Problems with Paypal Credit - I paid too EARLY and was penalized

rrs82
Contributor
Contributor

Something seriously wrong with PayPal Credit or with their customer service department. I was having a problem earlier this year with my PayPal account switching to PayPal Credit when making a purchase. This would happen even though I had changed the settings. I made a small $7.99 purchase in February and after the fact noticed that the charge had been applied to PayPal Credit rather than my checking account. I called PayPal and spoke to a rep who advised me to just pay off the $7.99. I did that and it appears on my account as being paid. Suddenly this month I received notice that I had an overdue payment of $14.99.  Did not make any sense because there was no record of a purchase for $14.99. Called customer service at PayPal and after some back and forth was told I was charged a late fee and interest on the $7.99. I said I wanted to protest the charge. This call was relayed to a supervisor who told the agent to tell me that the problem occurred because I paid the account too EARLY.  The supervisor would not speak to me only relay info through the agent. The supervisor said my payment "should" have been made on the 20th of the month and I paid it earlier so I would be charged interest for paying it too early.  They refused to remove the extra fees even though they could plainly see that the original charge had been paid. Instead, they refunded my original $7.99 payment the day of the call leaving me to pay a charge of $14.99. I paid it today rather than have it hanging over me but I do not know what to do as a recourse. Perhaps I am dense and can't grasp the logic of this. Is this how PayPal chooses to take advantage of unsuspecting customers by charging interest and late fees on an amount that was paid too early? This seems so wrong.

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2 REPLIES 2

MrMikeJ
New Community Member

I manage the finances for our family.  We mange our debt responsibly and make regular payments well over the minimum required.  Have to say PayPal is the only creditor that penalizes you for making payments too early.  If they receive multiple payment in less than 30 days the payments are applied to "current month" as a silo and with new clock starting for next period and no provision in their accounting that you as a customer just paid (in may case quadruple) multiple time the minimum.  Most creditors in this scenario will recognize your payment(s) in the prior period if applied this way and show 0 payment due or at a minimum NOT charge you a $27 late fee for gong 31 days between payments.  I ran into this issue in June and called to have the fee reversed which they did.  I was advised to make a double payment approximately 2 weeks apart which would put my account on an equitable payment application cycle.  Worked to 2 months and then 9/1/2018 I got hit again.  Minimum payments on my account is currently about $76 dollars.  Last  4 payments have been as follows (Paypal application dates): 7/3 ($150), 8/1 (100), 9/4 (100) ... made a payment last night of an additional $76.
I got tagged on 9/1 with a $27 late fee.  According to my Paypal statement I made a $250 payment (minimum is $76) in August and No payment in Septemeber!
Think about it.  If you are making payments once a month you will always be in danger of triggering a late fee due to a day or two swing?  Of course, the money is NOT the issue.  It's the principle.  

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rrs82
Contributor
Contributor

My problem with PayPal was finally fixed once my many, many phone calls landed me with the right person. The problem was obvious and the kind, efficient person who handled the problem was the first one to really see what had happened and realized I had been treated unfairly. She did provide an solution. I am so happy to be off of that merry-go-ground. I will say though that the experience has left me a bit wary about how and when I use PayPal.

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