I am at a loss as to what to do, my account has been negative $806 for going on a month so I can't sell anything, which is my only income now since I have cancer and can't work (I've been buying old guitars and restoring them, then selling to the tune of $2,000-$3,000 a month), and to make it worse I can't allow the buyer to pick up his item, and he has also done everything he can and is frustrated. We've both agreed to never trust PayPal again. Maybe someone can help, though I doubt it because PayPal has told both of us so many different things (just to confuse us I believe) that neither of us know what's true. I'm sick and now not paying bills, I have 15 guitars sitting here that I need to sell but I can't because the money will just go to the negative $806. I'm sick and this is making me much, much worse, and PayPal doesn't care! I sold the buyer a snowplow for his pick-up truck back in April on EBay. He paid me immediately using his Chase credit card through PayPal. It was supposed to be "Local pick-up only" as stated in my auction, but he messaged me stating he didn't realize how far away I was from him (I'm in PA and he's in Rhode Island), and asked if I could just store the plow for a few months or until he figured out when he could come down to get it. I had no problem with that, and it's been in my driveway since. Then I got sick, stopped working, and was in and out of the hospital and treatment centers. Fast forward to October. I was in the hospital, and the buyer messaged me on eBay wanting to come get the plow. I believe my mom finally got his messages as she was helping me take care of things and had my phone. She told him what was going on with me, and he said fine, have her contact me when she's gets out of the hospital. Well I was out, then back in, then out, then in, and honestly I was out of it. The beginning of November the buyer called PayPal to open a dispute because he couldn't get a hold of me, even though he knew I was really ill, although I don't believe he knew just how ill after speaking to him. PayPal told the buyer he had to open a dispute with his credit card at this point, which he did. About a week later I was home and saw his messages. We spoke, everything was worked out, and he cancelled his dispute with his credit card. Well because I was in the hospital, sick and out of it, I never saw the email I got from PayPal saying the buyer had opened a dispute with his credit card. And the buyer never told PayPal he had cancelled the dispute with his credit card. We both thought everything was fine, and I was helping him get the plow packaged up on a pallet to ship to him. He had it scheduled for pick up, and the PayPal hit me with a Chargeback of $806, the amount he paid me in April for the plow, "Because I Never Responded To The Dispute Email They Sent Me". I immediately called the buyer. This is where things with PayPal go downhill. Fast. At first PayPal was fine, telling both of us the same thing, that they were never notified that his dispute with Chase had been cancelled and that he still wanted the plow. WE WERE BOTH TOLD THAT PAYPAL HAD CHARGED ME BACK THE $806 BECAUSE THEY HAD REFUNDED THE MONEY TO CHASE. CHASE HAS INSISTED SINCE DAY ONE THAT THEY HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A CENT FROM PAYPAL, AND STILL DOES INSIST THEY NEVER GOT IT. So we were both told that the buyer needed to send PayPal proof from Chase that the dispute was cancelled and in 3-5 days I would be refunded my money, making my PayPal account 0. So the buyer got proof from Chase, sent it to me and PayPal, saying the dispute had been cancelled on November 19th, and that they were recharging the buyer's credit card for the $806 they had temporarily refunded him when he opened the dispute, and that they should please release my money back to me. We were both told I would have my refund in 3-5 days. Didn't happen. Call PayPal again, and this time they are saying that they sent PayPal a refund on November 30th, and they can't refund me until Chase sends it back to them. Once that happens I would again have my money in 3-5 days. THE PROBLEM IS THAT CHASE AND VISA BOTH NEVER GOT ANY MONEY FROM PAYPAL. THEY BOTH INSIST THE BUYER GOT A TEMPORARY REFUND FROM THEM WHEN HE OPENED HIS DISPUTE, AND THEN WHEN HE CANCELLED THE DISPUTE THEY CHARGED HIM BACK THE TEMPORARY REFUND. We are both going crazy. I called one last time this past Monday, and spoke to a rep and 2 supervisors, and they both NOW tell me that PayPal sent the buyer's credit card, Chase, the money when he first opened the dispute, not November 30th like they had already told us both, which makes no sense since I was charged the $806 back on the 30th, like we were both originally told. But the buyer had been issued a temporary refund long before that...both the buyer and myself have told PayPal numerous times that Chase has never received any money from them. The replies we have both received range from "it just hasn't cleared his account yet" to "the buyer isn't talking to the correct department, he needs to call the bank, not Visa, and ask for the CHARGEBACK department", to "Chase may have sent us that proof that the dispute was cancelled and that they have charged back the buyer, but they haven't told their processing company to send the money back to us yet". PayPal is lying, they have to be. I was charged back $806 on the 30th, even though the buyer opened a dispute with his credit card company on November 8th and immediately got a temporary refund FROM CHASE. Then the dispute was cancelled with Chase on November 19th, and the buyer was charged back the $806 by Chase. PayPal had nothing to do with it. Suddenly on the 30th I'm charged back $806 "because I never responded to PayPal's email regarding the dispute, and because the buyer never told them he cancelled the dispute". By the 30th the dispute had long been cancelled and the buyer had the temporary refund taken back. Never at any time did Chase receive any money from PayPal, to the point that the buyer had Visa do a trace for any money from PayPal, and they never received any. None. So now I'm sitting here owing PayPal $806 (negative account), the buyer has been charged back the $806 by Chase, which makes sense, the buyer wants his plow because he has paid for it but I can't give it to him until PayPal refunds me the money and my account is at 0 again, and PayPal still insists that they won't refund me the money until Chase refunds it to them, and Chase/Visa never got any money from them so they can't refund PayPal. I believe Chase/Visa because they have tried to actually help their customer and they did a trace for the money and they never got it. Every time myself or the buyer asks PayPal for documentation or proof that they issued the $806 to Chase they say they can't give it to us. NOW IM TOLD IT WILL BE 75 DAYS BEFORE PAYPAL EVEN TRIES TO INVESTIGATE WHERE THE MONEY IS!!! PayPal told me on Monday, when I was yelling, asking them where the money was because Chase never got it, and they said "we don't know, we don't have it", and I asked them again for documentation or proof, like a transaction ID or something to give Chase to help them find it, that THEY WON'T EVEN LOOK FOR IT OR INVESTIGATE WHETE IT IS FOR 75 DAYS BECAUSE FEDERAL REGULATIONS ALLOW THE BUYER TO CHARGEBACK THE MONEY FOR UP TO 75 DAYS, AND HE NEEDS TO CALL CHASE AND TELL THEM THAT THEY NEED TO HAVE THEIR PROCESSING COMPANY RELEASE THE REFUND TO PAYPAL "WITHOUT LIABILITY" SO THEY CAN'T BE CHARGED BACK"...The buyer told this to Chase, and again they insist that PayPal should have given me my money back long ago because they never got a refund from PayPal to send them back. They also said they had never heard of this 75 day thing before and they were proactive and did a trace for the money, while PayPal will do nothing but tell me I'm not getting my money back. PayPal actually told me to have the buyer open another dispute with Chase, get a temporary refund immediately from Chase, send it to me to make my account 0, then wait for the CHARGEBACK again... I can't afford a lawyer, I can't afford a pack of cigarettes. I'm sick and my stress level has gone through the roof. I'm not eating or sleeping, I can't continue to sell on EBay to pay my bills while I'm on sick leave, and the buyer has paid for a plow I can't give him. PayPal has absolutely been horrible this entire time, and I feel they have absolutely stolen from myself and the buyer. According to them I will not get my money back for at least 75 days, and even then I probably won't get it back. I read a few complaints online from sellers told the 75 day thing, and they all ended up never getting help after 75 days and had to get a lawyer. I'm very scared because twice I had a supervisor at PayPal tell me that if I want my money back "I should pursue legal help outside of PayPal". Why? Why should I do that? Because you know you never sent the buyer's credit card money yet you charged it back to me anyway? That's exactly what I think happened. PayPal you have proof that the dispute was cancelled and that the buyer has gotten no refund from you, yet you charged this imaginary refund back to me, and basically told me that I won't get it back unless I get a lawyer? Really? This is after I've told every person I've spoken to that I'm very sick with cervical cancer. One supervisor/manager actually said to me "but you never responded to our dispute email" right after I told him I was in the hospital with cancer and I never got the dispute email...they're a horrible, evil company that steals from their clients. They've ruined what's left of my life, and all I do is cry all day in frustration in between vomiting...I'm done. I need help. The buyer wrote PayPal an email requesting they reopen the dispute because they refuse to help me, even though I'm sick and need to get the $806 back immediately, and because we now have both been charged $806 now and neither of us are being treated well at all by PayPal. So far PayPal has not responded to the buyer. They laughed at me when I asked to speak to a manager's boss. They actually laughed at me. PayPal thinks it's funny they've stolen my money, blocked the buyer from getting the item he has paid for, and they thought it was wonderful when they told me 75 days until I could even think about using my eBay account for income. They laugh out loud and tell me "they don't know where my money is, but they don't have it". Does that sound proper coming from a major corporation that charged me back the money but won't investigate or talk to chase or visa directly? That tells me they are lying, if PayPal Refuses to produce proof to Chase and Visa of the refund they sent them, that tells me they never sent it, yet charged it back to my account anyway. I need help asap, from a PayPal executive, a lawyer, someone. Why do this to a person that has cancer and has not a dollar to their name. Why do it to anyone?
