Paypal 'deferred' complaint... worth bothering?

s@sha · 7 November 2004 at 1:50PM

What are my chances of getting a buyer complaint to Paypal dealt with, if it is a 'deferred' complaint...that is, it is more than 30 days since the transaction date?

On 16th September I bought a DVD box set from a seller & I paid straightaway by Paypal with my debit card. The auction stated clearly that the seller would despatch the set ' upon official studio release ( 24th oct)'.

I took that to mean he would be posting them that day, or at least within a few days, and as he had 100% positive feedback I thought no more of it.

It's now two weeks since the release & I have not had them. I have emailed him 3 times asking when they will be sent. The only reply I had a week ago was that they had already been posted, and I 'should get them in a few days'...which I didn't. To cap it all, his feedback now shows 6 negs , 3 in the last month. From his feedback, I can see he has sent the DVDs to only 3 buyers (out of about 50) and two of those bought them AFTER me >:(

I've now emailed to say that if I don't receive them this week I want a refund, as I feel his posting info in his auction was misleading & I need them for a gift. I'll have to buy them somehere else. In case I have no luck, I've looked into seeing if I can get any money back from Paypal.

What's really annoying is that I've since discovered that it is against Paypal rules for sellers to even use paypal as a payment method, if they can't dispatch the item within 2 weeks of payment. Also, their complaint process says that buyer complaints must be made with 30 days of the transaction...which is stupid, as obviously, this seller had his auction running 30 days BEFORE he stated he could send them! And, because I paid with a debit card I can't even do a chargeback.

I would never have paid him back in september if I had known about this 30-day complaint rule. AND I would have used a credit, not a debit card >:(

Anyway, Paypal does have a 'deferred' complaint system...where it is more than 31 days since the transaction. It does say that the seller has to either prove he posted them, or that he has given a refund, otherwise Paypal will 'take steps' to recover the money & limit access to his account. But does anyone have any idea whether I realistically have any chance of getting my money back through them?

stavros_2 · 7 November 2004 at 2:16PM

You might want to check out the following page

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/pre-sale.html

and get in contact with ebay saying you were unaware that the seller wasn't allowed to list an item they would not be in possession of within 30 days of the listing ending. You might get somewhere like that :-/

s@sha · 7 November 2004 at 2:31PM

Thanks Stavros. I've given the seller a week to send the DVDs, so I guess I'll have to wait now & see what happens, but if i don't get any replies or they don't turn up I will follow it up with both Paypal and Ebay. It's just so annoying to think I might lose my money.

Is it just me, or do other people think that if an auction states 'will be dispatched upon official studio release (24th Oct)' then that's when they should be sent...not 2 weeks later (& counting)?

soolin · 7 November 2004 at 2:52PM

s@sha, as far as I am aware it is not possible to start a paypal complaint after 30 days in any circumstances.

There was something on Watchdog a week or so ago where a company (not on ebay) used this as a way of scamming people. Buyers were told that delivery was 'from' 30 days of purchase so of course by the time they started to worry it was too late to start a chargeback. No solution to this problem was given on the TV programme but paypal were quite adamant that all chargebacks need to be made before 30 days, although in this instance they closed the sellers account.

All I can suggest is that you call Paypal by telephone and explain the problem. If others have had problems as well they might consider closing the sellers account pending enquiry. Secondly, get the sellers personal contact details and give him a call. Do this TODAY and if for any reason his telephone number doesn't work then report that to ebay as well.

Don't bother giving him any more time limits to comply, start harrasing ebay and paypal now for a solution and let the seller worry about it.

If you need any specific information on contacting paypal or ebay send me a PM.

Good luck, I think you might need it.

Soo

s@sha · 7 November 2004 at 3:03PM

Hi Soolin, this is the info from Paypal's help pages that I was basing my info on:

https://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_help-ext&eloc=973&loc=969&unique_id=78654&source_page=_home&flow=

Sorry about the long link... I don't know how to 'rename' them to make them shorter!

It seems to imply that Paypal do look into complaints after the 30 days have past.

I think you are right though, why should I give him any more time? He's broken Paypal selling rules just by listing the auction when he did, never mind not sending my DVDs.

s@sha · 7 November 2004 at 3:24PM

This is pathetic! I just went through the Paypal complaint process to file the complaint and this is the reply I got.

Thank you for filing a buyer complaint.

Unfortunately, this complaint has been closed because it does not meet PayPal's complaint policy guidelines. However, your complaint has been noted in the record of the PayPal member whom you reported.

We encourage you to continue to work directly with your seller, as we have found that many misunderstandings can be resolved amicably through communication.

To learn more about PayPal's complaint policy guidelines, please go to the 'Help' link of the PayPal website and click on the Protection Policies category link.

What is the point of Paypal talking about 'deferred complaints' in their help pages, when this is all that you get when you file a complaint! >:(

soolin · 7 November 2004 at 4:07PM

''What is the point of Paypal talking about 'deferred complaints' in their help pages, when this is all that you get when you file a complaint! >:([/quote]

I think the deferred bit means disputes filed before the 30 days but deferred for some reason.

This bit on paypal (I also don't know how to shorten a link!)

http://www.paypal.com/uk/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_help-ext&eloc=1076&loc=1061&unique_id=61633&source_page=_home&flow=

Seems to suggest that all complaints need to be made before 30 days although I feel the wording is a little iffy.

I would still suggest calling paypal as the original auction listing and deferred delivery broke paypal regulations. The contact details are as follows:

PayPal Customer Service Agents are available to help you from 6:00 AM GMT until 10:00 PM GMT every day.

Call us on: 08707 307 191 (UK national call rates apply)

Soo

s@sha · 7 November 2004 at 4:37PM

Hi soolin,

'iffy' is right. But the way I read it here (copied from paypal's help pages), a deferred complaint IS one filed after 31 days for non-reciept.

What is a deferred complaint?

A deferred complaint (previously known as a voided complaint) is defined as a Buyer Complaint that meets the following criteria:

Non-receipt complaint filed more than 31 days after the transaction date
Not-as-described complaint filed more than 31 days after the transaction date
Not-as-described complaint filed within 31 days of the transaction date but only qualifies for the Buyer Protection programme

Anyway, I have sent you a PM

Paypal 'deferred' complaint... worth bothering?

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