Shame On PayPal.

[mawnansmiff]

This is an example of where computers taking over the roles of humans can go terrible wrong.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44783779
Regards,
Jay.

 

[sablebrush52]

Actually, Jay, this is an example of crappy programming by inept humans, or human ineptitude handling of the situation. Computers are incapable of doing anything that their programming doesn't allow. And if the programming has bugs in it, the unexpected can occur.

 

[mackeson]

Computers are incapable of doing anything that their programming doesn't allow

Yup, GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out)

 

[mikethompson]

Reminds me of what a friend told me about Facebook. Periodically it will send you notifications about what happened in your life a year or so ago. They got a cheery message "Remember this time last year?!?" on the anniversary of their mother passing.

 

[bnichols23]

Sheesh. All I can say, on both situations. But as Jesse of course quite correctly pointed out, bad code is due to human error.

 

[wyfbane]

What a crappy situation. Hope they get to the bottom of this in as painless a manner as possible for the family.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Sounds like she owed quite a bit of money when she passed. And I'm sure with the long term illness, they accumulated unbelievable medical bills. I'd like to know the entire story or more importantly, I'd like to know both sides of the story. Perhaps I'm different but getting an insensitive letter doesn't cause me to go off the deep end near as much as someone who owes me $4000 and doesn't pay it. Where some people see this as "big, bad PayPal", I also see the possibility of husband playing victim card looking for sympathy and a payday.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The next biggest oddity to me is that they apparently requested a copy of her will, and that Mr. Durdle supplied it.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I'm with HoosierPipeGuy on this one. It's very sad for the family that the woman passed, but maybe the debt to Paypal was intended. With medical bills and other costs that come from battling long term illness; maybe they used Paypal knowing that when the woman passed the debt might be forgiven as the woman could not settle the debt. It's silly to say that the woman's death is a breach of contract, but just because she passed doesn't mean the debt is wiped clean. The husband should be responsible for the debt which is what Paypal was going for and it just came across poorly.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I find it hard to believe that the below was 'human' generated, indeed, PayPal themselves suggest there is a bug in the system. Don't forget, the message was addressed to the deceased lady herself.
“You are in breach of condition 15.4(c) of your agreement with PayPal Credit as we have received notice that you are deceased… this breach is not capable of remedy.”
Also I don't get the impression matey is trying to wriggle out of the outstanding debt, he just wanted to point out the insensitive nature of the e-mail.
Regards,
Jay.
EDIT: I just read that PayPal have cancelled the debt and apologised in full for the communication so good on them.

 

[jpmcwjr]

And if the breach be that one is dead, it certainly is not subject to remedy... So far in the 21st C. One day.....

 

[perdurabo]

Yep, Garbage in, Garbage out. :rofl:

 

[mso489]

With artificial intelligence so-called, the possibilities of human error magnified become exponential. Computers can now learn to make more inscrutable mistakes. Hal the Computer (from the movie "2001") lives on. "I haven't been myself lately."

 

[sablebrush52]

I find it hard to believe that the below was 'human' generated, indeed, PayPal themselves suggest there is a bug in the system.

Jay, whether directly or indirectly, there's human error involved. If there's a bug in the system, it's because of faulty code, placed there by a coder.