Consumer complaint received 2018-12-20
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account

Complaint:
Background : I am a normal guy with a wife and XXXX at home and I work a regular job XXXX XXXX XXXX. My father and I have an amazing collection of sports cards which we decided to sell a portion of recently on XXXX. In addition to other items I have sold over the past year, I recently listed over 100 expensive baseball cards on XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX for 7-day auctions that would end on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX. 

Many of these buyers paid quickly to Paypal and by XX/XX/XXXX my digital wallet PayPal account had a balance of roughly {$22000.00}. 

This account is linked to my personal checking account and I have been transferring money to pay rent and other bills without any issues as recently as XX/XX/2018 when I transferred {$1900.00} to pay XXXX rent. It is also linked to my personal cell phone and home address. However, my first and last name is listed as XXXX XXXX instead of my full name XXXX XXXX. I have already given my Drivers License and Bank statement for proof of identity to change my name and filled out XXXX tax forms to prove who I am. 

By XX/XX/XXXX many of the sports cards had been received by the buyers and I logged into my Paypal account to see if the money was available. This is when I first discovered that PayPal had frozen my account and would not let me withdraw any funds. 


INTERACTION WITH PAYPAL : On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST I called customer service to help fix the problem for the first time. I was placed on hold and told that a representative would call me back if I preferred. So I chose that option. Two hours later at XXXX I received a call back from a representative. I told the rep my problem and he/she said they would transfer me to the right person who could help. I was then placed on hold for an additional 52 minutes before I decided to finally hang up. I promptly called back at XXXX and used the automated option to go straight into Account Limitations using my online code from Paypal. This line rang about 10 times and then disconnected. I called four additional times at XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX and the exact same thing happened - just rang roughly 10 times and then disconnected. At XXXX I called called the general line without using a Paypal passcode and waited on hold for 69 minutes until a representative came on the line and told me that XXXX was the problem and that I needed to call them. No additional info given. 

I called ebay that same day on XX/XX/XXXX and they said that what PayPal told me is not true and they have no way of limiting a paypal account like I described. I gave up calling for the evening after that. I am in good standing with XXXX and all of my tracking numbers had been uploaded and delivered to the recipients. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I received new messages on my Paypal account asking me for personal information including Drivers License - Tracking information for shipments - and Supplier information. I uploaded my Drivers License, entered all tracking numbers, and wrote a statement saying these sports cards were personal items I have collected over a lifetime and that I do not have supplier information. I received another message from Paypal asking me to fill out tax information for a XXXX form - I promptly gave all tax information including social security number and personal information. Everything looked good and it said " Under Review '' on the Paypal site. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST I called Paypal again to check the status through the Account Limitations option on the automated phone system. I was disconnected after 10 rings just  like before. At XXXX I called again into the general system and chose the option for a representative to call me back. At XXXX PST I received a call back and was told that the review process is still taking place and that it will be resolved in 24-48 hours. 

On XX/XX/XXXX the account limitation was still in place even after the 24-48 hour review window had passed so I called at XXXX PST and brought into the automated system which took me to Account Limitations. This line rang 10 times and then disconnected. I called again at XXXX PST with the same result. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called Paypal at XXXX PST and was  brought into the Account Limitations option by the automated system. The phone rang roughly 10 times and then I was disconnected. I called back at XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX with the same result. At XXXX I called back into the general system without entering a Paypal code from my account. I chose the option to have someone call me back. At XXXX I received a call back and was told that the problem is that I needed to change my name in the system from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX on my Paypal account. She said there was an easy option online to change my name and that the problem will be resolved after that change was made. So I promptly went into my account online and was asked to provide my Drivers License and a Bank Statement to prove my identity. I uploaded both documents right away. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX and XXXX PST I called Paypal and chose the option to receive a call back. At XXXX PST I received a call back from a representative but they said that there is no way for them to get into my account and they can not see why my account is limited. I asked them why other representatives over the past few days were able to get into my account to give me helpful advice but she was not able to all of a sudden. She replied that representatives should NOT have been doing that and that she does not have the ability to look into my account to tell me what problems I need to fix or why my account has been limited. 

That same morning on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX I called back to see if another representative would be able to help me. I chose the option to receive a call back. At XXXX I received a call back and was told that there is nothing they can do to help me and that I need to handle it online. 

On the night of XX/XX/XXXX I arrived home and logged into my Paypal account and received a message stating that I can not use paypal anymore and that the {$22000.00} balance will be held for 180 days, after which Paypal would send me an email with instructions about transferring my money. 


SUMMARY : I'm sorry for the long detail, but this is what I have had to go through the past few weeks. I will not wait 180 days for {$22000.00} to be returned to me. If I need to leave a fair amount of money in my PayPal balance for potential returns I am happy to do that. I have already given information for XXXX and any taxes this money may bring me. I am the person who opened the account and my personal checking account is linked to this Paypal account. I have transferred money without any issues as recently as XX/XX/XXXX. My phone number is linked to this account. If there is any information that I have not provided that is preventing my money from being returned, I will fix the problem right away. Otherwise, I would like the right as a consumer to close my account and the ability to transfer 100 % of the funds into my bank account immediately. If Paypal does not want me as a customer, I will not use the site anymore ... .but it is illegal for Paypal to remove me as a member and keep all of my money for 180 days. If I have an account at XXXX XXXX XXXX and I want to close my account then they have to give me 100 % of my funds. They can not keep my money and tell me I'm no longer a customer and cant bank with them anymore. How is this any different? 

Thank you for your help and support finding a resolution for me and my family XXXX XXXX CASE XXXX XXXX ( c ) XXXXXXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation