PayPal repays victim

Fran Foo | September 30, 2008

received a refund days before an expose of the companies' operations by the ABC's 7.30 Report was scheduled to air.
PayPal repays victim

Paul Foster, having been paid by PayPal, says other fraud victims should also be compensated
Paul Foster, who lives in Penrith, NSW, was asked by PayPal executives "what would it take to make him happy".

The segment, which could screen as early as this week, is expected to delve into how eBay and its subsidiary PayPal operate in Australia, and their buyer protection policy.

It will also look at both companies' response to defrauded customers in light of the recent collapse of one of eBay's largest traders, EBS International.

Thousands of people were caught high and dry when EBS, which traded on eBay as Ebusiness Supplies, was liquidated in late July.

PayPal said it had established a special fund for victims and some of the monies had been disbursed.

However, after several months trying to claim his $435 from eBay and PayPal, Mr Foster received a pleasant surprise last Friday. "At the start of the call they asked me what do we need to do to make you happy.

"After so many emails, calls and messages on eBay's board, it was good to finally hear from them. They were both very good to deal with and were very patient in dealing with what I had to say," Mr Foster said.

At the end of the conversation, the executives promised to resolve the matter.

Mr Foster, whose case was first highlighted in The Australian, was relieved to have finally received a full refund after many failed attempts.

Not only did he complain to both eBay and PayPal, he also lodged a complaint with the Banking and Financial Services Ombudsman.

He had previously been told by PayPal that he was not eligible for the EBS special as his transaction with EBS was "outside its reporting criteria". Although Mr Foster has received his dues, he says many others have been left out in the cold.

"I want justice for the other victims who haven't received a single cent after EBS collapsed. Some people have lost thousands of dollars," he said.

When asked why, after several months, Mr Foster was contacted and whether it was an attempt to silence him, Ms Stevens said: "As I have said in the past we are unable to discuss specific accounts."

She confirmed that not every EBS victim had been paid as some claims were still being processed. "We are looking at some cases on an individual basis." The subject of The 7.30 Report did not come up during the telephone conversation with PayPal, Mr Foster said. He had heard about the upcoming program but was not approached for an interview.

It is understood Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel was on the ABC program's interview list.

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If you read the attached comments you will see that there are many who have been screwed over by Paypal/eBay. This has been going on for years, which is why I will never use Paypal - even to just send money to Muscat.