Refund from a scam artist

[Sauceuke]

I purchased a sort of therapy  "program" from someone and it turned out that what I really bought was a redirection to a page with a link to the person's free Youtube playlist that is available to everyone as well as an image of their personal sigil and a very brief outline about codependency. The program was described as being able to help the buyer do deep inner work and heal their childhood wounds and I paid $146 for it. My disappointment to discover it was nothing like it was described was an understatement, so I immediately contacted the seller via email and asked for a refund and described to her what I received and not only did she go off on me and call me an idiot, she said that I "lost" the link and what I had was the "free version". So in the next email, my response to her, I asked her to provide me the link I supposedly lost since it was clear that I paid for the "program" if I knew all the contents in it and she refused. Now I looked on my transaction history and despite being logged into my PayPal account at the time of purchase it doesn't show up in my activity so I can't file a dispute through that method. How would you suggest I go about handling this so I can receive my refund and put it behind me?

[Gelai0408]

Hi Sauceuke, Sorry to hear that your problem with item that you receive. Here is the step for you to file a dispute I didn't receive my item or it's different than described. Should I open a dispute? If you purchased something and would like a refund because you haven't received it, or it's not as described, you can file a dispute in our Resolution Center to start the process of getting your money back. You have 180 days from the transaction date to initiate a dispute. If your eBay payment is complete, but you didn't receive your item, it's not as described or the auction got canceled, you'll need to file a dispute. You can do this in eBay's Resolution Center or the PayPal Resolution Center. If you feel the transaction was unauthorized, please visit our Resolution Center to file an unauthorized transaction dispute. There are 2 kinds of disputes you can file: Item Not Received – You bought something, but didn’t receive it. (Wait at least 3 days from the transaction date to give your seller enough time to ship the item.) Significantly Not as Described – You received an item, but it was significantly different from the seller’s original description. (You might have to pay return shipping costs, but may be eligible for Return Shipping on US. Activate Return Shipping on US before filing your dispute to qualify for the benefit.) Working with your seller can be the quickest way to resolve an issue. You can locate your seller's contact information on the transaction details page. They may be able to issue a refund to you or help with a return. If you've tried working with your seller, but still need to file a dispute, here's how: Go to the Resolution Center. Click Report a Problem. Select the reason for your case and click Continue.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @Sauceuke,

Thank you for your post! Apologies for the formatting in the last post. The information above in the post from @Gelai0408 can be found in this article about opening a dispute.

However, if the transaction does not appear in your transaction history, a dispute will not be able to be opened. When you made the purchase, if you entered your credit card information, it would have been a guest payment. I know you said that you were logged in to your PayPal account, so if that was the case, the transaction should be there! If it's not listed there, it sounds like you did not select to log in for the transaction. If you were using a different browser than the one that was logged in, that may be why.

I hope this information helps!

Olivia

[Sauceuke]

It makes sense that I wasn't logged in, I attempted to log in on the email that I purchased the item in afterwards and it wouldn't allow me. How do I resolve this dispute then, if the only evidence I have is my email chat with the person I purchased the item from and screenshots of my proof of purchase?

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @Sauceuke,

If the payment was a guest payment, it will not be possible to open a dispute in the Resolution Center. You can contact customer service to discuss options. Click Contact at the bottom of the PayPal website for options.

I hope this can be resolved quickly!

Olivia