I've been a PayPal user since 2004 and have never had any serious issues with my account. 10 business days ago, I initiated a $500 from one of my linked/verified Bank Accounts into PayPal. On the next day, the money was debited from my bank account, but subsequently, the transaction showed up as "Failed" in PayPal. Since then, I've been working hard to locate my missing $500 with virtually no assistance from the PayPal support staff. I have called the PayPal Advantage hotline 3 times, and each time I've met friendly - but clueless - support personnel who have no specific information about my account. They're just giving me the runaround using terms like "known system issues", "issue with my account", "I've talked to a supervisor" and "we promise the money will be available on your account within 24 hours".
The last customer support rep. I spoke to a couple of minutes ago said: "I have just received an update from my supervisor. They are actively working on the problems with your account. He assured me that your money will be credited to your PayPal account within 5 days, even if we haven't received the funds from your bank (!)". Yet, when pressed on the subject, she admitted that she had no idea what the actual problem is with my account. This makes me suspect that customer support reps are just using empty phrases and making hollow promises so they can bounce the problem to another rep, another day. I don't see that there is any accountability or commitment from PayPal staff in actually resolving the issue.
For now, I guess I can't do much other than suspend my use of PayPal and wait another 5 days to see if something magically happens to my account. In the meantime, I'll report the transaction as fraudulent to my bank (HSBC) and see if I can get my money back using that channel.
Oh, before anyone jumps in saying that there is a problem with my bank account, here is the entry from my HSBC account: "04/06/2012 PAYMENT TO PAYPAL-TRANSFER $500.00". And yes, $500 has actually been deducted from my balance.
I have also left two written messages to PayPal using the "E-mail Us" function on the Help page. I haven't received any response from PayPal other than an automated message giving me instructions on how to transfer money to my PayPal account. Not much help...
Appreciate your input and advice,
Trond
