Problem With Paypal

[max 13]

I set up PayPal with a Yahoo mail account many years ago. I have decided to change this to use my Gmail account which I have also had for many years. However, PayPal inform me that this email address is already linked to a PayPal address so I tried logging on and used the "Forgotten password" option. This showed me the last 4 digits of a 'phone number which I have never had.

 

I got back to PayPal and they say there's nothing they can do until the other person has relinquished their a/c.

 

I've suggested PayPal use the contact 'phone number to discuss this with the other party but other than that I am at a loss how to retrieve my own email a/c.

 

Any suggestions?

 

 

[Pettytom 1]

It’s a tricky one. I always find that using formal complaints procedures works better than just using “contact us”. You tend to get hold of people who have some sort of training😎

 

Here is a link to the formal procedure:

 

https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/article/how-can-i-make-a-formal-complaint-to-paypal-faq2016

 

Of course, you could just set up a new gmail account for PayPal use.

[DeZeus 11]

Please be Aware:  You could have an account with either PayPal.com or PayPal.co.uk, I solved the logging in problem by using my smart phone, changing the login method to Face Biometric 

[max 13]

3 hours ago, DeZeus said:

Please be Aware:  You could have an account with either PayPal.com or PayPal.co.uk, I solved the logging in problem by using my smart phone, changing the login method to Face Biometric 

Not really, see the bit about the Gmail/PayPal a/c being associated with an unknown 'phone number.

3 hours ago, Pettytom said:

It’s a tricky one. I always find that using formal complaints procedures works better than just using “contact us”. You tend to get hold of people who have some sort of training😎

 

Here is a link to the formal procedure:

 

https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/article/how-can-i-make-a-formal-complaint-to-paypal-faq2016

 

Of course, you could just set up a new gmail account for PayPal use.

Thanks for that.

 

Using a different Gmail a/c would be giving in, in my opinion.

[Pettytom 1]

29 minutes ago, max said:

 

Using a different Gmail a/c would be giving in, in my opinion.

I’d be the same 😎

 

That’s why I like formal complaints procedures. They have appeals and other safeguards built in for if you don’t get a satisfactory answer. I’m also a systematic sort.

[max 13]

13 hours ago, Pettytom said:

I’d be the same 😎

 

That’s why I like formal complaints procedures. They have appeals and other safeguards built in for if you don’t get a satisfactory answer. I’m also a systematic sort.

I've asked them to sort it out with either IT or Legal but now they've come back and told me that I should log in with my US a/c and ask them to sort it. They seem to be struggling with the idea that someone has used the wrong email address then abandoned their new PayPal a/c as the other user would have had no response to their real email.

 

Complaint now being submitted. 

[the_bloke 17]

There is a chance that the PayPal account was created with a Gmail email address that existed before you had it (it's been around since 2004). I wouldn't worry too much about it; if you are certain no one else has access to your Gmail account, just create a new PayPal account using your Gmail address appended with a +

 

e.g. max+paypal@gmail.com

 

You'll still get all the emails for the PayPal account to your Gmail address.

[max 13]

1 hour ago, the_bloke said:

There is a chance that the PayPal account was created with a Gmail email address that existed before you had it (it's been around since 2004). I wouldn't worry too much about it; if you are certain no one else has access to your Gmail account, just create a new PayPal account using your Gmail address appended with a +

 

e.g. max+paypal@gmail.com

 

You'll still get all the emails for the PayPal account to your Gmail address.

There is no chance that the email address existed before I had it, how would that work anyway?

 

I was an early adopter of Gmail and have no numbers in my name, e.g. jsmith@gmail.com. I am constantly getting emails for other people where the organisation or user has input the wrong email address simply by missing out the number, e.g. jsmith123@gmail.com. In fact, there is a children's book agent in USA who had her business cards printed with my email address and I now have 14 children's books which authors have sent me after a book fair where this woman handed out her cards.

 

I don't need to have a new PayPal account, I was merely trying to link the Gmail a/c to my existing PP a/c.

 

I received a 'phone call from PayPal customer services in which the charming person promised me that she would hunt down the other person via their legitimate PP a/c and ask them to relinquish the one with my Gmail a/c.

 

 

[the_bloke 17]

32 minutes ago, max said:

There is no chance that the email address existed before I had it, how would that work anyway?

Easily! All free email providers free up addresses a short time after they are deactivated, either because the owner deleted the account or through inactivity.

