees, not for an eBay purchase. I believe purchases are not having the problem. Least ways, I have not seen one such complaint from a buyer.

To your second post...

Forum posts are not eBay announcement boards. That is not were a user is suppose to go to find out there is a problem with the functionality of eBay,inc.'s system.

eBay, in conjunction with their aversion to properly posting seller-only problems, has taken to posting some of the problems on the forum boards, without posting it on the announcement board.

I would hazard a guess that they believe this relieves them of any liability to affected users. I would say that that it does not.

Just look at the top of the ''eBay store'' forum board. A problem (only affecting sellers) was posted there last May. A poster even replied, before eBay locked the post (bet that employee was scolded for posting an open topic), that it should be on the announcement board. It never made it there.

Neither did they post that the problem was fixed, as the forum post said they would do.

I guess it is still unresolved after 8 months.

To your third post...

eBay (via Liveworld) have taken a different tactic on unfavorable threads in recent times and hard coded some threads.

In one instance, posters could post, but it would stay at the ''bottom of the barrel'' and not be bumped up.

In another case, users were not able to access the last page of a thread. I assume that they were also not able to give a reply.

Many interesting tidbits that a seller can use if they find that they have to bring in a third party (black robe and all) to convince eBay otherwise of the folly of their action(s) or non-action(s).

by: Mr. Obvious

Let's see... what does "The Seller Advocate" say on his Facebook page.

"We had a little party today for our new colleagues at Milo (Who joined eBay last month). One of the party goers was Milo hisself (the owner's Jack Russell terrier). Milo was the hit of the party."

"hisself"?

So sad about your money though...

Just a "glitch." Nothing to see here. Move along now.

by: John

The announcement-vs- forum thing is just from a lack of using the sites. I have not sold or bought on eBay in 3 years. However bugs disguise themselves in may different ways.

Just because  people don't  think there is a problem other then a typical account issue doesn't mean there isn't.

The people who make it are the people who break. As an old Confucius program writer once told me.....some comments from the forum boards
(did I get it right this time) that should be considered as questionable to other  threads or categories reporting what appears to be normal problems on the site are......

Just stumbled onto this post and it got me worried. Went and looked at my PayPal account and saw that I have one for Richard Brezovec on 1-17 for my ebay fees out of PayPal. Now starting on the 24th I have all my USPS (total of 11) going to PayPal-USPS-Fourteen Delivery, instead of the usual US Postal Services, which was still the one used as of the 22nd. I swear I never noticed this before. When I looked at the details, it also said that the account was not verified. Is anybody else seeing the Fourteen Delivery? New to selling and this is making me nervous......

I just posted on the other thread. The moderator on a paypal forum said it's some internal change and they're on it. But someone on the powerseller board I checked said that there's also a problem with some accounts being charged twice for one postage purchase. So be sure to check your paypal account if you're seeing the wrong names for ebay shipping labels. Mine looked okay when I checked... tho still said Richard whatever.......


This is bad for record-keeping purposes (i.e., when we download our data for taxes) and they should fix it ASAP, but if you look at the details of the transaction, it is going to usps5@paypal.com, which is the same email it always goes to. So I think we can all go about our business and not worry .... And many thanks to you patient souls who contacted Paypal by phone to alert them -- that is always a frustrating and often unpleasant experience, so thank you for doing it!!!........


I discovered this too today and called Paypal.
Turns out there are at least two ghosts out there. The other is Richard Brezovec
They say ''It is a known issue'' but no one would explain it to me.
Instead (and I had to call twice) they do a Jackie Gleason ''hubbada hubbada hubbada hubbada''
It's like they got caught with their pants down and are too embarrassed to tell you some one may be stealing your money........


THIS ONE DEALS WITH INKFROG:.....

My regular Inkfrog payment came out today, but the name on the payment was Greg Sisung. I contacted Inkfrog and was re-assured that Greg Sisung is their CEO. It's just some kind of glitch in PayPal's system. Hopefully, it will be resolved soon.......

It appears this Bug or glitch is effecting other issues in payment and even though people,  buyers or sellers may think their specific issue is something normal....who is to say it is or isn't.
A glitch is a Glitch, and a Bug is a Bug.....

Time will tell I suppose, because eBay and PP are not telling.....


How safe do you consider PP after today.

by: Rich

A Paypal administrator said, "It's ok - we're not being hacked".  This translates into meaning that Paypal has been hacked

by: Philip Cohen

“PayPal and eBay have hung me out to dry”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jan/29/paypal-ebay<
BR>
“… PayPal confirmed you experienced a “reversal” but said it was not responsible for your loss, despite promising that it “offers sellers protection against potential losses due to buyer claims, charge backs or reversals”. Instead, it found a clause in its rules that states local collections aren’t covered by its seller protection programme, which requires “proof that goods have been exchanged in the form of online trackable proof of delivery and proof of signature from the recipient for items over £150” – difficult when selling a TV.

“We reminded PayPal that, while its own systems were not hacked into, someone’s PayPal account was nevertheless used by the fraudster, and that you did not find out the payment had been flagged by PayPal until it was too late.

“Unfortunately, PayPal again refused to accept any responsibility, so you should now take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.”

So, if the item is paid for by PayPal and is picked up by the buyer the seller has no protection at all from fraud via the PayPal buyer protection programme. So, what’s new? eBay and PayPal are still the most unscrupulous, fraud faciliting, commercial entities operating on the web.

eBay/PayPal/Donahoe: Dead Men Walking.

by: Rick1313

To Philip's post...

Read the article and it is plain evidence of how I keep on harping that it is all about the liability and working in good faith.

This is clearly a case that PayPal should have used their no-fault clause and eat the loss themselves, as they did send seller an email about potential fraud.

Instead, they go to another clause to keep the money and force buyer (if he is so inclined) to take up the matter with a regulatory body and/or the court system.

It also brings up the question, as this was a sale through a third party selling venue, if the selling venue should advise sellers that they should not take an electronic payment for a local pickup.

More so with eBay,inc. as they own both the selling and payment site that was used in this transaction.

They have a local pickup option for sellers, but do not allow sellers to state in their listings that local pickup can only be used if a paper payment is used. The Accepted Payments Policy on eBay.com/.ca prohibits saying so (except for the 41-club).

In my case, whenever someone asks about making a local pickup, I say that they cannot pay with PayPal. If PayPal is used, then item will have to be shipped and a S&H charge will be applied.

by: Rick1313

Forgot to mention that when I accessed the Guardian website, there was a Google sponsored ad for PayPal, below the article.

It is to laugh.