Authorised payment debit to ARGOS just sitting in paypal

[crissycs]

I placed an order with Argos last sunday and to pick up from store and paid by Paypal. The payment is showing as "this is a temporary authorisation to make sure your funding source will be charged when Argos limited completes your order" and shows paypal balance £40.04 Visa £2.93. the paypal balance of £40.04 in not available to me.  When I finished paying it went back to argos and there was a message "Sorry we are unable to confirm the reservation of some of your items. If you requested an email copy of your reservation then please check your email before trying again" .

I did not get any emails at all from Argos. So on tuesday I went into Argos at sainsburies Sittingbourne (where I had said I wanted it picked up from) to find out it does not open till tomorrow (friday) and they do not know if my order went through it may possibly be there when the store opens.

I am getting concerned as I need these items for gifts on Saturday. So today I phoned sainsburies who put me through to their argos department, first person hung up on me after a 10 minute wait. Phoned again and after another 8 minute wait was told there was no pending order from me and they do not know why paypal is holding the money.

Phoned Paypal and canot get past the automated 'tell me why you are phoning' message as each time I try to say what ias wrong I am misunderstood and am going going back to the message with it giving suggestions for me to say which are not relevant so another 10 minutes on there and still got nowhere.

I am going to have to go to argos tomorrow and order these items again and pay again but what is going to happen to my  £40.04 'temporary authorisation' that is no longer in my account. I have tried cancelling it but you canot cancel an authorisation (understandable) but as Argos are not going to take the money and I canot cancel it are Paypal just going to keep it in limbo forever.  Is there an actual a paypal email adress I can contact them on.  Seems I canot do anything without a transaction number and as there has been no transaction I have no number.

Sorry its so long. Any advice would be appreciated 

[kernowlass · Accepted solution]

@crissycs

First i would double check tomorrow and see if the items are waiting for you as it could just be an oversight by the person that said they were not.

If they are not then  >>

When you pay a company (rather than an ebay seller or individual), then it is often pending until that company processes your order and captures the pending payment.

If they don't process that order and capture the pending payment then the pending status times out at 30 days post-payment. However the money would be pending in your funding source ie bank account / card, so if you contact them and state the funds will not be required they should be able to release them back to your available balance again.

[crissycs]

Thank you Kernowlass, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer, At least now I know if the items are not there tomorrow, I can just wait 30 days and money should come back into account