Crogreat.

Martincp1
Contributor
Contributor

Hi. Like many other people I have been scammed, (with the help of PayPal)  Now caught In a "Loop". After 13 emails with the company, PayPal tell me to send the "Toy Telescope" back to China. Costs $20 In postage. On ebay the product that they sent me Is only worth £9.99. So I paid well over the odds for this "Toy" Instead of sending me what I ordered. I though the company was genuine because PayPal allows them to use them. How wrong I was. I have now lost trust In PayPal and will close my account and stick to Amazon and pay by Debit Card In the future.

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4 REPLIES 4

kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@Martincp1 

 

Another 1 of these??
Chinese Web Sites or on Social Media ads easy to spot (once you know the below signs) so buyer beware.

1. No return address on the returns policy............thats because the site will look as if its in your country (where they despatch goods from) BUT they will ask for returns to go back to China (returns depot) at a shipping cost nearly always more than the item is worth.
2. No contact telephone number............if you click on contact the most you will get is webmail or an email address.
3. No company address information.
4. Great looking items at bargain prices that turn out to be tat.

In the event of a dispute you need to bear in mind possible return trackable costs before you buy from that seller / item / country because....

Paypal state this >>
PayPal is not obliged to reimburse you for any costs that you incur to comply with any of PayPal’s requests for cooperation for the purpose of resolving the problem (including, without limitation, costs that you incur to return a SNAD item to the Payment Recipient or another party as PayPal requests), although sometimes it may reimburse these costs.

Although they will compensate you for some of the cost if you have activated this at some point before you made that transaction.
https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns


If you buy from a business in the UK then you can normally recover those return costs via the small claims court although most UK businesses would reimburse you anyway. (BUT if you choose to buy from a private or international seller you may not have that option).

You also have the option to do a chargeback via your card issuer instead of a Paypal dispute if you funded your Paypal payment via a credit card.









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mj_
Contributor
Contributor

Another 1 of these, just shows how little PayPal are doing to prevent them.

 

They could flag on purchasing that you are buying through an international seller and their support is limited.

That the risk is higher, as sites which are created to lure people in are often lacking in the right comments and yes once know what looking for, but first time people don't look. 

Forewarned is forearmed and all that, and it would be easy for PayPal to advise at payment there are X number of disputes open with this company at this time.  Provide the average number of disputes with any company and would give a rating, if a company is 95% good you would buy but at 75% avoid. 

I doubt there are many disputes open with large reputable sellers.

 

Of course the usual statement of looks too good to be true, is often true for a reason.

But would expect some response given the numbers on the site being called out, when you consider 50% of people cheated will likely chalk to experience and not comment.

 

PayPal's lack of action suggests an alternative reason to turn a blind eye which is not so positive.

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kernowlass
Esteemed Advisor
Esteemed Advisor

@mj_ 

 

I think the onus is on you to choose who you purchase from and check out any websites you want to buy from.

How on earth could paypal vet every international person that adds paypal as a payment processor on their website in the world !!!

 

They do tell you about the risks in the small section in the user agreement marked 'buyer protection'.

I don't think its paypals job to police the world of commerce, a lot of these companies accept credit card payments as well but equally those card companies don't vet them AND they equally only give you 'some' buyer protection.  


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mj_
Contributor
Contributor
Simple review of each seller based on feedback and scoring based on factors such as open disputes. PayPal wouldn’t need do it manually as with all these things it could be based off results from a data base query. Caveat emptor is always true, but the capability to do such a score and provide advice is no big stretch. It’s not done because there is no financial incentive for them. They get their cut either way. The small print absolves them off any responsibility which everyone should be aware and made aware of.
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