Campaign against Chinese vendors who abuse the PayPal system and buyers

[FloridaZZZ]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to stop Chinese based sellers from engaging in shoddy business practices?  I shouldn't care because I will never buy anything outside of long established vendors such as Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, E-Bay, etc.  I realize that most of what we buy in the U.S. comes from China.  But to purchase items that appear differently in advertising, and then to be told that it's "close enough" is unacceptable.  We have had no fewer than five egregious examples of Chinese vendors 1.) engaging in bait and switch; 2.) refusing or being unable to communicate through email--even though they have multiple email addresses; 3.) dragging out the resolution process for weeks and months, with the help of PayPal due to the policies that have been changed since E-Bay purchased PayPal.  

I am reaching out to the cable networks and network affiliates to see if there is any interest in doing a story about the behavior of Chinese based sellers as well as the behavior of PayPal.  PP no longer puts buyers first.  In the past, they ALWAYS did.  I couldn't believe how great they were to deal with.  No more, and, of course, that is probably one of the reasons E-BAY wanted PP. 

Please write me if anyone has already begun such a "crusade".  I wouldn't have cared but my wife had another bait and switch purchase, and I just had another.  We are committed to doing something about this situation.  No racism or ethnocentrism at play here.  This is simply about the color green.  Thanks for contacting us with any ideas that could prevent us from duplicating other efforts that may be similar to ours.  

[csBlack]

correction it was going to be $25 to send it back.

[sharpiemarker]

@csBlack 

Does the dispute let you appeal? So that you can send it back? That's how PayPal resolves SNAD disputes: return for a refund if you do not return, you lose case. PayPal won't let you keep item and money as punishment to seller. Seller loses sale, shipping costs to you, has to accept their item back. You just pay return shipping which PayPal refunds you if eligible.

PayPal has a return shipping refund program for future purchases if this return is not eligible:

https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/refunded-returns

But seller still has upper hand if they do not pick up item from post office, especially if you're returning from overseas and still PayPal will claim you didn't return it. Purchase protection has its limitations and not meant to be 100% guarantee, warranty or insurance.

Or, if you paid with credit card, dispute through card issuer as SNAD, this dings the seller's account an extra fee for PayPal to handle credit card chargeback and the seller won't get seller protection from chargeback SNADs. Credit card may not require you to return item.

[csBlack]

until 2016, but thanks for the heads up.   Nobody mentioned anything about a reimbursement of shipping.  Seller said I had to pay it.  Paypal said I had to do it, but never mentioned any reimbursement.  I'm pretty sick of this whole thing and am not going to use PAYPAL ever again.  That's what the seller wants and that's what they count on is for  us to give up and they get to keep your money.

[csBlack]

Paypal doesn't care about our problems.  There is no support for any of us getting scammed.  I have seen so many people like me.  You don't know that the advertisement is for a chinese vendor.  They send pitiful little things and expect minuscule compensation if any and then you have to return the item even for that.  Returning costs way too much and then they now get to keep your money because you don't have any other way to go. Facebook and Paypal don't care.  They don't  take any measures to stop the chinese scam advertisements and don't back the buyer except for the return policy that they know is too exorbitant to deal with. DON'T BUY from Facebook ads and use your credit card to get any chance of refund or buyer beware from PAYPAL.

[sfoms]

I too am being scammed and PayPal seems to be supporting it. I order an item and the Chinese vendor sends a completely different item with no ability to even send the correct item so they were falsely advertising. I pay $20 for the item and $10 shipping. Now I am being told that the only way to get my money back is to spend more money to ship back the random items they mailed to me? Should the seller that created the problem not be liable for return shipping costs? Should they not be sending a prepaid shipping label? Am I missing something? This is a complete joke. I have no idea what it would cost to mail something with tracking to China, but if it is $30 or even $15 spent to get back my $30 already taken that seems ridiculous to me.  As I share this story with others, I realize I am not the first and the common thread is China and PayPal. How can PayPal support this type of behavior?

[WhackoTX]

It is not in PAYPAL'S short term interest to protect you.   They string out the resolution process. The non-confirming goods can be shipped from the US but then the vendor requests you return them to China.  Shipping to China might be more than the amount in dispute.   Paypal will only reimburse you $30  for what might cost you $70.   i have had two incidents with vendors paying them via PayPal.   One was finally resolved successfully after hours and hours of work and asking for the legal dept. address.  The second one was just denied.  I have asked for further help.  if I do not get it, I will cancel my PayPal account and Paypal credit card.  I'll take my business to the folks who do not hide behind shotty customer service, arbitration agreements and generally non-responsive answers that suggest to me that the person responding does not have a common understanding of the English language.  Really sad to say this but their treatment is like that of a co-conspirator in the fraud.  I think I'll write a letter to the Wall Street Journal.  Perhaps they will print it and it will effect some change either by consumers or PayPal.   I will also report to my state Attorney General and see if they want to take a swing at them.  

[sfoms]

I wish you success against PayPal’s antics. I have not even been successful at closing my account down. After PayPal sided the scam, I got my bank involved, USAA. They had the scam identified within hours and reimbursed my funds. What they did with PayPal thereafter I do not know but perhaps that’s why I cannot get my account closed. What an odd company. Like Hotel California

[WhackoTX]

USAA is a great company and is proactive in these scam situations.  I have an adult daughter who ran into suspected fraud on a deposit for a rental.  USAA investigated and got her money back in no time. Not sure what happened to the scam artist but USAA and police were wall over it.

In scam that PayPal finally paid, the vendor in China sent me a 10 cent phone cover and demanded I return it.  I had ordered and paid for 6 Nest fire alarms.  I asked PayPal person if they had sent me a feather--would I have to spend $70 to return that to a nonexistent address in China.  When I asked for Legal Dept e-mail, PayPal said they didn't to have that and gave me physical address-----right PayPay customer service does not have legal staff or general counsel's e-mail.   In the next year, I am likely to be at a small dinner with one of the top 5 executives at PayPal.  I intend to have a very polite conversation with him and "alert him" to poor customer service.   I will also cancel my account.  They will cancel it after State Attorney General's office gets after them.   I have developed several relationships with them over the years in cases I have handed for clients.  Illegitimi non carborundum