Account Inactivity letter received by my husband

[jimbi_j]

My husband received an account inactivity letter. He hasn't used his account for a long time basically having forgotten his account number and his e-mail address having expired being an o2 one and their e-mail service was withdrawn. This morning he has been trying to phone them but getting nowhere as the automated line keeps saying nobody can talk to him on the phone about his problem as it doesn't apply. He can't send them a message as they require a login and he can't because he doesn't know his password after all these years. We are becoming overwhelmed with this, it has to be resolved by Wednesday. I'm concerned about trying to go through my account in case it messes everything up. What can be done?

[sharpiemarker · Accepted solution]

@jimbi_j 

Type "Inactivity" into the search bar above for others with the same issue. They might provide answers.

In the meantime, have your husband try:

1. Go to: https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/contact-us
2. Click Password and account access
3. Click Login problems
4. Click Message Us, after the "This information might help" box
5. Click Chat with us while logged out

[jimbi_j]

Hi

Thank you so much for your help. It worked perfectly. He managed to do an online chat with a very helpful representative and managed to close the account as there was pence in it and he would never be able to access it again anyway. Hubby thought it not secure to keep an account with no access. It was not a scam letter as some members thought it may have been. All sorted now thanks to your kind help

[cristalmundo]

I am in the same boat.  I have received an inactivity letter for an account I had 20 years ago.  I haven't used that email address in 20 years, and I don't remember the full email address.  Needless to say I don't know the password either.  I have emailed Paypal five times since receiving the letter, tried the message centre assistant, tried telephoning and I just can't get anyone to respond to me.  This is such appalling customer service!  I've tried the suggestions mentioned here but I keep going round in circles.  The big problem is that even if I could remember my email address, I don't have access to it anymore so they can't ask them to reset my password.  Help!  What can I do if PayPal just keeps ignoring me?

[jimbi_j]

@cristalmundo 

My husband followed the help that @sharpiemarker  suggested and was able to get into an online chat. We did a google search for the link so that nobody was logged in to start then followed exactly and when we got to the chat with us while logged out he was able to chat with someone to sort the problem.

1. Go to: https://www.paypal.com/smarthelp/contact-us
2. Click Password and account access
3. Click Login problems
4. Click Message Us, after the "This information might help" box
5. Click Chat with us while logged out

[cristalmundo]

I did as suggested and I managed to "chat" to an assistant.  Unfortunately, he said he couldn't help me because unless I knew my email address and could give it to him, he could not tell it to me because of security reasons. I know part of the email address because PayPal told it me in the letter, but I failed with trying to guess what the rest of it was.... all he could tell me was what it wasn't ... he wasn't allowed to tell me what it was, and without knowing it there is no way I can log into this inactive account to find out if there is any money in there or not.  He said I shouldn't worry because if there was no money in it, then I wouldn't be charged which is some comfort I suppose. He said he couldn't tell me whether there was any money in there or not, and probably there wasn't any money or very little otherwise I wouldn't have forgotten about it for 20 years. I guess he has a point! I'm not going to lose any more sleep over it, I just hate loose ends!

[jimbi_j]

@cristalmundo 

It is really frustrating isn't it! Alarming too coming out of the blue like that. Well at least you managed to chat to someone in the end. There was only 1p in my husband's account but after 15 years not only could he not remember his password (which would have allowed him to log in, thus making his account not inactive any more and also change his e-mail address) but he didn't know if there was anything in it to worry about, which there wasn't. Take care

[cristalmundo]

I love it! But how did you find out there was only 1p in it if he couldn't log in? I'm intrigued now!