Friends,
My account is limited for reasons that are beyond my ken, and I could use advice on next steps.
I am the sole member of an LLC providing services. No goods change hands. My clients and I agree to work on a payment schedule of 50% to start, 25% at the half-way point, and 25% when complete.
I have used PayPal for several smaller transactions as my business has gotten started. On April 28, I sent an invoice for my first substantial project and the customer promptly paid (approximately $11K).
When I went to transfer the money to my bank I learned that I had been stopped. After investigating, I learned that PP needed
- A photo ID
- Business information
- Proof of fulfillment
- A purchase receipt from my supplier
The first two were annoying, yes, but not too difficult to provide, so I did. #3 was a lot harder; the work will take at least 7 weeks to complete, and the agreement with the client was 50% to start the work. #4 is impossible to supply since I have no supplier unless you count the power company and internet provider! Somewhere between May 5-9, I uploaded #1 and #2 along with the signed Statement of work for #3. Because I cannot upload what doesn't exist, I left #4 blank.
Items 1 - 3 are still in the "Submitted For Review" status, 2 weeks later (May 26th), and there is no indication as to when they will be reviewing the information.
My interactions with PP Customer Service have been dispiriting. I got bounced around several times largely due to the security auto-disconnecting me while waiting for someone to become available to help. I have no problem with being logged out due to inactivity, and I understand that COVID 19 has both decreased PP's workforce while increasing demand for their time. However this is completely unacceptable. There are perfectly good ways to handle these problems such as scheduling appointments or reaching out via email to alert me.
When I finally did connect with someone, they first told me that my account was limited because I had changed the type of goods I was selling. Saying that there are more risks associated with one type of sale than another (e.g. clothes vs. electronics). CS also suggested that I ask my customer to log in to say they had received their goods. I am loath to do that as 1) it seems horribly unprofessional, 2) it seems dishonest. Failing that, they suggested that I wait until May 19 at which point the funds would be released.
After discussing with my wife and reviewing finances, we agreed that we could dip into savings and handle 2 weeks without getting paid.
On May 19 the funds were released! But I still cannot transfer the money to my bank. There is an alert on my home screen that says:
We noticed that you've started receiving significantly higher value payments for the items you sell. To keep your account secure, we've limited certain features in your account. You'll need to provide the requested information to regain full access.
Following that link took me back to the earlier page stating that PP needs a photo ID, Business Information, Proof of Fulfillment and a Purchase Receipt. Since I hadn't added what didn't exist, #4 was empty. In hopes that adding something, anything to the list would get things moving I added another document explaining that there are no receipts to submit for the reasons already mentioned. A few minutes later I got an update telling me that they will review my documents within the next 5 days.
Finally, in reviewing my earlier interactions with the PP team, I saw a suggestion that I call their CS number. Which, of course, is disconnected during C19 pandemic.
Thank you for reading my tale of woe any advice would be most gratefully received.
Julien