 

There are three ways this account exists:

 

a) A PayPal account was created using your GMail email address and the GMail account was subsequently deleted, leaving the PayPal account orphaned. You subsequently signed up to GMail unaware the email address was used previously and subsequently freed up. However, PayPal accounts are deactivated after three years of inactivity.

 

b) A PayPal account was created using your GMail address, and you didn't act upon the confirmation emails. PayPal sends a link in an email to confirm the email account is valid and you can access it. Again though, without the account creator being able to confirm the email links as they didn't have access to your GMail account, it should have been deactivated.

 

c) A PayPal account was created using a different email address and a second email address was subsequently updated by entering the wrong email in error - your Gmail address. You would still have got confirmation emails though in order for the change to take place? The PayPal account is using another address as the primary address which explains why you don't get any email from PayPal to your GMail account.

[max 13]

49 minutes ago, the_bloke said:

Easily! All free email providers free up addresses a short time after they are deactivated, either because the owner deleted the account or through inactivity.

 

There are three ways this account exists:

 

a) A PayPal account was created using your GMail email address and the GMail account was subsequently deleted, leaving the PayPal account orphaned. You subsequently signed up to GMail unaware the email address was used previously and subsequently freed up. However, PayPal accounts are deactivated after three years of inactivity.

 

b) A PayPal account was created using your GMail address, and you didn't act upon the confirmation emails. PayPal sends a link in an email to confirm the email account is valid and you can access it. Again though, without the account creator being able to confirm the email links as they didn't have access to your GMail account, it should have been deactivated.

 

c) A PayPal account was created using a different email address and a second email address was subsequently updated by entering the wrong email in error - your Gmail address. You would still have got confirmation emails though in order for the change to take place? The PayPal account is using another address as the primary address which explains why you don't get any email from PayPal to your GMail account.

I have been using my Gmail a/c since I got it in 2004 so that's the 'easily' bit put to bed.

 

a) No, see above.

b) This, but PP have never deactivated it.

c) It's possible I may have received a notification in the near 2 decades I've had the Gmail a/c but I would have treated it as spam and reported it to PP as I set my PP a/c up with another email address.

[Ghozer 112]

Without you entering the address yourself, AND Confirming it (like said above) there is NO way the email would be active, and on a PP account...

If you talk to PP again, ask them "is the account the address is linked to verified?" - if not, then the account (or at least the address linked to it) should have been dropped / forgotten long ago...

If it's verified, then YOU (or someone with access to your email) linked, and verified it... 
-- Are you sure your email/password combo wasn't hacked or part of some data-leak some time over the past few years?

Other than said above, there is NO OTHER WAY this email can be linked to another account, even if someone entered an address wrong - they wouldn't have had the "confirmation" email, and would have then gone back in, realized the mistake and fixed it...

 

(unless paypal has some strange thing in place where it even remembers 'attempted' email addresses... but it's doubtful)

And if the email address is yours, then surely you can do the 'forgot password' stuff, enter your email, click the link, change the password - then go in and delete the account/email associated etc....

[max 13]

21 hours ago, Ghozer said:

Without you entering the address yourself, AND Confirming it (like said above) there is NO way the email would be active, and on a PP account...

If you talk to PP again, ask them "is the account the address is linked to verified?" - if not, then the account (or at least the address linked to it) should have been dropped / forgotten long ago...

If it's verified, then YOU (or someone with access to your email) linked, and verified it... 
-- Are you sure your email/password combo wasn't hacked or part of some data-leak some time over the past few years?

Other than said above, there is NO OTHER WAY this email can be linked to another account, even if someone entered an address wrong - they wouldn't have had the "confirmation" email, and would have then gone back in, realized the mistake and fixed it...

 

(unless paypal has some strange thing in place where it even remembers 'attempted' email addresses... but it's doubtful)

And if the email address is yours, then surely you can do the 'forgot password' stuff, enter your email, click the link, change the password - then go in and delete the account/email associated etc....

I appreciate you taking the time to put these points, I'll try and answer some of them.

 

No, I didn't confirm it and it's not active - confirmed by PP.

They cannot drop it as PP UK and PP USA are two different entities and they don't, it appears, talk to each other and the number they gave me to ring is not toll free in this country.

I tried the forget password stuff before and kept being told that a verification code would be sent to my 'phone but I didn't recognise the number they gave.

 

Having said that, I've just tried again and an option has been added which sent an email with a code number.

 

So, I'm now in Michael's PayPal which has been limited due to my query so is asking for me to verify my email, bank details and 'phone number which, obviously, I can't supply. Michael lives in New York.

 

Back to customer service.