Scammed by Chinese seller and Paypal sided with scammer

[kenstewart2005]

PP-D-45211970 - thank you (sarcasm) for siding with the Chinese fraudulent seller! Seller advertised product, sent significantly DIFFERENT product and only way they would refund me is if I spent more money which would amount to same, if not more, than original sale for my shipping cost (seller would not cover) ... and YOU (Paypal) sided with them ... HORRIBLE service and you obviously support fraudulent Chinese sellers! I will advertise this to others, report to BBB, and anything else I can do via social media. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER (lack of) service! There is NO buyer protection from you, can't wait to pay off this amount and NEVER use you again.

[Kario5]

I’m researching which government agencies oversee this sort of fraud.   I think it’s the Trade Commission.    I’m going to file reports with these agencies.  If lots of people do the same then we may see results.

[Anonymous_User]

Be sure to post the agencies so we can all file our complaints

[Karenjulie]

Yes, please let us know.

[Ghoulpn]

All these stories describe exactly my recent issue.  I ordered from a Facebook ad for 3 Talking Animated Pumpkin with Built-In Projector & Speakers.  What I got was 3 small cheesy plastic pumpkins that would be the kind from a dollar store. I had ordered from a couple of Facebook ads before with no issues so really didn't have a reason to question this particular order. The company had a catalog that looked legit and was supposedly based in California. I saw  no reason to be suspicious. 

Several days after the initial order was placed, but before I received shipment, somehow a second order was placed against my account for the same item. The second order listed a different seller and was for a slightly higher amount. I had some eBay activity going on at the time so I didn't catch the second order right away, but I have no idea how they came to have my info.  Well of course the 1st order arrived and the dispute started. So far Paypal has said I would receive a full refund on the 1st order but I have to pay to ship it back to China (which is a pain).  Still awaiting payment.

I filed a complaint regarding the second order stating it was unauthorized, but Paypal immediately sided with the Chinese scammer and closed the case. Now Paypal refuses to revisit it and it is impossible to contact a live human in their "Customer Service".  "We're to help"......lmao

At this point I am filing a complaint against both sellers and Paypal with my state's Attorney General office. At the very least Paypal has been complicit in these scams, if not an accessory. My hope is someday there is class action against Paypal. As for now, I am out @ $160 so far.

[Ghoulpn]

Update!!.... I filed a complaint with the Oregon State Attorney General and subsequently PayPal has refunded the $78.00 for my 1st order. Unfortunately I'm still out the $28 it cost to ship the item back and PayPal refuses to reopen or discuss the 2nd case. I am fully convinced my formal complaint with the Attorney General is the ONLY reason PayPal refunded my money.  I just checked the tracking code on the returned shipment and it comes back "In Transit" after 1 1/2 months, so technically there is no proof the shipment ever made it back to the Chinese seller. 

It took some time, but I am grateful to at least have some of my money back. I have resigned myself to the fact I will never see any moneys for the 2nd fraudulent order.  The Chinese scammers know how to skirt around the rules and exploit PayPal and it continues to be a major problem. There have been 3 more additional pages added to this forum topic just in the 1 1/2 months since I first posted.  I suspect that will grow considerably in the next few weeks given the Holiday shopping season and Covid. 

I encourage everyone to continue to file complaints with their state's Attorney General, other government agencies as well as consumer protection groups. Also I would encourage people to be vigilant in using their PayPal account to pay for services. I know this experience has dramatically changed the way I use mine. 

[LaserayScam]

This one is still online; why doesn't paypal do something? i see someone (a moderator? paypal?) removed the link i posted about this particular scammer a few days ago.

It's "borod" store (so go to nameofscamstore.store )

obviously uses same template as all the other now defunct "stores"

other defunct "stores", there's probably hundreds, but they all use the same template:

laseray.store

tikis.store

eudemonie.store

lovleon.store

[Hydgov1]

Same story I am based UK, so far spent 38 dollars on item ha ha, then 11 on customs for dollar item,then 15 to send back and pp closed despite despite all evidence saying I had not uploaded tracking,well I did,the same day I spoke to agent from pp. so they are also liars and scammers. May try tv folks to get resolution as this is apparently ongoing. 

[Ms_p]

@TOKWNMAC....YOU HAVE JUST TOLD MY STORY.....THIS HAPPENED TO ME AS WELL ON A DOLL THAT I ORDERED....COMPARED TO THE $2LITTLE PLASTIC DOLLAR STORE DOLL THAT I RECEIVED...PAYPAL NEWS A CLASS ACTION SUIT..

[samnawal]

It is not hundreds of people but tens of thousands. many people just take the loss and never complaint or file a dispute. It is a shame that this is still going on today in spite of all the complains. The only way to stop this from continuing is to file a class action law suit, and I am even more surprised that this has not happened yet.

[MGFillion]

Yes, PayPal knowingly supports fraudulent Chinese vendors.

My wife purchased a motion-activated animatronic shark with Syncromotion Technology that requires 4 AA Batteries from I Chinese vendor. What she received was a six-inch solid plastic shark, the kind you find in the bargain aisle at the dollar store. But no worries, the shark comes with a full refund within 30 days without reason. Of course, she contacted the vendor and that full refund is never going to happen. So she contacted PayPal and supplied them with all the required information,  screen-shots, and photos of the actual shark. To any reasonable reputable person, they would recognize this as fraud, ban the seller from PayPal, and refund the money. Not PayPal, they insisted that she pay to ship the plastic shark back to china if she even wanted a chance of getting any of her money back.

So Buyer Beware. PayPal sides with the crooks!

See below for the screenshots and the photo of the shark she received.