PayPal - Arrrggghhh !!!!!

[Windthrop]

Have just had a bruising experience with PP. I sold an item to someone in Cyprus and they later questioned the condition of the item in an ebay email and then sunsequently denied receiving it. PayPal have found in their favour and deducted the money from my account. It infuriates me that the ebay email has not been taken into consideration and though I sent via international signed for it is impossible to prove that the item was delivered and cannot be tracked beyond the UK.

Has anyone else in the forum experienced this injustice ?

[Harbottle]

Ouch, being a hoarder not a problem I've experienced, though I do use Paypal to purchase from some websites. Unfortunately there are always a few unscrupulous people out there and I would be especially wary about flogging stuff beyond these shores. Quite how Paypal can disregard an e-mail where the purchaser disputes the condition of the item beggars belief though really

[Kitty Whiskers]

Yes, PayPal will ALWAYS find in favour of the buyer, and it's a waste of time to argue with them on this point.

I had someone declare they didn't receive an item 2 days after it was sent on a - wait for it - long public holiday weekend! I had proof of postage and queried how it was expected that Australia Post could get a package from one end of this HUGE country in two days and when all postmen are enjoying three days off, but PayPal would have none of it. They wanted proof it was hand delivered. Of course I sent a long letter of complaint but I got a polite cyber-shrug in response. Ugh.

[GoggleboxUK]

Me too.

I sold £300 worth of collectibles to a guy in France who claimed they had arrived damaged. Paypal gave him all the cash back including what I'd paid out for postage and the goods were returned in immaculate condition.

Paypal DON'T always find for the buyer though. I oredred a designer coat for £200 and was given a tracking number. When the goods arrived it was a set of coasters.

Paypal said they couldn't give me the money back because it had been proved I'd received goods. They told me if I sent the package back to the seller they would refund but refused to give me the sellers address which he had obviously kept hidden to avoid such an action.

That said, I've made over 1000 Paypal transactions and the only 2 problems I have had were to do with dishonesty on the part of the other person involved in the transaction rather than Paypal themselves. I suppose you have to take the odd knock from any system.

[Kitty Whiskers]

Me too.
That said, I've made over 1000 Paypal transactions and the only 2 problems I have had were to do with dishonesty on the part of the other person involved in the transaction rather than Paypal themselves. I suppose you have to take the odd knock from any system.

Agreed - my problems have never been with PayPal itself - they appear to run an efficient and honest business. However, their systems for disputes are profoundly flawed and don't account enough for the scumbags of this world.

[Windthrop]

Yes, you do get the odd knock. I won't be out of pocket as the Royal Mail will compensate so it isn't a disaster.

Thanks for your responses.

[batman]

Sorry to hear about that Windy. Re paypal always finding for the buyer, we had the opposite experience. Mrs Bat bought for about £40 via ebay a 'Pampered Chef' muffin tray. It was made of pottery. It arrived nicely packaged but broken into two halves. We contacted the seller who claimed that it must have been damaged in transit. They refused to refund (or claim via the post office) so we took it to paypal who found in their favour. Mrs Bat was very upset. I bought another one for her, which came in packaging that was nowhere near as good as the packaging for the first one, and it was in perfect condition. I have always suspected that the original seller put a broken one in the box!

[Windthrop]

Sorry to hear about that Windy. Re paypal always finding for the buyer, we had the opposite experience. Mrs Bat bought for about £40 via ebay a 'Pampered Chef' muffin tray. It was made of pottery. It arrived nicely packaged but broken into two halves. We contacted the seller who claimed that it must have been damaged in transit. They refused to refund (or claim via the post office) so we took it to paypal who found in their favour. Mrs Bat was very upset. I bought another one for her, which came in packaging that was nowhere near as good as the packaging for the first one, and it was in perfect condition. I have always suspected that the original seller put a broken one in the box!

It's disgraceful when a seller refuses to put in a claim for a buyer. You can print off the necessary forms off the web and fill them in in 5 mins !

Most of my many experiences as a buyer or seller have been excellent but the odd experiences of dishonesty and/or stupidity stick in the mind.

[Wolfgang]

There really isn't efficient way for dealing with disputes since it depends on your word against somebody elses, but since Paypal's income is buyer generated I can understand why they tend to side with buyers. If you fund Paypal with your credit card then in bat's case you may be able to claim back your money from your credit card.

[batman]

If you fund Paypal with your credit card then in bat's case you may be able to claim back your money from your credit card.

Tried that .... they didn't want to know either. I was with First Direct at the time. That was one of many times they pissed me off. I no longer bank with them.

[Wolfgang]

We need our very own Judge Judy!

[Windthrop]

We need our very own Judge Judy!

We certainly need someone who is prepared to look at the evidence - I provided it and it was ignored

[Bunnyboy]

Interesting thread. I've just sold a few old Dinky toys to buyers in France and Germany. It's obviously worth checking their feedback profile and seeing what their purchasing trends are. A couple of my buyers have 3000+ transactions buying related goods i.e. toy vehicles. It is rather annoying though, that when I state I do not want overseas sales, I get buyers from Europe!!

[Wolfgang]

This may well interest you: Restrictions on the sale of electronic books | www.nickgriffinmep.eu

It may well be illegal for sellers in one EU country to refuse to sell to buyers in another EU country:

New EU legislation gives you more rights when you purchase services abroad, including the right to buy from a service provider in another EU country without having the seller refuse to sell to you simply because you live in a different EU country.