Why you can't trust PayPal

Recently I bought a software disk from an eBay seller, and paid for it through PayPal. Surprise: it wasn't what they advertised. So I contacted eBay. They told me to contact PayPal. So I contacted PayPal. Guess what? They denied any responsibility for misrepresented sales.

PayPal's Buyer Protection claims that "Paypal Buyer Protection offers buyers protection from eBay sellers who do not deliver the promised goods, or who deliver goods that are significantly not as described in the listing." But guess what? Not true. Take a look at the emails below, and note in particular PayPal's claim that "the claims process only applies to the shipment of goods. It does not apply to complaints about the attributes or quality of goods received."

So, net of all this:

Subject: Significantly Not as Described Dispute Open: Case #PP-xxx
From: service@paypal.com
Date: March 2, 2007 4:51:08 PM EST
To: robb@xxx.com

Dear Robb Allan,

Your Significantly Not as Described dispute for the payment you sent to Tom B on Feb 18, 2007 (Transaction <xxx>) is now open.

By opening a dispute, you are communicating with the seller, not PayPal, about this problem transaction. We will email you when your seller posts a response in the Resolution Center.

To learn more about PayPal's dispute resolution process, log in to your account and click the “Tutorials” link on the Resolution Center tab.

Subject: Resolution of Your Claim - Case #PP-xxx
From: service@paypal.com
Date: March 7, 2007 12:12:23 PM EST
To: robb@xxx.com

Dear Robb Allan,

Our investigation into your claim is complete. As stated in our User Agreement, the claims process only applies to the shipment of goods. It does not apply to complaints about the attributes or quality of goods received. Therefore, we are unable to reverse this transaction or issue a refund.

-----------------------------------
Transaction Details
-----------------------------------

Transaction Date: Feb 18, 2007
Transaction Amount: -$95.00 USD
Your Transaction ID: <xxx>
Seller's Transaction ID: <yyy>
Case Number: PP-xxx
Seller's Name: Tom B
Seller's Email: tombent2005@earthlink.net

-----------------------------------
Other Details
-----------------------------------

PayPal does not tolerate fraud or illegal activities. Your complaint has been noted in the record of the PayPal user you reported. If we find this user has violated our policies, we will investigate and take appropriate action. If this occurs, you may be contacted in the future about the status of this complaint.

To make sure future transactions proceed smoothly, we suggest you visit the PayPal site and click the Security Center link located at the bottom of any page. There you will find tips on how to avoid fraudulent sellers in the "Fraud Prevention Tips for Buyers" section.

Sincerely,

PayPal

Subject: Re: Protections/Privacy/Security (Routing Code:C840-L001-Q414-T3335-S111) QID129 (KMM53147825V69448L0KM) :kd1
From: webform@paypal.com
Date: March 9, 2007 2:49:46 PM EST
To: robb@xxx.com
Reply-To: webform@paypal.com

Dear Robb Allan,

Thank you for contacting PayPal.

Unfortunately, we were unable to reverse the transaction or issue a refund. The PayPal Buyer Complaint Policy reimburse's users for losses only to the extent we are able to recover the funds from sellers regarding an item purchased outside of eBay or eBay Express that is not received or that you believe is Significantly Not As Described by the seller.

PayPal is not the venue that lists the item and we do not act as an escrow service. Because the item is not advertised or listed by our service, we are not in the position to verify the quality of an item delivered as opposed to what was advertised. We recommend first contacting the seller's customer service email address, which is listed above. You can contact your auction site regarding the dispute; as the venue that lists the item, they may be able to help you, or contact a third party mediator, such as Square Trade.

We value your business and regret that you have had this experience. To avoid similar experiences in the future, we recommend that you click the "Security Center" link on any PayPal webpage for tips on how to buy safely online.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us again.

Sincerely,
Brandon
PayPal Resolution Services
PayPal, an eBay Company

Subject: Re: case ID PP-xxx
From: robb@xxx.com
Date: April 9, 2007 12:00:52 PM EDT
To: appeal@paypal.com

Recently I made a purchase through PayPal for an item on eBay that turned out to be substantially different from what was described on the eBay listing. However, when I initiated a dispute and then a claim on PayPal, the claim was denied, despite the section in the PayPal user agreement that says that PayPal covers such claims. eBay's dispute system referred such disputes back to PayPal.

I have spoken with a PayPal agent, and am told that for some reason the transaction entry on PayPal does not indicate that the payment was for an eBay item, and that this is the reason for the claim being refused. (It is apparently listed as a "goods - other"). I have no idea why this is so. In fact the payment _was_ for an eBay item. I have attached below the eBay item number, correspondence from the seller directing me how to make payment through PayPal, etc.

I'd appreciate it if you would review these facts and help me to recover this payment.

_____

Robb Aley Allan
Gulfstream Group, Inc.
robb@xxx.com

 

Transaction Date: Feb 18, 2007
Transaction Amount: -$95.00 USD
Your Transaction ID: <xxx>
Seller's Transaction ID: <yyy>
Case Number: PP-xxx
Seller's Name: Tom B
Seller's Email: tombent2005@earthlink.net

eBay item number: 280082211890

Seller is listed as "1220martinez". Email from seller directed me to make payment to "tombent2008@earthlink.net". Please see those emails below.

claim: Seller advertised product as "Full version software no upgrade from Macro Media". Later claimed that "We will send everything comes with the software". What was sent was a single CD that Adobe has told me is part of a developer's susbscription, does not contain the full version of the software (no Mac version), and is not transferable: "WPD700-53305-36694-65151 Studio Dev Net Subscription Worlwide English Multiple Platform 2 Year Bundle". Seller did not respond to repeated emails regarding transfer of license, has not responded to PayPal dispute messages, and has disconnected phone.

