Consumer complaint received 2025-06-25 00:00:00
Product: Payday loan, title loan, personal loan, or advance loan — Installment loan
Issue: Getting the loan — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
Note that Paypal has as my email address XXXX because it will not accept the address that I generally use, and use with CFPB. 

On XX/XX/year> I placed an order with XXXX for {$240.00}. One of the payment options was through Paypal to pay in 4 installments. I selected this. When I concluded the transaction, I received a confirmation that the order was confirmed. I was not expecting to see, and did not see, any denial of the credit for the pay in 4 payments plan. I checked the paypal account the next day and read in - I believe- an FAQ that it's not unusual to see the total amount as pending, as opposed to the installment. I sent a message to paypal through the only way they permit - an online form.

Four days later, Paypal submitted to my bank. It was rejected ( although that too was incorrect because as the bank has written me, there were enough funds in the account for the payment ). I had received a reference number from Paypal to reach out by phone, but their " on hold '' was simply an unreasonably lengthy time. Paypal did respond to my online request for help, but the help was only to state that I had not completed the process. There was no process. I was not presented with any questions about income, or address, or anything else. Paypal declined to address this and simply restated that the application had not been completed. 

Today, XX/XX/year>, while Paypal and I had been discussing this online, they charged my bank account for it, and the amount was paid. 

My complaint is that ( i ) in my view, I had applied for their pay in XXXX plan, and it went through with a confirmation screen. Please don't ask for a screenshot, no one does that. ( ii ) if, as they say, I did not complete the application, then where was their follow up? Where was their " decline ''? There was none, because they simply elected to charge me the full price in one charge. ( iii ) while Paypal and I were discussing this via their proprietary email system, they went ahead and charged me anyway, making further discussion with them mute ( iv ) Although the money has been removed from my bank account, they will not permit me to close my paypal account until it has cleared.

They would have you believe that I was the problem here. What should have happened is that when the pay in 4 installments plan was converted by them to a payment in full, I should have been explicitly notified BEFORE I completed the transaction. And, if they didn't approve the pay in 4, then they should have either told me that it was declined and/or provided reasons for declining.

Paypal has made it difficult to reach them to resolve situations, they call me by phone during business hours when I am working, and frankly, their customer service while polite, clearly offered only hand-holding rather than any commitment to look into or resolve the matter. At least there is a paper trail at Paypal, also part of the reason I did not take their call.

I bring this to your attention not for personal resolution - what could Paypal possibly do at this point, they've taken my money and I have the product- but so that if your organization is helping consumers, that you look online and see that mine is not the only complaint about Paypal in this regard.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation