E-Check Debacle

[Sed1962]

I recently used PayPal after many years. I put a deposit on two puppies. No problem. Seller received the deposit fine. I went to pay her and PayPal wanted my account number entered which for some reason didn't match the number of my account. Ugh! I've had the same account # for 30 plus years. So, I call PayPal customer service. After a half hour on the phone with a very nice man with terrible English, he finally sets up a new account for me since the old one which worked for the deposit, could not be used. Again, Ugh! He had me put in the sellers email four times. The last time I missed putting in a dot in the address which resulted in the wrong person being paid. I knew the seller had a PayPal account so when I saw thee check and unregistered user on the confirmation, I immediately called back and cancelled and repaid the seller which went through immediately. When I called back, The Paypal representative basically informed me that I was on my own with the first payment and I would have to call my bank yo try to stop the payment. It was a Wed morning and my bank has a staff mtg and doesn't open to until 10:30, so I was frantically calling every internal extension I had to reach someone within the bank. Finally I reached someone and since she had no idea how the check would go through... Ach, check etc, she told me all she could do would be to put a "watch" on my account. And, of course, the amount slipped right by and came out the next day, causing a deficit to my account, bounced checks and major stress. I called PayPal. Last night and all they could tell me was the money was safe, in limbo and eventually would show back up in my account. This is completely unacceptable. We are not talking about 100.00 dollars. This is 1500.00 dollars of my money which is floating around " in limbo" with PayPal and I can't pay my bills. I am completely disgusted and angry with PayPal and my bank over this completely poor practice. I WILL NEVER USE PAYPAL AGAIN!!!!!! Horrible experience!!!!!!!!!!!

[kernowlass]

Not sure its paypals fault that you mis-placed a dot and had to cancel a payment but this is how it works >>>

When you pay a seller it is never instant > paypal credit the seller for you and then start the process of uploading your funds to paypal from your funding source.

This is done so you get your item more quickly.

So when you cancel that payment  as it went to a wrong email addy > those funds can't do a u-turn > they have to process through to paypal who will then either return them to your funding source (if you paid with a debit or credit card), or credit your paypal balance (if it was funded from your balance or instant bank transfer), but that takes a few days and sometimes up to a week. 

[Sed1962]

You are correct, I cannot blame PayPal for a typo. I do hold them responsible for processing a payment to an unregistered seller when I specifically told the rep on the phone that the person had an account and the payment needed to be by debit not by e check . I also think since I cancelled this immediately, that the entire process as you call it should be able to be circumvented and stopped. Yes. A u turn!

[kernowlass]

Well it can't in just the same way as if i transfered from my online banking a payment and then changed my mind.

[Sed1962]

I believe if it was your 1500.00 you would feel differently.

[kernowlass]

I would probably be miffed i had made the mistake in the first place but i would understand why the payment that I had processed could not do a u-turn back to my account again. I would certainly want it to process more quickly I agree with that but unfortunately it never does for cancelled payments. 

[Sed1962]

I should have removed the funds from my checking account and let it bounce.

[kernowlass]

Yep that would probably have worked but it would have been risky if you wanted to add that bank account back to your paypal account again in the future.

[Sed1962]

No. I will never use PayPal again in the future for anything. I had a problem with a return to Wilson's Leather in 1985 and have never shopped them since. I had an issue with a purchase at Menards in 1992 and , guess what? I have never shopped them since. PayPal will never be recommended by me to anyone. They needed to make this right immediately and since they did not when given the opportunity, they have lost my business forever. They cost me 4 hours, bounced checks and lost time from work. Just one person but I can keep telling others. That's the way it goes. Done. Finished.