How to file a complaint against PayPal?

[Lcmccall]

I was scammed by a Chinese company, after waiting for months it finally arrived and confirmed that the item was indeed a fake, I have been fighting with PayPal for several weeks trying to get my money back. They won’t allow any phone calls because of “COVID” which is a poor excuse to give bad customer service. It used to not be like this. Should I file a complaint with the better business bureau? Is there anyone who can help me?

[kernowlass]

@Lcmccall 

Sorry but complain about what?

You were the one that chose to buy a fake item from a Chinese seller or Social Media ad not Paypal so why are they to blame? 

All paypal do is give you 'some' buyer protection but terms and conditions apply and a refund is not guaranteed.

If you have filed for 'item received but not as described' then you 'may' win but make sure you have activated the return shipping on us link in your paypal account to get help with return costs if you are told to return it.

As for how long they are taking i believe they are inundated at the moment with claims so yours may be pushed back until its your turn in the queue for a review.  

[TegarKC]

My problem is I filed a complaint and PayPal DID decide in my favor however they did require I return the item. That's where my problem lies The did not provide a mailing label as usual and instead gave me an address written in Chinese that neither the UPS Store nor the Post Office knew what to do with. When I asked for clarification they did not reply in the complaint thread which I was following but instead sent it by email that got flagged as spam. By the time I figured it out their arbitrary deadline to return the item had ended.

Secondly, as this product was sent from China and had a value of $120, the shipping cost was $134 to return it. And of course, PayPal limits its shipping reimbursement to only $30. So even if I had met the made-up deadline I would have still have been out $104 in the deal for which PayPal's response was "too bad".

It should also be noted the seller promised free return shipping on the order when it was purchased but when I requested the return they never replied.

I have no problem returning the item since it does not work and has been deemed a fraud by the true manufacturer. I just don't think its fair that I should foot the bill to return it when doing so costs me more than the value of the item to begin with.

Let me send it to PayPal if that's what is needed.

[kernowlass]

@TegarKC 

Fair or not its what paypal clearly states in buyer protection, which is why i pointed out that they only give you some buyer protection but its up to all of us to risk assess our own transactions.

Personally i avoid all China web sites and Social Media ads selling stuff.

I agree I think they should make the seller send a return shipping label and I believe I read somewhere that that is what is mooted in the future BUT for now they say...

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.

[kropps]

I had exact same problem - ordered a bike from a Chinese company which arrived broken and missing a part. Filed a complaint, asked for partial refund, etc - they ruled in the favor of the company but said that I can get a refund by sending back the bike which would cost more than the bike itself. Impossible to get hold of anyone and the Chinese company is not responding. Total scam and lack of accountability from PayPal. If they accept the payment, they should be responsible for ensure the product is as described and not make stupid decisions without understanding the context. They also asked for a return shipping label and there is no way to explain that I am not interested in shipping the bike back and being out of pocket. I am asking for partial refund to fix it and get a missing part. Extremely frustrating. Have taken this to twitter, instagram, facebook ,etc - nothing...will be writing to their CEO. This is an unfair practice, unfair ruling in favor or a seller that is a scammer. 

[gwrussel]

When I ordered the item, it appeared it was from a company in Chicago. I didn’t find out it was a Chinese Company until the charge hit my card. PayPal should help protect their customers and not just their vendors. 

[gwrussel]

I order a kayak and paid thru PayPal. I never received the item. The vendor would not respond to me. I filed a dispute and it was refused because the vendor sent shipping formation which stated a 10’ kayak was shipped by USPS AND LEFT AT MY MAIL BOX.  As most people know, the USPS will not ship items this big. It was a total fraud, but PayPal refuses to review the documentation. If PayPal does not get back with me soon I will be canceling my account. 

[kernowlass]

@gwrussel 

APPEAL

To submit an appeal on the dispute that was closed, PayPal asks that you obtain a detailed report from the shipper/courier (on their letterhead or some other form of official stationary) that includes the address the seller gave them for the shipment. Or one that includes a statement mentioning your address and saying the item was delivered to a different address.
Check tracking in below link to see where it went.
https://www.17track.net/en

When you have that, contact PayPal via phone (log on to your account and click Contact at the bottom of the page, however that may not be an option at the moment due to covid), or via Facebook (send a Private Message to PayPal) or via Twitter (send a Direct Message to @AskPayPal) and say you want to appeal the denial of the dispute based on the shipper saying the item was delivered to a different address. Once it's submitted (you will be provided with directions on how to do that), the dispute will be reviewed further and a determination will be made.

You also have the option to contact your card issuer if you funded your paypal payment that way and see if they will do a chargeback for you.