Returned Merch Stuck in Post Office - PayPal Refuses to Refund

[DiaP]

Dear All, I bought some items from a Chinese website and upon receiving them they were not what I ordered. I immediately asked PayPal how to proceed as I was afraid the return address shown on the Chinese website might have not been the one they registered with PayPal. I was instructed to return the items to a certain address and promised the return costs would be refunded up to £15. I did everything as instructed and I provided PayPal with proof of return. I tracked the parcel all the way to China but the last update shows it is stuck in some post office. Either the seller refuses to pick up their parcel or the address they gave is bogus. Now PayPal refuses to refund me claiming they have no proof the parcel was returned. Therefore I have lost the amount paid on the items, the items themselves and the return costs. I was told to make a claim with Royal Mail which I did. Have not heard from Royal Mail either. This was happening back in August. It's a no man's land. I'll tell everyone not to use PayPal anymore as it does not protect its clients, but the scammers.

[sharpiemarker]

@DiaP 

Just stop buying from those kinds of websites. Do research on a merchant/site before buying or stick to the reputable merchants you know will deliver what you ordered as advertised. When people adapt to shopping smarter, then these sellers/sites won't have a chance.

[DiaP]

Trust me, I did. This isn't an excuse for PayPal not fulfilling its promises. If PayPal accepts these kinds of sellers to use its platform, how can a mere buyer be circumspect? I would appreciate a reply that offers a solution, thank you.

[kernowlass]

@DiaP 

Appeal and state you did everything asked of you and its not your fault the seller is refusing to pick up and no reason not to grant your refund.

Click on the words "Help / Contact" at the bottom of paypals pages and use the phone option in the blue band at the top OR very bottom of page dependent on what country you are in. Scroll down past the list of help questions and click on 'Call us' bottom of that page. Log in and get the code.
OR
have you considered contacting Customer Service via Facebook or Twitter?
You can send them a personal message from their facebook or twitter pages.
It's: https://www.facebook.com/PayPalUK and @AskPayPal for Twitter.

If that still doesn't work then did you fund your paypal payment via a credit card? If so talk to them and see if they will chargeback?

[DiaP]

Hi Kernowlass, thank you for your suggestions. Unfortunately, I did not use a credit card as I do not have one. I have already spoken to PayPal customer service both online and on the phone several times, appealed the claim rejection, case was sent to back-end team twice. Nothing works. Their final suggestion was to fill out a claim form with Royal Mail to ask them to investigate if and why the parcel has not been delivered. There is no way you can track the progress of your claim with RM, it's a dead end and it's been more than 2 months. I've come to the conclusion the system is meant to make you waste time and give up in frustration which I won't since I followed all instructions in good faith.