Last month, using paypal, I made a purchase using a credit card.By some freak accident, paypal charged my bank account and credit card at the same time. Since I didn't have any bank funds, and did not authorize the bank transaction, I contacted paypal and my bank right away. Paypal marked it to refund, and a few days later the bank as a courtesy removed the over-limit fee.
I thought that was the end of it, but paypal made yet another error. They can't process a refund until they first get the funds, and since funds were not available, a few days after that paypal made another request. This time costing me 42.00 in bank fees.
I called up the bank to complain, but they refused to remove it. I explained that I didn't authorize those transactions, and it was an error, and they told me if they get a fax from paypal explaining it was an error they will remove the charges.
So I contacted paypal, got them to send the fax, but the bank says they never got it. And then again, it was sent, but the bank says they never got it.
I told the bank I can come into the bank in person and prove it, but they said they will only remove the charge if they get a later from paypal. Or it seems, if they get a letter from pay and choose to admit they got the letter.
They explained to me that they can only process a dispute if they released money to the requesting company, but because no money was released to paypal they say they are not required to file a dispute.
But I most certainly would dispute the legality of holding me responsible for an over draft fee for a transaction I did not authorize. When I signed up with M&T bank, it was explained to me that I am not responsible for unauthorized transactions, they claim to have great fraud protection, but in reality, because on one technicality, if anyone even makes a request for money without my permission they want to hold me responsible.
It's only 42.00 this time, but it's gone on for over a month. What's it going to be next time? 100? 1000? Is there nothing that can be done to protect me? Why should anyone be responsible for something that they didn't do?
I suffer from stress-related disability and I can't handle this much more. Furthermore, being on a limited income, I need all of my money to pay bills. Now I am late on a few bills because my assets are basically being held from me.
This bank is certainly taking advantage of a situation ripping me off. I believe that since they got the fax twice and claim they didn't, and because they refuse to let me show them proof myself, they are just using this as a way to leech money away from their customers.
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