URGENT: Paypal police report can only be provided by making a Subject Access request!!

[Zilog]

Hi there,

I purchased an Apple Ipad from what appeared on the eBay page to be a UK seller (item location - North Yorkshire) only to find out afterwards that the seller was in fact a Chinese scam merchant.

I logged an immediate claim with PayPal and they requested the seller provide a shipping reference, which they did.

I then tracked this until a small package containing cheap sunglasses bearing the sellers shipping reference arrived through my letterbox. I immediately reported this to PayPal and uploaded a photo showing the package and tracking refrerence. The package contents stated on the attached labels had to be translated from Chinese and this said "Glasses". All of this was provided in a PDF to Paypal.

I was then asked to make a fraud report to the police and obtain a copy on letter headed paper. When I asked at the police station, I was provided with a small card showing the police details and of the officer and her badge number. This was not enough for Paypal, I had to obtain another report.

On attending the police station yet again, the next officer filled in a crime confirmation report with all my details and the crime reference number and wrote "Ebay Scam" as the crime.

Again - this was not enough for PayPal "Backoffice" who again dismissed this and asked for full details of my claim to be countersigned and stamped by the police. I went to the station yet again and this time they told me that this would never be provided by the UK police as that data was subject to the data protection act. I would need to submit a request to the data controller which may take up to 40 days to obtain a respone. I have been given 4 days to obtain this data by PayPal or the case will to be closed. I called up PayPal from the police station and the officer spoke directly to a supervisor to confirm the position and they said they would log the call and told me it would be OK. Within 30 minutes, the PayPal "backoffice" had again refused my police report submission and had made a further request for a more detailed report to be logged.

I really do not know now what to do - I really didnt think buyer protection was this awful - does anyone have any ideas?

[Zilog]

WARNING - PAYPAL BUYER PROTECTION IS A SHAM

Following my last post I can now let you all know that I was unable to obtain the detailed police report insisted on by PayPal and so my claim was finally refused and closed by PayPal in the sellers favor.

I had been given 4 days to obtain specific report details from the police that under UK data access legistation needs a subject access request that takes 40 days to process.

I lost my claim despite the fact that the seller clearly misrepresented themselves as a UK seller (they were in fact Chinese) they misrepresented the item's location as being in the UK (the "package" was shipped from China) and they misrepresented the shipping offered via TNT from London (the "package" was sent via ChinaPost).

More importantly, instead of sending me my ordered IPad, they sent me a cheap rubbish pair of plastic glasses, and even though I provided clear photgraphic evidence of the very small package complete with the sellers supplied tracking reference visibly attached, two seperate police reports, including one signed and stampted by an officer on letter-headed paper with the station details, and had another officer call up PayPal from the police station and explain the data law to them, PayPal still decided to support an obvious case of fraud.

WHAT KIND OF BUYER PROTECTION IS THIS???

I have now been forced to take my case to both my credit card company and also to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Finally - DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY READ THIS FORUM AND EVER RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR HELP?

[cookiedough]

Hi, i just wanted to let you know that i am shocked, reading what you have been through is just wrong! I like most people thought that you could buy with confidence through paypal, i assumed it would be time consuming to get a refund but you would get there eventually, you have my sympathy...

I have no words of wisdom for you but i was just wondering if you checked the feedback before purchasing? It's such a huge purchase you made i'm sure you must have done all you could.

I am a little concerned about a large purchase i made today and that's how i found my way on here, just looking for what to do just in case. Fingers crossed i won't get ripped off like you did.

If i was you i would phone up trading standards to see if they can offer any help? I really hope you get your money back, please keep the forum updated with any progress. Good luck.