Why PayPal Refused to Do Business with us

I recently had an experience with PayPal that surprised me and caused me to think twice about the way we treat our clients.
Several of our clients like to use PayPal to process ongoing payments, so I called PayPal the other day to upgrade our standard business account to a PayPal Pro Account. We've had a squeaky-clean business account at PayPal for more than 8 years. So PayPal's response really caught me off guard...

I recently had an experience with PayPal that surpised me and caused me to think twice about the way we treat our clients.

Several of our clients like to use PayPal to process ongoing payments, so I called PayPal the other day to upgrade our standard business account to a PayPal Pro Account. We've had a squeaky-clean business account at PayPal for more than 8 years -- without a single customer complaint or refund, so, you can imagine my surprise when PayPal told me that they could not accommodate our request to upgrade to a Pro account. 

Q: Why did PayPal refuse our business?
A: Because we offer SEO services

To be honest, when she said that...I was shocked.

The very nice PayPal lady explained that PayPal has had so many charge-backs from SEO companies, that they decided to develop a policy not allowing SEO companies to obtain a Pro account and accept recurring payments. Personally, I felt like we had been thrown out back in the dumpster with all the trash. I mean, we pride ourselves in the way we do business and in how we serve our clients. But, after having some time to think about it, I remain unhappy with their decision to not let us upgrade (and I still want that Pro account PayPal, if you're reading this) but I can understand why they had to make this policy. Charge-backs cost them time and money. OK, I get it.

So, why would I, as the owner of an SEO company, write this blog post and expose potential clients to the dark side to our industry? Because, I firmly believe that not every SEO company is out to cheat people. I can speak for my company when I say that we certainly aren't going to do business that way. We are proud to say that we're a company built on honesty, integrity, hard work and client results. We aren't the largest SEO company in Chattanooga or anywhere else, but we are a company that cares about our clients and their success -- and we will not take advantage of a customer. Ever. Period. 

The "SEO companies" (I use that term loosely) that PayPal is worried about are the ones you're probably getting calls from on a regular basis. These are really just ruthless (and often rude) telemarketing companies working under the false title of an "SEO Company". Several clients have actually come to us for help after having fallen for one of these schemes, only to find their credit card charged monthly while their search engine rankings, and their bottom line, went unaffected. 

So today, I'd like to turn my unfortunate conversation with the nice PayPal lady into an opportunity to make a statement.

We at MARKET 248 are completely committed to the success of our clients and we would shut our business down before we would cheat a client. 

Hey PayPal, are you listening? 

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