Payments charged as Direct Debits?

[Jamie1966]

I have been informed by PayPal that a purchase from an established business seller on eBay was initially charged as a Direct Debit.

My bank refused as they had not been instructed to allow such a payment, so the charge was made to my back-up payment method, the credit card linked to my PayPal account.

Has anyone else had a similar experience and care to offer advice? Should I be concerned and take recommended steps?

TIA.

[PayPal_JonK]

Hello @Jamie1966, 

Welcome to the PayPal Community Forum! I'm sorry to hear a recent transaction didn't go quite as you had planned. I can certainly understand the confusion there. Did you make the payment with your bank account information instead of with the debit card? If you make it with the debit card attached to your bank, it will be charged as a debit card transaction. Could that be what happened? If so, here's how to Set your preferred payment method on PayPal. 

I hope that helps!

 - Jon K

[Jamie1966]

Hello @PayPal_JonK 

Thank you for your response.

I have set PayPal balance as my preferred method of payment since opening the account.

It was a payment for an item sold on eBay, where I also only use PayPal balance.

The strange thing is that the email from PP came 6 days after the payment.

I don't understand why it was made as a direct debit charge - that is an instruction to PP to pay a certain amount every month - which I have never instructed PP to do.

And if my account was in funds why was the follow-up charge made to my bank balance, why not just make the payment as usual from my available PP balance?

I have asked PP to review it but they just say it is not suspicious activity, but it it is certainly not regular to have a payment handler operate in this manner.

[PayPal_Bindu · Accepted solution]

Hey @Jamie1966 

I totally understand your concern about the payment method used to fund your recent purchase. To provide safest online services, PayPal reviews every transaction before its approved. Occasionally, the system may change the payment method due to the possible risk. This is standard procedure measure to protect your transactions from risk. 

Apologies for the inconvenience!

Bindu

[Jamie1966]

Hello @PayPal_Bindu 

Your information has actually confirmed what was merely a suspicion on my part... that it was a check on my account and account activity.

The payment itself should not have raised any electronic eyebrows but I have recently made many purchases, over a short period of time, and for which there were an unusually high number of refunds (caused by INAD cases on eBay).

Thank you for your helpful response.

Best regards, Jamie.