PayPal is changing its user agreement so that customers don’t have to consent to receiving robocalls and automatic texts in order to use its service, the company said Monday. According to The Bell Jar, PayPal said consumers have a choice to allow robocalls and text or not.
Advertisement
PayPal has apologised to users over the changes to its terms and conditions which were heavily criticised earlier this month.
The plan was immediately opposed by citizens and privacy organisations, and PayPal’s change of mind has been welcomed by the head of the USA Federal Communications Commission. But, they have provided more information with regard to the reasons for which they would reach out to customers which did help them avoid the FCC concerns faced by PayPal.
[PayPal via Washington Post]. The company’s deceptive bill collecting practices let to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) forced PayPal to pay $25 million in fines and consumer refunds.
PayPal is revising its upcoming terms of service to clarify that consumers need not agree to receive autodialed calls or SMS ads, the company said on Monday.
“We respect our customers’ communications preferences and recognise that their consent is required for certain autodialled and pre-recorded calls and texts”. The revised User Agreement now specifies that the Company will use prerecorded robocalls primarily to collect debts owed to PayPal, assist with fraud prevention and keep customers informed about their account activity.
There’s also the distinct possibility that the policy tweak had something to do with the June 17 vote putting new limits in place on robocalls and PayPal not wanting its first big move as an independent company being to tick off the FCC.
Separately, a PayPal blog post stated that the company has been working “proactively with regulators to clarify that our focus is on our customers, on consumer protection and on doing the right thing”.
LeBlanc added that PayPal’s “robocalling” policy revision, along with the company’s commitments to expand its disclosures, is significant and welcomes improvements.
Advertisement
Customers may revoke consent to receive those sorts of calls by contacting PayPal customer support, PayPal said.
