Temporary Hold placed on my refund!!!!

[slhixsons]

So I'm guessing that the problem that I am having with getting my refund put back into my paypal account is happening to a lot of others!!!!! I purchased a pair of shoes from ebay on the 16th. On the 19th the seller contacted me and said that one of the shoes was damaged so she was going to refund the money. I told her to refund the money on the 19th, and she did. That's not the problem.....the problem is.....It is exactly 4 days till Christmas and I need to order another pair of shoes, but until paypal takes the temporary hold off of my refund I won't have the money to purchase another pair of shoes!!!!!!! If paypal can front the money to the seller in order to get them paid in a timely manner, then they should be able to front the money to me, so that I can order another pair of shoes!!!!! This is the first and last time I will ever attempt to purchase something as a Christmas gift over the internet using paypal!!!!!  This has been an awful experience!!!!!  

[ihinpa]

The same exact thing happened to me.  I ordered some curtains for my daughter and shortly after placing the order I cancelled it because I realized it wasn't exactly what she wanted.  The store quickly refunded my payment but Paypal put a temporary hold on it.  I want to order the other pair of curtains so that my daughter can get them next week but I can't until Paypal removes the hold on the refund.  I feel like my money is being held hostage.

I set up this Paypal account so that I could easily order things for my daughter and send her money without having to put a check in the mail.  I thought this would be easier and faster but I'm finding that not to be the case.

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi slhixsons and ihinpa,

Welcome to the forums. I can clarify things for you.

When you send a bank funded Instant Transfer payment, two things happen simultaneously:

• PayPal sends a request to your bank for the funds for the transaction. It takes 3-4 business days for funds to come from your bank. 
• PayPal pays the seller up front for you, instantly, so that the seller will not delay in processing your order.

When a seller refunds that payment within a few days, the funds that PayPal paid up front for you are returned. However, the funds from your bank account are still in transit. They haven't reached your PayPal account yet. As soon as those funds clear, they are available for you to use or withdraw.

Olivia

[boggled]

I can see from my bank's website that my money has gone to Paypal, yet I still have a hold on the funds.  Why hasn't my money been released??

[GrammarQueen]

It's now been three days and the temporary hold on my refund still has not been resolved. I work for a large bank, and I know for a fact that electronic transfers do not take 3-4 days to process. This is total BS. I cannot wait for this issue to be resolved so I can close my Paypal account. Never, never, never again!

[Juliette59]

OK, PayPal - this totally **bleep**! After realizing I had been sucked into a renewed subscription, i.e., if you don't contact us and cancel, we will  preauthorize a payment every six months, I had $52.00 debited out of my checking account. ON CHRISTMAS EVE!  I contacted the company (after Paypal told me there was nothing they could do), and they instantly refunded my money. Then I see it says "Temporary Hold" on my funds. I called PayPal again, and they tell me it will take up to 6 business days for the money to be released. What??? Three days for the funds to clear, and three days for the money to go back into my account? That is just wrong. YOU GUYS NEED TO SPEED THIS UP, and quit holding people's money hostage!!! BTW it DID NOT take 3-4 BUSINESS DAYS for the money to come out of my account - it came out on the 27th, (Christmas was a holiday, and the 26th was a Sunday). 

I have used PayPal for many years, and this is the first time I feel like closing my account.

[sasser_aaron]

So, Olivia, how long does it take for the money to get refunded? Because like these people, I need to order parts for my car and it's looking like it's gonna take two weeks now, not one. Which is extremely inconvenient in today's day and age when you NEED transportation. So if you could be a little more specific on how long it will take, then you might be doing a good job. Thank you! 🙂

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi sasser_aaron,

That depends on the following things:

1. Did the seller actually refund you yet? Go to your History and click the plus sign next to your original transaction. Is there a refund line there? What date did the seller refund you? Is the refund status listed as "Completed"?
2. Did you use a credit card for the original payment? If so, there should also be a line showing that the funds went directly back to the credit card within a second of the refund being completed to you. You can check with your credit card issuer to determine what their time frame is for posting a credit. Most of the time it's within a few hours or a few days. In rare circumstances, the credit card issuer will not post it for an entire billing cycle.
3. Did you use a bank for your original payment? If so, the refund will have gone back to your balance. If the refund occurred before your bank funding finished clearing, the funds will not be available until those funds clear from your bank. This typically takes 3-4 business days. (If it has been longer than this amount of time, check with Customer Solutions to see what the hold-up is. If there was a refusal on the initial presentment for insufficient funds, that will delay the processing time significantly.)
4. Did you use a debit card for your original payment? If so, it may go back to the card like the credit card payment described above, or it may go back to your balance like the bank payment. This is dependent on the debit card network that was used at the time of your payment. If the funds are in your balance, they are available immediately for you to withdraw or use in a transaction.
5. Did you use your balance for the original transaction? If so, the funds should be available in your balance immediately upon receiving the refund.

That's about as specific as I can be, because we can't discuss the specifics of your account in the forum. If you need the information specific to your transaction, please give us a call by clicking Contact Us on any PayPal page, and then clicking Call us. You have the option of logging in to receive a secure webpin for your call and the correct number for your region, but even if you opt not to log in there is a link to get a customer service phone number.

I hope this helps! Have a happy new year.

Olivia

[geriskingdom]

I saw the amount was taken from my account days ago and the refund is still on hold?  You claim it is instant???  How about a real timeframe.  And Olivia are you real or animated because the animated system is just a waste of time.  It only has standard answers that do not resolve questions that real people have...

[PayPal_Olivia]

Hi geriskingdom,

Welcome to the community forums!

How long ago was your original payment? Even if the funds show removed from your bank account, they still take 3-4 days to fully clear to PayPal. As soon as they do, the refund is released.

Olivia