This is Jack Briggs, and I am homeless. (1 Viewer)

[Steve Tannehill]

They will charge fees if you are a business. People should simply be sending you gifts, because that's what they are. Someone sent you something coded as merchandise (yields fees) which is why it asked to print a shipping label.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I have managed to send off two e-mails to Paypal (from its site) requesting the change to the account being nothing more than a privateer's account, not a business. Paypal says it will respond within twenty-four hours, so I hope this works. Will it? (Please forgive my seeming crazy.) At any rate, I have to head back to the shelter soon. I will be back in touch tomorrow, on Sunday. (I haven't managed to lose all that money have I?)

 

[Steve Tannehill]

It will be fine, Jack. They will switch accounts and you will be golden. Not sure if this will work in a shared computer, but have you cleared cookies?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Jack, I can't help with the PayPal questions, but from the brief snippets you have written here regarding what you have endured and witnessed during this ordeal, I think you will have a fascinating tale to tell once you are back on you feet. With your writing talents, I foresee a very enlightening book in your future.

 

[Dheiner]

Jack, I can't help with the PayPal questions, but from the brief snippets you have written here regarding what you have endured and witnessed during this ordeal, I think you will have a fascinating tale to tell once you are back on you feet. With your writing talents, I foresee a very enlightening book in your future.

And I for one will be looking forward to reading it.

 

[DavidJ]

Me too. I'm sure it would be enlightening like this thread has been.

 

[JohnRice]

Jack, I suspect the problem is because someone said they were making a purchase. Now PayPal wants you to verify shipping the item. DO NOT convert your account to business.

Anyone wanting to donate to Jack should say it is a gift to a friend or family, not a purchase.

I expect PayPal is holding the money on these transactions because you have a new account and they won't release it until the item is shipped. Since you have no item to ship, this is a problem. Also, on these types of transactions, PayPal takes a cut of the transaction, which we also don't want.

You may need to refund the "Purchase" and hope the giver does the transaction again.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, the only "reply" I received from Paypal was computer-generated, pointing to its FAQ section regarding such matters as changing one's account. The material, frankly, is a bit confusing. But on Monday, I will attempt to call Paypal directly.

However, according to the site -- or, rather, my (new) page as a "business" I can transfer the funds directly to my bank account. Since I had not planned to do this until the middle of April, I'm OK for the time being. And as for those three contributions that are marked as I mentioned two posts ago, I will ask about them when I am on the phone with (I hope) an actual human who works at Paypal.

My original fear was that all that had been sent would go kaput! and all be lost. And in my fear yesterday, quotes from a film that I am rather fond of kept looming in my head: "My mind is going ... I can feel it."

Surely, the funds are good. But as far as I can tell, Paypal now "thinks" I am a business. When I log on the site keeps sending me to the same page that is asking my "What kind of business have." So, for now, my hope is that speaking with a human at Paypal will somehow fix this situation.

I am returning to the Paypal site now and will attempt further efforts at fixing this mess.

Scared but ever so gratefully yours,

Jack Briggs

 

[Jack Briggs]

I have returned from Paypal's site, and, since I am calmer, I think I have followed the site's instruction properly for changing my account status. Part of the problem this time was at the bottom of the option lists, which asked whether I wanted to "upgrade" or "downgrade" my account. So I selected "downgrade." I hope that works. In my message accompanying the request I made the situation very clear (I am good at that), but my concern is whether a human or a computer reads it. So who knows?

All I want is for the account to be changed back to what it was yesterday morning when I first logged on. That's all. I got my self into this predicament by attempting to lift the "21-day pending" period. And, boy, did I ever get a new lesson in the adage that "we all make mistakes."

So that's where I am for now. Either way, I will end up contacting Paypal directly via phone and speaking with a human to get things cleared up.

Once gain, folks, I cannot express my appreciation for all of you.

Jack Briggs

 

[Jack Briggs]

Great news (redux)!

Paypal honored my request and my account has been "downgraded" into a so-called "premier" account. Further, I am told that all funds are now available to me. And that is nice, because, after having come down with a cold in the past two days (when one person in the shelter starts wheezing and coughing, soon many others will too; I am one of those many others) and having suffered through an interminable holiday in which the library was closed, I have decided that the sooner the better when it comes to moving back to Nashville.

In other words, it will be well within the next two weeks.

Meanwhile, there has been some kind of hold-up regarding my next "general relief" payment and I have to go to its Website to see what is going on. I am not proud of so-called "welfare," but if I have it coming to me I will take it. Finally, South Central Los Angeles is what one would call a "food desert"; there are no supermarkets and nothing like fresh produce anywhere. Most of my consumables have been purchased at liquor stores -- there are so many of them in this part of Los Angeles.

I guess what I am saying is that I have had enough of Los Angeles now. It is not like what it was when I arrived here in 1987. And thanks to Home Theater Forum, I can now make my way back to Tennessee. My big concern in that regard is for any "culture shock"; how different is Nashville now from what it was in 1987? Well, that is part of life; there is always something else on the horizon.

So, this is the latest from my end.

Also, Michael_K_Sr, I will be contacting you later today vis-à-vis the Southwestern ticket. You will receive a PM from me within the next two hours. But, first, I need to go to California's EBT site and see what is up with my account.

Thank you, good people. Things are taking shape as we speak. Thank you.

Your grateful friend,

Jack Briggs

 

[Cees Alons]

Jack,

Very good news.

You may be on your way soon. I suppose in any area the culture difference between 1987 and 2014 may be much bigger than the culture differences between most of the different areas of the US nowadays.
(Just perhaps not in some. )

In other words, you may quickly start to feel at home in Nashville.

I believe contacting Michael_K_Sr is a very good thing for you to do.


Cees

 

[Edwin-S]

Donated. It seems like a rather paltry amount but I hope it helps in some way. Good luck. I hope you and Scooter Jolley manage to get back on your feet.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Edwin, your donation is in no way "paltry." It is an amount for which I am forever grateful. Get that through your head, my friend.

And, Cees, I will be sending you a personal message either today or tomorrow. There is so much activity on my end at present.

By the looks of it, I may be traveling back to Nashville on April 16 -- or maybe a day or two later. No matter what, though, and, as I have already intimated, I now feel that Los Angeles and I have truly parted ways. The town is ideal for those who either are upper-middle class or outright well-off. The middle class, from my view, seems to have disappeared. This did not really become apparent to me until the day I was laid off in 2012. And with the experiences I have had in the past two months, it is outright in-your-face. Unless you meet the economic criteria I suggested -- upper-middle class to outright rich -- your options in Los Angeles are limited. From my perspective as a homeless person (which, in my heart of hearts, I am not), it is as if the city has punched me in the noggin. The feeling is, the city is saying "You do not belong here."

As I have said before, what with my sister being deceased (not to mention my beloved Attila the Cat), and my friends being dispersed and spread out, I am ready to cut out of the sunny confines of Southern California. The thing is, I do not think I will miss it (other than, well, those retail establishments with green crosses in the front -- no comments, please).

The best times of my life were from 1989 to 1993, when I was a rock & roll writer/"critic" and now there does not seem even to be anything like rock music any longer. But, more than that, Los Angeles seems to me to be more about risk versus rewards; for this little fella, it is all risk. Thus, better to hightail it outta here.

Nashville, as Cees says, may feel like "home" to me no matter the changes of the last (nearly) three decades. I know that the town truly hangs onto its self-identity of "Music City." I had thought it pretentious when I lived there. Now I do not. I am hopeful in a strange way.

And "hopeful" is not a word I was using much until I contacted you, the good people of Home Theater Forum. So, once again, my heartfelt -- soulfelt -- thanks to each and every one of you, for restoring in me a sense of hope.

I will post in this thread time and again as the departure date from Los Angeles approaches. Too, I have so enjoyed all your posts. You have given me a reason to keep looking ahead, forward. Thank you.

Your grateful friend,

Jack Briggs

 

[Stan]

Jack, not commenting, just asking. Pardon my ignorance, but what does a green cross in front of a store mean?

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

Jack, not commenting, just asking. Pardon my ignorance, but what does a green cross in front of a store mean?

Medical marijuana dispensary.

 

[Jack Briggs]

And, folks, let us end the discussion about that right now!

Michael, I have sent you an e-mail. Please let me know what you think.

One thing, folks, right now I am ill. That sickness I caught from another person coughing wheezing in the shelter room I am sleeping in, is lingering in me. Ugh. Despite that, I am optimistic. Here's something I do not think I made clear in my earlier post: When I am in Nashville again, I will not be homeless. Because of your help, I will be able to sustain myself, which will make looking for a job a bit easier (not to mention Nashville's better employment figures -- it is a town which still has something of a middle class).

Have I said "thank you" yet?

Jack Briggs

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

Check your e-mail, Jack. I just had a few more questions.

 

[Aaron Silverman]

By the looks of it, I may be traveling back to Nashville on April 16 -- or maybe a day or two later.

Don't forget to file your taxes first!

Hope you feel better. Best of luck with the move!

 

[Mike Frezon]

A question for all of you PayPal "experts!"

Jack has received three deposits which come with notices about "tracking information."

Are those instances in which people sent him deposits--and mistakenly checked the "I'm paying for goods or services" instead of the "I'm sending money to family or friends" button?

How can he "fix" those deposits?

Thanks!

 

[JohnRice]

Mike, I suspect that is the problem. Possibly the best way to fix it is for him to issue them a full refund, then have them do the donations again the correct way.