Consumer complaint received 2016-10-17
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: TX
Product: Credit card
Issue: Payoff process

Complaint:
I tried to buy gift cards on XXXX. I was buying {$570.00} in value for {$500.00} from PayPal Digital Gifts on XXXX. I applied {$320.00} in XXXX bucks which brought my total down to {$170.00}. Then I clicked on pay with PayPal button. A screen popped up asking me to log into my PayPal account. When I logged in, PayPal flagged my account and would not let me complete the transaction stating that I had to choose another message. 

PayPal is the problem here. In addition to not being able to use make the purchase, they have also flagged my XXXX bucks, making it so that I can not use them. The XXXX bucks are time sensitive and expire XXXX XXXX. I do NOT want to buy anything else but gift cards with my XXXX bucks. When I appealed to the highest manager that I could at Paypal, XXXX # XXXX, he was not responsive to the situation and said he could n't do anything about, refused to help and said I could write to the office of the VP. WRITE. Not talk, but write to them. This is a time sensitive issue and the value of the XXXX bucks will expire on XXXX XXXX if I can not use them in addition to the time sensitive nature of the sale and product availability. Additionally, since their risk system " flagged '' my account, for no reason, I can not use my account and I have no way of making gift card purchases. There is no way to appeal or get the " flag '' overridden or lifted. I get empty risk control phrases as actual answers such as : You have to wait and let the system cool down. Or, Try using a different device : mobile phone, tablet or computer ( this will also create an issue in the risk system when it sees multiple attempts at using a different device and lock you out ). 
That all makes ZERO sense. They are basically preventing me from making a purchase, that is on sale, for a limited amount of time, so I lost out on the discounted price, furthermore, they have flagged my XXXX bucks therefore stranding them and I can NEVER USE THEM which means I lose out on {$320.00}. 

PayPal is destroying sales for XXXX by rejecting them. The only way to buy a gift card is through PayPal. PayPal locks me out of making a purchase and provides the explanation that the account is overheated and needs to cool down. Meanwhile, no valid explanation is given, nor can be overrode, on a timely basis. PayPal suffers no loss, meanwhile I lose out on a sale price, or even the item permanently. 

I have spoken with XXXX about this and have complained that my ability to make purchases is becoming impossible due to PayPal. PayPal is not a " pal ''. They are XXXX, or XXXX. The inability to make a valid purchase is costing me money. XXXX realizes that this is an issue and I know of several and can enlist a vendor that can provide several hundred others that are in the same situation as myself. We all buy gift cards -- or at least attempt to buy them. 
XXXX is NOT happy about this and PayPal just is n't responsive. They offer no compensation. They have nobody with actual authority to make system overrides or manual transactions happen. They just say, Too bad. You are out of luck. This is discriminatory at worst and incompetent at best. 

The resolution that I want is to be able to make the purchase of those Lowe 's gift cards of {$570.00} in value for {$500.00}. And, because of all the time, aggravation and frustration of having to resolve ( or unable to resolve ) PayPal 's refusal issues, I want compensation for my time to be {$1000.00}. This is not my first, second, third or even tenth time I have had this issue and it MUST STOP. 

PayPal needs to make some changes that will not lock us out of losing out on a sale or prevent us from making a purchase on limited availability items.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation