Cygon’s Blog

I’ve held a PayPal account for several years now with no problems. My only usage of the account were occasional donations to some artists whose work I enjoyed, though I planned on using it to accept payments in the future for my indie business.

Well, last year I received an email from Paypal telling me that my account access had been limited due to suspicious activity and that I would have to verify my informations. Fully expecting this to be another one of those annoying email scams, I had already started a mail to spoof@paypal.com so they can take the scammer’s site down.

However, when I searched the supposed scam email’s source for the URL of the scammer’s site, I found none. I logged into my Paypal account and indeed, while I could browse my previous transactions and view my account history (all of which was as expected), the account page displayed a note that my account access has been limited and that I was to verify my account informations and, amongst other things, provide Paypal with a birth certificate. I wasn’t even allowed to close my account.

I wrote to Paypal, informing them that I’m not willing to provide a birth certificate since I see that as a breach of privacy and that whatever repercussions that would lead to, they should take action. My email was ignored and never answered. For one year, I kept getting nagging mails from Paypal telling me to provide the neccessary information, then it stopped.

Behold, when I try to log into my account now, this is what I see:

My tip if you’re using PayPal: don’t try to leave them with too much of your money at once and keep an eye on possible alternatives.

Update: I sent an email to the address from the error message above. Guess what the answer was?

Dear <name removed>,

We apologize but we are unable to respond to inquiries sent to this
e-mail address. Your e-mail was routed to an unmonitored mailbox and as
such will not be reviewed.  

To resolve account limitations, please complete the following steps:

1. Log in to your PayPal account.
2. Click Resolution Center at the top of the page.
3. Go to the Action column.
4. Click the "Resolve" button and complete the requested steps on each
lifting requirement outlined.

Very funny. I can not log into my account, but to tell PayPal about it, I have to log into my account first. Furthermore, the email is asking me to again follow the steps I am unwilling to comply with.

It appears to me that PayPal is a fully automated system with most decisions defaulting to the disadvantage of the customer. The system will freeze accounts following mysterious rules and an unhelpful, time-wasting and not thought-through customer support system blocks off any attempts to rectify such situations.

Update 2: Out of distress, I created a second PayPal account, navigated to the resolution center and wrote PayPal about my problems again. Make sure you don’t have anything in your mouth that could spill out if you’re starting to lough - here’s the reply from PayPal:

Dear <name removed>,

Thank you for contacting PayPal Customer Support. I will be happy to assist
you with your locked account.

To help you, please contact from your registered email address
cygon@nuclex.org of your locked account.

PayPal works hard to protect our customers, and uses many security measures
to help ensure your protection. For this reason, we can only send answers
for account related information when the request comes from an email
address that is associated with your PayPal Account. We feel that this is
the best way to ensure that your personal information is not compromised.

If you are unable to find an answer to your question in the Help Center,
you can reach our Customer Service Department by following these steps:

   1.  Go to the PayPal website and log in to your account.
   2.  Click the "Contact Us" link.
   3.  Click the "Contact Customer Service" link.
   4.  Under "Choose a Topic" section, select the topic for your inquiry.
   5.  Under "Choose the Subtopic" section, choose the subtopic that best
fits your inquiry.
   6.  Enter your question in the "Summarize your question in one sentence"
box.
   7.  Click "Continue.".
   8.   On the "Contact Us" page you will find a few suggested search
results based on your question. If you do not receive suggested search
results or if the suggestions do not answer your question, please complete
the form provided.
   9.   Select the language you are writing your message in from the drop
down menu
   10.  Click "Continue."
If you have an issue of immediate concern and cannot find your answer in
the Help Center, see "Help by Phone" for assistance.

I understand your frustration regarding this matter and regret any
inconvenience it might have caused you, Mr. <name removed>.

For crying out loud. Could it be that PayPal is run by a group of mean jokers?

Let me summarize: Once your account is locked, you’re instructed to contact PayPal by email. The email adress provided auto-replies, telling you to log into your account (which you cannot) and contact PayPal from there. And just in case you create a second account, a friendly member of the support staff will tell you to please log into your other, locked account (which you still cannot) and contact PayPal from there.