Contacting PayPal re Account Limitation

[DorsetMike]

Hi,

My account was limited. I was asked to provide identification documents, which I did. The status is still saying "We need to confirm some of your account information" but "This limitation cannot be appealed against." There is no longer a link where I can upload additional or alternative documentation.

I want to see if there is a genuine reason for my account being limited. I don't know of any and I rarely use the account. Am I the victim of mistaken identity? Fraud? Is there a black mark against me? How to find out?

I have tried to contact PayPal bu phone (three times) to find out why and what I can do. They don't know - they don't have access to the account information and say the best way to contact them is by email. I used the contact page, but get an automated reply - my question wasn't read or addressed.

How can I contact PayPal and speak to (or email) someone who can answer my questions?

Any suggestions gratefully received, thanks.

Mike

[kernowlass]

@DorsetMike

Click on the words "Contact" at the bottom of your paypal account summary page and use the phone option (if there is one in the country you are in) > click on the "call us" option on the left (fees "may" apply so check the cost with your phone tariff first, as you sometimes have to wait a while to connect).

When you get through don't select any options just hang on till you get transfered to an agent or say the word "agent".

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.

[DorsetMike]

@kernowlass

Thanks for your reply. I'll try the Facebook route first, then phoning an agent, although when I spoke to someone before, they didn't seem to have any authority or full access to my account. I'll provide updates here.

Mike

[DorsetMike]

Here's an update. I tried the Facebook account but got the same response - they don't have access to the account to find anything out. I imagine Twitter is the same. So I tried phoning again. As before they can't tell me anything. The department that deals with this does not accept incoming calls. They will have done a "thorough investigation" and I am deemed to be "excessive risk" and there is no appeal. They have put a note on my account that I've asked for a reason but I don't hold out any hope. I think I will try a formal complaint, but I imagine my account will have been closed before this is addressed.

What happens if I simply open a new PayPal account?

[DorsetMike]

OK, another update. I decided to go through the complaints process. The result was

"I can see the documents requested were provided on 13 November 2016; however, we were unable to verify your details with these documents."

That's the end of the matter. My account is still being closed, but at least I have a better idea what's happened. My best guess, based on the messages and these forums is that::

• PayPal sometimes (randomnly?) request id and address verification
• They may misread it or not accept it for reasons they won't disclose
• If something's not right (in their eyes) or they make a mistake they don't have the time or resources to re-check or request an alternative document

The id in question was UK passport and UK council tax bill. Acceptable to all other financial institutions.

Goodbye PayPal.

[DorsetMike]

Well, well, well. Guess what happened? After attempting unsuccessfully to retrieve the outstanding balance in my account (PayPal seem to count 180 days in an unusual way), I phoned and asked today for the account to be closed. The agent I spoke to said he couldn't see why there was a problem - and not only was I able to retrieve the funds, but my account was quickly restored! So maybe it's not goodbye after all. Why was the issue resolved so easily this time when everything else I've tried failed?