Consumer complaint received 2017-11-14
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: KY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account

Complaint:
On XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, I received an email from Paypal stating : " When you signed up for your PayPal account, you agreed to our User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy. Because some of your recent transactions violated this policy, we 've had to permanently limit your account. '' A limited account means I can not receive money from friends and most importantly, it means I can no longer purchase items from XXXX, where I have account credit stranded. 

I replied on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, asking for details of why my account was limited as none were given. I called PayPal asking for clarification but was told to wait for an email. I did not receive a response until XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, where they informed me : " We regret to inform you that we can not overturn the limitation on your account. Due to the violation of PayPal 's Acceptable Use Policy, your account has been permanently limited. '' Again, I have been given no specifics as to why this action was taken against me. I bot emailed and phoned PayPal, asking for a review of my account and clarification of details. 

Finally, on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, I received this response from PayPal : " We regret to inform you that we can not overturn the limitation on your account. Due to the violation of PayPal 's Acceptable Use Policy, your account has been permanently limited. 
Please refer to : - Transaction/s : XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX '' After doing some research and reviewing my account several months back, I found the above transactions took place in XXXX and XXXX of XXXX, and were for loading my PayPal account with XXXX Cards, purchased at XXXX. XXXX XXXX are valid financial instruments ( no longer for sale in stores ) used to fund one 's PayPal account in order to make financial transactions online. I 've used PayPal to purchase items from XXXX, I send money to friends, receive money from friends, receive money from mystery shopping, and I even rent vacation housing using XXXX -- all things PayPal is designed to let people do. I had been using XXXX Cards to load my PayPal account since approximately XXXX, without problems or issue from PayPal. So six months after my last XXXX Card transaction, PayPal decides there 's an issue using these. 

I called PayPal and emailed a request on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, to appeal based on the above arguments and on the same day received a response that my account had been permanently limited and that there were no further appeals. 

On XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, I called in order to set-up a business PayPal account so that I could at least access my account credit on XXXX and receive payment for mystery shopping, but when I gave my email address, I was warned by the PayPal associate that my personal account was permanently limited, that if I opened up a business account that it would be linked to my personal account and that it too would be permanently limited -- without appeal. 

PayPal, can not shut my account down for LEGAL activity encouraged by them ( purchase of XXXX  Cards at retail outlets ), that occurred 6 months from this action and that are no longer able to occur ( XXXX Cards are no longer sold at retailers ), and that permanently limits my ability to purchase items from the world 's largest e-retailer ( XXXX ).

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation