Venmo Jail
Been in Venmo jail, Zelle doesn't work for me, and PayPal charges fees. Tech is not on our side at the moment
I’m in Venmo jail.
In December 2024, I sold an excellent condition camera, a Ricoh Digital GR II, on Facebook Marketplace for a great price of $400. Now they go on eBay for $500 and increasing. Everyone wants a piece of the past to recreate grainy images or wants to be different from the norm.
Online, the person was trying to haggle after we set the meet and I stood my ground.
I met this Korean dude at the Brooklyn Museum to meet up and when we met, he was giving K Rage. The fit, the face, everything about him. He spoke a lick of broken english but that’s fine, I speak broken Korean and Spanish so I showed compassion. Until he decided to haggle again.
Brother, no. It’s either you want it or not. I sensed a deal of regret and that he was a broke AF Asian. If you been to Seoul, everyone flexes but in reality they’re bank accounts show otherwise. I showed regret in not wanting to sell because there were images still saved on the camera itself on backup memory that I didn’t care about because I captured film photos of that time.
When I got home he immediately messaged me saying he did not want it anymore and can pay me $20 for my time to return it. I didn’t want it back. I recently bought a Ricoh GR II (not the DIGITAL II. Yes I know it’s confusing, anyone that buys a Ricoh camera, they’re personality gives confusing and have leaned into being a hobbiest) and didn’t like it. I told him no refunds. Then sell it. It’s not a big deal, people actually want the camera. He writes a whole thing on Marketplace to me, I’m sure AI helped in translating because I’m sure when you’re frustrated and Korean, things start to intertwine with the rage.
You can do simple research online and Google what you want to buy. It’s not hard. I don’t feel for him but that’s life. We got places to be and I can’t meet up with you, let alone don’t want to throw hands in the cold.
Days go by and the rude awakening starts. I get a message from Venmo that, the buyer tried to contest it. Then Venmo sided with me saying that I completed the transaction, so you’re in the clear, no sweat. I told my friends this fool tried to get his money back via Venmo .. but here’s what’s insane. The person now has the item. The exact item I sold of the details that’s listed. Days go by and I get a message from Venmo that I’m now in the red of -$400 because they flagged it with their credit card.
Venmo, I thought you were on my side? Although when the big boys come in, you run away and make me eat the cost now? So I’m left with no camera and out of -$400 basically the millennial and gen z way of digital fraud.
I contested it obviously. Sent emails regarding proof of the messages via Facebook but no response. Of course, I’m dealing with people in India but do they have the same sympathy, who knows? I call back a couple days later (mind you I had to go through Reddit to get to the customer service team (yes Venmo, is trying to make sure you don’t contact them) so this is work in itself) and the response team, also outsourced in India saying we’re on your side but give it more days.
Weeks have passed and I am still in Venmo jail. I can’t pay any of my friends for their silly little charges and now I’m back to dealing with cash.
I’m telling my story inspired by
and his recent Substack, Ba$ed FOB, on Big Tech has Disrupted the Social Contract.Tech is not on our side at the moment. Maybe because it’s 2018 all over again with the political climate.
Although the first go around was the worst, there was some good to it. Things that changed my life and Wear Many Hats was born. Now Wear Many Hats needs to turn the heat up and tech needs to be on the people’s side again.