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(402) 935-2050
Company Overview
This PayPal review is intended primarily for small business owners who accept credit card payments on a regular basis and for any new businesses that will need to accept credit cards. Due to this focus, the content of this review will cover the factors that are most important to established business owners who are interested in using PayPal for the purpose of accepting credit card payments from their customers.
Is PayPal Holding Your Funds Right Now?
Thousands of merchants have had their payments frozen by PayPal. If you’re one of them, then you might find these resources helpful:
- How To Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money
- How to Fight Chargebacks
- Best PayPal Alternatives
A Titan of E-Commerce
PayPal began as a wholly-owned subsidiary of eBay, where it was heavily used for payments between buyers and sellers of eBay auctions. In mid-2015, PayPal split off from eBay to become its own independent company. The service is one of the most accessible electronic payment methods in the industry because it allows anyone with an email address to sign up to send and receive payments from other individuals. Additionally, PayPal has a merchant services division that allows businesses of all sizes to accept credit card payments.
PayPal Credit Card Processing
PayPal is unlike traditional credit card processors because merchants cannot use PayPal with typical credit card processing equipment. Instead, PayPal offers several other services including shopping cart integration, “buy now” buttons, and donation buttons that are primarily targeted towards merchants with an online presence. The company also offers a virtual terminal with an optional credit card reader that plugs into the USB port of most computers. The virtual terminal allows merchants to enter credit card data themselves.
Paypal Point-Of-Sale (POS)
Paypal utilizes an all-in-one POS solution called Zettle, which provides portable in-person acceptance of chip, swipe, and contactless payments. The company focuses on the small handheld POS for most of their physical payment processing, but they also offer larger register-style POS and scanning equipment for managing inventory. The device can operate off customers’ smartphones and other USB devices. It integrates with an existing PayPal merchant account as well as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Android Pay. The advertised rate for Zettle is 2.29% + .09$ per transaction, with added costs for additional equipment.
PayPal Requires a Separate Account
One important difference between PayPal and a merchant account supplied by a credit card processor is that business owners must request the transfer of funds from their PayPal accounts to their bank accounts. Typically, most merchant account providers transfer the money to their merchants’ bank accounts as “batches” automatically within 48 hours of the close of a business day. PayPal also offers payments by check and a debit card that can be used for purchases or withdrawing money from an ATM. Merchants who would like to avoid this arrangement are better off using PayPal alternatives instead.
Location & Ownership
Daniel Schulman is the CEO of PayPal, which is headquartered at 2211 North First Street, San Jose, California 95131.
Video Summary
Table of Contents
- Competitors and Comparisons How does the company square up against…
- Costs & Contract: Offers a month-to-month contract with no early termination fee and…
- Complaints & Service: Has received thousands of public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: Has a “B” rating with the BBB but has received 25,978 complaints and 2,182 reviews in the past 3 years in regards to…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not hire independent sales agents and has not received any complaints about its…
PayPal Competitors and Comparisons
PayPal vs Venmo
PayPal and Venmo, while technically the same company, are competing as an alternative option for small businesses to take payments online and in person. Many merchants aren’t aware that PayPal actually owns Venmo when making this decision.
It’s also important to note that both PayPal and Venmo were not originally designed to be the primary payment processing service for most merchant accounts. Originally Paypal was the payment backbone for the online auction giant eBay before it split off in 2015. Venmo was created to transfer funds between family, friends, and other trusted individuals. Paypal acquired Venmo as part of its purchase of startup Braintree in 2013 for $800 million.
However, they have seen an uptick in use in recent years from smaller merchants who do not wish to maintain an account with one of the larger payment processors. This shift has been embraced by both brands, and we’ve seen a recent introduction of new products and services aimed at appeasing their growing number of clients who use the services as their primary form of payment service provider. Venmo in particular has changed its platform to begin allowing businesses to create profiles and provide transactions with more transparency and security. There are some key differences between the two brands when it comes to payment processing.
Credit & Debit Processing
While we remind our readers that neither service was initially designed to handle large volumes of transactions, both allow this in one form or another. Both companies offer electronic invoicing services, QR scanning, keyed-in transactions, and account-to-account transfers, but PayPal has a lot more to offer in terms of physical POS systems and virtual terminal options when it comes to taking cards. Venmo does not seem to have some of the consumer protections in place for chargebacks and consumer disputes, as indicated by the numerous warnings to only deal with trusted accounts and individuals.
Venmo allows merchants to accept credit card payments but will charge an additional 3%. PayPal charges the same fee outside of account-to-account transfers. Venmo does not have a credit card scanner currently, and transactions must be made through the app. PayPal has several tiers of physical POS systems with card and chip readers depending on your needs, something Venmo can’t currently offer.
Paypal also issues debit cards tied to their accounts, which Venmo plans to offer in the future, according to their site.
Cost
Neither brand charges a monthly fee or early termination fee, making them both very attractive to merchants who make few or sparse transactions. While it can be difficult to gauge Venmo and Paypal’s direct cost difference on services Venmo doesn’t offer, we can look at QR-based transaction fees and costs. QR codes are most likely going to be the primary payment method for Venmo users, considering their lack of physical card readers. Venmo charges 1.9% + $0.10 per QR transaction, whereas Paypal is slightly more expensive at 2.29% + $0.09 per transaction. This percent difference comes with a lot of consumer protections on PayPal’s end. PayPal does offer several optional monthly services, such as added fraud protection for additional costs.
Pros & Cons
One of the biggest drawbacks to both services is the inability to automatically transfer funds to your bank. This might be the main distinguishing feature from a normal credit card processing company. While both companies make it easy for users to transfer funds to their bank in a few clicks, there is usually a delay of 1-3 days before the funds are released. PayPal in particular has received large amounts of complaints related to this delay, and it’s also where funds can get frozen for one reason or another.
While Venmo can typically take 1 to 3 business days to transfer money to a bank account for free, the company also has an instant transfer option. It allows merchants and other users to instantaneously transfer funds. However, a 1% fee is attached to these transfers, with a minimum of $0.25 and a maximum of $10. PayPal offers a similar service for 1% with no fee ceiling. These very small nuances can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars over the lifetime of using PayPal versus Venmo.
Both services offer a large amount of flexibility, and that seems to be the main attraction for merchants. While PayPal boasts one of the largest payment networks out there, Venmo can really shine as a low-maintenance and highly mobile payment platform. It’s also more accessible to users, allowing them to simply download the app to pay. While PayPal technically matches all these services on paper, the end-users and mobile market seem to prefer Venmo. We think there’s room for both services depending on a merchant’s needs; however, it will be interesting to watch the two brands trying to stay off of each other’s toes as Venmo steadily approaches merchant account territory.
We invite our readers to check out our Venmo review for more in-depth information.
PayPal Reviews and Complaints
Here's What Their Clients Say
Complaint Summary
|
Total Online Complaints
8000+
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Live Customer Support
Yes
|
Most Common Complaint
Fund Holds
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Millions of Users, Thousands of PayPal Complaints
The grade for this section is difficult to assign because of PayPal’s unique position in the credit card processing industry. Unlike traditional merchant accounts, virtually anyone can sign up for a PayPal account, and PayPal has over 100 million users. As one can imagine, PayPal has received thousands of customer reviews. The two types of complaints that are most common among actual business owners are of sudden account freezes that disable the merchant’s ability to accept further transactions and withdraw money, and poor experiences with customer service.
Moderate Risk of Fund Holds
Business owners who complain of funding holds often report difficulty in getting explanations as to why the hold was established. They also state that the money was held for long periods of time. Holds are a common practice in the credit card processing industry and are often used on “high-risk” merchants who would be better served by high-risk processing specialists. Many merchants do not transfer their PayPal funds on a daily basis, so days’ or weeks’ worth of sales can get locked up during an account freeze. However, holds and account freezes are never a problem for most merchants, even though there are quite a few reported cases online.
PayPal gives this notice when logging on to accounts with held funds.
PayPal Lawsuits
In 2017, PayPal was sued in the matter of Zepeda v. PayPal Inc., a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company had improperly handled disputed transactions, placed holds, reserves or limitations on customers’ accounts without notice, and closed merchant accounts without notice. The company agreed to pay a sum of over $4 million to plaintiffs who were part of the class action.
2021 saw a flurry of legal activity concerning PayPal. It began in February 2021, when the company announced that it was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
According to Bloomberg, “The SEC is investigating whether the swipe fees paid to the banks that issue PayPal’s debit cards are consistent with Federal Reserve guidelines, the San Jose, California-based company said Thursday in a quarterly regulatory filing. The agency is also investigating how PayPal reports marketing fees earned from its branded-card program. […] Separately, PayPal said it received a civil investigative demand from the CFPB in connection to the marketing and use of PayPal Credit in connection with merchants that provide educational services. The regulator asked PayPal to produce documents, written reports and answers to written questions. The company said it is cooperating.”
Following the announcement of this investigation, PayPal Inc. stock dropped significantly. This led to a bevy of class-action suits being announced against the company. With such heavy legal action underway against one of the world’s largest and most well-known payment processors, these cases are sure to set standards for the industry going forward.
PayPal Customer Service Options
PayPal offers several options for resolving customer service problems, including a phone helpline. The basic support line is open to all account types and appears to suffer from periodic long wait times and poor service. Merchants can get higher levels of customer support by paying either $159 per month for “13X7 Enhanced” support, or $495 per month for “24X7 Premium” support.
We have located multiple Paypal customer service numbers:
(888) 221-1161 – Toll Free General Customer Service
(402) 935-7733 – Report Unauthorized Transactions
(888) 914-8072 – Español
(402) 935-2050 – For customers calling from outside the US
Paypal does not offer a dedicated email support address, however it does offer live chat support through its website.
Average Service Overall
PayPal earns a “C” in this section because of the sheer volume of negative PayPal reviews filed online, but the company does a decent job of providing many customer service options and maintaining a small proportion of complaints in comparison to its user base.
PayPal BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
|
Product & Service Complaints
20,186
|
Billing & Collection Complaints
4,039
|
Advertising & Sales Complaints
605
|
|
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints
393
|
Delivery Complaints
755
|
Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.
More Than 25,000 Better Business Bureau Complaints
As of this review, PayPal is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and maintains a “B” rating despite having 25,978 complaints filed in the last 36 months. This is a massive increase from the 13,904 complaints at the time of our last review. Of the complaints, 20,186 are related to problems with the service, 4,039 with billing and collection, 605 with advertising and sales issues, 755 with delivery issues, and 393 have to do with guarantee or warranty complaints. Only 13,257 of these 25,978 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 12,721 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Merchants Say
The company has also received 2,182 informal PayPal reviews, with the vast majority being negative. Again, this is a massive uptick from the 1,551 when we last reviewed the company. However, many of these reviews are from customers, as opposed to merchants. One recent review from a merchant related to held funds and a poor customer service experience:
Worst outcome ever. Have been using ****** for transaction with a distributor of mine. I have had done numerous transactions with him over the last month. At least 4 of the transaction were 4 digits. Even single one of those transactions was flagged and held. Even after the first few cleared no problem. I’m not about to loose my largest clients and probably my business because of this….. the first time I understood. The second I was frustrated, the third I was mad and now I’m just done. And the support staff is of no help. My distributor can not even ca them and tell them to release it. Beyond ridiculous
Merchants should review their options for merchant accounts with a history of great customer service to avoid situations like this.