Subject: Re: Re: case ID PP-xxx QID126 (KMM38833386V5814L0KM) :kd2
From: complaint-response@paypal.com
Date: April 15, 2007 9:41:05 AM EDT
To: robb@xxx.com
Reply-To: complaint-response@paypal.com

Dear Robb Allan,

Thank you for contacting PayPal. We apologize for the delay in responding to your service request.

We apologize for any confusion this situation has caused. PayPal is a user initiated system. Therefore, any information that has been entered into the transaction was completed by the person completing the transaction and cannot be changed.

PayPal Buyer Protection is designed to provide purchase protection for buyers on eBay and help buyers recover funds from eBay sellers who do not deliver the promised goods. PayPal Buyer Protection covers payments for tangible physical goods that can be shipped and goods that are significantly not as described. All other payments - such as payments for intangibles, services, licenses, and other access to digital content - are not covered.

Transactions Covered by PayPal Buyer Protection:

- PayPal Buyer Protection is only available to registered PayPal members for eBay purchases

- Buyers can look for PayPal Buyer Protection in the "Seller Information" box on any eBay View Item page to see if the item is covered.

- Pay for the item with PayPal and use the seller's email address associated with the listing

- Use the "Pay Now" button when the listing closes on eBay or associate the payment with the eBay listing by entering the item number into the PayPal payment instructions.

eBay Categories covered under PayPal Buyer Protection:

- eBay Motors parts and accessories will be covered; however, motor vehicles (cars, boats, planes) and Live Auctions will not be
covered. Sellers cannot indicate PayPal as a payment method during the Live Auctions listing process and therefore those listings will not be eligible

Sellers will be eligible to have PayPal Buyer Protection offered on their listings if all of these requirements are met:

- Your seller eBay feedback rating is at least 50
- Your positive feedback percentage is at least 98%
- You are a Verified member of PayPal
- You have a Business or Premier PayPal account
- Your PayPal account is in good standing
- You are a seller in:
- Austria
- Australia
- Belgium
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Hong Kong S.A.R. of China
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Netherlands
- Singapore
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
- United States

A seller may determine whether he or she might be eligible for PayPal Buyer Protection from the "Seller Eligibility for PayPal Buyer Protection" page. The "Seller Eligibility for PayPal Buyer Protection" page is available from the Profile subtab of the My Account tab of the seller's PayPal account. Eligibility is determined at time of listing on eBay and eligibility requirements may vary based on eBay listing site.

In addition, the following rules apply:

- PayPal must be selected as an accepted payment option on eBay's "Sell Your Item" form or when using bulk-listing tools such as Turbo Lister or Seller's Assistant. PayPal Buyer Protection only covers items paid for with PayPal.

- Item must be listed on an eBay site that is eligible.

- PayPal Buyer Protection is only offered for tangible items (physical goods that are shipped). PayPal Buyer Protection is not offered for services or intangible items, such as emailed recipes and e-books.

PayPal Buyer Protection claim guidelines for buyer:

- You may only open one dispute per PayPal payment.

- Disputes must be filed within 45 days of the initial PayPal payment. If you're unable to resolve the dispute, you can ask PayPal to investigate by escalating the dispute to a claim. You must escalate to a claim within 20 days of the date the dispute was opened.

- There is no limit on the number of PayPal Buyer Protection claims that can be filed per calendar year.

- Be willing to provide information during the investigation process. If we are unable to obtain the necessary information, your case may be canceled without a refund.

To learn the specific terms and conditions of the PayPal Buyer Protection Process, simply click on "Legal Agreement" located at the bottom of any PayPal webpage.

We appreciate your patience and understanding regarding this matter, and wish you continued success on PayPal.

Sincerely,
Rebecca
Protection Services Department
PayPal, an eBay Company

 

Original Message Follows:
------------------------
Recently I made a purchase through PayPal for an item on eBay that turned out to be substantially different from what was described on the eBay listing. However, when I initiated a dispute and then a claim on PayPal, the claim was denied, despite the section in the PayPal user agreement that says that PayPal covers such claims. eBay's dispute system referred such disputes back to PayPal.

I have spoken with a PayPal agent, and am told that for some reason the transaction entry on PayPal does not indicate that the payment was for an eBay item, and that this is the reason for the claim being refused. (It is apparently listed as a "goods - other"). I have no idea why this is so. In fact the payment _was_ for an eBay item. I have attached below the eBay item number, correspondence from the seller directing me how to make payment through PayPal, etc.

I'd appreciate it if you would review these facts and help me to recover this payment.

_____

Robb Aley Allan
Gulfstream Group, Inc.
robb@xxx.com

 

Transaction Date: Feb ##, ####
Transaction Amount: -$##.## USD
Your Transaction ID: #BG#####EL######G
Seller's Transaction ID: #VD######T######P
Case Number: PP-###-###-###
Seller's Name: Tom B
Seller's Email: tombent####@earthlink.net

eBay item number: ############

Seller is listed as "####martinez". Email from seller directed me to make payment to "tombent####@earthlink.net". Please see those emails below.

claim: Seller advertised product as "Full version software no upgrade from Macro Media". Later claimed that "We will send everything comes with the software". What was sent was a single CD that Adobe has told me is part of a developer's susbscription, does not contain the full version of the software (no Mac version), and is not transferable: "WPD###-#####-#####-##### Studio Dev Net Subscription Worlwide English Multiple Platform # Year Bundle". Seller did not respond to repeated emails regarding transfer of license, has not responded to PayPal dispute messages, and has disconnected phone.