I'm beginning to think Paypal is worse than EA. Maybe complaining here will encourage them to actually do something helpful.
My account was recently hacked, and a fraudulent transfer for a substantial amount of money was initiated. All of the contact info in my account (email, phone number, etc) was changed. So I had to go through all the steps: change my password, validate my identity, validate my bank account, etc. Luckily I was able to access my account before the transfer actually went through, and I cancelled it.
Of course, I had to contact Paypal (via their messaging system) to explain that it was fraudulent, and explain everything that happened. A few days later, Paypal responds and says "the transaction was not fraudulent".
Okay, that is the first mistake, and a huge one. How does Paypal tell me, the owner of the account and the owner of the money, that a transaction is not fraudulent? That is complete garbage. So basically anyone can hack your paypal account, transfer as much money as they want, and you are **bleep** because paypal gets to determine if it was fraudulent or not? What planet are we living on?
So I call my bank (Navy Federal, love 'em) and tell them what happened. Luckily, they were able to reverse the charge, and I got all of my money back. Well now guess what paypal does? Emails me and says "there has been fraudulent activity on your account and your access is limited".
Unbelievable.
So I log back in to my account, am forced to change my password (again), prove my identity (again), validate my bank account (again). I did all of this over a week ago, and my account is still limited. I've emailed customer service now (twice). No response, nothing in my email requesting additional information, nothing in the junk folder, nada. You try to call them, 1 hour+ wait time. Every day, all day. Unfortunately for me, I have a job and a life that prevents me from waiting on hold for over an hour. I attempted the 'call back' feature they offer, of course, no call back. The fact that the wait time is so long kind of proves that their phones are ringing off the hook, which is revealing.
I can appreciate the fact that they limit one's account in situations like this, but it's beyond my comprehension how they first tell me what transactions are fraudulent, literally denying my claim, then limiting my account for the same freaking reason I told them about in the first place. So if the user reports fraud, paypal can say, basically, that I'm a liar. But when my bank contacts them, suddenly they agree. Now I'm just waiting, every day, to be able to use my account normally.
This is absolutely ridiculous, unless they have one 80 year old working the customer service desk with a queue of thousands of people waiting for assistance. Removing limitations on your account should not take a week+, especially when you've already taken every step twice to prove your identity.
Shaun
