According to siliconbeat.com, it appears that the latest terms and conditions to use PayPal include you agreeing to accept telemarketing calls...
Well, says the BBC, get ready for a new barrage, because changes to PayPal's terms and conditions starting in July state that users must accept automated marketing calls, emails and texts:
The eBay-owned company told the BBC that it "would honour any customers' requests to decline marketing outreach". But no such opt-out is included in the terms and conditions. Instead customers are invited to either accept or decline.
"If you do not agree to the amended user agreement, privacy policy or acceptable use policy, you may close your account before July 1, 2015 and you will not be bound by the amended terms," the document states.
The linked article later goes on:
The user agreement goes on to state: "You consent to receive autodialed or pre-recorded calls and text messages from PayPal at any telephone number that you have provided us or that we have otherwise obtained."
See how slippery this slope is? If PayPal somehow "obtains" your grandma's home phone, grandma might also start getting unwanted calls because, as the agreement goes on to say, PayPal "may share your phone numbers with our affiliates."
PayPal does say that its robocalls would be used to help customers with account issues or resolve disputes. But it also states that they could be for "offers and promotions," perhaps the two most dreaded words these days among consumers burned out by a nonstop onslaught of in-your-face advertising for things we never wanted in the first place.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 08 2015, @04:48PM
https://stories.paypal-corp.com/home/an-update-on-how-we-contact-you [paypal-corp.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 08 2015, @08:32PM
PayPal to users: Actually, you can opt out of robocalls [venturebeat.com]
-- gewg_
(Score: 4, Insightful) by sjames on Monday June 08 2015, @10:27PM
Interestingly, that whole reply carefully excludes the topic of 3rd party contacts, that is, the part people were concerned about.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2015, @06:51AM
When the legal department says one thing, and customer service says another...
Legal is always right.
When the lawyers write that they reserve the right to call you with offers, the bean counters have already calculated with losing X% of customers, and decided that the income from this advertising will be larger than the income lost by those customers leaving. All customer support gets to do is trying to minimize the backlash.