45 day dispute limit

[oldguv]

Paypal have decided that there is nothing they can do for me as I failed to open a dispute within the 45 day time limit. Despite the seller sending messages begging me to be patient and that the item may be delayed because of extra security after the bombs in packages . Now because of the Christmas New Year celebrations I open a dispute 3 days late, Paypal say they can't help. Some way to treat their customers!

[sirhugo]

i really dont see why everyone complains about this. 45 days is more than enough time for an item to arrive. anyone who cant get an item to you in 45 days is making excuses, regardless of circumstances. you can easily open a dispute out of precaution. if the item arrives you can close it. even if you are too late to claim with paypal, you can do a indemnity claim or chargeback with your bank for a refund. so why is everyone complaining?

[tina_star]

Hi this is my first time here and in need of advice! I purchased goods which I never received. The 45 days is up but this is because the seller was contacting me during this time with updates. They are now ignoring all contact! What should i do next?

[BUBBLEMAN]

I had similar bad experience and couldn't get any satisfaction from the paypal dispute process because it had exceeded their time limit. However the payment method I was using with Paypal at the time was with my credit card, so I contacted my credit card company, completed a very short form with the details and provided receipt of payment and within a week I got my money back 🙂 worth a try if you used a credit card with Paypal to provide funds !!

[tina_star]

Hi thank you for the advice im pleased to say seller has now made contact. Still haven't received my item but they are in constant contact with updates! Still a bit concerned and will be until I take delivery of my long awaited item.

[grayjay]

I don't really understand why people are complaining about the 45-day time limit for opening Paypal disputes.  Buyers can ALWAYS CANCEL the dispute if the item arrives!  

Besides 45 days is just one step in the process.  After filing the dispute, you have 20 days before you need to escalate it to a claim.  After that, the seller has another 5 days to respond before the case can be decided.  At any time in this process, the buyer can cancel the dispute/claim.  

In total, the buyer protection dispute/claim process gives the seller 70 days (close to 9 weeks!) to deliver an item!  I don't care where your seller is and what carrier he is using, but 70 days is more than enough time to get a product from A to B. 

My advice is to file the dispute before the 45-day deadline arrives and escalate it to a claim within the 20-day window, but keep the seller informed.  Let them know that there's a process you need to follow to protect your rights as a buyers.

[grayjay]

I was wrong: Paypal has a 30-day window to make a decision from the time you escalate a dispute to a claim.  So in total, you have given the seller 45+20+30 days = 95 days or over 13 weeks to deliver goods.  Sounds like plenty of time to me, even if they send the item by slow boat from China.

[Apple2]

This is why I think the 45 day limit is too short. eBay recommends that buyers try and resolve their problem directly with the seller in the first instance before they raise a claim. So let's say I purchase an item from China and it typically takes 30-35 days to arrive. (I understand that and am happy to wait for free postage). I then have an issue with the item, such as wrong item, quantity wrong or it doesn't arrive etc. I then contact the seller and they say no problem they will replace the item or send another one to resolve the issue. But, and this is where the 45 days becomes a problem, regardless of whether the seller sends the item or not, the 45 day time limit will elapse because it takes another 30-35 days to arrive, if at all. I have been caught out by this on a few occasions, mostly on low value items, and of course I'm now much wiser, and always raise a claim before day 45 regardless of the promises. Unfortunately for some honest sellers, the dishonest ones have burnt their bridges and I no longer believe any promises. I have complained to eBay and PayPal about the 45 day limit before and explained why, but they don't listen. If the UK can have 180 days (which is probably a bit too long), then surely every other country can have more than 45 days. For me I think 60 or 75 days would be better for the initial claim if the buyer is happy to try and resolve it out with the seller. As someone here has already mentioned maybe a poll will get customer feedback and PayPal will then consider changing their policy.

[kernowlass]

You obviously have not read the emails sent by paypal as since JUNE 2014 you now have 180 days to open a dispute (same as a credit card), if you have a U.K paypal account.

[Apple2]

---

@kernowlass wrote:

You obviously have not read the emails sent by paypal as since JUNE 2014 you now have 180 days to open a dispute (same as a credit card), if you have a U.K paypal account.

---

I'm not sure when the dispute time limits changed, at least in Oz, but today I read the policy on PayPal site, which states:

'You can open a dispute if the following conditions are met:

• You never received your item, or if the item is significantly not as described, and
• It has been less than 180 days since the payment was made.

Before you open a dispute, we recommend you contact the seller directly and try to resolve the issue. This is often faster and less contentious than filing a dispute.

Note: Starting from November 18, 2014, we're extending the timeframe to open a dispute from 45 days to 180 days. If you've made the transaction before November 18, 2014, you'll still need to open a dispute within 45 days from the transaction date.'

I wasn't sure if this applied to me in Oz, so I tested this out by starting a to raise dispute on an item I purchased back in late July 2015. This was about 113 days ago. The process seemed to be working OK, although I didn't submit the dispute because I was just testing it.

So it seems that the policy, at least here in Oz, has changed. I was thinking 180 days was a bit too long, but only last week I received a low cost item from China after being lost in the mail for over 95 days and that I had already received a refund for. I checked the postage date and it appeared to have been posted within a few days of ordering. This was probably an extreme example of postage times, but it does show that there was a need to change the policy. I'm glad some common sence has been applied.

Thanks kernowlass for hilighting the policy change. It was probably embeded in one of those EULA encyclopedias that everyone deletes.

P.S. if anyone is wondering, yes I did contact the seller about the refund, and have subsequently re-paid for the item. Although that's a whole other topic.

[gama_36]

So, the suggestion is to open a dispute on day 44 if the item has not arrived? That would be a headache for both, the seller and the buyer, and I do not think it is enough time to delivery.

Some years ago (I think it was on 2008) I bought some items from China and Japan, on economy shipping, the took up to 60 days for delivery, (back on 2008, the limit days on dispute was 90 days and no 45), so, I did not have the open a dispute for these items, because the time limit to open a dispute is long enough.

Now that it is 45 days the limit, should I open a dispute a dispute every time I buy from other countries across the ocean? That it is really a headache, that can be avoid, I think the time limit should be at least 60 days and not 45 days.

Let us see an example... I buy from 10 different sellers, each one is located across the sea, so, because of this should I open 10 disputes? is that even possible? Also, it does not generate bad reputation for the seller? (because it was not fast enough) or bad reputation to the buyer? (because it was not patient enough to wait a bit more).

If that is the case, I feel sorry for the sellers, because they have to manage too many disputes, in the other hand, i feel sorry for the buyers, because they wait a bit more than 45 days, and trust the seller, but never recieve the items neither the refund.

90 days maybe was too long time, 45 days is too short, I think 60 days should be enough for both the sellers and the buyers.

Any other suggestion for open 10 disputes at the same time? It will be really painful...

Thank goodness I am reading the limit now is 45 days, so, I can prepare myself to open some disputes on day 44, because I know more than 1 items will take longer than those 45 days.