SMC No Longer Wants Me to Be a Subscriber

[Bruce Wrenn]

Last night, My first year ran out. Tonight, tried to renew, BUT. It seems SMC only accepts PayPal as a form of payment. (last year, I used my Visa to pay.) I don't have a PayPal account, nor does my flip phone receive text messages. Yes there are those of us who aren't connected to the world of today. Because their isn't an alternative method to pay, I guess it means that the gods in charge over at SMC no longer want me and the others like me. And not just no, but HECK (being polite) no, I'm not creating PayPal account. Recently in a thread about a motor, I suggest that OP join SMC, to which he replied "They only accept PayPal."

[ChrisA Edwards]

You don't need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal, you'll just enter your credit card data in on the PayPal screen.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Last night, My first year ran out. Tonight, tried to renew, BUT. It seems SMC only accepts PayPal as a form of payment. (last year, I used my Visa to pay.) I don't have a PayPal account, nor does my flip phone receive text messages. Yes there are those of us who aren't connected to the world of today. Because their isn't an alternative method to pay, I guess it means that the gods in charge over at SMC no longer want me and the others like me. And not just no, but HECK (being polite) no, I'm not creating PayPal account. Recently in a thread about a motor, I suggest that OP join SMC, to which he replied "They only accept PayPal."

Bruce,

if you click on the "Donate" button and scroll down to the bottom of the page, there it tells where to send checks if you want to use that as a form of payment.

[Bruce Wrenn]

You don't need a PayPal account to pay via PayPal, you'll just enter your credit card data in on the PayPal screen.

Couldn't get to the PayPal screen. Kept telling me I had a PayPal account, which I DON"T. On Ebay, they have a system that converts my CC to PayPal, but not on SMC.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Bruce,

if you click on the "Donate" button and scroll down to the bottom of the page, there it tells where to send checks if you want to use that as a form of payment.

Wouldn't be simpler to just accept credit cards? Last year, I used my CC. What changed?

[Frederick Skelly]

Wouldn't be simpler to just accept credit cards?

Well, it must not be or you'd still be able to do it.

Why not just put a check or cash in an envelope, address it, stamp it and be happy. That's what I do.

Fred

[Lee Schierer]

Select the amount you wish to contribute and then click Order. You will be directed to pay pay. At PayPal check out as a guest, where you should be able to use your credit card.

[Jim Matthews]

Wouldn't be simpler to just accept credit cards? Last year, I used my CC. What changed?

Not for nothin'...

https://www.upguard.com/security-report/paypal

[Charlie Velasquez]

Bruce, I got your back.

Mods, I just did the yearly donation thing. please apply to Bruce Wrenn.


P.S. Bruce, I understand your reluctance on internet thingies.
I do Paypal, Amazon and my personal bank, only. I never give my cc # to anyone else online.
I have one iPad reserved exclusively for financial transactions, I don’t download anything else on that appliance.
I have a separate dedicated email for each of those three financial web sites.

When I first joined Facebook, I was so paranoid I used a fictitious name and bio (well, it wasn’t really fictitious, I used my brother’s name, because I knew he doesn’t do internet stuff).

[Bruce Wrenn]

Select the amount you wish to contribute and then click Order. You will be directed to pay pay. At PayPal check out as a guest, where you should be able to use your credit card.

Unfortunately when i do this, it says I have a PayPal account (I DON'T!) Then asks if I forgot my password. How can I forget something I never had? Offers to text me a temp password. Problem is my phone and plan don't support text messages (on purpose!) Someone needs to fix system so it can take credit cards, like it used to.

[Ronald Blue]

Unfortunately when i do this, it says I have a PayPal account (I DON'T!) Then asks if I forgot my password. How can I forget something I never had? Offers to text me a temp password. Problem is my phone and plan don't support text messages (on purpose!) Someone needs to fix system so it can take credit cards, like it used to.

So do you use online bill pay to pay any bills? Or do you mail all payments? We use online bill payment for those infrequent bills. They send a check on your behalf and you don't have to do anything but put the payer information in.

While I use Paypal a lot I understand you not wanting to. I use it because it gives an added layer of protection on so many things that you might otherwise have doubts about. It's how most people on the SMC for sale/wanted site process payments. Fortunately I can't remember the last time I contested a payment for something. It's as safe as any other form of payment.

[Tom M King]

I don't think Paypal has ever had a breach. I've used it hundreds of times a year, for some number of years, and never an issue. Also, I think I wrote a check in September of 2019.

[Curt Harms]

Unfortunately when i do this, it says I have a PayPal account (I DON'T!) Then asks if I forgot my password. How can I forget something I never had? Offers to text me a temp password. Problem is my phone and plan don't support text messages (on purpose!) Someone needs to fix system so it can take credit cards, like it used to.

You're clicking on "check out as guest"? I have a PayPal account and I always have to put my email address in first then password. It does sound like a check or cash (wrapped in paper) might work best for you. It sounds like Keith is using PayPal as a credit card processor. If that's the case PayPal shouldn't require an account any more than any other credit card processor would.

[Keith Outten]

Our software connects to PayPal for your convenience. We do not have any access to any configuration options at PayPal which means that your transaction is not something we can control. Problems with PayPal have to be resolved with PayPal, I prefer not to get involved because I don't have any access to help resolve any problems with their service. Other than our internal menu that takes you to a special link we are not part of the transaction untill the process is complete and their server sends ours a confirmation that the transaction was completed successfully. The only action I have access to at PayPal is to issue a refund.

Our parent company Northwind Associates and SawMill Creek have never had a merchant account to process credit cards directly.

[Bryan Lisowski]

You don’t need PayPal, you could mail a check or cash. This is how I have done it the last 2 years.