Payment made from my bank. 1st Paypal said its a preauthorisation, now say there is no transaction?

[MichaelMcG]

I placed an order on a website yesterday. I use the site regularly. I was transferred to Paypal automatically, and had to perform the usual 2-point authentication to make the payment. I got a message from the seller later to say they hadn't received my payment. When I checked Paypal, there was no transaction on my account for the payment. But there was a notification on my account to say the payment was "pre-authorised" with the usual vague paypal reason. I checked my card issuer, they show the payment was made to Paypal. I checked my bank account, it shows the money was debited from my account by Paypal. So I sent Paypal a message earlier asking why the payment was "pre-authorised" as the money had been deducted from my bank account. I got a reply to say there is no transaction for the payment on my account, and asking if I have another account (I don't).

I wouldn't mind if this was just a few euro,. but it was for over €200. I haven't got the money to reorder pending an "investigation" by Paypal. And I certainly can't afford to lose this money.

Does anyone have any idea what has possibly happened to my money?

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @MichaelMcG, 

Welcome! I'm sorry to her a recent payment attempt hasn't gone quite as you've expected. Since it sounds like the order was never completed, the funds that were taken from your funding source were most likely just an authorization. Authorizations normally drop off in 3-4 business days, but in rare cases may take up to 30. If you don't see the authorization release the funds back to your funding source within 30 days, I'd recommend reaching out to your funding source to see what options you may have to report the transaction as a billing issue. 

Good luck with this and future transactions, 

 - Jon K

[OwkanaJhang8]

Pre-authorisation £251.15 GBP On 15 September 2022, £251.15 GBP was pre-authorised for a purchase on your card ******** If it isn't completed or it's completed for a different amount, any pending amounts will drop off, usually within a day.

I have waited for over 48hrs and still this pre-authorization has not cleared

I have had £251.15 taken from my bank account

My retailer has not completed the order and has no record of the transaction.

They have said that Paypal has caused this issue with many customers as the payment was taken before actually placing any order. 

Paypal assured me that within 24hrs the payment would be cancelled and returned to my bank account.

Now I have to wait 30 days ??? This is seriously bad customer service.