Dispute for a service?

[slick_kat]

A friend and I sent money through PayPal to someone for a hotel room spot at a convention, but then he canceled his room because of financial issues. That's fine, we can find another room. However, he also announced that PayPal froze his account, so he can't send us the money back through here. I was wondering how I can get my money back, because he's been holding out on me (and my friend) for almost a month. I tried filing a dispute, but it said it wasn't a tangible product, so I'm not able to file it. Also, is there a way I can find out if his account is really suspended, or if he's just scamming us? I'd really like my $150 back, especially with the convention coming up shortly. Thanks for any help.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi slick_kat,

Welcome to the community forums!

That sounds like a terrible situation. Is this someone you know well, or is it someone you met over the internet? It's a scary thing to rely on someone you don't really know when it comes to reservations and financial obligation.

When you send money as a personal payment or a payment for a service or intangible goods, there is no Purchase Protection. The reason for this is that there is no reliable, universal way to confirm delivery of an intangible item or a service, and a personal payment is a transfer of money with no implied expectation of goods or services at all.  It's important to review your risk in these situations before you send money. I usually ask myself if I would feel safe giving this person cash. If the answer is no, then I don't send them money.

If you know the person well, maybe he's telling the truth and he intends to get those funds back to you as soon as he's able. However, if you feel that you have been the victim of fraud, there are some websites that can help you learn more about fraud and report it:

• Internet Crime Complaint Center - ic3.gov
• National Fraud Information Center - fraud .org
• Department of Justice - Onguardonline.gov

I hope he's honest and it's just a delay and it gets straightened out really soon, and I hope your convention is for something fun, not work!

Olivia