FTC Venmo Settlement
At the time of a previous update, the BBB had posted a note regarding a February 2018 settlement between PayPal and the FTC:
“The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with PayPal, Inc. over allegations that the company told users of its Venmo peer-to-peer payment service that money credited to their Venmo balances could be transferred to external bank accounts without adequately disclosing that the transactions were still subject to review and that funds could be frozen or removed.
In its complaint, the FTC also charges that Venmo misled consumers about the extent to which they could control the privacy of their transactions. In addition, Venmo misrepresented the extent to which consumers’ financial accounts were protected by “bank grade security systems,” and violated the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act’s Safeguards and Privacy Rules, the complaint alleges.”
Although we consider Venmo one of the best mobile apps for sending money, it is clear that it faces some of the same criticisms as its parent company.
A “C” Performance So Far
The BBB justifies its rating by citing the length of time PayPal has been in business, the complaint volume versus PayPal’s size, the company’s response to complaints, the rate of resolution of those complaints, and the fact that the BBB has sufficient background information on PayPal. Based on PayPal’s complaint count, resolution ratio, and size, we are adjusting this section’s rating to a “C” for the purposes of this review.
PayPal Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
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Flat Rate (Online)
2.9% + $0.30 Inside US/4.4% + $0.30 Outside US
|
Flat Rate (In Store)
2.7% + $0.30 Inside US/4.2% + $0.30 Outside US
|
Non-Profit Rate
2.2% + $0.30 Inside US/3.7% + $0.30 Outside US
|
|
Monthly Fee
$0
|
Early Termination Fee
$0
|
PCI Compliance Fee
$0
|
PayPal’s Merchant Services
In this section, only PayPal fees, rates, and contract terms associated with accepting credit card payments are being considered. We will not be covering personal accounts in this review, nor will we be assessing PayPal’s value as an eBay payment method.
Basic Merchant Setup (aka: PayPal Payments Standard)
This account type does not allow business owners to enter credit card data manually using their computers but does allow for customers to buy products by credit card through a merchant’s website. If a merchant has set up a PayPal Here account, they can accept credit cards directly through the mobile app. For customers looking for an easy way to accept online payments, PayPal offers this basic setup with a few advantages over traditional merchant accounts.
Basic Merchant Pricing
PayPal Standard comes with no setup cost, no monthly fee, no time commitment, no PCI Compliance fee, and no cancellation fee. PayPal Payments Standard allows merchants to easily accept payments through their websites using “buy now,” “add to cart,” and “donate” buttons as well as recurring payments from other PayPal users ($10 monthly fee). This account is also compatible with most popular shopping carts. One of the disadvantages is that the customer must leave the merchant’s website and be redirected to PayPal to complete the transaction, which can reduce conversion rates and confuse customers. With no monthly fees, PayPal credit card acceptance does come at a higher-than-average processing rate. As of this review, PayPal Payments Standard charges 2.7% plus $0.30 for all domestic in-store transactions, 2.9% plus $0.30 for all domestic online transactions, 4.2% plus $0.30 on all international in-store transactions, and 4.4% plus $0.30 on all international online transactions. Businesses registered as 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporations receive a discounted rate from PayPal of 2.2% plus $0.30 per transaction domestically and 3.7% plus $0.30 for international transactions.
Transferring from PayPal Merchant Accounts to Bank Accounts
Transfers made to bank accounts from PayPal will be deposited on the next business day. Merchants using PayPal can also transfer their balances to a bank account instantly. Instant transfers do have limits of $50,000 per transaction, $100,000 per day, $250,000 per week, and $500,000 per month. Each instant transfer is subject to a 1% fee which may not exceed $10.
Advanced Merchant Setup (aka: PayPal Payments Advanced)
The next account up from the standard account allows merchants to keep the entire checkout process on their own site. Like PayPal Payments Standard, merchants cannot enter credit card data themselves, but they do get all the same features as the basic setup and can control the user experience throughout the entire online sales process. The PayPal Payments Advanced rates are the same as PayPal Payments Standard, but there is a $5 monthly fee. PayPal also offers additional services for data handling, PCI compliance, and customer support, but these come at extra costs.
Professional Setup (aka: PayPal Payments Pro)
PayPal Payments Pro comes with all of the same features as PayPal Payment Standard and PayPal Payment Advanced but with two extra features. The first feature allows for custom design and self-hosting of the checkout page, which is primarily of interest to high-volume e-commerce retailers and web developers who want full control over the checkout process. Merchants who are interested in this process can also consider using one of the top merchant accounts for web developers.
A Virtual Terminal Option
With the second extra feature of the Pro account, PayPal offers a virtual terminal for merchants who need to enter credit card data themselves for face-to-face transactions and/or mail orders and telephone orders. Merchants who wish to use this service will need to go through an extra application process even if they already have a PayPal account. It takes about 48 hours to find out if you have been approved for a virtual terminal account. Generally speaking, the cost for this service is fairly high in comparison to the best virtual terminals and merchant account providers. In addition to a $30 per month fee, PayPal Payments Pro merchants will pay the following fees:
- 2.9% plus $0.30 per domestic transaction through their websites
- 3.9 plus a fixed fee per international transaction through their websites
- 3.1% plus $0.30 per domestic transaction through the virtual terminal
- 4.4% plus a fixed fee per international transaction through the virtual terminal
- 3.5% per American Express transaction
Volume discounts may also be available on an individual basis. PayPal also has a “micropayment” fee of 5% + $0.05 for transactions under $10.
Virtual Terminal Swiped vs. Keyed
Even though PayPal’s virtual terminal merchants can use an optional credit card reader that plugs into nearly any computer, the processing rates appear to be the same for swiped and keyed transactions through PayPal’s virtual terminal. This is unusual because nearly all other merchant account providers offer lower processing fees for swiping a credit card through a reader.
PayPal Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
|
Employs Independent Resellers
No
|
Advertises Deceptive Rates
No
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Discloses All Important Terms
Yes
|
Full Pricing Disclosure
PayPal scores well in this section because the company does not use independent sales agents or misleading sales tactics. The company clearly outlines its pricing on its website and does not alter its fees for each individual seller. In many ways, PayPal has become a household name and stands out in a crowded field of e-commerce payment processing options. The company’s policies and pricing are transparent and easily understandable for anyone who takes the time to read them.
PayPal Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
PayPal Is Best For New Ventures & E-Commerce
PayPal offers credit card processing and merchant services similar to traditional processors. Numerous PayPal reviews complain of poor customer support and communication regarding the company’s policies. PayPal is a huge company and in some circles has a bad reputation. In spite of this, the company remains one of the best options for easily accepting electronic payments and continues to gain popularity. PayPal is comparable in cost to many traditional merchant account setups but is much more expensive than merchant accounts under the Interchange Pass-through pricing model. Although PayPal has a lot of complaints, most of them are due to the fact that even the most inexperienced and naïve business owners can set up an account in a matter of minutes without understanding of PayPal is truly the best option for them. Overall, PayPal is a solid choice for very small businesses and new ventures who want to accept credit card payments with no commitments. PayPal can also be offered as an additional payment option alongside a normal merchant account and payment gateway setup.
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Gennaro N Luce
PayPal MC Credit Card is bad.
Made early payment, Held funds for 14 days, did not apply to card as payment and froze remaining credit because of my early payment. I filed a formal complaint with my State’s Attorney General.
Had I know PayPal moved their corporate headquarters to Beijing, China and is using/enforcing communism rule to control my freedom to pay my bill early, I would have never opened this credit card account.
Canceling both PayPal Credit Card and payment services. I recommend we all send a message!
Wayne
Yes he is such a confusing site you try to cancel I spent three or four hours trying to figure that out. At times I’ll send a payment three times because she hasnt’ received and you look at your transfer on your phone and it still says pay now so you pay again they don’t tell you if anybody picked it up it just say received but then I’ll check my bank account online and the money has been taken out three times sometimes she received once sometimes nothing at Western Union they send you a message and tell you if the person picked it up I’ve been ripped for thousands and thousands from PayPal and I don’t know how to get the money back the one lady in the states she said if it says complete nothing you can do about it she said you got to talk to the recipient and get them the phone PayPal and put it in there complaint so the recipient couldn’t get through on the phone and sent a message about the money she’s not receiving she never heard from them again I have sent messages and talk to people with no answers all they have to tell me is if the money was picked up they must know that and if the money wasn’t picked up and shouldn’t be taken out of my bank happened hundreds of times last couple years what can I do I can’t afford a lawyer I asked him to investigate it and refund my money never heard back
wayne Darrell smith
I have been using PayPal for a couple years now man have I ever got ripped off. I live in Canada and I help out a poor family out in the Philippines yeah absolutely no money you don’t get nothing free there no medical woman I mostly help has three babies and she has leukemia even when I go to the hospital they won’t let you go go out unless you pay first how do you pay if you got no money they beg on the streets for food so I transferred money to her all the time it’s usually an emergency so when I transfer money and it doesn’t seem to go through there’s no way of knowing you don’t tell you if it was picked up it takes over an hour and she still hasn’t got it from the store where she picks it up I send it again sometimes I’ll do it three or four times the same amount of money. But afterwards I noticed even if she didn’t get the money the money was coming out of my bank account using my Visa debit never got a refund must be tens of thousands of dollars I’ve lost they don’t tell you nothing they just take it and the only way I can tell is I look up my my banking record it’s hard as hell and confusing to try to cancel cancel transfer I’ve tried to get help they don’t tell you nothing seems okay I want to know how I get all that money back tens of thousands of dollars I don’t know what to do and still goes on if the woman doesn’t receive the money they still say receive if she doesn’t get the money it still comes out of my bank I’m getting ripped off and get a lawyer but I can’t afford that right now
Tori
Just received card statement. Over $450 of bogus transactions. Come to find out it was through PayPal. I have no account and never had one. So their solution was for me to give them my card information. Talk about scammers. That’s my two cents. Good luck
Ivette
PayPal should not be in business, this company is a fraud. If you purchase something and pay via PayPal and if you return what you purchased to the merchant, PayPal is keeping your refund, merchant refunds the money to them and in turn they have to return it to you (bad news; they are not giving back your money, they keep it) you cannot speak to a human being, they make it impossible. You chat with an agent in India, he comes back saying they already refunded your money, you don’t have the money in your account, they ask you to send a letter to their offices in Nebraska, asking for a proof that they refunded your money….this is ridiculous, they have access to your account and they can clearly see they have not refunded your money to your account. They are ripping people off, nobody is stopping them.
John
PayPal recently changed their site and all stored banking information was removed. I have tried to link my bank account for the last 2 months but I receive a message saying they are unable to link my bank at this time. I called customer support and the girl answered and said thank you for calling Amazon. So, PayPal and Amazon are both using the same Indian call center for customer service. After being verified thru the automated system, I am asked for my email address and phone number by the foreign service rep. I told them they should have it on their screen since I had already been verified thru the system. They said they do not see the information. I have asked to be transferred to the American customer service and when they do, the line is usually disconnected after sitting on hold for a few minutes. Sometimes, the rep will say they have no way of transferring my call to the American customer service department. I called another customer service number that is listed as the American service center but have been on hold for 10 minutes.
Joshua
I agree with that and hope that the class action lawsuit can be made against them because I am out over a couple thousand dollars now and have just now found that out on another card that I had to H&R Block where I have about 100 different transactions anywhere from 400 to the lowest of $15 about 100 times so I agree and hope we can get a
Mr.DavidDewayneRobinson
Transferring from PayPal Merchert Account to Bank Accounts..How can I Deport to a can Visa NetSpend card account. I have a rounting and account number.
Scot
I have now received two emails from Pay Pal saying that I have bought things and will be charged within 24 hours if not cancel order. The first order was for guns at an armory. I do not own guns and have no license. The 2nd scam email was for a $379.99 gaming system that I did not purchase. I talked to a Rachel who said I would need 15-20 minutes to fix the problem. I was on the phone for 1hr 33minutes and then 1hr 29 minutes and did not get the problem resolved. Instead Rachel talked me into buying a $500 vanilla visa prepaid card. After spending $504.94 on the card, Something else that was weird was she did not want me talking to anyone in the store and I had to go outside if I had any questions. I still did not get the problem resolved and I am out $504.94. I have been scammed twice and I never use PayPal. It is tied into a crypto scam which I believe they are a part of. Oh, and the kicker is, she called me back and said that did not work. This will only take 15-20 minutes. I need you to get another $500 vanilla card so you can get your $16,000 back from Crypto scam another $1272 and the $504.94 you just lost.
Yvonne Rose
I love my PayPal account…The only thing I dont understand is the charitable accounts with other countries, ,I notice alot of people will donate to them. But dont donate to our own PEOPLE IN NEED!!!!
Halle
A while ago me and my boyfriend used paypal to send one another money and that’s how we would pay rent. One of us would send money to the other with paypal and then put our rent payment through one of our bank accounts directly online. I sent him the few hundred I owed for rent and it didn’t send. I tried again and then it sent. However it then sent the payment 2 times without taking both out of my account, so we waited 2 weeks to see the attempt and we’d send them the money or whatever. After that amount of time nothing happened and no communication about it was sent to us so we forgot about it. Well another couple weeks later they then put my paypal account as negative and told us we had to pay it to use the account. They literally waited WELL over the time they should have to contact us. I even tried calling the customer service number a few times to ask about it and nothing. I will never use paypal ever again because of this. You can’t use something connected to your money if you don’t trust it.
BZY63
I ordered on line using PAYPAL. Part of the charge was using my card’s rewards and the rest to the card. This happened in January. Because of an issue with he online order, I called the merchant and they cancelled the entire order the very same day. Within an hour if not less. In fact the order is still “processing” on the PAYPAL website. PAYPAL knows this but has not refunded me my money. The credit card did let the charge to the card drop off but I am still missing my rewards reimbursement from PAYPAL. I learned my lesson. Do not use your rewards on PAYPAL. I have removed any cards associated from my PAYPAL account and will close my account as soon as this gets settled.
Melissa Rauh
Did u ever get your money and rewards? I had the same thing PayPal held my $800 for 21 days, but claimed to not have it. They said the merchant had it. After a lot calls back and forth, a lot of stress and no answers. Finally on the 21st day I was refunded by PayPal. After undue stress and wasted hours and hours trying to locate my “lost” money, I was pissed and refuse to use them anymore!
Rollen trahan
8001 add me to the list you let get taken by lokeeta you knew better. The more I read about these fake web site I know I will lose my money now. Never will see any boots they show on other company web site.
Kathy
Dont even bother to use paypal they are worst company to use for your financial.they are not trustworthy at all.
Michael Tretola
BEWARE! Hands down, worst financial institution! Very rare do I badmouth businesses. It takes a lot for me to write a bad review. Last week, I went to the self car wash in town to wash my beautiful Cadillac (Samantha). Our car wash has 8 different settings (water, soap, salt remover, wax etc etc). I pull my car in, slide my PayPal card and begin to wash. Ohhhh no, soaps not working/ heyyyyyy wax isn’t working/ wait a minute, the only thing that works is water. I took a video to show the car wash and left. Next day, I saw I was billed 10.81. I dispute it with PayPal and just got a letter saying it’s denied. Clearly states that a dispute would be paid If the “item” wasn’t as described. This is per PayPal’s terms. I don’t understand what these fu&king idiots are doing in the dispute department. Hellllllo, the self car wash says it has 8 different modes where I’d go in order to wash my car. Water/ I repeat water / f&cking idiot…. Water is the only thing that came out. Wouldn’t that be considered, item not as described. I have video. I’ll get this money one way or another from PayPal. Check your records from 14 years back…. PayPal upset me and I get away with almost 5k (statue of limitation is up). Stop contracting your customer service and other departments over seas. Mark my words, I’ll get this money and extra for my trouble. Pieces of shit.
Danny
PayPal provides no customer service and does not value their customers. I have had my account for over 2 years and deal with the same businesses. The same businesses have sent payments at least every 2 weeks for these two years. All of a sudden they change a policy that says funds from one PayPal account to another takes 7-10 days to process. I’ve had more headaches with PayPal then it’s worth! I would strongly advise anyone considering PayPal for anything to find a different company!
Danny
PayPal provides no customer service and does not value their customers. I’ve had more headaches with PayPal then it’s worth! I would strongly advise anyone considering PayPal for anything to find a different company!
Johnny Rivera
PAyPal did not pay the vendor for my purchase (never shipped) and did not refunded me. They kept the money.
Concerned PayPal user
PayPal is the worst. As a buyer, they already have my name, my address, phone and Social, which I don’t like. Just to Login the site asks personal identity questions or you can receive a text with a Security Code, which I can’t because cell phones don’t work here. Finally when I got someone on the phone (it’s like pulling teeth) they must be taking deep dives into people’s personal info because he asked me about property owned. I got mad and he then told me I must enter all the info the site asks for or I can’t access my account. I have not had to do this before. I asked him if they could send the code to my E-Mail since they send to people’s phones and he says they can’t because someone could be in my house accessing my E-Mail. Ridiculous, since they could also have someone’s phone.
JEFF FLATHAU
Pay Pal is the WORST COMPANY I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. WE USE THEM FOR OUR CREDIT CARD PROCESSING ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE HAVE HAD ABOUT 16 CHARGES THAT THEY LET PROCESS THROUGH THEIR SYSTEM. WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER VIEWING THE CUSTOMER CREDENTIALS, WELL PEOPLE ARE USING STOLEN CREDIT CARDS TO PURCHASE ON OUR WEBSITE AND PAY PAL IS LETTING THAT ORDER PROCESS. THE ACTUAL PERSON THAT OWNS THE CARD DOES A CHARGE BACK AFTER WE SHIPPED THE ITEM THAT WAS PURCHASED. PAY PAL SAYS THEY FIGHT FOR US BUT COMES BACK AND STATES THAT THE CUSTOMERS FINANCIAL INSTITUTION HAS DECIDED IN THE CARD OWNERS FAVOR SO WE LOST THE MONEY FOR THE PRODUCT THAT WAS SHIPPED TO THE IDIOT THAT STOLE THE CARD AND PAY PAL LET IT PROCESS AND NOW PAYPAL TAKES THE MONEY BACK OUT OF OUR ACCOUNT. PAY PAL SHOULD PAY THIS NOT US AS THEY LET THE CARD PROCESS STATING IT WAS A LEGITIMENT SALE. WHAT A JOKE PAY PAL IS…..
MICHAEL
I have noticed that I was deducted money directly from my account by Paypal. Unfortunately, I have no idea about those payment, because my Paypal account has been permanently limited from April even after I provided all the documents they requested, including the logistics. I tried to call Paypal to find out the reason, but things are not disclosed clearly and the only useful information I got from Paypal was that my account was in violation. And Paypal refused to provide more information and evidence regarding this “violation” when I asked for.
Edward Goforth
Paypal blocked my account for selling gun parts. The only notice I got was Paypal made changes in their rules, They did not spell out the changes. You are suppose to read entire set of rules which I did not. They said they could hold the money in my account for 180 days, shortly before the 180 day were up they took my money $3781, said it was for damages. Well ebay, amazon and craig’s list allow the sale of gun parts and it hasn’t damaged their companies. The amount is to small for an individual law suit. If they did this to a number of dealers perhaps a class action law suit could be made.
Mark Beyder
Beware! PayPal has stolen my money! There are tens of thousands of complaints against PayPal and several class actions suits. What they are doing is wrong and should be punishable by law! Do not use PayPal or they may steal your money too! Demand justice!
Debbie Saint
i paid $50.70 for package from Russia. Package was Hand delivered to me while i was out of the state!!! customs form says package weighed less than an envelope. seller sent an envelope with tracking number…now says delivered…and Paypal won’t do anything because tracking say delivered. customs form was not signed…not accepted by postal clerk. weight was less than 3 ounces. My purchase was WELL over 3 ounces AND she sent as a GIFT. $50.70 and i got NOTHING. I don’t even know who else to complain to. just sending sale of goods as gift is illegal. she won’t send receipt, signed customs form, invoice, or signature of who signed for it. She won’t send anything and now paypal wants me to file a police report – with no information.
Jesse
After 20 years of business and nearly half a million dollars in transactions, I’m DONE with PayPal for ONE reason. GREED. Thankfully I caught this with only about $100 in losses.
“If you refund a payment for goods or services, there are no fees to issue the refund, but the fees you originally paid as the seller are NOT returned to you. The amount of the refunded payment will be deducted from your PayPal account.”
Taken right from their website. Search Help: REFUND FEES
What does that mean to your bottom line? You lose out on TWICE the cost of processing fee. The fee that PayPal keeps + the extra money out of your account to cover the difference of the processing fee that PayPal kept. That’s $10 processing charge will now cost you $20 when you refund it.
Bruce
Paypal for business account created in 2016 to accept credit card payments for engineering services from a couple of industrial customers.
Fees a little high, but acceptable and invoicing and payments worked fine until today.
Logged in, sent an invoice to a customer I have sent invoices to in the past few years with no issues. Sent the invoice, customer received and paid the invoice. I received notification that payment was made, logged in and $1800 of my $2100 payment is on hold for 21 days, because I had not used my account for over a year. Called Paypal and they said it is for my protection. Invoice was for a service trip, so no tracking etc. Minimum of 48 hour hold if I want to ask my customer to acknowledge completion. Them choosing to pay the invoice should be acknowledgement enough.
Will be closing my account as soon as I get my funds released in 3 weeks!
Teresa Allen
PayPal has f***** me for the last time two years ago it was $4,300 now this year so far it’s 1,000….
David M Richard
PayPal is doing nothing to stop fraudulent sellers who leverage the PayPal brand and button to get you to buy. Nothing I bought was delivered to me and when I complained they did nothing to resolve it. Warning to other consumers – find an alternative to PayPal. My credit card would have been a better choice.
Gigi Alexander
PayPal doesn’t care about it’s Fraudulent vendors. More scams have occurred using PayPal than any other payment form online. STEER CLEAR IF PAYPAL. USE ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT
Wayne
We’ve been accepting online payments through PayPal on our website for years now! Barely even think about it any more; it’s pretty much seamless.
Tracey Banta
I have not been able to get onto my account in two months. I keep calling and they say it’s not them. As I ask for more people to talk to it’s then that they say we are having verification code errors. Still not fixed. As soon as it’s paid off I’m closing account. What business let’s this go on for so long!!!!
Matt Terry
Hey guys, I am Matt , I was able to make the sum of 15,000 Dollars plus from Premiumtoolsaid.com. They Provide a safe and legit services, they funded my paypal account when I was stranded and seriously in need of money, a good friend of mine introduced me to their site and they are extremely legit, I was shocked when the transaction turned out successful .
Patricia Spalding
Ive ordered over $200 dollars worth of product paid through you. You obviously support scam and fake websites. Filing a complaint with BBB.
John Balough
Pay Pal should be investigated for dubious business practices! I will never do business again with any company that is affiliated with PayPal. They said that I received my order because the tracking number from UPS said that I indeed receive it . The tracking was from Amazon.My order was not with Amazon. The tracking parcel name or address was was not mine. UPS informed me of this and the tracking message included the weight of the parcel was .70 pounds. The weight of my ordered computer weighs 4.3 pounds. All this information was made available to PayPal. Yet they determined my complaint had no merit and declined my request for money to be refunded.
David Lee
paypal’s service is utter garbage. I say it that way as their increadably bad reputation is well deserved. I recently had my account closed with no warning and no explanation.. There was no suspect activity, excessive claims, { NO claims to be exact} . Multiple emails were ignored as were most phone calls. When I did speak to somone
I recorded the converstaion, advising them that I was doing so { I will post at some point} but basically they said that they were closing my account and would not say why. They reffered me to their terms of service which I went through closely and there was absolutely no trangressions.
River
My identity has been stolen and it has ruined literally the early part of my 30s on and after a lot of digging and contacting credit bureaus and all of that I’m trying to get on track. I say that to say this, I have files of emails that came to my inbox and many who look like they were sent from me, I had nothing to do with those emails they were fraudulent. This has cost me so much money I’m 50 years old disabled he don’t even have a home. So as I was going through thousands of emails that’s how the files came around, I could not keep up with that the credit bureau showed me daily there a hard hits on my credit for stupid credit cards they have given me a ton of different names birthdates addresses name it. When I saw that I had an active PayPal account and that there had been no notifications although every single month they were sending me a statement I have so many photographs. These people all of these people that do this are vile evil individuals because they have harmed myself and my children so terribly.no trust
Billy Shipley
I’m not an expert now you had a lot of practice with a PayPal but I’ve always heard they was good to business with I haven’t got no complaints
Samantha Danes
Just letting everyone know PayPal has wrongfully put “permanent limitation” on my account!!! And they won’t give me money for 180 days!!! All I did was create the account and try to ge my payment from a freaking customer!!!!! I wasn’t able to do ANYTHING so I couldn’t have done anything it was already blocked!! So apparently I can no longer do business with paypal and they will not let me take down my bank information either!!! They tell me it can’t be reversed and will not look into it anymore!! AND NOW THEY BLOCKED ME because I was sharing this information with their Facebook page! And this is for my business I will be making sure nobody I know ever uses PayPal again .
Gary J Dixon
I hate PayPal You will lose a lot of business to Stripe with your sorry ass ratings and numerous customer complaints! Read them PayPal idiots
Misty stephenson
Paypal closed my account on falsely reasons.
I have to withdraw 300 every week to pay rent when they sern that they closed my account the same week of my bday in aug.
I feel they should reopen my account and not accuse there clients on suspisous activity.
Nathaniel M Jones
I purchased a washing machine from Home Depot in February 2021. The company informed me that the purchase didn’t get paid. I reordered the washing machine and this time I used my PayPal account.
Prior to the delivery I became aware that I was being billed for two machines. I called PayPal to have one of the charges reversed. The agent that answered the phone informed me that he was going to relay my call to a specialist. The call was then transferred to the specialist.
The specialist had me hit some keys on my tablet and then had me pull up my bank account. He told me that I needed to go to BestBuy to purchase a $500.00 gift card. I inquired why that was necessary. I was told it was necessary because PayPal wanted to be sure the funds would be credited to the correct account. I told the agent that I was not able to get a $500.00 gift card. I also told him that I was not able to drive all the way to BestBuy. He asked what store was near enough for me to drive to. I told him that there was a Target store nearby. After I purchased the gift card I was told to scratch off the back of the card. Then I was told to take a picture of the the code that had been uncovered. Thereafter I was told that the charges and the gift card would be credited to my account that week.
I never got the gift card money back. I traced the card and was able to determine the card had been used in Texas.
I contacted PayPal to inquire about the money for the gift card. I was told that my story didn’t make sense because PayPal agents would never ask me to buy a gift card. After trying to make the person understand that in fact the reality is that I had been ripped off by an employee of PayPal. I explained that I am a disabled senior citizen and a disabled veteran, Eventually I was offered $100.00 to compensate me for my $300.00 loss.
I feel like PayPal should have taken the necessary steps to rid their company of the thieve . I know that the company could make the determination as to who I spoke with that day. A bad apple can quickly ruin the entire basket.
Shelly
I ordered some Cricut supplies on a website and PayPal just popped up and it was almost required you to use it. I got notice from the seller saying my order was shipped. I tried to emailed the seller, nothing. I filed complaints to both. USPS told me it wasn’t even shipped to the correct address (suggesting it was a scam). She said it had happend to her. After all PayPals reasearch they told me my complaint was denied because it had been delivered. I wrote back and told them I would be leaving this review and never use it agin. I’m out $91.00 and have to spend even more through Amazon knowing their track record is about 99.9% I will recieve the product.
Martin
I find it hard to believe they are still in business, almost every transaction I’ve had with them has been a problem. It’s hard to believe. They don’t want to give me my own money. And when they take the hold off, I can’t send it to anyone. They say I can, but it doesn’t work. Terrible awful place, I try never to do business with them
GREG D>
Paypal locked my account for 180 days for no reason. We need another class action lawsuit. In the early 2000’s they did the same thing and lost.I guess they did not learn. DO NOT USE PAYPAL. THEY ARE LEGAL CROOKS> GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOUL FOR HURTING CONSUMERS. MAY THE BURN IN THE FLAMES THEY ARE STARTING.
ANDREW
Good day !I am so excited today because, two months ago My bank account details was compromised from the bank data ,about $28,,000.00 was transferred out of my account. Bank fraud was said to be the cause, and the squad in charge of fraud is investigating .I was told it will take some days to trace the money, I might not get it all back. I took it upon myself by doing an underground investigation by hiring GX ,whom I found their email ([email protected]) by accident, while I was searching on Bing for something else.I would just like to say cheers to a marvelous fund retrieval and bring justice by revealing the identity of the bank staff who connived with another hacker to steal customers money through the help of GX in 24hours..The culprit has been handed to the police for further investigation as he claims he has been doing it for 2 years plus.
Scott Troy Britton
And I got proof that I just barely opened up my email because I don’t know it when it was sent and then when I open it said Scott you already have an account that’s valid and no need for being validated buy and carry on as you always will and that was from 2 days ago but also knowing went out of have an email also that I opened and the shit that I had said I need further validating and that meant I had to validate who and what was going to be the schedule of when they’re coming over to install and also validating which account am I using and where am I going to get the pickup and validating for me memes that I understand that it’s coming because it’s has confusion on it that means it has places where people cannot interfere with my products or my packaging I mean it goes that means it comes in different routes with different labels and that’s part of the confusion the same that I need to validate it
Scott Troy Britton
The federal arbitration right now and I don’t need to have the DMV I don’t need to have Adobe I don’t need to have all those shit I already have them and it’s me myself and I is the one who makes all decisions now let’s do it my thought is is it on paying you you better go the fuck I am and you listen to me when I say it the first fucking time motherfuker
Jeffrey
PayPal is full o f shit on there 100% GUARANTEE U GET UR PACKAGE.I Never received mine filled a complaint they said the business sent it to me which I never got and the place gave them a tracking number I try to look into.the tracking number and when u first type it in it say deliver but when u try for more detail it say this in not a real tracking number. So some how those ppl figure out how to scam ppl and I told PayPal this I told them someone there should do there job a little better cause it was just one click of the mouse and it said that tracking number was no good but did they care. Not at all . Yhey said it was delivered and that was that so much for the 100% GUARANTEE there just like.the ppl that scam me they should both pay PayPal didn’t even try to stand behind there GUARANTEE there just a bunch on crooks that don’t care I paid for a 80 inch TV I never got I think PayPal should send.me.rhat 80 inch Samsung TV cause.it there fault for.being lazy and.not.doing there job
chris
Paypal says the disputed package was shipped to me simply because they have a tracking number. So what.? If they call fedex they will tell them the package, that is shown by paypal and the ebay sale as mine, was shipped to someone in my city, but not to me and not to my address. The ebay page shows it was delivered to an address with a different postal code. The fedex site says some guy named C.Macandrew signed for the package, not me. Yet paypal wants to say the package is delivered. Time for a round of complaints to the regulators and a trip to the local courthouse to launch a private prosecution against everyone involved for ignoring the obvious and thinking they can move proceeds of crime around without any criminal liability. All you sellers want to complain but when I’m done I will have the legislation changed so disputes are automatically clawed back to the bank until the banks investigation is complete. Paypal can not be trusted, they did not even want to look at the evidence I had. They just hung up on me.
Smitty
PayPal are scammers will lock your account for no reason and keep your money there’s thieves. Now they have started Venmo so beware PayPal owns Venmo
Laurie Beaulieu
Ok how in the world can 1.2 MILLION complaints against PayPal (on just a single website) be ignored by the attorney general, FTC, and the whole government! Why are they still in business! They have been sited in US court cases year after year after year! When will this stop, who is going to do something about this????????? They have complaints all over the internet, just unbelievable, but sadly true, so many people damaged by them. Please stop them……
Latifa
I bought a shoe from “X” company. I was prompt to use paypal. Normally I do not use paypal. Don’t trust them. So, I bought the shoe, paid using paypal. FIVE days later I found out that the company I bought the shoe from, “X”, was just a scam. So, I filed a dispute. That was FIVE DAYS later.
Paypal said that the merchandise was delivered, and they were not responsible for lost merchandise.
Paypal took the money, I don’t know what they did with it, and said that I got the merchandise.
According to “PAYPAL”, and what paypal provided my credit card company with, the merchandise went to another state. The shipping address I provided was in Massachusetts, an the merchandise was “delivered” to Arizona. Paypal new that.
And that’s not all, Paypal came up with a “merchant” that I never bought anything from. I bought the shoe from “X” company and Paypal had a name of a company that does not even sell shoes. That does not sell anything. It was offices based in the USA, and USA only.
It also says that the package was shipped from China, while the company they came up with does not exist in China.
My point here is Paypal, comes up with fake companies, basically with scams, they take the payment, and you NEVER see your merchandise nor your MONEY.
It’s just a way for paypal to make extra money on the side.
DO NOT TRUST PAYPAL, EVER, AND MAKE SURE WHAT YOU’RE BUYING COMES FROM A LEGIT COMPANY.