I've been a PayPal user for years, but my recent experience has completely destroyed my confidence in their service. An unauthorized transaction appeared on my account for a digital item from a merchant I have never used and have no account with. I reported it immediately, removed all payment methods, and told PayPal clearly that it was not my purchase. Despite this, PayPal ignored my messages, refused to treat the payment as unauthorized, and even sent incorrect automated emails claiming they had charged a "backup credit card" that I do not have. I had removed every funding source from my account, yet PayPal still processed the transaction and forced money out of my bank card. Their customer service gave contradictory information, closed my case without explanation, and refused to provide any meaningful support. The merchant also refused to help, and PayPal still sided with them without sharing any proof that I supposedly received anything. In the end, I had to open a dispute with my bank because PayPal failed to protect me, failed to investigate properly, and failed to stop an unauthorized charge — even after I warned them. PayPal's Buyer Protection is unreliable, their system messages are inaccurate, and their support feels automated and dismissive. I expected security and trust. Instead, I got stress, lost money, and total disregard for my concerns. Extremely disappointing service. I will avoid using PayPal whenever possible from now on.
Important Things to Know:
Our reviews are monitored for authenticity
On SmartCustomer, businesses may not offer incentives or pay to remove reviews. Read more about our Review Guidelines and the process we have against fake reviews.
PayPal Reviews Summary
Positive Highlights
- PayPal is a widely recognized and established digital payment platform.
- The platform offers convenient features like Pay in 3 for budgeting.
- PayPal is accepted by many online merchants.
Negative Highlights
- Customer service often fails to resolve fraud and billing disputes effectively.
- Refund processes can be slow, confusing, and may leave users without their money.
- Users report unauthorized charges and frozen funds with little recourse.
Most commonly discussed topics
The most helpful reviews behind these summaries
A resolution was found in favor of scammer gitfe.com despite lack of substantial evidence. Not vetted properly by PayPal.com and at a loss for purchaser.
I have never dealt with a company that made such a simple problem so unbelievably difficult to resolve. My nightmare started when I reported fraudulent charges on my account. What should have been a straightforward fraud investigation turned into over a month and a half of phone calls, chats, emails, and hours wasted trying to get PayPal to do the right thing. I was transferred between departments, given conflicting information by different representatives, forced to repeat my story over and over, and constantly told to wait while nothing actually happened. PayPal's fraud department was completely ineffective. Instead of protecting their customer and resolving the fraudulent transactions in a timely manner, they dragged the process out for weeks while I spent countless hours chasing updates and trying to get someone to take ownership of the issue. In the end, PayPal didn't solve the problem. The only reason it was finally resolved was because I filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It should never take a complaint to a federal government agency just to get a financial company to properly handle a fraud case. After finally getting the fraud issue resolved, I decided I never wanted to do business with PayPal again and attempted to close my account. Even that became another frustrating ordeal. My account showed a negative balance of only $9.99, but PayPal refused to let me use any of the bank accounts, debit cards, or credit cards that were already linked to my account to pay it. The problem wasn't my payment methods—PayPal simply would not allow any of them to be used to clear the balance. I spent over an hour just trying to pay $9.99 so I could close my account. Think about that for a second. After spending more than six weeks fighting PayPal over fraudulent charges, I then had to spend another hour just trying to leave. No customer should have to fight this hard to resolve fraud, involve a federal regulator to get results, and then fight the company again just to close their account. This experience permanently destroyed my trust in PayPal. There are too many better payment services available today to justify dealing with this level of incompetence and customer service. I will never use PayPal again, and I strongly encourage others to consider alternatives.
