I am at the end of my tether with PayPal. Having been a loyal business and personal customer since 2004 I have always had no complaint with PayPal or their Customer Service. But in the last two weeks that has changed!
Early in March 2018 I received a standard email from PayPal advising me that the debit card with my account was due to expire and that I should update my card details as soon as possible. OK so once I received my replacement card I went online to do just that. Fairly straightforward, I've done several times in the past so no major problems wouldn't you say? WRONG!
I removed my old card and entered my new card details only to receive an error saying that the card could not be accepted. Hmmm OK so I contacted PayPal through the website and within 24 hours I received a promising call from one of the advisors saying they were aware of some problems with cards not being accepted onsite, and to leave it with them to get the problem resolved and I would hear from them. Roll forward a couple of days and I attempt to use my debit card at an ATM only to have my transaction declined and a recommendation to contact my bank.
I contacted my bank only to find my card had been disabled due to a report of suspicious activity involving the card and that I had also reported the card as lost, which I had not done.
The next day I received an email from PayPal saying that they had put limitations on my account and that I would have to provide both a proof of address and a photo ID in order to resolve the issue.
OK the proof of address is no problem but I do not possess a photo ID as I have no passport nor do I have a military ID (I'm 62 for god's sake). As for driving license I have an old style UK paper license which is still legal and valid until 2025 ( on my 70th birthday) and I have no intention of paying the required £20 just to satisfy PayPal requirements.
I contacted PayPal about this but all I received from them was an automated response directing me to the website to upload said documents.
After much messing around I found I could post a reply to my original customer service message in the message centre, and sure enough within hours I received a reply from what I assumed was a real person as it explained the regulations governing PayPal on this matter and the gave me the same directions I had received in the auto reply for updating documents online.
OK now I am at an impasse as I now no longer seem to get any reply through the message centre. So the next step was to try the telephone contact.
Hah ... no chance ... I got the electronic interrogation device which asked me for the code from the website which I gave and then it asked what I wanted to be connected to ... I said limitations after which the voice said that the service was closed and to please call during normal service hours. What? This is the early afternoon of a normal working day. How can the service be closed? Various expletives have been deleted at this point !
OK I'll make a formal complaint using the online form. So I set to typing the problems I had encountered, the it asked what I would like PayPal to do (believe me I was sorely tempted to tell them but no ... civility) I asked for some explanation to be given of how I can comply with their request when I do not possess one of the evidence documents they require. OK so far?
Then I have to enter the current date on the form (isn't that nice it even has a little calendar that you can use to input the date for you) and the simply put my first name in one box and my last name in another box.
Oh this is so easy! PRESS SEND ... wait! What is that red writing "INVALID DATE FORMAT. PLEASE TRY AGAIN"
The form will not accept any type of date format ... I know, I tried them all.
OK anyone got any bright ideas how I can get through to PayPal and I have tried every method available apart from reverting to the good old Royal Mail and I seem to be totally stymied now.
I should point out that at this stage all I want now is to close my account as I longer want to be associated with such a poorly run company.
