Consumer complaint received 2021-11-22
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: UT
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I bought a pair of skis using Venmo. I selected the option to confirm that I was paying for a Good/Service and paid a fee in exchange for receiving Venmo 's new buyer protection. 

I received the skis I bought on XX/XX/XXXX and found them to be in a condition significantly different than as described. First, the bases of the skis had significant damage that, while repaired, compromised the function and durability of the skis. Additionally, while the seller had described the ski as " freshly tuned, '' it was clear that the ski was not freshly tuned. See attachment in which I explain all of this and provide a documentation of the discrepancies. 

Venmo has said that their purchase protection program " will be eligible for coverage under Venmos XXXX XXXX XXXX, meaning the buyer and seller may be covered if the transaction doesnt go as expected '' and that " goods and services transactions are ideal for customers who may occasionally sell an item or service or for customers purchasing a higher priced item from someone they dont know. '' These statements informed my decision to toggle the " payment for good and services? '' option and pay the fee. They describe my situation exactly. 

I read Venmo 's terms and conditions and attempted to resolve the situation with the seller. The seller declined to accept a refund despite acknowledging the discrepancies in description that I identified. Upon the buyer declining to provide any refund, I submitted a complaint to Venmo on XX/XX/XXXX to apply for the purchase protection. I explained the situation, provided copious evidence, photos, and documentation. Please see my first attachment : " XXXX - XXXX Significantly Not as Described Complaint XXXX. '' Venmo acknowledged receipt of my complaint on XXXX XXXX. A customer service rep said she would escalate my complaint and that someone would reach out to me " within XXXX business days via email. '' XXXX " XXXX - XXXX Significantly Not as Described Complaint XXXX. '' I received an email confirming that Venmo had opened my case. The email confirmed what the rep said : that they would investigate my dispute and reach out within XXXX business days. See " XXXX - XXXX XXXX Venmo transaction XXXX {$240.00} XXXXXXXX '' XXXX ( or not ) : no one reached out to me within XXXX business days. By XX/XX/XXXX business days and XXXX calendar days after Venmo said they opened my case, I hadn't heard anything from Venmo, so I sent an email to the email address identified in the case opening email ( XXXX ) with my case identification information to ask for an update. See " XXXX - XXXX XXXX Update of Dispute XXXX. '' Now, it is XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX business days later ( XXXX after my case was opened ) and I haven't heard ANYTHING back from Venmo. 

This is seriously frustrating. I don't have enough money to just have XXXX bucks tied up by Venmo for weeks on end. I paid to have purchase protection ( seller and I agreed on a price of {$240.00}, but I paid {$240.00} to enable purchase protection ) because Venmo represented in its public materials that it would cover situations in which I received an item that was significantly not as described. I relied on this representation and Venmo is TOTALLY IGNORING my emails and complaint. Totally deceptive and abusive.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation