Consumer complaint received 2021-04-19
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: WV
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Virtual currency
Issue: Wrong amount charged or received

Complaint:
XX/XX/2021 XXXX XXXX. Called Pay Pal after noting email stating I had an unresolved charge of {$250.00} related to a dispute filed that had been resolved. See below : Hello, Our records indicate that you received a duplicate credit for the following transaction. 

Because you'll be getting money back from the financial institution, we've removed the crypto or the equivalent proceeds from your sale of the crypto from your balance. 
Dispute Case Transaction Amount : {$250.00} USD Dispute Amount : {$250.00} USD Transaction ID : Transaction Date : 2021 Crypto Removed : To add money, simply log into your PayPal account and click Add Money on your Account Overview page. 

2. Logged into Pay pal and saw an outstanding balance for {$200.00}.

3. Called Pay pal to inquire about the charge and the discrepancy.

4. Explained the situation briefly ( and calmly ) to each representatives, after being transferred SIX times. I was on the phone a total of three hours trying to find out what had happened, since I knew - and had documentation - that the first dispute was resolved, with both pay pal and my bank. I had no record of a duplicate transaction with my bank, nor could I find any in the following actions. 

5. Was told that the {$200.00} charge was a Charge back made XX/XX/XXXX on what XXXX, the Supervisor I was speaking to at this point, stated it was a recurring " Pay 4 ''. Meaning you make four monthly installments, as she explained. I stated I did not make this purchase. She said it came from my bank, and was charged on a card that had been deactivated about two months ago. Upon viewing the charge myself, it actually posted theXXXX. She went on to say that the problem was with my bank, and that I needed to contact them. She offered to look into it further " electronically '', and asked to put me on hold. I waited on hold for over 15 minutes, when the call was disconnected.

6. Called the bank, even though I had viewed my account during this exchange and found no charge as noted above on my bank records - past or current. Spoke at length with bank representative. She went back three months, and could not find the activity on my bank account. I also looked at my statements and could find no charges. Also went on to confirm that the dispute I had gotten the original email about regarding the {$250.00} was closed, and that no other money had been received from Pay Pal. 

7. Attempted to call Pay Pal back. Was automatically routed to the Collections Division. I asked for the fraud division, when he refused, and told me I had to pay the fee ( Never mind this charge was only 3 days old and it was sent to collections! ) the representative accused me of saying that I refused to pay. I replied, " I didn't refuse to pay, I wanted to dispute it ''. I explained the situation above briefly, and told the representative I wanted to file a claim regarding owing the {$200.00}. He said he would transfer me. When he did, the call went back to him. He had a distinctive XXXX accent - please note he used a different name the next time I called. He told me I should just pay the {$200.00}, or my account would be reported by their collections department and would " reflect negatively '' on my finances. I said, don't you know that once it is a case that is put on hold it doesn't affect your credit while the case is open? He stated " Didn't you read the disclaimer? '' I hung up, very upset at this point. My credit is in the Excellent range - this was a great threat to my overall mental health and overall well-being. I have spent decades paying my bills on time and not being careless with my finances. 

7. Attempted to call again. Collections answered, again - I also got the same representative with the XXXX accent, using a different name - again. I asked him if I could file open a fraud case against the charge he said my only option was to dispute it. He then attempted to talk me into paying the {$200.00} - again making threats by inferring it would reflect negatively on my credit. I just hung up, frustrated, worried and sorry I even dealt with this company in the first place. 

8. After considering this matter for some time, I decided to pay the {$200.00}, just to be free of any issues with my credit and to prevent any more mental and emotional distress over the way I was treated - in lieu of trying to pursue any accountability with them. I also didn't want to waste more time as I had spent over half the day in an effort to straighten this issue out. 

9. I have removed all my banking and credit references from the site. I unfortunately have to wait to cash in the little crypto I made, due to their site having connecting problems with 3 different financial institutions, at the present time. As soon as whatever technical problems their site is having now are resolved, I will remove my remaining crypto currency and immediately close my account. And finally, as an understatement, I'm leaving a less than stellar review.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation