Consumer complaint received 2024-11-08 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other service problem — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/2024 I received an email from paypal stating they need more information, and until so my account is locked. There was a link in the email to log on to my account, which I did. The message on that page : " Were reviewing your information and will get back to you regarding the status of Ref ID : XXXX within 2 days '', and I could not proceed beyond that point, with no ability to resolve the situation. As of this date, XXXX/XXXX/XXXX, it has been 15 days, with no resolution in sight. I have gone to that site many times & get the same message. The only line of contact is through a chatbot, and I keep getting the same runaround ... everytime the answer is we will resolve this in a few days. 

The point finally came were I decided I no longer want to be involved with paypal, after 10 - 15 years. So I tried to unlink my 2 checking accounts, but was unable to because my account is locked. Worse yet I am unable to close my account for the same reason. To this day, I have no explanation for all of this. 

Here is the chatbot correspondence : " Hi N*****! 

I see your account is currently blocked. This may be preventing you from using everything PayPal has to offer. 

Is this what you are here for? 
Yes, help unblock me We need your help in reviewing your account. All you need to do is provide us some info and help us to restore your account features. 

To protect your account, some of your account features have been blocked. 
Steps to resolve We need a little more information from you in order to resolve your account issues. 

To get your account fully restored, simply click on this Link and provide the necessary information. 

Is there anything else I can help you with today? 
Yes How may I assist you? 
your information so far has been unhelpful As your PayPal Assistant, I'm always learning but I'm unable to provide an answer to your question at the moment. 
get me an attendant Our customer support team will provide the same information to you regarding the account limitation. To resolve your limitation, please click on the link shared above. 

Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with today. 
that link did not help If you like, I can help you send a message to a customer support agent. 

They may not be able to respond before the end of their work day, but our agents will be back in the office tomorrow and typically reply within a few hours of seeing your message. 

Want me to start that conversation now? 
Yes Alright, I've sent this conversation to an agent. 

Ill send you an email when they respond. 

Bye for now XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM Hi N*****! Welcome to PayPal Messaging. My name is XXXX. We appreciate your patience while we review your query. As this is a messaging platform, the reply may not be immediate. You will be notified on your app when we reply.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM I reviewed your account and while checking I found the limitation placed in your account which is creating a block in your account. I really appreciate your time for completing the steps to resolve the limitation. I checked with the back office team and currently the team is working on this limitation, so I request you to wait. Usually it will take 72hrs to complete the review, once the review gets complete then you will get an update through email. Thank you for understanding. 

Feel free to reply at your convenience and one of my colleagues will pick up on your conversation where we left off to provide any additional assistance that is requested.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX AM This is ridiculous, it has already been 7 days! And I can't even remove my banks accounts. Paypal is acting suspiciously & untrustworthy. 

I know how it feels, if I have an option to work on this case I surely do that for you. Unfortunately, I dont have an option to do that, so I request you to wait, also I have added a note on this limitation, so that the team will complete the review faster. Thank you for understanding.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX AM Why am I now being asked to confirm my identity? I have already done that over a year ago when I purchased bitcoin. Please close my account.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM Hi N*****, I am now connected for your assistance. I will review your account and help your here.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM Thank you, N*****, for your time and patience. 

I appreciate you helping us to remove the limitation and I have gone ahead and moved the case to our backend team to review and remove the limitation. Please allow 3-5 business days in this regard. 

Once the limitation is resolved you will receive an email notification from us. 

Thank you for your support and understanding in this regard. 
XX/XX/year> XXXX PM I have long lost the desire to resolve this problem. Please close my account.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM N*****, I wish I had an option to close this account. Please wait until the limitation is resolved. 
XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM How long has it been now, 10 days maybe? Now I have to wait another 3-5 buss days , unacceptable! You have no right to prevent me from closing my account with your rouge organization! I will be following up with regulating authorities on this.

XX/XX/2024 XXXX PM N*****, I'm sorry for the delay here, I wish I had an option to intervene. Please allow us additional time here. ''

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation