Been Scammed - How Can I Do A Paypal "Chargeback"?

[Suave]

Hi All,

I have just been shafted by someone who sold me something & when the item arrived, it was just the packaging & instructions. It was not even the correct item.

I returned the item via recorded delivery with a letter, emailed the person a few times, called & texted but they are not responding. I am leaving for a trip & Saturday for a couple of weeks & would like to do something today to initiate a "Chargeback" as I am afraid if I leave till after I return, then it might work against me.

I paid via Paypal Gift via a credit card. The Paypal website only says that the Chargeback is done by the buyer via their credit card company but does not give a detailed procedure on what to do or what steps to follow.

In view of this, can anyone tell me what I should/say do when I call the CC company & what the process is & what information is required? I can then collate it all & supply it as a full record of data & events.

is there anything else I can do to try and ensure so that the Chargeback is done in my favour & so I do not have to deal with tons of calls, or jump through lots of hurdles, deal with hassles etc? How long does it take?

Very Many Thanks!

Suave!

 

[Miyazaki]

I paid via Paypal Gift via a credit card.

You have no protection as you paid via paypal gift instead of normal paypal. Bummer.

You could phone your credit card and explain the situation and see what they will do?

 

[Mr_Wistles]

As above. Your only option is via your credit card firm.

 

[Julie]

I'm just wondering whether the buyer may be innocent in all this. Why would they go to the bother & expense of sending the package complete with instructions when they already have your money? Could the item have gone missing during transit, maybe poorly wrapped & it fell out the bottom? Did the package show any signs that it had been opened & resealed? If so, the seller could make a claim against the delivery company & reimburse you.

Whatever the reason, it is the seller's resposibility for the item to arrive to you safely or refund your money. Sadly, it doesn't look to good if the seller is not responding to your emails or texts but there could be legitimate reasons for this. Have you tried phoning to speak direct rather than just sending emails & texts. Have you checked to see if the returned package has been delivered & signed for? I think you can check whether it has on-line. If it has been delivered then at least you know you were given a legitimate address. Was there a weight indicated on the package that would indicate whether the contents had gone missing during transit?

Not sure why you returned an empty package before making contact with the seller first.

Best of Luck!

 

[Kebabhead]

As above. Your only option is via your credit card firm.

If you do that with Paypal their response is to close your account down

 

[Mr_Wistles]

If you do that with Paypal their response is to close your account down

You get your money back though. Which would you prefer?

 

[Kebabhead]

You get your money back though. Which would you prefer?

I was making a point not suggesting he shouldn't do it

 

[nheather]

As others have said

PPG gives you no protection - that is why I refuse to use it.

You could contact your credit card company and get them to do a chargeback but two things to bear in mind

(i) It isn't the instant action that is often suggested on these forums. You have to demonstrate to the CC company that you haven't got what you paid for. It certainly won't be sorted by the time you go on holiday - I imagine the CC company will want to send you a form to complete etc. which will probably arrive whilst you are away.

(ii) In this case you are asking the CC company to reclaim funds from PayPal. The problem here is that PayPal haven't done anything wrong - there involement may not be saintly but they've done everuthing asked of them and can prove it.

So I wouldn't hold your breath but worth trying all the same.

BTW one of the reasons I won't use PPG is that I don't have my Bank Account tied to it and don't keep funds in my PP account, so if I use it I get charged fees. My main objection here is that I am getting no protection but getting charged the same fees all the same.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[paulyoung666]

i know any amount is to much , i just hope it wasnt a lot !! , the only reason i use fleabay is to get an idea of prices and i flat refuse to use scampal

 

[craigy_b]

I'm just wondering whether the buyer may be innocent in all this. Why would they go to the bother & expense of sending the package complete with instructions when they already have your money? Could the item have gone missing during transit, maybe poorly wrapped & it fell out the bottom? Did the package show any signs that it had been opened & resealed? If so, the seller could make a claim against the delivery company & reimburse you.

Whatever the reason, it is the seller's resposibility for the item to arrive to you safely or refund your money. Sadly, it doesn't look to good if the seller is not responding to your emails or texts but there could be legitimate reasons for this. Have you tried phoning to speak direct rather than just sending emails & texts. Have you checked to see if the returned package has been delivered & signed for? I think you can check whether it has on-line. If it has been delivered then at least you know you were given a legitimate address. Was there a weight indicated on the package that would indicate whether the contents had gone missing during transit?

Not sure why you returned an empty package before making contact with the seller first.

Best of Luck!

Might be that the OP missed the 'small' print at the bottom of the ad. I've seen a few of these misleading ads that look as though they are selling something but are actually only selling the packaging and the disclaimer is in the ad in very small text in an almost white colour.
The other thing I've seen is people selling cosmetic 'testers' and taking very close-up pictures in an attempt to make it look like a full size product. Again, all the information is there just put in a way which makes it very misleading.

Seems like talking with your credit card company is the only way to go.

Craig

 

[Miyazaki]

FWIW I did a chargeback through my credit card after Paypal were less than useful and sided with the seller.

I explained what had happened to my CC company over the phone. They sent me some forms to fill in through the post and I got my money back eventually.

Opened a new paypal account with a different email address a few days later. No big deal.

 

[IronGiant]

Even if you can't get it sorted out before the holiday I would make sure you start the ball rolling by contacting your CC company before you leave...

 

[Suave]

Hi All,

Very sorry for the delay in replying - my sister has ben very ill & I have only just finished packing - I will be up again in 2.5 hrs!

The package was definitely not the one I asked for & originally listed & I made sure by asking & getting verification of the product number the seller confirmed.

I did speak to them beforehand ( they seemed quite sincere) to get absolute clarity & I feel they just made a mistake. The package was opened prior & did not have inside what the seller thought.

I sent it back recorded delivery with a letter explaining the circumstances & asked for a refund. I do not think they initially believed me but after a few emails & texts, they finally said, they feel embarrased & will wait for the package. They will get it as I sent it recorded.

However, they have just not got in touch after that & I told them that I would like to get a refund before I leave this morning as it would give me peace of mind - even telling them to contact me via any method till very late but no response.

I have kept a record of all correspondances & texts & it shows full details of what was listed (I bought outside of ebay), that it was confirme by the seller but they sent the wrong one as I have logged the serial number & code of the packaging they sent.

I guess now they have said they feel embarrassed will also have some bearing in my favour? I cannot understand why they will not respond to my calls, emails, or text after their last message as it only takes a few mins & tehy know I am leaving today.

I have called the CC company & told them in detail what has happened offering full supporting records that I have, They said that they do not see the payment on their system so cannot instigate a charge back but I do not think they knew what Paypal is. I informed then of the full Paypal transaction details including date, payment amount made & showm as transaction complete, the transaction ref number & the sellers email address & name.

I aslo asked them to put a flag on this transaction when it comes through & they agreed but told me they may not be able to stop the payment but I could deal with it when I get back.

The item was an Applecare warranty - after having confirmed the exact warranty & stating they had the serial number on the box, the exact model number of the warranty & sales receipt, they sent me a completely different one which had no registration inside & just the instructions & a maintenance tool disc - there is no way that they could have not noticed the difference as it was glaringly obvious.

I will, try & see if I can check my emails at a port stopover & see if they respond but at least I have let the CC company know & given them full details. This seller seems to have Jekyll & Hyde character!

I may not be able to respond to this thread ina timely manner as I will have very limited access to the net but I will try - I would still welcome any advice!

Right, I have less than 2 hours sleep & been up since 0700hrs! Many thanks to all!

Suave!