PayPal 'temporary hold'

[RhBBob]

I recently purchased my Wife's birthday present from a buyer with whom I have dealt before. He apologised that the item had been listed twice, was not available, but immediately refunded my money to my PayPal account. The purchase having been funded by my debit card, I expected a refund to that source.

 

However, PayPal have placed a 'temporary hold' on the funds which could last for 30 days.  Furthermore, my complaint email will receive a response 'within 30 days'.

 

Is this the future of online payments ?

[jonny777]

If it benefits the online payment company, who gain interest on money that is not, and never has been, theirs - then yes, welcome to the future.

[Metr0Land]

I had a similar occurrence recently where a trader had refunded part of the payment and Paypal sat on the refund for eg 7 days so I had £12 on 'temporary hold'.

 

it waz even more confusing as I actually won something in auction before the time was up. When I got to the payment screen it said they'd take £12 from my Paypal credit and eg £15 from my credit card.  This was despite my Paypal balance showing zero credit as the £12 was on hold.  So, I had to email the seller to see if he'd actually been paid.  Fortunately he had, but it's really annoying to have to go through this rigmarole.

[ROSSPOP]

I have had similar and other problems with PayPal and my account has been ' frozen' since last year. I am a solitary modeller and occasionally sell my models and acquired bits and bobs. I was unaware of a ' maximum' annual allowance you are not permitted to exceed as a private seller.

I then received several emails from PayPal, requesting my business plan in order to continue my PayPal account. Despite a phone call to their UK offices I was in able to persuade them that I am a retired modeller as they can see from my history of sales,and not a business seller. Because I have been frozen I can't close my account!!!!!!!!!! And I don't have a business plan to resolve the issue...........result.....stalemate!!!!!!!

 

I am now coping in life without PayPal.

 

Maybe there needs to be more market competition for PayPal?????

[Crosland]

I have had similar and other problems with PayPal and my account has been ' frozen' since last year. I am a solitary modeller and occasionally sell my models and acquired bits and bobs. I was unaware of a ' maximum' annual allowance you are not permitted to exceed as a private seller.

I then received several emails from PayPal, requesting my business plan in order to continue my PayPal account. Despite a phone call to their UK offices I was in able to persuade them that I am a retired modeller as they can see from my history of sales,and not a business seller. Because I have been frozen I can't close my account!!!!!!!!!! And I don't have a business plan to resolve the issue...........result.....stalemate!!!!!!!

 

I am now coping in life without PayPal.

 

Maybe there needs to be more market competition for PayPal?????

 

If you are making models to sell then you are running a business and the tax man will also want his take.

 

The need to provide a business plan is a new on on me. Were you applying for one of the "pro" services?

 

Andrew

[ROSSPOP]

No Andrew

 

I don't make models to sell as a business at all. The problem was probably due to me retiring (from the NHS) . The year before I retired I reviewed my 30 years of collecting kits, bits and bobs and generally all the stuff we modellers accrue, and more than I could possibly make before I died! Sold them all on eBay. Then the following year of my retirement I sold three 4 mm kit made locos and some rolling stock plus the first 7 mm loco I had ever built and again sold on eBay. The problem seemed to be from my rationalising my modelling items and selling them over an 18 month window on eBay.

 

I hav'nt sold anything now for almost two years and If I do it will be on either RMWeb or through the O guage guild methinks!

[RhBBob]

Yes, I am a private user with 99% buying and a tiny amount to sell so all the more surprising that the refund is blocked.

 

Today - of course - I received the 'PayPal experience' survey to complete; you can only guess what I said on that, although, for me, I was quite polite !

 

I have been an Ebay/PayPal client since 2001 but the end is nigh as I have many supplier links across Europe....and far too much rolling stock, scenic bits and pieces, etc., etc..

 

My wife's ISA transfer - a few thousand pounds - was put on hold by my former employer (the Big Black Donkey Bank) and she had to go through a long telephone investigation to free up the transfer.  We've only banked with them for 50 years

[Vistisen]

Yes, I am a private user with 99% buying and a tiny amount to sell so all the more surprising that the refund is blocked.

 

Today - of course - I received the 'PayPal experience' survey to complete; you can only guess what I said on that, although, for me, I was quite polite !

 

I have been an Ebay/PayPal client since 2001 but the end is nigh as I have many supplier links across Europe....and far too much rolling stock, scenic bits and pieces, etc., etc..

 

My wife's ISA transfer - a few thousand pounds - was put on hold by my former employer (the Big Black Donkey Bank) and she had to go through a long telephone investigation to free up the transfer.  We've only banked with them for 50 years

Just another way the terrorists have won. You might be funding terror if there are suddenly changes in your cash flow and your bank will be blocked from doing business with the USA unless they can prove that they are investigating all 'unusual' transactions.Hence the absolutely pointless delay.

[raymw]

Paypal agreements are regularly updated  https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/useragreement-full#4 shows when they may put payments on hold. Tempting providence, i guess, but I've never had a problem with Paypal, and was impressed when a few years back they phoned me when they spotted an unusual payment going out of my account. With 138million customers, some of them crooks, they have to be pretty careful.

 

I think Paypal 'ethics' are better, and more transparent than most banks. However, if you get a problem, as usual you have to find the right person to get it resolved.  I think if you can leave a few pounds in your pp account, it runs a bit smoother.

 

Best wishes,

 

Ray

[Horsetan]

....Maybe there needs to be more market competition for PayPal?????

As long as PayPal and eBay are part of the same company structure, market competition will never happen.

[Metr0Land]

As long as PayPal and eBay are part of the same company structure, market competition will never happen.

 

I agree.  ebay, Amazon, Facebook and others followed the 'get big fast' business model.  It means that if any realistic competition appears they get gobbled up, as it doesn't matter a jot to massive corps if they pay over the odds to kill off something with a real chance of competing.

[Horsetan]

I agree.  ebay, Amazon, Facebook and others followed the 'get big fast' business model.  It means that if any realistic competition appears they get gobbled up, as it doesn't matter a jot to massive corps if they pay over the odds to kill off something with a real chance of competing.

The similarity to ZANU(PF) in Zimbabwe is quite scary: got any opposition? Buy 'em up by offering 'em a well-paid posting....

[John M Upton]

PayPal seem to be up to something this weekend.  Up until now whenever I have withdrawn my earnings from Ebay and RMWeb classified sales to my bank account to spend as good old fashioned cash in hand, it has plonked into my bank account almost instantly.  Did a withdrawal on Thursday morning and it still hasn't turned up, it's gone from my PayPal account but my not turned up where it should.