I am writing this as a warning to anyone on a budget. DO NOT TRUST PAYPAL. I am not a wealthy person; I am a low-income, honest citizen who works hard for every penny. I rely on services like 'Pay in 3' to manage my finances responsibly. I have always been a trustworthy user. The Nightmare: I ordered a high-value item via PayPal for safety. It arrived defective ('Significantly Not As Described'). I proved it immediately. Even the PayPal Supervisor (Luna) admitted on a recorded call that the decision was made in my favour. The Cruelty: Despite confirming I am right, PayPal refuses to refund me immediately. Instead, they are FORCING me—a low-income person—to continue paying monthly instalments for a broken item while they wait weeks for a 'seller appeal window'. Why this is shameful: For PayPal, £176 might be nothing. For someone on a low income like me, it is a massive amount. By holding my money hostage and threatening me with Late Fees and a Damaged Credit Score if I stop paying, you are causing me genuine financial distress. You are effectively protecting the cash flow of a seller who breached the contract, at the expense of a vulnerable buyer's livelihood. I have formally paid 'Under Protest' to protect my credit rating. Shame on you, PayPal, for kicking the little guy while he is down. I am reporting this conduct to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
0 customer protection. Once you get scammed, PayPal does absolutely nothing. No support, no investigation, no help from the app. I trusted PayPal, but there's literally zero protection for customers. Extremely disappointing.
If I could give zero stars, I would. PayPal has shown me the most pathetic customer service I've ever experienced on any online platform. I was charged on Oct 8 for an auto renewal for a membership, contacted both the seller and PayPal immediately, and the seller confirmed the refund within weeks. Meanwhile, I shared the seller's email confirmation and the online chat screenshots with PayPal, along with the case ID provided by the seller. For over a month, PayPal did absolutely nothing except change dates and pretend they were "updating" the case. When I finally called, the excuses were unbelievable: first the agent blamed the bank, claiming the funds were blocked (false — the money had already been debited from my account), then claimed the seller didn't issue a refund (also false), then said I didn't provide a case ID (I did), and finally told me the seller supposedly provided a "fake case ID." One agent, four different stories — all to justify putting a hold on the funds. When I asked for a supervisor, I was told supervisors don't take calls and that I'd have to wait 24–48 hours for some mystery callback. After all the evidence, all the communication, and all the back and forth, PayPal still hasn't returned a single cent and is now sending me back to the seller again. This company is a complete joke. The incompetence, the lies, the runaround, and the total lack of accountability are shocking. For a global payment platform, PayPal operates like a chaotic, unprofessional mess.
It must criminal for Paypal to not mail my credit balance for close to 2 months. I decided to save a few bucks on their bank transfer and request a check on November 18th, 2025. Today it's January 14th and still not check. I submitted online claim (they denied as it's within their timeframe) and with their funny math, want me to reach out several weeks later for a request to research the status. Absolutely insane.
Long story short I had four orders on walmart.com that were paid for with my paypal balance that I returned to my local store because walmart isn't allowing returns by mail anymore.(this assists and helps walmart steal people's money)They did not return my money back to my paypal balance, they decided without my permission/consent that I was going to get gift cards instead. Walmart said oh well so sad it's already refunded so I opened the first two cases with paypal, it was dragged out because the paypal rep that opened the case put "buyer's remorse" (Fun Fact: people can return items back to walmart within 90 days for whatever reason they choose)as the reason I opened the case. So either the paypal reps are untrained or incentivized/penalized in some way to not open cases and/or drag them out until the cases are denied because of the false reason the reps put on the cases. Why else would they put a false reason for me opening the case after I clearly explained what walmart did to steal my money? The two cases closed in my favor yesterday. Today I went to open the two other cases and the transactions say the money supposedly returned to my paypal balance which is completely false. At least that's what it says in my paypal account, My paypal balance does not reflect that the money was returned to my paypal balance even though paypal falsely put that my money was returned to my paypal balance. But in my walmart account I have the concrete proof walmart issued me giftcards, and they in fact did not refund me my money back to my paypal balance and here screenshots of that. They even attempted to cover it up but were caught rede handed and still refuse to return my money they stole from me. This is concrete proof that paypal assisted walmart in the theft of my money:
I have been with PayPal for over 20 years. They do not support customers any longer. They are supporting the scammers.
Review Title: PREDATORY INSTITUTIONAL FRAUD: PayPal Betrayed My 7-Year Loyalty and Hijacked My Personal Funds After I Spent Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars on Their Platform! While every person ultimately decides what they choose to do with their own finances, I am sharing my direct, harrowing experience to warn this community about the reality of dealing with PayPal, Inc. Do not trust this company with a single penny of your money. Based on my real-world interaction, this platform is a thoroughly dishonest and untrustworthy organization that operates a calculating, predatory bait-and-switch scheme designed to intercept private consumer capital, bleed accounts with unearned commercial fees, and unlawfully convert assets. They operate on pure corporate arrogance, completely disregarding user loyalty, identity theft protections, and federal banking laws. To be absolutely clear: I am NO LONGER a PayPal user. I genuinely used to like this platform, which is the exact reason I kept my account active for over seven (7) consecutive years, processing hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases through their ecosystem. I directly contributed to PayPal's corporate success for nearly a decade. To experience this shocking corporate misconduct and be victim-blamed after showing that level of loyalty is a complete betrayal. I will never, ever use PayPal again under any circumstances. This public warning is written strictly to share my experience, expose their dishonest practices, reclaim my stolen personal property, and permanently sever all ties. [1] 1. The Premeditated Gateway Lie Exposed Just one week prior to this financial disaster, I contacted PayPal support to verify my status, and their representative gave me absolute verbal assurances that my 7-year-old account was in perfect, unrestricted standing. Shortly thereafter, an isolated manual PayPal back-office team abruptly stepped in, completely ignored my extensive clean transaction history, and unilaterally locked my profile. They issued an official written notice stating that core transactional features—specifically the ability to "Receive money"—were restricted and unavailable. This is where PayPal exposed themselves as absolute liars. If a financial platform explicitly states an account can no longer receive activity, standard electronic banking protocols mandate that the inbound gateway must automatically block and bounce any incoming transfer back to the sender at no cost. If PayPal had actually enforced the restriction they claimed was active, the transaction would have failed at the gate. The online seller—whom I had spent two intense days communicating with, forcing her to return my money under a formal notice of legal action for failing to fulfill an order from January—would have used an alternative network like Zelle to instantly return my money directly to my bank. Instead, PayPal ran a deceptive, self-enriching trap. On July 28,2026, when the merchant processed the $997.00 refund of my personal funds (Transaction ID: 1VH*******EV*******E), PayPal deliberately left the gate open. They actively intercepted my hard-fought personal funds, instantly skimmed a $29.00 commercial processing fee off a transaction they officially claimed I couldn't receive, and then instantly slammed a 180-day freeze on the remaining $968.00 balance. This is a thoroughly corrupt business practice: lying to a consumer that an account cannot receive money, yet quietly pocketing a fee from an incoming transfer before trapping the underlying asset away from its owner. 2. Fabricated Accusations and Punishing a Victim of Identity Theft To justify this illegal hijacking of my personal funds, PayPal hit my account with a completely fabricated claim alleging that my profile is "linked to another account." This is a deceptive corporate lie. I am a documented victim of identity theft. If another profile exists with my information, it is a completely fraudulent, unauthorized account created by criminals without my knowledge or consent. Instead of protecting a victim of identity theft, PayPal's back-office team weaponized it to freeze my legitimate, independent, 7-year-old profile. Furthermore, this money is an undisputed return of consumer capital from an original purchase executed back in January 2026. The dashboard explicitly logs the order status as "Returned." Because the original transaction settled over half a year ago, the risk window for buyer chargebacks or merchant fraud has completely closed. PayPal has zero algorithmic or risk-based justification to hold this balance. By operating this predatory fee-extraction trap, PayPal is in direct violation of multiple statutes: 12 U.S. C. § 5536(a)(1)(B) [CFPA Unfair & Deceptive Acts]: Engaging in an asymmetrical operational framework designed to extract fees while stripping the consumer of the underlying service [CFPB]. 15 U.S. C. § 1681g / FCRA & Facta Guidelines: Failing to properly investigate identity theft flags and penalizing the actual consumer for fraudulent third-party data [CFPB]. 15 U.S. C. § 1693h [Electronic Fund Transfer Act]: Strict financial institution liability for failing to execute and make timely consumer electronic fund transfers [CFPB]. Massachusetts G. L. c. 93A: Executing unfair, deceptive, and predatory trade practices against a resident of the Commonwealth [CFPB]. 3. Back-Office Misconduct and Corporate Arrogance When I escalated this matter over the phone, the abuse became explicit. I spoke to a PayPal supervisor and repeatedly demanded a lawful justification or physical proof to back up this false "linked account" accusation. The supervisor explicitly admitted on a recorded line that frontline staff has no proof, stating the decision was made by an insulated, uncontactable "back-office team" that consumers are completely barred from communicating with. When I explained that this was a hard-fought refund of my own personal funds and that PayPal's hold was actively driving my primary bank account into a compounding $877.00 overdraft crisis at US Bank, the supervisor weaponized corporate arrogance. I was told flatly that a release was "not going to happen" and that "there is nothing you can do about it." 4. Active Enforcement Following 48-Hour Expiration PayPal's untrustworthy back-office team operates under the false assumption that their internal policies own the law and that consumers are completely powerless. They are wrong. I formally served their executive compliance offices with a 48-hour Notice of Dispute, which officially expired with total corporate silence. Because they chose to ignore my legal warning, I am taking maximum legal action. Active, official regulatory investigations are now open under: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB Case ID: **************) [CFPB] California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI Complaint No: CN*******) Massachusetts Division of Banks (MDOB License Enforcement Division) [CFPB] Furthermore, because their 48-hour pre-litigation window has failed, I am moving this case directly into Forced Consumer Arbitration via JAMS. I am demanding full actual, consequential, and statutory triple damages for willful conversion under M. G. L. C. 93A [CFPB]. PayPal's legal department will now be contractually forced to answer for this back-office misconduct and absorb thousands in arbitration invoices. Avoid this predatory company at all costs.
I have never dealt with a company that made such a simple problem so unbelievably difficult to resolve.
My nightmare started when I reported fraudulent charges on my account. What should have been a straightforward fraud investigation turned into over a month and a half of phone calls, chats, emails, and hours wasted trying to get PayPal to do the right thing. I was transferred between departments, given conflicting information by different representatives, forced to repeat my story over and over, and constantly told to wait while nothing actually happened.
PayPal's fraud department was completely ineffective. Instead of protecting their customer and resolving the fraudulent transactions in a timely manner, they dragged the process out for weeks while I spent countless hours chasing updates and trying to get someone to take ownership of the issue.
In the end, PayPal didn't solve the problem. The only reason it was finally resolved was because I filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It should never take a complaint to a federal government agency just to get a financial company to properly handle a fraud case.
After finally getting the fraud issue resolved, I decided I never wanted to do business with PayPal again and attempted to close my account. Even that became another frustrating ordeal. My account showed a negative balance of only $9.99, but PayPal refused to let me use any of the bank accounts, debit cards, or credit cards that were already linked to my account to pay it. The problem wasn't my payment methods—PayPal simply would not allow any of them to be used to clear the balance. I spent over an hour just trying to pay $9.99 so I could close my account.
Think about that for a second. After spending more than six weeks fighting PayPal over fraudulent charges, I then had to spend another hour just trying to leave.
No customer should have to fight this hard to resolve fraud, involve a federal regulator to get results, and then fight the company again just to close their account.
This experience permanently destroyed my trust in PayPal. There are too many better payment services available today to justify dealing with this level of incompetence and customer service. I will never use PayPal again, and I strongly encourage others to consider alternatives.
