help with paypal :-(

[svsaunders]

Hello,

 

I do hope that someone can offer me some help here as I really do feel like I have been "ripped off" by a faceless corporation

who dont appear to give a toss about their customers or ethics.

 

I have sold 2 items recently on ebay (my iphone and the wifes) which have resulted in rather tidy sum of £700 being in my paypal balance,

 

the first phone sold 3 days ago and the buyer paid.

 

The money was transferred from my paypal account to by bank account

however there was going to be a delay of 72 hours before the money was available due to paypals "normal" review process on transactions.

 

The phone was posted today via royal mail special delivery as the money was due to clear this evening

 

I assumed all was well,

 

out of the blue I had an email saying that paypal were limiting my account

and the bank transfers that had been pending for 3 days have been reversed back into my paypal account and

I needed to complete a very long winded verification process to unlock my account.

 

The time scale I was give was 3 weeks.....

]

I called customer care at Paypal and spoke to Robot A who was very non-committal in his answers

only in fact saying that the system cannot be overidden and I had to either follow the rules or abandon the money..

 

I explained that the phone has been posted to the buyer today via special insured delivery

and I didn't have the money meaning i was without both the product and money..

..a weak attempt at empathy followed

along with a repeat of my need to complete the validation steps which will take up to 3 weeks..

 

What can I do ?

I feel like I have been robbed by paypal

and they dont honestly give a damn

- is this lawful...

 

I am without my goods which I proved i have posted along

with proving that the buyer has received it and without the money....

 

Any help would really be appreciated.

[Sidewinder]

What validation steps have they asked you to complete and why would they take 3 weeks? I have never had that with Paypal

 

One would suppose that a temporary delay on being able to transfer funds might be in order - after all the phone has not yet been received by the customer so I guess there has to be a reasonable period during which the money transfer could be delayed in case of a dispute, but 3 weeks?

[svsaunders]

I dont know - thats the response I was given.

 

The validation steps I have had to do include

uploading a photo of my full DVLC,

my most recent full bank statement and finally

an invoice to prove the item I sold was in fact mine to sell.

 

I have been asked for other details such as confirmation of business etc

however I am not a business customer but a personal one.

 

My argument is what I have prove the item was mine,

proved it has been posted and ultimately delivered to the buyer

and paypal can see that the buyer has paid..

..so what cant I have the money?

[2ltr16valve]

PayPal play this trick often. Search for a site called paypal sucks.

I think your in for a bumpy ride.

[Sidewinder]

Silly question, but this was a genuine Paypal email I suppose? There are an awful lot of s-c-a-m ones doing the rounds warning that accounts have been restricted and asking for verification details.

 

I wouldn't be uploading my Driving Licence or Bank Statement over the internet to anyone!

[johnym]

I’ve had to upload scans of driving licences, Passports etc to PayPal on numerous occasions by logging onto PayPal directly, it’s safe but DO NOT USE LINKS IN E-MAILS. It might be because you’ve sold two high value items in short space of time. Also if it’s something you don’t normally list ebay may think it’s a hijacked account, or if you’ve been selling a lot of new items, designer clothes for example on a personal non business account. There are lots of triggers for account limiting and or reviews.

 

All you can do is complete the verification process and wait.

[ashmk]

Awaiting the INAD case.

[andydd]

I assume this was a new account, Paypal put a hold for 21 days for new Ebay sale transactions, its better to sell lots of cheap items first untill the 21 day limit is lifted and NOT to start with items like iphones and laptops, etc..these items always attract the crooks and fraudsters too.

 

When you signed upto Paypal you agreed to thgeir T&C's which include holding your money and agreeing to provide them with further docs should they require.