Complaint / Review
PayPal
Sponge Instead of Shoes and Costly Return Required for Refund

I purchased a pair of shoes from a website and used PayPal as the only payment option. PayPal processed the payment. I never received the shoes; instead I received a 50 cent sponge that was shipped from China. I filed a claim through PayPal, and I won. I was happy with the decision, until PayPal explained that I had to return the "item" to the seller in China and provide an online tracking number to PayPal to receive a refund.

In reading the fine print, it appears I may not receive a full refund, and I am responsible for the shipping charges. The problem with this is that shipping to the address in China that I was given costs $65 using both UPS and FedEx, and they are the only ones that are able to track the shipment. USPS can ship it and provide me with a number that you can look up online for $16, but once it leaves the country, tracking is no longer possible.

In reading all the fine print I can find on the PayPal website, although I was not told that a delivery signature is required, it reads as though delivery confirmation is required. In other words, return the "sponge" that cost $42.48 for a total of $65 in shipping to know that it actually reaches the destination, and we may give you a full refund, or we may deem that your refund will be less than the original transaction.

PayPal is enabling scammers to continue to take advantage of people. How can you fight it when it costs more than is already invested, and you are not guaranteed to receive even your original investment?