Long story short I had four orders on walmart.com that were paid for with my paypal balance that I returned to my local store because walmart isn't allowing returns by mail anymore.(this assists and helps walmart steal people's money)They did not return my money back to my paypal balance, they decided without my permission/consent that I was going to get gift cards instead. Walmart said oh well so sad it's already refunded so I opened the first two cases with paypal, it was dragged out because the paypal rep that opened the case put "buyer's remorse" (Fun Fact: people can return items back to walmart within 90 days for whatever reason they choose)as the reason I opened the case. So either the paypal reps are untrained or incentivized/penalized in some way to not open cases and/or drag them out until the cases are denied because of the false reason the reps put on the cases. Why else would they put a false reason for me opening the case after I clearly explained what walmart did to steal my money? The two cases closed in my favor yesterday. Today I went to open the two other cases and the transactions say the money supposedly returned to my paypal balance which is completely false. At least that's what it says in my paypal account, My paypal balance does not reflect that the money was returned to my paypal balance even though paypal falsely put that my money was returned to my paypal balance. But in my walmart account I have the concrete proof walmart issued me giftcards, and they in fact did not refund me my money back to my paypal balance and here screenshots of that. They even attempted to cover it up but were caught rede handed and still refuse to return my money they stole from me. This is concrete proof that paypal assisted walmart in the theft of my money:
I have been with PayPal for over 20 years. They do not support customers any longer. They are supporting the scammers.
I am writing this as a warning to anyone on a budget. DO NOT TRUST PAYPAL.
I am not a wealthy person; I am a low-income, honest citizen who works hard for every penny. I rely on services like 'Pay in 3' to manage my finances responsibly. I have always been a trustworthy user.
The Nightmare: I ordered a high-value item via PayPal for safety. It arrived defective ('Significantly Not As Described'). I proved it immediately. Even the PayPal Supervisor (Luna) admitted on a recorded call that the decision was made in my favour.
The Cruelty: Despite confirming I am right, PayPal refuses to refund me immediately. Instead, they are FORCING me—a low-income person—to continue paying monthly instalments for a broken item while they wait weeks for a 'seller appeal window'.
Why this is shameful: For PayPal, £176 might be nothing. For someone on a low income like me, it is a massive amount. By holding my money hostage and threatening me with Late Fees and a Damaged Credit Score if I stop paying, you are causing me genuine financial distress. You are effectively protecting the cash flow of a seller who breached the contract, at the expense of a vulnerable buyer's livelihood.
I have formally paid 'Under Protest' to protect my credit rating. Shame on you, PayPal, for kicking the little guy while he is down. I am reporting this conduct to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
See reviews of sites as you browse!
Get the Chrome Extension.
It must criminal for Paypal to not mail my credit balance for close to 2 months. I decided to save a few bucks on their bank transfer and request a check on November 18th, 2025. Today it's January 14th and still not check. I submitted online claim (they denied as it's within their timeframe) and with their funny math, want me to reach out several weeks later for a request to research the status. Absolutely insane.
A resolution was found in favor of scammer gitfe.com despite lack of substantial evidence. Not vetted properly by PayPal.com and at a loss for purchaser.
I've been a PayPal user for years, but my recent experience has completely destroyed my confidence in their service. An unauthorized transaction appeared on my account for a digital item from a merchant I have never used and have no account with. I reported it immediately, removed all payment methods, and told PayPal clearly that it was not my purchase.
Despite this, PayPal ignored my messages, refused to treat the payment as unauthorized, and even sent incorrect automated emails claiming they had charged a "backup credit card" that I do not have. I had removed every funding source from my account, yet PayPal still processed the transaction and forced money out of my bank card.
Their customer service gave contradictory information, closed my case without explanation, and refused to provide any meaningful support. The merchant also refused to help, and PayPal still sided with them without sharing any proof that I supposedly received anything.
In the end, I had to open a dispute with my bank because PayPal failed to protect me, failed to investigate properly, and failed to stop an unauthorized charge — even after I warned them.
PayPal's Buyer Protection is unreliable, their system messages are inaccurate, and their support feels automated and dismissive. I expected security and trust. Instead, I got stress, lost money, and total disregard for my concerns.
Extremely disappointing service. I will avoid using PayPal whenever possible from now on.
0 customer protection. Once you get scammed, PayPal does absolutely nothing. No support, no investigation, no help from the app. I trusted PayPal, but there's literally zero protection for customers. Extremely disappointing.
