PayPal Payment Incorrect address issue

gubble

Hi
Wonder if anyone can give me some advice.
Purchased a pedal through a Facebook group paid via PayPal goods and services.
Seller then informs me the email address he gave was wrong - looks to be a genuine mistake.
The payment is showing as completed on PayPal to some random person.
PayPal advised  me the payment couldn't be cancelled and advised sending the random benefactor an email to request the money back. They also gave me his phone number (really odd and is that even legal) to call him and request the money gets sent back.
So I've just phoned a random person and spoken to their dad to try and explain that I've sent his son money by accident and can I have it back please.
Anyone had this before and has my money gone forever ?
PayPal chap on the phone assured me I had a money back guarantee.....

BloodEagle

Sounds weird, but if you used Paypal goods and services you will be covered so I wouldnt lose any sleep over it. The seller sounds like a bit of a tit though - how exactly did he manage to give you a completedly incorrect, yet still active in someone elses name, paypal account?

not_the_dj

Pretty dodgy PayPal giving out the phone number!

gubble

Used a hyphen rather than a dot.....

BloodEagle

gubble said:

Used a hyphen rather than a dot.....

ah, that seems likely, I was about to call foul

gubble

Yeah he seems very legit  (he's a real person and we have people in common) just made a mistake.
Getting a refund from PayPal is going to be the fun bit 

BloodEagle

If the wrong guy doesnt just refund you, which obviously he should if hes a decent human being, then just raise a paypal dispute and they will almost definitely find in your favour.

monofin

I've done this before using PayPal gift. Lost £200! There was no way to get it back other than emailing the lucky recipient who unsurprisingly never responded

gubble

Paypal have just escalated this to their resolution centre who agree that the payment was made in error have frozen the money and will refund on 27th November if he doesn't respond.

So no doubt have to wait until 27th November.......

MattBanshee

If not, small claims the pedal or cash out of the seller. You had an agreement and sent the money to the agreed PayPal address that he gave you, therefore you have legally upheld your side of the previously agreed sale.

CHRISB50

I had someone transfer 15 quid to me by mistake. They then sent me an email asking for it back, apologising for the mistake. I just gave it back.

I'm still waiting for the good karma though. 

fields5069

CHRISB50 said:

I had someone transfer 15 quid to me by mistake. They then sent me an email asking for it back, apologising for the mistake. I just gave it back.

I'm still waiting for the good karma though. 

God sez "I just gave you a wow, consider us quits".

Freebird

Maybe they need to have more than just an email address, they could also require a name/account number or something similar, so that everything matches up when verifying a recipient. Having only a single database key field identifier for a financial transaction is a bit ridiculous.

CHRISB50

fields5069 said:

CHRISB50 said:

I had someone transfer 15 quid to me by mistake. They then sent me an email asking for it back, apologising for the mistake. I just gave it back.

I'm still waiting for the good karma though. 

God sez "I just gave you a wow, consider us quits".

Cheers big man

spark240

Yep...exactly this, I missed a double underscore and the £180 went to the wrong person, I took it right to the top at PP and got nowhere, I still send the recipient emails now about it just to annoy them for stealing my cash, I couldn't believe that PP wouldn't even contact them on my behalf, you are on your own here and unless they opt to pay you back its money lost. 
Its a desperately flawed system, if you google it you will find it happens all the time and PP wont intervene, I only use PP as a last resort now, there customer service is terrible.

My last thread on this...http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/105907/costly-paypal-lesson#latest

Good luck.

ICBM

Does this only happen if using Paypal Gift?

spark240

Mine was PPG

ICBM

I would definitely not use PPG for anything like that then, no matter what the seller asks for. You can always opt to cover the fees yourself.

gubble

ICBM said:

I would definitely not use PPG for anything like that then, no matter what the seller asks for. You can always opt to cover the fees yourself.

This is exactly why I used the goods or services option. I'll pay an extra couple of quid for when issues like this happen.

48 hours on and it's not been refunded yet

boogieman

ICBM said:

Does this only happen if using Paypal Gift?

I don't think so, I think you'd be in the same position with goods and services but I'm not entirely sure.

 I had a similar but different situation recently. I'd bought a pedal off the classifieds here. Paid the guy by PayPal but he didn't see the payment. Turned out I'd put one character wrong in his PayPal address. Luckily it hadn't gone through to anyone else and I could cancel it and then correct it. I always think it's a bit weird that you don't see the name of the person who's getting the credit until the payment has gone through. Anti-fraud measure I guess? 

spark240

boogieman said:

ICBM said:

Does this only happen if using Paypal Gift?

I don't think so, I think you'd be in the same position with goods and services but I'm not entirely sure.

 I had a similar but different situation recently. I'd bought a pedal off the classifieds here. Paid the guy by PayPal but he didn't see the payment. Turned out I'd put one character wrong in his PayPal address. Luckily it hadn't gone through to anyone else and I could cancel it and then correct it. I always think it's a bit weird that you don't see the name of the person who's getting the credit until the payment has gone through. Anti-fraud measure I guess? 

I said exactly this!...but other said they COULD see the recipients name before pressing go?

I also paid someone once who gave me the wrong address, apparently they contacted PP who set up a new address for them in the wrong name and the payment went through, I think that whole incorrect address things needs some attention, its so easy to make a misteake...;-)