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So, I’m hoping someone here can help me. Here is my story:
I have been with PayPal for ages and have never had issues. I sell occasionally on eBay and get paid via them. Basically, I believed in their seller protection program, which guarantees that as long as you meet certain rules, then you are protected from stuff like chargebacks. This particular case is about one such charge
I occasionally sell stuff on eBay. Sometime in June, I sold a tablet for nearly £900. Before I send anything, I always ensure that PayPal have given me the go ahead to do so. I always make sure they by themselves, certify the item and transaction as eligible for seller protection, including chargebacks (according to their own statement). So, when this tablet was sold, I did my due diligence. I ensured that the item was eligible for protection. Indeed, they stated it themselves on the payment pag. In summary, this was exactly what was said:
Paid by
eBay - xxxxxxxx (xxxxxx)
Sent to
Mailboxde. com GmbH xxxxxxxxxxx
"Address"
Äussere Weberstr. 57
02763 Zittau
Germany
Seller protection
Eligible
Eligible when you...
Send to the address on this page.
Save your tracking or delivery information.
Have you received this order?
Domestic: 1Z61R8X76807671378
30 June 2020, Sent by UPS
Status: Sent
I have removed the buyer’s name for obvious reason. But notice that it says as long as I send to the address on the page and I can track it, I’m protected. Also notice that the address is a drop box kind of address, not linked to any house? PayPal still said ‘eligible’. Also, notice item was sent and you can actually track it? Sent same day as purchased and received at other end in less than 3 days. My job done. Or so I thought.
Fast forward to August. PayPal sends me a message that there’s been a chargeback. As this type of chargeback is not eligible, they cannot cover the cost (yes, they did say I was eligible. No, they did not mention that some chargebacks will not be eligible. At least not in the page. All I saw, is exactly what I showed you). But not to worry. They will fight for me and ‘be my lawyer’. Oh, in the meantime, my account frozen “due to suspected fraudulent activities” just like that.
I could neither pay, withdraw or do anything at the moment. Meanwhile, I was nearly £900 short. Then they totally stopped responding to my messages and queries.
Patiently, I waited. Now, guess what? They finally ‘resolved’ the issue, after weeks of waiting. See below:
Dear xxxxxxxxxx,
As you know, we've been working with the buyer's credit card issuer to dispute the chargeback detailed below.
Buyer's name: xxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's email: xxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's transaction ID: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Your transaction ID: 34U78542T26682056
Transaction date: 30 June 2020
Transaction amount: £859.98 GBP
Disputed amount: $1,119.27 USD
The credit card issuer decided the chargeback in the buyer's favour as the buyer met their requirements.
We cannot dispute this transaction any further, but you can contact the buyer directly to try to reach a resolution.
Thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business.
Yours sincerely,
PayPal
And boom. That was it. For doing as PayPal told me (send item to given address, tracked delivery, we will protect you), I lost nearly £900. At no point did I break their rules. At no point did I not do a single thing that would make the sales not eligible for seller protection. So, I TRUSTED PayPal to keep me safe from scams like this. And PayPal simply blames the credit card company. I did not receive payment through a credit card company. I did not require to check which way the buyer paid for the item. Because, that was what PayPal claim to be able to safely do. I put my entire belief in them. In the long run, they washed their hands off, locked my account and will not reply to any messages
my question is, would I be able to take them to small claims with any prospect of winning? To some, £900 might be small, but to me that’s a big amount. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
I have been with PayPal for ages and have never had issues. I sell occasionally on eBay and get paid via them. Basically, I believed in their seller protection program, which guarantees that as long as you meet certain rules, then you are protected from stuff like chargebacks. This particular case is about one such charge
I occasionally sell stuff on eBay. Sometime in June, I sold a tablet for nearly £900. Before I send anything, I always ensure that PayPal have given me the go ahead to do so. I always make sure they by themselves, certify the item and transaction as eligible for seller protection, including chargebacks (according to their own statement). So, when this tablet was sold, I did my due diligence. I ensured that the item was eligible for protection. Indeed, they stated it themselves on the payment pag. In summary, this was exactly what was said:
Paid by
eBay - xxxxxxxx (xxxxxx)
Sent to
Mailboxde. com GmbH xxxxxxxxxxx
"Address"
Äussere Weberstr. 57
02763 Zittau
Germany
Seller protection
Eligible
Eligible when you...
Send to the address on this page.
Save your tracking or delivery information.
Have you received this order?
Domestic: 1Z61R8X76807671378
30 June 2020, Sent by UPS
Status: Sent
I have removed the buyer’s name for obvious reason. But notice that it says as long as I send to the address on the page and I can track it, I’m protected. Also notice that the address is a drop box kind of address, not linked to any house? PayPal still said ‘eligible’. Also, notice item was sent and you can actually track it? Sent same day as purchased and received at other end in less than 3 days. My job done. Or so I thought.
Fast forward to August. PayPal sends me a message that there’s been a chargeback. As this type of chargeback is not eligible, they cannot cover the cost (yes, they did say I was eligible. No, they did not mention that some chargebacks will not be eligible. At least not in the page. All I saw, is exactly what I showed you). But not to worry. They will fight for me and ‘be my lawyer’. Oh, in the meantime, my account frozen “due to suspected fraudulent activities” just like that.
I could neither pay, withdraw or do anything at the moment. Meanwhile, I was nearly £900 short. Then they totally stopped responding to my messages and queries.
Patiently, I waited. Now, guess what? They finally ‘resolved’ the issue, after weeks of waiting. See below:
Dear xxxxxxxxxx,
As you know, we've been working with the buyer's credit card issuer to dispute the chargeback detailed below.
Buyer's name: xxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's email: xxxxxxxxxx
Buyer's transaction ID: xxxxxxxxxxxx
Your transaction ID: 34U78542T26682056
Transaction date: 30 June 2020
Transaction amount: £859.98 GBP
Disputed amount: $1,119.27 USD
The credit card issuer decided the chargeback in the buyer's favour as the buyer met their requirements.
We cannot dispute this transaction any further, but you can contact the buyer directly to try to reach a resolution.
Thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business.
Yours sincerely,
PayPal
And boom. That was it. For doing as PayPal told me (send item to given address, tracked delivery, we will protect you), I lost nearly £900. At no point did I break their rules. At no point did I not do a single thing that would make the sales not eligible for seller protection. So, I TRUSTED PayPal to keep me safe from scams like this. And PayPal simply blames the credit card company. I did not receive payment through a credit card company. I did not require to check which way the buyer paid for the item. Because, that was what PayPal claim to be able to safely do. I put my entire belief in them. In the long run, they washed their hands off, locked my account and will not reply to any messages
my question is, would I be able to take them to small claims with any prospect of winning? To some, £900 might be small, but to me that’s a big amount. Any advice would be very much appreciated.
