Do you really have to sue Paypal to get customer service?

[HeatM1ser2k20]

I contacted Paypal customer support yesterday. I tried contacting them by phone, but the automated system hangs up on me and tells me to go through their chat feature. I need help filing a dispute of a transaction made on a guest Paypal account with my credit card. Been waiting over 24 hours for help through their chat support. So far I have 3 or 4 agents who have responded. They copy and paste generic responses, and NEVER read anything that I wrote. The questions they keep asking have already been answered in my original inquiry. They just dont give a damn. So I answer the rep, and they never stay to have a conversation...the last rep commented while I was actually looking at the entire chat conversation. I replied immediately. IMMEDIATELY. Nothing since. I literally hit the enter button while the agent was still typing to me and they paste what theyve copied and ignore me. I provide the info they want, and then the next rep doesnt read what was already said, so the new rep asks the same question I just answered. Its an endless cycle created by ignorance and negligence by Paypal representatives. They ask a question, I answer, then 8 hours later the next rep replies and asks for the same damn info I just provided.

I would imagine most Paypal customers are being **bleep** right now, and Paypal is hiding behind COVID-19, yet when I contact my regular bank they NEVER have used COVID-19 as an excuse for providing poor customer service. Even at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, PNC Bank was accessible. I had to wait longer, but thats undersdtandable. 2 hours later PNC resolved whatever I called for.....here Paypal wont help me and its over 24 hours. Since Paypal isnt considered a bank, and the regulations they have to abide by are much more relaxed than what a real bank has to follow through on. So is the only way to get help from Paypal for fraudulent charges is by suing them since their customer service team is unresponsive, and their telephone system actively prevents you from speaking to a Paypal representative?

Surely I have rights. What are my options, if any?

[HeatM1ser2k20]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that the auto-logout feature of the Paypal website prevents you from actively speaking to an agent. If nobody types for a few minutes, Im automatically logged out. If Paypal is saying the only way to contact them is via email, and the wait is several hours, how can users get ANY help when they have to actively keep the chat active so that they arent logged out automatically 50 times before a Paypal rep responds.

[mdmwvf]

I wish I had something helpful to provide you with, but sadly I am in the same predicament as you are.

I have been trying (unsuccessfully) for THREE DAYS to speak to an actual person about removing an authorization for a transaction that was over a month ago but I still have not been charged and the merchant is refusing to give me a refund for the purchased items which were NO WHERE NEAR what I ordered.

I spoke with an agent via phone a couple weeks ago and was told that one month after the date of the transaction I could call back to have the authorization removed so the merchant could not attempt to collect the funds. So I have been trying to speak with someone at PayPal to have this done.  Like you, I have attempted to reach someone over the phone but the automated system hangs up, no matter which options I choose, and through the Message Center but it takes 24 hours or more to get a response and they just keep asking for verification information about the transaction even though I have already provided it.

My credit card company was WAY more helpful and quick to get a hold of, but because there was only an initial pre-authorization but never collection, they cannot do anything for me.

My plan is to keep attempting to reach someone at PayPal to have this taken care of, or dispute the charge with my credit card company if it ever goes through. Best of luck to you and I hope we're both able to get help soon.