Consumer complaint received 2020-04-06
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem

Complaint:
PayPal ( repeat problem ) On XX/XX/XXXX transaction unauthorized debit from my checking account to purportedly " resolve a negative balance '' in my PayPal account in the amount of {$2000.00}. I never processed or had a transaction via PayPal for that amount. 

I had tried several times via PayPal to make very small donations to political campaigns and food banks in the amounts of {$25.00}, {$20.00}, and {$15.00} - each time online the amount I entered defaulted to amounts over {$2000.00} - so I immediately got out of the transaction. The first two times, transactions in excess of {$2000.00} processed anyway - and I contacted both my bank and the organizations as well as PayPay to reverse the amounts : thanks to those organizations and XXXX XXXX XXXX, those amounts reversed within a couple of days. 

This last time, I didn't even know PayPal put through a transaction until I was reviewing my bank account online and have no record of that amount processing to any charity ( I tried to check ). I wrote to PayPal on their web site a half dozen times and also tried to call ( no one answers ). I said not only to reverse this transaction but to cancel my PayPal account immediately. I contacted XXXX  XXXX XXXX to reverse the transaction - they couldn't do anything for four days because it was pending, showing as still " processing '' for an extended period of time. Finally, XXXX XXXX XXXX put the amount in dispute ( unfortunately I had filed the claim online initially for {$20.00} less than the total in my panic to get it reversed so claimed {$2000.00} and issued me a temporary credit to my checking account. XXXX XXXX XXXX also issued a permanent stop payment on all PayPal transactions. 

However, I received a PayPal email informing me that I have a " negative balance '' in my PayPal account due to the disputed amount with my bank. This borders on financial fraud : taking money out of my account, providing no means of dispute-contact-resolution, and having no way to cancel my PayPal account while retaining access to my banking account and information. I need your help - and also need you to stop this practice immediately please. 

Here is the email PayPal sent me : Today on XXXX XXXX XXXX Old Mail Drafts12 Sent Spam9 Recently Deleted Contacts Calendar Folders Saved Mail154 Archive Drafts Notes Recovered Mail Recovered Sent Mail SavedIMs Spam Events FRI, XXXX XXXX All DayXXXX XXXX SUN, XXXX XXXX All DayXXXX WED, XXXX XXXX All DayXXXX  XXXX SUN, XX/XX/XXXX All DayXXXX XXXX XXXX MON, XX/XX/XXXX All DayXXXX XXXX SUN, XX/XX/XXXX All DayXXXX XXXX XXXX SAT, XX/XX/XXXX All DayXXXX XXXX Images blockedTurn off image blocking Show images | Don't block this sender PayPal case XXXX Sun, XXXX XXXX, 2020 XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX To XXXX XXXX XXXX Hello, XXXX XXXX PayPal Add money to your PayPal account About your chargeback Your credit card issuer recently notified us that you initiated a chargeback for a payment you didn't recognize. 

We researched the transaction and found that you initiated the payment to resolve a negative balance in your PayPal account. 

As your credit card issuer accepted your chargeback, they refunded {$2000.00} USD to your credit card. Unfortunately, this means your PayPal account is still negative in the amount of {$2000.00} USD. 

What to do next To resolve your negative balance, please log in to your PayPal account and add money to your account. When you add money using your bank account, it can take 3 to 5 business days for the transaction to clear from your bank to your PayPal account. Your money is instantly available when you use XXXX XXXX  XXXX. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us at XXXX. We're sorry you're having problems with this transaction and want you to know we're here to help. 

You can find additional information and tips about buying and selling safely on our XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

Transaction details Case ID XXXX Transaction date XX/XX/2020 Transaction amount {$2000.00} USD Dispute amount {$2000.00} USD ( P.S. I CALLED THE PAY PAL NUMBER MULTIPLE TIMES AND AFTER GOING THROUGH THE MENU PROMPTS AND THEN WAITING ON HOLD 20+ MINUTES FOR AN " AGENT, '' GOT THE RECORDED MESSAGE THAT DUE TO CORONAVIRUS HELP CENTER IS CLOSED. )

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief