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John T Smith
Community Expert
Community Expert
May 23, 2017
Question

Anyone else have a problem with PayPal taking your money?

  • May 23, 2017
  • 2 replies
  • 1104 views

Wife sells online, and has used PayPal for many years with no problems... until...

EDIT - wife did not like my summary... see HER words below

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    2 replies

    John T Smith
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 23, 2017

    Here is the story of my one and only PayPal experience.

    I have been with PayPal for over 17 years; I have sold many
    items on eBay but mostly pond liner and supplies for the last several years
    through ads I place in several states.

    I sold a customer liner to a customer who had purchased from
    me before. This liner was not the Firestone 45 mil but another kind of liner
    which can be made custom and is sent out to the customer. I sent him a PayPal
    invoice……..he paid.

    About 6 days later I received a call (text) from my customer
    telling me he THOUGHT the liner had a hole in it. Something either has a hole
    or it does not! I asked him to send me a photo via text so I could at least see
    what he was complaining about. He never sent any photos. I asked him to please
    return the liner to my manufacturer so they could determine if a refund was
    needed. I provide the very best customer service I can as I have been in
    business for over 35 years.

    I never heard from my customer but instead was notified by
    PayPal that he had opened up a claim. OK, difference of opinion but this I can
    deal with. I wrote out my story and the whole transaction as I am doing here.
    In the meantime, prior to PayPal telling me there was a claim against me they
    had already taken out $604.00. It wasn’t the end of the world but it is $604.00
    and the customer was lying and scamming me and PayPal had thrown me to the
    dogs.

    I made several phone calls, asking for people who were
    higher up than those who answer their phones. After several weeks the
    determination of his claim was voted in my favor. PayPal put the money back
    into my account. I immediately went in and took MY money out and left a very
    small balance in my account.

    A few weeks later I get another email from PayPal now
    telling me that my customer had gone above and beyond PayPal and file a claim
    with his credit card company. They alerted me that this would take up to 75
    days to get a determination. Long story short, PayPal let me I was now on the
    other wise of winning; I had been found guilty as charged.

    I contacted PayPal both my phone calls and by several emails
    and unfortunately they told me there was nothing they could do. I was stunned
    to say the least. My record is perfect and this was the first time I ever
    needed PayPal and they left me in the ditch without any help. I went to Consumer
    Affairs and posted pretty much this story and also found out that PayPal is
    going downhill and even though you are the perfect customer, watch out as they
    will not help in anyway.

    Yesterday I finally made the decision that I would change
    credit card processing companies and went on line and found 2 that had great
    ratings. When they returned my call they also asked me who I used previously. I
    told them the full story as I am telling it here. You are NOT going to like
    their response. I was told that PayPal would ruin my credit (which is
    impossible to do) and that nobody would now allow me to open up an account. I
    run a business; I need to take that illusive credit card once in a while.

    PayPal did call and ask me if I would please deposit the $604.00 into my account to
    pay the customer. I told the guy who called, “You gotta be kidding, right”. End
    of conversation.

    Here is what I want to do! If there are others out there who
    have been wrong by PayPal I would like my story and yours to go as far on
    social media as it can. I would like to gather as many people as I can and form
    a class action lawsuit. We have a company which has a poor rating and yet we
    are the victims of their inability to make things right and not buy into the
    customer making false claims.

    Join me and let’s stand up for what is right………… Terrie
    Kaufman – Direct2usales.com – (360) 901-6383

    John T Smith
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 24, 2017

    Wife received a reply on Facebook from someone who sold a clearly stated AS IS product, and then had PayPal give the buyer their money back because it "was not as advertised" and this was after the buyer removed every part they could possibly use

    This person told my wife that PayPal told him (paraphrased) that they are always going to side with the buyer, not the seller

    So, PayPal and my wife have permanently parted ways

    Oh... the link gener7 posted seems to only be for eBay, not PayPal

    gener7
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 25, 2017

    Right. I use both so often I forget others do not use Ebay as a storefront.

    Ussnorway7605025
    Legend
    May 23, 2017

    keeping the article and getting the money back is part of the PayPal account rules which your wife agreed to in order to sell things on PayPal so it is not theft in fact it is a common rule when returns would cost more than a product is worth.

    p.s
    yes I have been unable to get any (nevermind good) service from PayPal and as a result both my personal account and the one used for business has been discontinued but this has nothing to do with Adobe

    John T Smith
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 23, 2017

    This was a $600 custom item, with shipping less than $50, so any rule PayPal may have about returning the buyer's $$ because the item wasn't worth shipping really doesn't apply here... and PayPal never said that anyway, they simply want to take her money and give it to the buyer, without a return, because he isn't happy with what he ordered

    Really irritating that PayPal pays no attention to her saying that the buyer refused to do a return, and still wants his money back

    gener7
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 23, 2017

    Not as a buyer. I've gotten my money back from a seller who was not delivering the product or answering my emails.

    The problem is the Terms of Service that can work against you. Arbitration for one.

    Closest I can come up for advice is Nolo Resolving eBay Disputes | Nolo.com

    Gene