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A Cautionary Tale

by Gary Clucas
5 replies
Just a quick tip for those considering buying any kind of service based product through paypal.

I recently purchased a facebook marketing package. The idea was that they were supposed to deliver 500 facebook likes through a marketing campaign. Not random (fake) likes but legitimate targeted traffic via ad campaigns.

However two weeks later and I had not heard a thing, not any kind of communication what so ever.

I started going through the non-receipt of goods process through paypal.

Yesterday I contacted paypal for a quick update and basically they have said, there is very little they can do because there is no physical product to track.

Now don't get me wrong this is not an anti paypal thing in any way, they were actually surprisingly helpful and have taken some action in an attempt to get me a refund.

However the bottom line is if the seller does not want to refund the money there is little they can do.

They also said that in future when considering buying such services that I should pay for them with my credit card via paypal, rather than using my paypal balance, because i would have the option of claiming the money back.

I may have lost my cash, but I have learned a valuable lesson. Just something you may want to consider in the future.
#cautionary #tale
  • Profile picture of the author 100KAffiliateManager
    Thanks for sharing Gary. Definitely something to keep in mind when buying non-physical goods. I had an issue once where I bought a product on a so-called special (wasn't directly from the product creator) and it turned out to be a pirated version of the original product, basically screenshots turned into a pdf.

    I contacted Paypay, gave them the site details, a copy of the product that was sent to me and the url of the original product. They did refund my payment - not sure what they did about the fraudster's account as they won't release that info to third parties.

    Not exactly the same as your problem but it does show that Paypal is prepared to action where it can.
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    • Profile picture of the author Gary Clucas
      No problem, if it helps prevent anyone from falling into the same trap, it was worth posting on here.

      Not heard anything today so I guess it's case closed time, not to worry we live and learn. The crazy thing is they were recommended by a friend!!! ha ha
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  • Profile picture of the author Kevin Maguire
    Sorry to hear your case Gary.
    But I am afraid that this rule pretty much goes for a purchases like this online. I believe the term used is "intangible product" which translates into, impossible to prove undelivered as described.
    This goes for a lot more than just some facebook services though. Pretty much every digital product vendor can roll this one out on anyone.
    The only comeback is that paypal do run like a % return limit on vendors and when reached they freeze out the account. But that doesn't help you. As I have heard of this happening. But I have never heard of Paypal sending disputers money back fromprevious claims against the vendor.
    It seems to just vanish into a mystical world known as paypals unclaimed "thank you" money.
    Always best to keep a 0 balance on your paypal and have a credit card connected.
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  • Profile picture of the author WeavingThoughts
    Paypal only cares about delivery not about the quality of a digital service.
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    • Profile picture of the author wtatlas
      I actually received a refund from PayPal for non-receipt of a digital product. When I filed a complaint they went through the usual procedure of giving the vendor the chance to comment and when there was no response the claim was escalated to the point where PayPal makes a decision on the matter. In this case they refunded my payment. This was possibly because the vendor had made no response or perhaps there were other similar cases relating to the same product.

      Whatever the reason it's always worth filing a complaint if you have a valid case. Better still is to use a credit or debit card for purchases instead of a PayPal balance unless you're dealing with someone you know. The banks make no distinction between tangible and non-tangible goods and are almost certain to find in your favour if you have a legitimate claim.
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