Hi. This is the first time I have had to use the community advice forum...please help!! My business, a high street jewellery shop, has only recently (lockdown #1) started to use our eBay account - it's been active for years but we rarely use online sales platforms, of course this year we have been pushed more into distance selling. In October Paypal froze our account as we had exceeded £2500 in sales and they needed some more information about the business. Not a problem, we uploaded VAT registration number, company number, personal passports for ID etc... however, while filling in our details on Paypal, when it comes to the section for "Beneficial Owners", we are unable to proceed - there is a pop-up saying "Oops, we are having technical difficulties, please try later". Well, I have been trying now for well over 3 months, with countless calls to Paypal, and don't seem to be getting anywhere! They have acknowledged a problem on their end but simply can't give me any details, not even a timescale for it to be fixed. In the meantime I have close to £2000 sat in limbo as we continue to take money through eBay but can't access any of it! One girl I spoke to, after a very very lengthy wait, did e.mail out some paperwork for me to fill in manually, scan and send back. I did that in November...no response since. I have become totally exasperated by the situation and I'm now considering a legal action to release the funds, except I have no idea who the governing body for paypal even are! Who are they accountable to? I do appreciate that these checks are for our safety and in one respect I am grateful that they exist, but in this instance 3 months waiting for them to fix a "glitch" with absolutely no contact from them, or even an apology, is unacceptable and I'm having serious doubts about their ability to handle my payments. Can anybody assist please? Preferably with how to overcome this "beneficial owners" hurdle - is there a way to sidestep it? I have given them every piece of information required for them to see I am an established, physical "bricks & mortar" VAT registered shop. I don't understand the need for additional information in the first place. Secondly, I would love (LOVE!) to know if and how I can speak to a UK based agent. I'm not sure where they have moved their customer services to but I'm afraid the language barrier has proven to be quite an issue when I phone them. Finally, if all else fails, who do I need to contact with regard to taking further action, for the simple step of getting my money into my bank account? Many thanks, I know this is quite a ridiculous situation. I maintain another personal eBay account and have never had a problem in 15 years, yet this one is causing me sleepless nights. Thanks again.
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