If I could give zero stars, I would. PayPal has shown me the most pathetic customer service I've ever experienced on any online platform. I was charged on Oct 8 for an auto renewal for a membership, contacted both the seller and PayPal immediately, and the seller confirmed the refund within weeks. Meanwhile, I shared the seller's email confirmation and the online chat screenshots with PayPal, along with the case ID provided by the seller.
For over a month, PayPal did absolutely nothing except change dates and pretend they were "updating" the case. When I finally called, the excuses were unbelievable: first the agent blamed the bank, claiming the funds were blocked (false — the money had already been debited from my account), then claimed the seller didn't issue a refund (also false), then said I didn't provide a case ID (I did), and finally told me the seller supposedly provided a "fake case ID." One agent, four different stories — all to justify putting a hold on the funds.
When I asked for a supervisor, I was told supervisors don't take calls and that I'd have to wait 24–48 hours for some mystery callback. After all the evidence, all the communication, and all the back and forth, PayPal still hasn't returned a single cent and is now sending me back to the seller again.
This company is a complete joke. The incompetence, the lies, the runaround, and the total lack of accountability are shocking. For a global payment platform, PayPal operates like a chaotic, unprofessional mess.
I regretfully report that my PayPal business account, used to manage subscriptions on europeansafelist.com, was abruptly closed without proper justification. PayPal alleged that our operations resemble an MLM or Ponzi scheme—a claim I firmly reject. Our business model is transparent and entirely legitimate. I invited PayPal to review our website to clarify any misunderstanding, but received no meaningful response or assistance. This decision has led to mass cancellation of subscriptions and caused significant hardship for my family. It is concerning that PayPal took such drastic action without adequate investigation or dialogue. I hope PayPal considers reviewing its decision and improving its support for genuinely compliant businesses like ours.
I've used PayPal for 13 years as a business owner, and this is the worst experience I've ever had.
A client accidentally triggered a dispute, then contacted PayPal to retract it—but my account was frozen anyway. I provided proof the service was fulfilled, yet no one at PayPal helped. Support hung up on me when I asked for a supervisor. I've lost income over a $35 claim that should've been resolved in minutes. Completely unacceptable.
I've tried more than 50 times to receive PayPal's SMS verification code — not a single one arrived. I'm in Israel, and this issue makes the platform unusable. Despite enabling both SMS and email 2FA, the system forces SMS only. No option to switch, no QR login, and no fallback methods. Just deadlock. Worse, the PayPal app crashes instantly on my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. No login, no support, no purchase. I couldn't even complete a simple software transaction (IObit Malware Fighter) due to this endless loop of CAPTCHAs, logouts, and failed codes. Support has been non-existent, the app is unstable, and the desktop site feels like a trap. No one should have to jump through this many hoops to make a payment in 2025. PayPal has become a broken, outdated barrier. Not a solution. Nick Otmazgin
Long-time user, Israel
Documented across platforms incl. LinkedIn, X/*******@NickOtmazgin
On March 7,2025, my PayPal account was hacked. I had no idea what was going on at first, just that money was vanishing from my account in multiple transactions that I did not authorize. I've been a PayPal customer for almost 20 years and never expected something like this. I immediately reported the fraud, expecting PayPal to do what any decent company would do, investigate and protect its customers, like every other bank I've dealt with in the past did.
At first, I actually felt a little relieved. I spoke to two different PayPal representatives who told me the transactions looked suspicious and that I would be reimbursed. I have recordings of those calls. They told me everything pointed to unauthorized access and assured me the funds would be returned. In fact, the funds would be returned fairly quickly. That gave me hope.
But then came the second wave of stress, and honestly, it was worse than the first. PayPal denied the claim. Then they denied the appeal. No one called me. No one reached out to clarify anything. It was all automated BS. They have AI deny you. Their reason? They said the activity was "consistent" with my history because the IP address used was the same. That is not just outdated logic, it's irresponsible. In 2025, hackers can spoof IP addresses, hijack sessions, or use malware to mimic normal login behavior. It's like saying "a burglar used the same front door, so it must have been you." It's also nonsense in that in my 20 years with PayPal, I never once had so much money going out in such a short period of time; and I never bought crypto, but the scammers did. Even worse, PayPal brushed it off by saying it was a "Friends & Family" transfer, a type of transaction that offers less protection, which I did not authorize and wasn't even online to send. Then they had the nerve to tell me to "contact the recipient." That's like getting robbed and being told to go ask the thief for your stuff back. It's insulting and completely unacceptable.
What started as a financial violation turned into an emotional one. First, I'm robbed. Then, the company that was supposed to keep my money safe turns its back on me. What's worse is that they have insurance for this type of situation, but they are so greedy that they don't want to use it. It's exhausting. I've spent hours of my time talking to PayPal reps, writing emails, reviewing documents, and filing complaints with every regulatory body I can find. I even hired an attorney. This isn't just about the $2,294 that was stolen. It's about the time, stress, and total disregard PayPal has shown for its customers.
I trusted PayPal with my money. I trusted their process. But instead of helping me, they doubled down on their robotic, copy-paste, scripted responses. All designed to get rid of me without paying me back my money. They ignored critical facts, and now expect me to just accept it. I won't. I've filed complaints with the CFPB, FTC, FinCEN, SEC, FDIC, and multiple state regulators, including the Texas Attorney General. I'm also pursuing legal action - and a potential class action suit as I'm sure I'm not the only one they've done this to.
Bottom line: If you're considering trusting PayPal with your money, don't. Use Zelle, Venmo or Cashapp. PayPal's systems fail. Their reps will lie to you. Their "investigations" are a joke. And when you're the one who's suffering, they'll wash their hands of you and send you an automated, generic email telling you it's your problem now.
PayPal didn't just let this happen, they made it worse.
I had an issue with a company sending me my tracking to which I never received my item as well. I filed a dispute with Paypal who prematurely closed my case once the company sent a bogus tracking number. I Tried to call Paypal who used to have live customer service representatives to answer calls. Now it's just an automated watchdog to assist with questions. Needless to say, I had to submit another dispute to disagree with Paypal's decision while my alleged package was still sitting in Oceanside New York and now I've lost money and have not received my item. Thanks a lot PayPal!
I signed up for a $1 item at a website, gave them my billing info, and then wound up on another page of the website where I accidentally clicked somewhere and found myself being billed for $50. I immediately contacted PayPal, who made it impossible for me to file a claim for a reason of accidental purchase. (This way, they can justify denying your claim while taking a cut of the scammer website's spoils. Very crafty.) I guess they think that most people will just give up...? They'll rue the day that they messed with me. I'm going to harass them on the phone, on chat, and via email until they reverse their decision. I don't care what it takes. They should've chosen someone else to scam. My parents are both lawyers. I know how to strong-arm people who try to scam me. They won't see me coming.
I encountered a website one night called usenet.nl, which claimed to have my book (that I wrote) available for free (bootleg) download. I joined the site for a free trial through my PayPal account. Twenty minutes later, I ascertained that usenet.nl did not have my book, nor anyone else's. I canceled my free membership (which was for seven days).
Since then, I have received threatening letters from usenet.nl's collections squad, saying they have the authority to extort money from me and that I did not pay them for the services provided and that I had better send them money right away. Let me be clear--I not only received emails, I also received snail mails. PayPal must have given them my home address.
I contacted PayPal about the issue, and they were obtuse. They acted like they didn't know what I was talking about, and asked if I was reporting an unauthorized charge. But according to the other reviews on here (particularly for usenet.nl), PayPal is not as stupid as all that.
Their loss.
At the end of October 2024, I transferred over $8,000 to my fiancé, using PayPal, but I accidentally clicked a field labeled "goods and services" instead of "Friends and Family". Upon seeing this, my fiancé immediately tried to return the payment, but my money was not returned. My fiancé called PayPal and she was told by PayPal that the only way I can get my money back is that she needs to provide her Social Security number, which she is not willing to do because PayPal will report it as Income to her. We have spent many hours on the phone with PayPal Customer Support, explaining this was a simple mistake, but they tell us that there is no way to correct the designation that I accidentally assigned when transferring the money. They also said they would send the money back in 60 days after deducting 24% tax but after more than 60 days they did not do that and we had received no communication from them. This was money that I earned and it has already been taxed! Upon realizing we would get nowhere pursuing PayPal, we contacted the Better Business Bureau as well as the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and finally after more than 3 months, they refunded the money to my fiance's account. We now understand that PayPal is not an honest enterprise and we want all people out there to be aware of the horrible business practices of this financial organization.
They associate with scammers because they are scammers themselves!
I tried integrating them as a payment processor and after just 10 orders — all fulfilled, with no complaints or disputes — they blocked my account and froze the funds, telling me they'll let me know after 180 days how I can try to recover the money.
Be very careful if you don't want to end up sending out orders for free.
Let me explain briefly how this scam works:
They don't just refuse to refund customers — they also refuse to pay sellers, pocketing the money on both sides.
The financial advantage they gain is completely fraudulent.
This company is nothing but a disgrace and a scam operation.
I really want to give no stars. I had a merchant take hundreds of dollars out my account then put it back then took it again this went on more than 12 times. Then they took money out through 14 transaction all were made on same day at the exact same time which is impossible. You can't make that many transactions without a. In passing by. I did a chat with the merchant whom said I did not use my card that day and I had to dispute it through PayPal I took screen shot sent to PayPal have been fighting with them for over a month. They only gave me the money back for 5 transactions and trying to say the other 9 were authorized how can 9 transaction be authorized and not 5 when they were all the the exact time and the merchant even said I did not do it. And show activity from merchant sight to prove I did t do it. They should have caught them when they were playing around with hundreds of dollars back and forth. They can't be trust with anyone money. Cause when something happens they don't have your back even though you have proof. I will be post this on all social medias anyone who reads this please share.
It was the best company in its field and ended up being the worst and usless and incapable customer service i ever see!First of all i want to notice that i had two accounts!Both of them the last month have the same problem i cant open my messages.After many many chats with their customer service no one can solve my problem and they say about cache cookies and etc that i was already cleared!So i delete my account!I had a long time to use the second one and when i go in i see the same exact problem.When i spoke by chat with their customer service they said that they want to verify that the account is mine and also for work properly i have to send them documents id and address proove.This is the first time i hear this in my life!Anyway i sent them the documents and again the same problem!These guys this company is a big joke right now!I gave them 1 day then i will delete also this account and i will never use paypal again.And i will say it for one more time that in the past it was a great company and they help in many issues that i had with some stores but now they became a company to avoid!If the ownership change i want to congratulate the new owners for this amazing service!
Upon speaking with Paypal and expressing my concerns on a recorded line and on another occasion, sellers in my case, are offered no protection as for a buyer. Here are a few points to consider - A case was opened by a buyer seeking a refund and funds were immediately deducted from my account, always this the case with Paypal, at least in my experience. Furthermore, Payal allowed the buyer to keep my items after the case was decided in the buyers favor, although a label was sent to the buyer from me to return the products my items his possession. Paypal did not enforce any seller protection so the items so the items could be sent back to me once the case was decided in the buyers favor. Is anyone else experiencing such inept seller protection in Paypal? This is not the way to do business in the real world. Even worst still, my customer, agreed last year to an open invoice, to be paid monthly. Half way through the agreement, the customer without notice and upon receiving the 3k worth of items, decides to quit paying. But why should he respond? There is no penalty to a buyer who doesn't pay a seller in Paypal invoicing. How is it that Paypal is so one sided in favor of a buyer in just these two cases and not a seller? Paypal is like a sanctuary space for buyers only. I have to hire a collection agency to go after the customer. If the roles were reversed, the funds in my account would have been immediately removed from my account as they always have been, even before an appeal and further review. And that's even before attachments are sent from the overprotected buyers. Is this how Paypal discourages sellers or is it just me, to continue to do business on such a sanctuary space for buyers only platform?
