Consumer complaint received 2024-08-13 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem — 
Company: Paypal Holdings, Inc
State: SC

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I found when logging into my PayPal, that charges I was unaware of were present on my account. Upon this realization, I looked into my other payment processing accounts and found similar instances in Venmo of unauthorized payments that were additional to ones that I had done myself and authorized. I promptly reported these transactions through the correct support systems and assumed I would be taken care of accordingly. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a number of emails from PayPal support making me aware that additional cases were created for me, and that XXXX of my XXXX initial cases were closed and settled in the sellers favor. 

None of the cases that were created for me are viewable on my side of the website. The case that had been closed had all but one of the transactions that I had reported included in it. 

Later on in the day, however, I found on my PayPal account that I was received a refund for one of the transactions I had reported for {$470.00}. These were XXXX of the transactions that were in the case that was closed. Additionally, the Dispute ID presented in the notes of the transaction I was never made aware of ; it was not XXXX of the cases that were created that were aforementioned. I was presented in the notes of the transaction the following : XXXX USD ; XXXX Credit has been processed and claim is now closed. Please refer Dispute ID XXXX. Thank you. 

What had confused me about this refund was that I received no emails regarding the refund, no emails regarding the case creation of XXXX, and couldnt and still cant find the case in my closed cases in the resolution center. Furthermore, the transaction that had been refunded was in the middle of a slew of other fraudulent transactions that had taken place that day. This led me to call the number provided by PayPal to get further information and clarification on what was going on. 

My experience with the XXXX PayPal associates I had spoken to was agonizing and beyond frustrating, namely XXXX who I was escalated to who ended up hanging up on me. 

The first associate I spoke with was very helpful and attentive. I spoke with her and made her aware of the confusion I had. That I had been refunded XXXX of my transactions but was presented a Dispute ID that I was unable to view. Additionally I made the associate aware that this was a transaction that was in the middle of others, and that if this were determined as fraudulent, why would the other fraudulent activity not be identified as such either. Ultimately, the associate saw the same thing on her side that I saw on mine, XXXX cases, and was put on hold while she escalated my issue. 

Coming back from hold I was greeted by XXXX who I re-explained my discrepancies to. This is where my frustration began, as XXXX consistently tried to tell me not to worry about things rather than answer my questions. I made the associate aware that I was presented a dispute id that I could not view and that I was confused how only XXXX transaction from the same day in the same time period was identified as fraudulent. I was asking if the other hidden dispute cases were still pending or if they were somehow determined as not fraudulent. I was only given the runaround by the agent. When referring to the dispute Id presented in the refunded transaction, the agent tried to tell me that Dispute IDs and Transaction IDs were the same thing. This is where my frustration surmounted, as it became clear that I was dealing with someone who was unaware of what they were talking about. I told the agent that hes clearly wrong as theres a Transaction ID listed for the transaction, and a separate, different Dispute ID listed as well. At this point I asked all to transfer me to his supervisor or manager as the incompetency I was dealing with for such a serious matter was inexcusable. I was promptly hung up on. 

I called back again and spoke with the first agent on the phone. I explained for the third time what I was dealing with. The agent made me aware that the calls were recorded and that they would use them to further examine my case. Ultimately, however, the call ended with no clarity as I never received any dispute IDs, statuses, or actual help other than being told they would reopen my case. Its imperative to point out that : This case was closed, and a transaction from within the case was refunded, so to be told that the case would be re-opened was no help as thats where much of my confusion initially stemmed from. Are there dispute cases that exist external to this XXXX case I can see? Why was only XXXX transaction refunded but the others from the same day and time not? I was left in the dark. 

I greatly need assistance in dealing with this matter.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation