Hi Folks,

my first post on here and in an area that I have some expertise in!

I'm a reasonably prolific Ebayer/PayPaler - have a rating of 255. I've bought/sold on Audiogon for years as well. I've had the odd "moment" with PayPal, but nothing too amazing.

What I can say, from personal experience, is that - if you have your credit card linked to PayPal - you can call your credit card provider and reverse/stop payment on a PayPal payment. I've done it!

Some time ago, I had paid for a product with PayPal and, after say a month, hadn't received it. During that time, I'd been trying to keep in touch with the seller who, at first, was responsive. Eventually, it became pretty clear I wasn't going to get my item but that realisation came after the period I could lodge a case with PayPal. The only option for a refund I had left was to contact my bank/Visa and reverse payment. At first they said they couldn't help because I had called them after their own complaint period had expired. Their advice was to negotiate with the seller. When I insisted that I had negotiated and it was the negotiating that had got me into the position of being past complaint deadline, I got my refund. I did have to escalate it a little - but I got it!

The repercussion to this was that PayPal wrote me an email saying that I was not to do this again or they would have to do "such and such" - from memory close my account?! I can't remember exactly.

In any case, where any purchase through your Credit Card is concerned, if you have a problem, call your bank and get a reverse payment. My understanding is that, even though your Credit card provider hasn't authorised the payment to the final recipient, PayPal, as far as your credit card provider is concerned, is the payee. ie the person that was paid by you.

So, moral of the story, if PayPal isn't doing enough/anything to get your money back, and you are thinking of cancelling your PayPal membership anyway, reverse the payment through your credit card and leave PayPal to act to get "their", and not your, money back! In my opinion, all that this does is forces PayPal to do for themselves what they were supposed to do for you. My conscience would be clear.

I hope this helps someone!
Cheers, Tasos

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