Back in February I ordered a very nice wall clock and paid via PayPal; after a month I still hadn't received a shipment notification, so I reached out to the seller, who then provided me with a tracking number. I followed the tracking info regularly as the package made the long trip from China, coming ever closer. On the day that it was to arrive I found in my mailbox a tiny package containing a tiny bluetooth headset (the kind some folks used to pair with their mobile phone), worth maybe $5, and of no use to me. I contacted the seller, who played dumb and said that perhaps my package had been delivered to a neighbor, or been stolen; when I indicated that the tracking number matched the package I received they asked for a photo, which I sent. Crickets...
When I reported the problem to PayPal, explaining that I was expecting a nice wall clock and instead received worthless crap, included the email conversation with the seller, and the original order document, PayPal simply dragged out the investigation, each week extending the estimated completion date (5 times), and then today they notify me that my claim was denied because the seller had provided them a tracking number indicating that the package had been delivered.
I am furious, but there is no recourse provided. By this measure if I order a $1000 stereo receiver and the seller ships me a $10 electric toothbrush then PayPal will say I am out of luck. Is it any wonder that I use PayPal only when there is no other alternative? Well in the future I'll be using them even less. I'll now reach out to my bank to see if they can step in to retrieve the payment.
Scammers eat #$!#%^&%^*, I think we can all agree, but I thought that PayPal's assurance actually meant something.
