Consumer complaint received 2021-03-01
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: VA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Confusing or misleading advertising or marketing

Complaint:
Paypal refuses to close my account and seems to have initiated a lot of unusual actions against me regarding my account. It all started when I bought a XXXX cell phone from XXXX XXXX XXXX using Paypal and my XXXX card on XX/XX/XXXX for {$230.00}. Because Paypal touts purchase protection for the buyer, dispute resolution, and security protection for the buyer, and Protection you need, Peace of mind you deserve ( see XXXX XXXX XXXX for example, see also XXXX attached ), I decided to make this purchase using Paypal instead of directly with my credit card. The new phone worked fine for a while, but then on XX/XX/XXXX, the phone was no longer able to make or receive phone calls. I found this to be a serious issue as i ) sending and receiving phone calls is a basic and expected essential function of a smart phone and ii ) I am very concerned about missing important calls. I called my carrier XXXX XXXX at least 4 times to try to resolve this issue, and tried everything from resetting the network, confirming APN settings, restarting the phone, and factory resetting the phone and XXXX XXXX concluded to me that everything has been done to try to get the phone to work and that it is not compatible with the network, and urged me to try to get a refund. I then contacted the seller XXXX  XXXX XXXX and they refused a refund or exchange by saying that their 30 day warranty had expired. I proceeded to open a dispute on XX/XX/XXXX ( Case ID : XXXX ) thru Paypal, and explicitly told i ) the 4 names of the people I worked with at Consumer Cellular to resolve this issue and ii ) that in doing so, that I previously tried factory resetting the phone and that the problem persisted. On XX/XX/XXXX, Paypal resolved this case by ruling against me in an email dated XX/XX/XXXX ( see XXXX attached ) by saying that I altered the phone and thus I can not get a refund. I found this to be disturbing and a mischaracterization of what I thought were the merits of the case because i ) I stated in my complaint with Paypal that I tried factory resetting the phone and the phone still could not send or receive calls and ii ) it is essentially impossible to use a phone without altering it because you need to program the APN settings and update the system in order to get the phone to work in the first place. It was like this decision by Paypal was telling me that anything I buy using Paypal and later dispute would be summarily ruled against me for this reason. 

Because Paypals decision on this case seemed like a mischaracterization of the merits of the case, I proceeded to open a dispute with XXXX XXXX ( case XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX thinking that I would get a more fair and just resolution. In doing so, XXXX XXXX issued me a temporary credit on XX/XX/XXXX for the {$230.00} amount. Paypal seemed to respond to this temporary credit by 1 ) restricting my account ( see XXXX attached ) and 2 ) by reopening the same case Case ID : XXXX that was previously resolved, this reopening of Case ID : XXXX was not with my consent ( see XXXX attached ). In doing so, I was no longer able to access my original argument I made to Paypal regarding the fact that I tried factory resetting the phone and the names of the people I worked with at XXXX XXXX. 
In opening my case with XXXX XXXX and in thinking it would be against the vendor XXXX  XXXX XXXX, I was later dismayed to learn that it was not against XXXX XXXX XXXX but instead against Paypal. I was very disappointed that I would not be able to dispute this case with XXXX XXXX XXXX directly, especially after Paypals faulty decision. Worse yet, because my XXXX XXXX case issued me a temporary credit of {$230.00}, Paypal responded by freezing my account under the rationale that this temporary credit from XXXX XXXX with Paypal is an unauthorized transaction ( see XXXX and XXXX attached ). I again felt that this was yet another adverse mischaracterization made by Paypal and seemed to be an act of retaliation by Paypal against me. 

On XXXX XXXX, I talked to XXXX at XXXX XXXX and he urged me to get written evidence for my case. In doing so, I went to the manufacturer XXXX and received a written statement that XXXX had not yet officially released the phone in the U.S ( see XXXX ). I also went back to XXXX XXXX who directed me to websites at XXXX XXXX and XXXX to check the compatibility of my phone with the network using my IMEI number, and found it was incompatible with each of XXXX XXXX and XXXX. In fact, I found it was also incompatible with the XXXX XXXX too, making my phone incompatible with all 3 U.S. phone networks ( see XXXX, XXXX  and XXXX attached )!!! I do not remember the vendor XXXX XXXX XXXX ever disclosing that this phone is not officially released in the U.S. and/or that it is incompatible with all 3 major U.S. carriers! In working with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed that the phone call functions had resumed on my phone and thus closed my case with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( see XXXX attached ). 

Because I felt that Paypal had not lived up to their promises of Buyer Protection and Peace of Mind, because of what I felt was a pattern of mischaracterizations, bullying and retaliations against me, I asked numerous times in the period of XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX that Paypal close my account and end this bad and stressful chapter in my life ( see for example XXXX and XXXX ). As of XX/XX/XXXX, Paypal refuses saying they cant close my account because I have a case open from my XXXX XXXX, despite the fact that it was closed on XX/XX/XXXX ( see XXXX attached ). 

I used Paypal in my XX/XX/XXXX original purchase of my cell phone in large part because I detrimentally relied on Paypals purchase protection for the buyer, dispute resolution, and security protection for the buyer, and Protection you need, Peace of mind you deserve ( see XXXX XXXX XXXX for example as well as XXXX ). This turned out not to be the case and have instead felt bullied and intimidated by Paypals behavior. I have tried many times to end this relationship but Paypal wont let me. Instead of getting the buyer protection and peace of mind that they advertised, I instead got what seemed was a lot of stress and fuss, mischaracterizations of my dispute, retaliations and an inability to end this relationship.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation