Can paypal be disputed?
 

I am thinking of paying a Kenyan tour operator by paypal. The reason I am thinking about this is just in case he does not perform I would like dispute and am wondering if I would have the same disputing power as a regular credit card.

PayPal is nowhere near as good for disputes as a credit card. They have very specific rules and requirements and side with the merchant far more often than credit cards do.

If you fund the payment with a credit card, however, you should have more protection. I say "should" because it's been my experience but I'm not sure it's universal.

I had a bad transaction several years ago. I tried to get the seller to refund. No luck. I disputed it through PayPal. They said it had been too long and refused to do anything. I had funded the transaction through American Express, so I disputed it there. PayPal then accepted the dispute and it went through.

I think you still have the best protection directly through a credit card, but funding a PayPal transaction with a credit card is better than from your balance or through another source.

(Side note: You can't fund with a credit card if you have a balance, but there's a pretty simple workaround for that. Transfer your balance to another email address, pay the transaction, then cancel the transfer.)

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8310/4.2.2 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

I'd be extremely hesitant to do this, especially given the amount that this may be. That being said, my girlfriend successfully disputed a Paypal charge on her AMEX relating to a purchase of a fake Gucci purse on Ebay. Paypal wasn't too helpful, but AMEX was.

DON'T, DON'T, DON'T use PayPal. This cannot be stressed enough! For info on just how bad PayPal is - and how much IT DOES NOT stand by its customers - do some searches on FT. Or just see this site:

http://paypalsucks.com/

Please use caution when paying for anything with PayPal.

I would just use amex to pay your merchant via paypal. Then if something happens, file a dispute with amex.

Is this possible? I thought that paypal TOS prevented this?

Definitely possible and THE ONLY way to go. I went through a huge mess disputing PayPal transaction and they were not helpful at all. Fortunately it was funded with my CC and once I disputed with my CC PayPal was on my side really fast.

I definitely agree - I've read quite a few horror stories on this website. However, if your transaction is funded by a CC, specifically Amex, it is a bit safer since filing a dispute with your CC will usually put Paypal on your side real fast.

But I thot you waive the right to dispute?

Yes. You are absolutely correct. Once you file a dispute with your credit card, you do waive the right to dispute it through paypal. However as others stated in this thread, paypal is not very helpful lately :(

PayPal = Noun; Name of a company factoring transactions. Adj.; Ripoff. ADV: BEWARE :D

Worked for me with a Citi Mastercard funding a Paypal transaction, resolved by Citi in my favor with no hassles. IMO, you're much better letting the credit card company handle a dispute than having to deal with Paypal's convoluted rules.

Paypal doesn't like it because they are charged for disputes, plus they will generally lose if the complaint is legit.

what was the amount of the transaction? Citi might just have given you a credit to keep you happy.

You don't transfer money with yur credit card into your paypal account. Where did you get this info? Paypal just serves as an intermediary for the transaction and charges fees to a merchant for it like any other credit card processing center or bank.

Last year I have disputed a transaction with PayPal for the Shell gift card for $480 total charge and Amex had help me with a dispute and I got it solved within 30 days. Before hand I filed a dispute with paypal and did not even here from them for 45 days except that they are still investigating. That is when I have filed with Amex. Much easier and more friendlier process.