Consumer complaint received 2020-04-26
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: FL
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Virtual currency
Issue: Money was not available when promised

Complaint:
This letter is to explain the unethical practices of the company PayPal Holdings , Inc.. 
Like many other families around the world the pandemic has taken a huge toll on me and mine. I decided the best thing for me to do was to sell some items via XXXX. So I did so and to my delight I had over {$1000.00} deposited into my PayPal account from an XXXX   sale. This was on XX/XX/2020 and the exact amount was {$1000.00}. I was soon after informed that there was a 21 day hold on the money since my account was somewhat new and/or hadnt been used in a while. Ok, I could deal with that, so I waited. Then I noticed that about 10 days into that wait that there was a limitation put onto my account. They wanted three documents verifying my identity to remove this limit. So I provided to them a photo of my Florida drivers license, a photo of my social security card and a insurance bill showing my mailing address. PayPals system noted that they would review these documents for 3-5 working days. So after 5 working days I was curious why they hadnt removed the limitation or finished reviewing my documents, so I wrote them inquiring upon these matters. They informed me that certain criteria in my account linked it to some other accounts. They said it could be an address, phone number, social security number, bank account, etc.. pretty much anything in my account that matched another persons could and would make a link. They informed me that one of the accounts, XXXX, had a negative balance and that it would have to be paid in full for my account to be unlimited. After informing them that that account had nothing to do with my account they insisted that it had to be paid. They would not tell me what information linked our accounts. Luckily, ( at least I thought I was lucky ) I know whom that email address belongs to so I was able to contact him and let him know the situation, and he was kind enough to pay his debt. I messaged PayPal with this information and they said that they wanted a clearer photo of my ID so I complied. So after being forced to be their debt collector and putting myself in danger soliciting their account holders, this still wasnt enough for them to release my account and money. They found another account which I didnt recognize and demanded that I make this account holder pay their negative balance as well. I was astounded, did they think I could be blackmailed with my own money to be their unofficial debt collector? I told them no way, I didnt know who that account belonged to and I wasnt going to investigate or pursue the account holder for them. I was uneasy about the 1st time I did it for them and the thought of doing it again made my nauseous. I told them this had to be illegal what they were doing to me. They then disconnected and reconnected me with a different representative. The new rep noted that my confirmed, verified, bank account have stored was not in my name. I told them that it was my roommates and that I had permission to use his account for PayPal matters. They asked if I could provide them with a letter of authorization from the bank account holder stating that I was authorized to use their account for PayPal, with a photo of their ID. They said I needed to provide a new, clearer photo of my ID and that after I provided these items my account would be freed. So excitedly I replied no problem, give me 10 minutes, and signed off to get these things in order. When I signed back on I was floored when I was directed to a page stating that You cant use PayPal anymore. and some other things regarding the closing of my account. The absolute worst notice being that the money in my account would be held for 180 days! After which they will send me an email with instructions about transferring the money. 180 days! This pandemic is taking a huge toll on my family as I stated before and I cant afford a hit to my finances like this. I was forced, by the economic state of our country, to sell heirlooms I never thought I would have to sell and now this bully of a company is holding the money for no reason at all. Then I get a call from my roommate, whom wrote me the authorization letter, and his account has been closed as well! Along with a 180 day hold on his funds. This is so wrong and this company doesnt understand or care about the impact that their unethical behaviors are having on Americans lives as I am sure we are not the only people they are pushing around during these trying times. Please help me as I am not big enough to take on this company alone. 
Sincerely yours, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation