I have not received a refund - how do I get help?

[Cassleeds]

Hello community, does anyone have any advice please?

My Paypal statement is showing, correctly, a refund that I received after returning goods to a retailer.  However, that refunded amount is neither in my bank account or in my Paypal balance.  Where has it gone?  

I've tried the Paypal 'email us' button but can't get past the menu because my problem isn't listed anywhere, and I've tried the customer service phone line but it's just an automated service which keeps telling me I've received that refund ... yet I haven't. So, how do I rectify this if I can't contact Paypal?

Any help gratefully received!

[kernowlass]

@Cassleeds

If you funded the original Paypal payment to the seller with a debit card rather than bank transfer then it won't go back to your paypal balance.

Once marked as completed it will automatically go back to your bank account but takes up to a week to process through to the bank (Paypal say allow 30 days but I have never waited longer than a week for mine, the last one taking 4 days).

[Cassleeds]

Thanks very much for the reply @kernowlass.  I originally paid with my debit card, so was expecting the refund to land in my bank account.  It has not, after c. 40 days.  I'd like to speak directly to someone at Paypal who can look into it for me but can't seem to get through to a person either by phone or email who will access my account and have a look.  Do they offer that service do you know?

[kernowlass]

@Cassleeds

Click on the words "Help / Contact" at the bottom of paypals pages and use the phone option in the blue band at the top OR very bottom of page dependent on what country you are in. Scroll down past the list of help questions and click on 'Call us' bottom of that page. Log in and get the code.

When you get through DO NOT select any options, just stay quiet OR say 'Agent' a few times.
Freephone from a UK landline or UK mobile number.

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.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi @Cassleeds and @kernowlass,

I'm sorry to hear that there is confusion regarding the way that a debit card-funded payment is refunded. I'm happy to clarify.

Under most circumstances, a payment funded by a debit card will be refunded directly back to the card. There are times that the refund cannot be returned to the card, based on the manner of the processing of the original payment. In these situations, the funds would be returned to the balance. If this occurred and then there were any subsequent payments made, those payments might have used that balance as a payment method.

I hope that the issue is already resolved. If not, please check your contact options in the Help Center or use the Facebook or Twitter channels as suggested by @kernowlass.

Olivia