I decided it would be beneficial to include a gift certificate option on my web page so my customers would have the nice option to purchase gifts for their friends and relatives.
PayPal made it sound like it is a walk in the park to use that option and how satisfied my customers would be.
So I included the option of purchasing gifts for our services, and the first customers who purchased gift certificates had trouble redeeming them. They turned to me for help, just like I would if I were in their place. As it turns out, if you purchase a certificate for somebody, you had better be sure they are willing to sign up for PayPal's services, otherwise they can kiss their gift certificate goodbye.
So, naturally, I contacted PayPal and asked if it was possible to reimburse the customers, because they are upset about spending the money and not being able to get the certificates or their money. The people I talked to at PayPal did not have a clue what to do, so I had to call several times and talk with all kinds of supervisors, only to find out that even if I or my customers have a redemption code, we cannot take the money out unless the customers register and open an account with PayPal.
Finally we found out how the customers who purchased the gift certificates for their friends can take their money out. The most amazing thing about the situation is that PayPal kept the money of the customers and took money for reimbursing their spending from my account.
I have already honored the gift certificates for the customers who were not able to redeem them from PayPal, because after all, I am the one who offered that option on my web page. Not only did I have to offer the service for free at that point because of all the trouble, but PayPal also had to take money from my account to pay back the money they had already kept from me and from my customers.
As you can tell, this is very upsetting, and it is because we are not doing well financially and we do not have extra cash to give away. I called PayPal and kept asking about the situation, and finally there was somebody who was willing to explain to me that because of PayPal's policies and regulations, they would have to keep our money for 15 or 16 months and then they would deposit it back, and that this is their policy.
Is this another way to invest in a company even if you are not interested in investing???
If anyone else has a similar experience with PayPal, please contact me. I need to know if I am the only one who got kicked in the gut and paid for it. Thank you everyone for reading my complaint, and have a great day.
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