Seller fraud, bogus tracking number, immediate denial of my claim

[gtyo]

I bought something from a dodgy website. The "seller" sent me a tracking number that showed the item was delivered a week before I ordered it. I sent an email asking what was up, got no answer. I filed a dispute with pp, got no response from the seller, and after a few days escalated it to a claim. My claim was IMMEDIATELY denied, and now, due to CV19, I can't get a person on the phone. Clearly this seller knew how to take advantage of the lack of pp customer service people on duty. Any ideas how to get my money back? 

[marinatighe]

Have you any update on this?

I had the exact same issue happen to me, its very disappointing.

[gtyo · Accepted solution]

Well, it took a few days, but I re-presented my case through the Paypal support chat window, and I eventually got a human to review everything and give me a refund. The refund will take 10 days. It still astounds me how hard it is to get around automated responses in customer service.

[Emily103]

Hi!

I've got the exact same issue, can I ask how you were able to get around the automated responses in the chat window? I keep trying but just get the 'all agents offline' message. 

[gtyo]

It's not very clear, but in the Help Center there is a chat/message window you can open. You enter all the information about your complaint, send it off and wait for a response. You can of course close the window and carry on with your life, you'll get an email when they respond. It took 3 days for me to get a response. In the meantime, I disputed the charge with my credit card company. They gave me a provisional refund right away, though they'll probably take it back when the Paypal refund hits.

[Emily103]

I did that, but I still recieve the 'All our agents are currently offline. Please try again during business hours.' message immediately -- do you know if they still receive it? (sorry, I realise you aren't an expert but I'm hoping if I do exactly what you did, I might be able to work this out!)

[gtyo]

I clicked Contact Us at the bottom of the Help page, then they list Common Issues. I clicked Disputes and Account Limitations, then Disputes, then Dispute a Payment, then Message Us. A window opened up on the right side of my screen, that's where I entered all the info.

[Emily103]

Thank you! Okay, last question promise. What was the final message you received on that chat window before the agent (eventually) contacted you? I'm following the same trail but still getting 'none of our agents are available, please contact us through the resolution centre' message. 

[gtyo]

I honestly don't remember, but it was something to the effect of "an agent will get back to you shortly". I never got a message that said "all agents offline"

[Emily103]

Well shoot. Hey @Ragnar_Lothbrok @Teddy25 @WarrenPink @Gelai0408 can you advise on how to message customer support in a way that ensures they see it? I have been trying to do so, but I keep getting the following message although it is currently during the listed business hours. Thank you!

All our agents are currently offline. Please try again during business hours.

Messaging support is available:

Monday - Friday: 5am - 8pm PT

Saturday - Sunday: 6am - 6pm PT