How can I make a formal complaint against PayPal for misleading advertising and withholding funds illegally?
I opened a personal account so that my husband could send me money that I could withdraw into my bank account. He sent me funds from his PayPal account which they then said I could not withdraw for 21 days. This they said might change if I received 4 payments and a total of more than $300. He sent additional funds to meet this restriction. I was then asked to provide a copy of my ID which I sent, and I confirmed the deposits were personal and not commercial.
The next notification I received was that my account was permanently limited as we detect that you present a potential risk. I would have no access to my funds for 180 days. I was given no explanation or any opportunity to appeal. Fortunately, I could send the funds back to my husband's account but the action by PayPal in my opinion is illegal. They advertise that you can send money to anyone, even if they don't have an account, and then they impose restrictions on how that person can access the funds and do not even offer options for accessing the funds if you do not have a bank account. This is misleading and is almost robbery. Once they have your money there is almost no way to get it back again and they charge high fees even when there is no commercial aspect. I have a personal account not a business account, but they still took high fees from the transfers made as if I was selling something. I do not want to complain internally but to register a formal complaint with a regulatory body.
