Problem
You sell $350 worth of bike parts to a buyer. They pay you with paypal and then they pick up the items from your house. The next day to your horror, you find they have cancelled the paypal transaction. Paypal somehow find in their favour, and reverse transaction to them. You suddenly find that they are no longer a registered user on Ebay so they have washed their hands of the problem. There seems to be no way you can either get the items back or the money taken from you by Paypal. Even trying to email them to try to seek resolution meets with no response. Pulling their phone number from the ebay system and ringing them has only resulted in them becoming angry and threatening. How can it be allowed to get to this and what do you do about it?
Answer
Send an email to PayPal stating that you personally delivered the item to the buyer giving appropriate details (date time delivered, place to which it was delivered, description of the person who took delivery etc) and you therefore dispute PayPal's right to recover the cost of the buyers claim for non delivery, and as such, you require your funds be returned to your account within 7 days from the date of the e-mail. Oh and also mention if the monies are not returned you within the time allowed, you will dispute their decision to recover with the BFTO.
Now they are likely to ignore your e-mail or at the best say no, and if that happens, lodger your dispute with the BFTO (Ombudsman), and then send the ombudsman the following documents in support of your assertion that you did deliver.
1. A stat dec giving details of the delivery. That is the same information you provided to PayPal.
2. A certified true copy of the e-mails from either yourself or the buyer concerning the delivery, and in particular any documents in which the buyer admits (implied or otherwise) that the item was received and any documents which make threats against you or your family if you continue with your requests for payment.
3. A certified copy of the actual invoice, as this will establish that no postage was paid, which in turn lends support to your stat dec that you delivered it.
4. A request that ombudsman advise you of any other documents they may want you to provide in support of your dispute.
Now if you do the above then there is a very good chance that the ombudsman will order PayPal to give you your money back, and if they do, the problem is no longer yours. Instead it will then be up to PayPal to take action against the buyer if they (PayPal) want to get their money back, but that is their problem not yours.
