Providers such as Paypal or Klarna advertise particularly easy and secure online payments. But where are the traps lurking? Which payment methods are really convenient and secure?
Anyone who shops online can choose from a whole range of payment options when paying: invoice, advance payment, credit card or various online providers.
Financial expert Barbara Sternberger-Frey from SWR Marktcheck explains which payment process is safe.
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This video is an excerpt from the broadcast on November 30, 2021
Paypal and Klarna: Where are the traps lurking?
Paypal and Klarna both advertise their buyer protection. The advertising suggests: If a product is not delivered, you will quickly get your money back. But that doesn't always work. Buyer protection is only guaranteed if certain requirements are met.
During the payment process at PayPal you should select the “Goods and Services” function. This means that PayPal guarantees buyer protection, which means: If the goods do not arrive or do not correspond to the offer description, the money will be refunded. This feature also includes fraud protection and data encryption.
Buyer protection with Paypal
PayPal Buyer Protection does not apply if the money is sent to the wrong recipient or the “Friends and Family” function is selected.
Problems with Klarna
There are also repeated difficulties with the payment service provider Klarna, reports Nicole Schlegel from the Rhineland-Palatinate consumer advice center. As soon as the goods are dispatched, there is an invoice receipt for the order. 12 days after the order was shipped, the customer will receive a first reminder of the pending payment. However, if the consumer has not received any goods, then he is not obliged to pay, says Schlegel.
“The consumer should then also clearly communicate to the seller and Klarna as the payment service provider that they do not want the goods.”
Debt collection procedures
The consumer advice centers also report that complaints about Klarna continue to be received because paid invoices are returned for no reason. Klarna is then said to have registered the invoices as unpaid and passed the claims on to a debt collection agency.
When asked, Klarna confirmed the difficulties: “Incorrect numbers or manual changes to the intended purpose actually lead to problems in the allocation of payments. That’s why we advise customers on our invoices to indicate the correct intended use and to refrain from making collective payments, i.e. paying each invoice individually.”
In any case, Klarna customers should keep an eye on their payments, because if a transfer is reversed - i.e. not paid - reminders will incur additional costs.
What many people don't know: When shopping online, you give out your contact and bank details. For example, if you pay with Klarna, you give the payment service provider the right to query all account transactions for 30 days retroactively. Klarna uses this data to determine your creditworthiness.
Basically, the safest payment methods when buying online are SEPA direct debit or purchasing on account directly from the retailer.
You might also be interested in: Transfer with PayPal – the right way!
Source: SWR market check
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )