Consumer complaint received 2018-07-08
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: NM
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
The summary. ( More details provided in the attached letter. ) 1. On XX/XX/XXXX, a business trip to XXXX resulted in the XXXX XXXX accidentally charging me ( and the rest of the team ) the full amount of my hotel room rather than just the deposit. My boss ' XXXX  card was meant to be used for the full payment as he was paying for the trip. Instead, it was my PayPal Business Debit Card that was used. The amount charged was {$1300.00}. 

2. The clerk at the XXXX XXXX IMMEDIATELY admitted the error and told me that the mistaken charge will not be processed, and would fall off within a few days. He made this claim because he was processing my boss ' card at that time and insisted both cards could not be charged for the same room. 

3. I immediately called PayPal, who told me they can not contact the bank linked to this account and that I should not worry about this, as the charge would fall off. The bank linked to My PaPal account was XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX. 

4. The charge does fall off. Then within a couple of days, PayPal charges the full {$1300.00} amount. 

5. I call PayPal, again. They issue me a credit and tell me that Ill be  hearing from their company within a few days. They also said I'd need to respond to their e-mails so they can investigate the claim. 

6. I never got a call nor e-mail. 

7. PayPal reversed the credit. 

8. I start a second ( and final ) dispute. A new credit is given to me.

9. I call my bosses for help, in order to better show my disputed claim.

10. My boss makes certain that his XXXX is charged, sending proof that it was charged and that a refund from the hotel would be issued to my PayPal debit card. 

11. Within a few days, on XX/XX/XXXX, I have that money back in my PayPal account. this shows it was a refund from the hotel. 

12. Almost immediately, I got an e-mail from PayPal stating that they would retake their credit as the hotel had refunded me on XX/XX/XXXX. Specifically, they said that no fault was committed BECAUSE the hotel had now refunded my money. 

13. Within about a week, that money is taken back out of my account. ( This should now be a wash with PayPal, as they had back their credit with the funding from the hotel. ) 14. XXXX XXXX XXXX, meanwhile, never got that memo. These initial charges were still hitting. It tries to resend PayPal the funds it thinks PayPal is still owed, even though PayPal now how back the money they credited me. 

15. I go to XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, they give me a credit for the {$1200.00} that hit that account. ( I had some funding left in PayPal, so the full {$1300.00} did not hit XXXX XXXX XXXX. ) 16. I provided documentation showing XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX that PayPal had their money and did not need XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX to send them more of my money. As of XX/XX/2018, XXXX XXXX  XXXX said I can keep my credit. 

17. The same day, PayPal recharged me for the {$1200.00} it says is due. 

18. The same day, I called PayPal " manager '' XXXX in XXXX, AZ, who insisted that ALL aspects of my story are correct and that it is XXXX   XXXX XXXX that wants to reclaim, from my PayPal account, the money they credited. He states he can not contact my bank for me, nor stop the process of them retaking the credit they gave me, and that I'd need to talk to my bank. As I had {$0.00} in PayPal, I now have a negative {$1200.00} in that account. 

19. This same day, I go to XXXX XXXX  XXXX and meet with the branch manager. She tells me that they are not trying to reclaim that money and is willing to call PayPal with me. 

20. Still, on XX/XX/XXXX, PayPal " manager '', XXXX, told me that he has no record of the hotel EVER giving me back this money, which is why PayPal is trying to reclaim it. He does not mention XXXX  XXXX XXXX trying to reclaim this money, after initially insisting they are wanting to get back the credit given to me by XXXX XXXX XXXX. ( The branch manager of XXXX XXXX XXXX will also verify that XXXX insisted that I never got that hotel refund, hence the reason PayPal wants its money. Please look on XX/XX/XXXX and the refund will be shown from the hotel, on my PayPal account. ) 21. This same day, I ask my bosses to verify again that their XXXX was charged and that I was supposed to get a refund. We want to make extra certain that the refund wasnt given to them, by mistake, due to XXXX statements. ( I dont want to lose my job over a mistake that was never mine, but this is causing HUGE problems and Im a new employee. ) Still, I have an e-mail from PayPal admitting the hotel gave me that refund. I'm showing a refund on XX/XX/XXXX, just as that e-mail claims. 

22. Also on this day, upon returning home, I get an e-mail from PayPal stating XXXX  XXXX XXXX is ( rightfully ) not giving them my money. 

23. Today, I write you. 

I have also mailed letters to the PayPal CEO, CCD the XXXX  XXXX XXXX CEO, and CCD you showing that I have started this complaint, online. These letters should arrive this Monday ( XX/XX/XXXX ) as I paid to send these via Priority Mail and the post office confirmed the expected arrival date. 

I am attaching the full letter as it gives much a more thorough detail than this summary. I am also attaching the PayPal e-mail stating that my hotel did, indeed, refund my money on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Remember, all of this began with an unauthorized charge OF WHICH THE HOTEL TOOK RESPONSIBILITY. The clerk immediately admitted his error. I immediately contacted PayPal. PayPal never chose to confirm my case with the hotel and continues not to contact XXXX XXXX XXXX to stop payment on something that was unauthorized. This is why, after two months, I keep getting recharged for something that was never my fault and for which PayPal has already retaken its funds. 

If PayPal had contacted my hotel as soon as they learned of this problem, which was within minutes of the problem occurring, this whole nightmare could have been avoided. They also should have contacted XXXX  XXXX XXXX and let them know XXXX  was not liable for an unauthorized charge, especially as they immediately knew it was unauthorized. The hotel documented its own error at that time. 

My feeling is that, once XXXX learned the charge for the hotel was unauthorized and the hotel was taking responsibility, should not keep penalizing me for what is their own inability to stop an unauthorized charge from hitting my linked accounts. It was their failure to contact XXXX  XXXX XXXX that forced me to go to XXXX XXXX XXXX and get a credit back for the amount they were trying to send PayPal AFTER PayPal had received its money from the hotel refund. The client should never be on the hook for what was a confirmed unauthorized charge. 

It should also be noted that " manager '' XXXX insisted the problem was due to my contacting XXXX XXXX XXXX to get refunds on the overdrafts and the credit for the money they were trying to send PayPal. This is entirely contrary to what Every Single Other Rep told me, which was that I needed to contact XXXX XXXX XXXX to get this resolved as they could not. Most recently, it was XXXX in XXXX who told me on XX/XX/XXXX that I needed to get in touch with XXXX  as PayPal could not. 

The problems escalated by PayPal have resulted in my taking time off from work, losing funds I will never see and of which I was dependent. I have no money for rent. I have no money for gas. I have no money for groceries. I will also lose my health insurance for the rest of the year as it will be canceled should I ever miss a payment. THIS is how badly PayPal has screwed up and destroyed my life, all because they could not be bothered to contact the hotel, XXXX XXXX XXXX, nor even ( initially ) me after I filed my first dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation