Why can't I talk to a real person?

[disgruntled3]

When I created my account, it said funds could take from 3-5 business days to be transferred from your bank account. It DID NOT say that funds could be held for up to 21 days. I called the phone number listed on the website and all I got was an automated system. It said my call would be returned. When they called back, I again got the automated system that said my call was being transferred to an agent. When the call transferred, they hung up on me!

I called back again and chose to stay on the line rather than have them call me back. They hung up on me again!!!!! What do you have to do to be able to talk to a real person Paypal? This is worst than government agencies to deal with. Terrible customer service. I am very upset at the moment and had I known this would happen I would never have opened an account.

[kernowlass]

@disgruntled3 

The 3-5 days is for WITHDRAWALS to your bank account or card dependent on country.

The 21 days is a completely different thing and is the NEW SELLER HOLD.

If you say what country you are in then I can give you the link for that country.

[disgruntled3]

I live in Canada and the withdrawal from my bank was made on March 2...it is now March 8 and still says transaction is pending but the funds have been withdrawn from my bank account.

[kernowlass]

@disgruntled3 

Well its the 5th business day today so hopefully clear soon.

However the fact they have left your bank account does not mean that paypal have them as paypal use the slowest (cheapest) option of transfer and its done via ACH in batches.

[disgruntled3]

Now if I try to make a transaction and Paypal says it's going to send me  a text or phone me, it doesn't go through. It says they are having trouble on their end. It's the correct phone number I have on my account, so, I don't know what the problem is and of course, I can't get through to Paypal.

[PayPal_paula]

Hi disgruntled3 and welcome, 

If you are still having issues with your account and unable to send your payment I would recommend to call us. To call us just click on the "Help & Contact" link at the bottom of any PayPal page. 

Thanks for posting and please let us know how you get on as it may help other members with the same issue. 

Paula 

[DavidSpector1]

The original poster is complaining about not being able to reach anyone by telephone and your final advice is to call PayPal by telephone!

[PayPal_paula]

Hi DavidSpector1, 

Thank you for your input. From what I read the other member is having trouble getting the text message to authorise their payment. This is a security measure designed to protect the account. The best way to get this resolved is to call us so we can help. 

Hope this helps clears things up,

Paula 

[DavidSpector1]

I don't think your response clears up the situation at all. The original poster wrote, "I called the phone number listed on the website and all I got was an automated system. It said my call would be returned. When they called back, I again got the automated system that said my call was being transferred to an agent. When the call transferred, they hung up on me! I called back again and chose to stay on the line rather than have them call me back. They hung up on me again!!!!!"

And your final advice for resolving the specific problem was to phone PayPal support. You don't see the absurdity of your response?

If the telephone system is not working properly, the appropriate response would be to actually report it to the PayPal engineers who can fix it and to the PayPal managers who allow it to remain unfixed (and generally appear not to care much about good customer experiences).

Public relations is no substitute for broken workflows.

[PayPal_AshleyM]

Hi everyone,

I appreciate you voicing those concerns, @DavidSpector1. The issue that @disgruntled3 mentioned about receiving a text or call to verify their identity is typically only resolved by giving us a phone call, which is why that was the first solution offered. If you can't reach us by phone, the best option would be to contact us by Facebook or Twitter so that we can see what options we have to help.

Regarding the original issue in the first post, @kernowlass is correct, transfers typically take 3-5 business days, but it can take up to 7 depending on your bank's processing, holidays, and weekends. Since the transfer was started on a Saturday, the transfer time did not begin until Monday (March 4), which would have made March 8 the 5th business day. Hopefully by now you've received the funds. If not, you can request a trace when you contact us by social media as mentioned before.

The 21-day hold that @kernowlass mentioned is standard for new sellers. You can find more information regarding these holds and how to receive your funds sooner here. I hope this information helps!

- Ashley M