Consumer complaint received 2021-02-18
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: UT
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account

Complaint:
ISSUE : I'm unable to login into my account ever since I changed mobile phone numbers. The way they are set up - which NO other financial company does - you can not get help AT ALL unless you can authenticate into their system. Problem is, when you CAN NOT authenticate because of their poorly designed and flawed authentication system, YOU ARE LOCKED OUT. Goodnight! You're done, son! 

STEPS TO DUPLICATE 1. Change your mobile number with your mobile provider. You have no way of knowing in advance which number you will be assigned in your new area code, so it's not like you can give PayPal advanced notice or log into their system and add the new number while you still have the old one. It doesn't work that way. 
2. Go to to paypal.com. 
2. Enter your login credentials ( username and password ).

3. It accepts it, but wants to further verify your identity by sending a one-time code to your mobile phone. It lists the last three digits of your OLD number.

4. Obviously, you can't have it text your old number - it's now out of service ; so, click on the link below the " Continue '' button that reads, " Having trouble logging in? ".

5. It returns a screen that reads, " Quick security check. We just need some additional info to confirm it's you. Receive a text. Mobile [ it AGAIN lists your old mobile number showing the first digit of its area code and, this time, the last four digits of your old number.

6. At this point, you are done son. You have NO OTHER OPTIONS. No WAY TO LOGIN. They have you trapped in an endless, vain, and fruitless loop.

7. Okay, go ahead and try to call them. Once you get through the menu, it tells you that you can not speak to anyone. It tells you that you must first log into your account and use the Help Center. Yep.

NOW ONTO MY RANT WITH MY NIGHTMARISH EXPERIENCE TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE : They are REALLY THAT XXXX  AND INCOMPETENT. I am not a mean person. I try to be nice and courteous with everyone. I'm really patient. They have successfully brought me to the edge of sanity, figuratively speaking. You have ZERO RECOURSE for help ; so, what are you to think? Yep. They are incompetent XXXX  and they really aren't interested in helping you. They want your money. They do not care about customer service quality. Not one bit. Even the people of the phone in their credit dept show by their words and actions that they aren't willing to go the extra mile to help a valued customer ( okay, I guess I'm NOT valued by them ... but neither are you, really ). If I had been in their shoes, I would have taken my information and I would have hunted down the right people who had the power to solve my problem. Nope. Didn't care.

I have tried EVERY back door I could to speak to a LIVE person willing to help me, including their credit division. They wouldn't help me. I've tried for a year now. The stress this has caused has been IMMENSE. Someone else, now, has my mobile number. They could actually get into my account. So, ironically, what they " call '' a security feature turns out to make a customer VERY INSECURE.

Now, a gal in the credit dept said that I can click on " Having trouble logging in '' - and when it presents my old mobile number - I can click on an option to add another one. NOPE!!!!!!!!!! I was told to wait a few days and try again. NOPE!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, I'm bebound and I'm in TERRIBLE BACK PAIN. This is TOO MUCH! My wife and parents are witnesses to the stress and trauma this has caused me. 

I should be able to access my account!!!!! I just want to close it at this point. My experience with PayPal has been SO BAD, that I NEVER, EVER want to deal with that incompetent company again. 

Honestly, at times, I felt like I was going to have a nervous breakdown because PayPal does not give a customer ANY WAY to resolve the issue - even to close the account - unless you can login. I'm not alone based on what I see online. 

I'm a techy guy. I have 30+ years in the XXXX  and XXXX XXXX. I'm no XXXX  when it comes to using technology. I've tried clearing browser caches, changing browsers, using their mobile app .... EVERYTHING.

Then, a week ago, I received an email statement from PayPal ( which started this whole stressful ordeal when I got notifications from my bank of charges from PayPal that I did not recognize - kept coming for months with new charges ), they had a link in the message saying " Having troubles logging in? ". I tried it out of desparation - hoping that the company would finally get its act together and FIX their ridiculously flawed system. And, to my great surprise and incredible joy (!!!!! ), it offered me an opportunity to add another mobile number to my account. Mind you, it didn't log me in - it simply prompted me AFTER I provided my correct login credentials ( which always works ... it's the " security feature '' that wants to send a code to my old mobile number that always XXXX  me ).

However, my joy and exhultation ( literally ) was short lived. After it accepted and verified my " new '' mobile number ( which, by this time, I've had for a year now ) - rather than logging me into my account - it brought me to the login screen!!! Okay, I thought, this won't be a problem now because they have my new mobile number AND they verified it. Nope. Their incompetency just continues to go to lower depths. After successfully providing my login credentials, it wanted to verify me with a code sent to ... .. guess what (? ) .... MY OLD MOBILE NUMBER. It gave me NO OPTION to use the NEW number they had ALREADY ACCEPTED FROM ME just a few minutes ago.

Oh my gosh!!! If this weren't happening to me, I would think this was a lie. But, no, it's my life with PayPal and my worst experience ever with a company 's technology.

Man, I just want to close the account. Can't. I can't successfully get into my account so that I can use their Help tool.

Oh, and by the way, YES!!!! I did send an email to their support email. I get their useless automated email telling me to log into my account and then get help from their Help Center. Really, it's that XXXX. 

I'm sorry, but these guys are XXXX. I'm shocked they've been able to remain in business. They need to fire whoever is in charge of their online experience and the person over customer service. AWFUL!!!! NIGHTMARE!!!! 

I'm not lying. It really is THAT BAD.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief