Paypal decides I'm a thief and keeps money?

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by hayhayday

Not sure, purchases 100% legit using my credit card which has been paid in full, no chargebacks or issues. Items were dell laptops and tablets purchased from outlet being sold around 70% of new retail as they were refurbished (fully disclosed),

I would be making enquiries about your source of items., ie this outlet store.

There is your weak link.

[BigCJ]

Sounds like the outlet might be to blame...
Wouldnt be surprised if their account has been limited too.

[glacier922]

You think it was linked thru service tag number being reported? Or was it just PayPal being dumb?

[goth]

contact paypal and tell them you bought it legally

[jeffweico]

I don't know how anyone can sell legitimate Dell merchandise for 70% off, even refurbished merchandise.

Greenie is right, you need to investigate your distributor. If anyone who has touched these computers before they reached the OP used a stolen credit card to buy the merchandise, law enforcement could have traced the serial numbers. I'm not sure what information may be sent to Dell when you first start using their computers, but it seems to me like the serial number or another identifier flagged them. Again, this is just SPECULATION on my part.

It - quite frankly - could also be PayPal. They have a way of never giving any specific information about this type of stuff, just the general overview. Mistakes have been made by them in the past.

If this is the OP's original non-stealth account, then I would recommend contacting a lawyer. It sounds like he/she is an innocent party caught up in all of this. If that is true, then it would be a shame for him/her to lose the money - it's a big hit to take for doing nothing wrong.

[JamesNorth101]

OP - It may also be worth talking to your credit card company.

If it turns out the items are stolen then the outlet is to blame, in which case your credit card company may be able to help you out with the original purchases.

[user3657]

What about licensing that was included for the OS? Did it have a COA on the back of the computer(if it was a name brand, it would). There are many situations where Microsoft will cry counterfeit due to their licensing agreement.

If someone was having problems activating windows, I dont know why you wouldnt get any emails or chargebacks etc.

[xxbossman111]

i thought they can only hold your money for a 180 days

[BigCJ]

Unfortunately, this is paypal. The rules change whenever its convenient for them.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by xxbossman111

i thought they can only hold your money for a 180 days

Sighs.

paypal may do what they want with funds.

Each case will differ.

It is difficult to generalize.

Under their T&S, paypal have managed to infer they may even hold funds for ever should they see fit.

[slapped]

This is the CRAZIEST thread that I have EVER Read,,,DON'T tell me that if the Merchandise being sold was 100% Legit, that QUICK Phone call to Paypal would not result in some type of procedure to get the account fixed,,,,and if that does not get it done Im SURE that a Quick call to their Legal Dept will ge some results,,and if Paypal is as essential to the OP's business as he states, then Im quite sure that it would be worth his while to hire a lawyer who will SURELY get results,,,,

[Toolman89]

Originally Posted by xxbossman111

i thought they can only hold your money for a 180 days

I had one limited from going over the $1000 Australian Drug & Terrorist rule or whatever (every Paypal account in oz that hits 1k gets limited and asked for id). I've had 2 before for the exact same thing that were released after 180 days. This one, however... after 200 days I contacted them and they refused to give me my money until I submitted the documents. I contacted the ombudsman and they told them the same thing. They can legally use that rule as a way to steal your money even if there's zero doubt the money is actually being used for drugs or terrorism.

Eventually I did get the money back after sending in documents but they can definitely hold on to your money in that circumstance.

[joesshooze]

I am not a lawyer but I would think that if OP supplied pp with paid credit card statements for the merch. in question that would solve the problem.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by Toolman89

I had one limited from going over the $1000 Australian Drug & Terrorist rule or whatever (every Paypal account in oz that hits 1k gets limited and asked for id). I've had 2 before for the exact same thing that were released after 180 days. This one, however... after 200 days I contacted them and they refused to give me my money until I submitted the documents. I contacted the ombudsman and they told them the same thing. They can legally use that rule as a way to steal your money even if there's zero doubt the money is actually being used for drugs or terrorism.

Eventually I did get the money back after sending in 'documents' but they can definitely hold on to your money in that circumstance.

Austrailian PP vs US PP have some slight policy differences

[hayhayday]

dell's outlet on dell's website and selling for 70% (eg 30% off) not 70% off. Stealth account otherwise I would would do more. When I gave them a call I was shrugged off and told they had proof and the decision was final. I think a lawyer would run more than 2.5k so not sure what options left, if it was just the 180 day hold that would be fine but seems they are keeping it. What's odd is that the funds are still in the account when I login, if they were really using it to compensate the "victims" then it should be gone and seems they are just keeping it.

one of invoices for doubters

[slapped]

^^^^^^^^^

I do NOT understand why you are making your case here,,,Make it to Paypal,,,Call Them, Give them all that you have, Blocking out the Name, ect, ect, and see where it goes,,,Remember those items have UNIQUE Serial Numbers, so you may indeed have some proof that the Unit sold was purchased from Dell with the use of the Serials,,make your case to them, NOT Us,,if you get the right Paypal Rep,,,Who Knows, you just might pull it off

[BiN4RY]

If your purchases are legitimate, you should be contact Paypal ASAP with your evidences that you are indeed the owner of the card and has made the purchases legally. Be prepared to submit documents and IDs though, they most likely will be asking for them if they decide to investigate.

[Lolitax]

Originally Posted by hayhayday

Limited 3 months back waiting out the 180 days(all legit sales of electronics, delivered, no claims) when I get this:

Dear XXX,
We have reviewed your PayPal account activity and determined that you are in violation of the PayPal User Agreement and the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy.

Your PayPal account activity and buyer reports indicate the merchandise sold through this account was acquired through illegal means. Specifically, this merchandise was purchased using a credit or debit card that you didn’t have authorization to use. As a result, your account has been permanently limited and this cannot be appealed.

It's been 3 months if what PayPal claims the OP did was really true wouldn't he have been contacted by law enforcement by now? At least for questioning? And even if he does contact PayPal with his proof they would probably hold on to their position as they rarely admit they made a mistake.

[jeffweico]

I would speak with an attorney. They may be able to help you and often will speak with you free for the initial consultation. They will tell you what your options are and how much each one will cost. Much of the time, and attorney can resolve these situations with a few letters and/or phone calls. That should only cost a couple of hundred dollars. It is usually when a lawsuit actually has to be filed that the costs start escalating.

This seems to be happening to a few people. I wonder what the actual story is.

[slapped]

Originally Posted by Lolitax

It's been 3 months if what PayPal claims the OP did was really true wouldn't he have been contacted by law enforcement by now? At least for questioning? And even if he does contact PayPal with his proof they would probably hold on to their position as they rarely admit they made a mistake.

Paypal would NOT contact law enforcement,,that is not what they do,,Even if it looks like the user is guilty,,if they called Law enforcement every time they suspected some kind of Fraud,,The US would need MILLIONS more Law Enforcement Officials

[hayhayday]

My plan is to send certified mail including all my invoices(should i omit name since they are under my real info vs stealth info) to paypal san jose address now, does this sound plausible as I called again and they told me they were not interested in any proof as the decision was final.

[Lolitax]

Originally Posted by slapped

Paypal would NOT contact law enforcement,,that is not what they do,,Even if it looks like the user is guilty,,if they called Law enforcement every time they suspected some kind of Fraud,,The US would need MILLIONS more Law Enforcement Officials

Well how would they know if the credit card used was stolen? How could PayPal possibly know that? If the card was really stolen the owner of the card could've contacted law enforcement. Naturally they would investigated and would have come to the OP with questions.