Gephardt: KSL Investigators help man with frozen PayPal account get back his money

By Matt Gephardt and Sloan Schrage, KSL | Posted - Nov. 17, 2020 at 10:48 a.m.

 
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6PM: Gephardt: KSL Investigators help man with frozen PayPal account get back his money
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Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

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WEST VALLEY CITY – It's a safe bet some Utahns are rummaging through attics, garages and closets for unused stuff to sell on eBay for some extra holiday cash.

But what if you sold something and then learned you must wait six months to get your money? When it happened to a West Valley man, he contacted the KSL Investigators.

Just one try and Kelly Porter knew his new fancy, top of the line vaporizer wasn't for him.

"I tried it and I had a very bad reaction," Porter recalled.

He couldn't return it, so decided to put it up for sale on eBay where it sold for $575. Within a day of being paid via eBay's popular money handler, PayPal, Porter said he immediately shipped the vaporizer.

The buyer received it and had no complaints. The problem was PayPal would not let him have his money.

After hours of wrangling with the automated customer service, Porter said he received a message. "It says we have permanently locked out your PayPal account," said Porter. "And, no explanation."

That's right: PayPal suspended his account as if he'd committed some sort of fraud. Even worse: It said it'll be holding onto Porter's bucks for 180 days and then he can ask for it.

"I did everything right," Porter explained.

Kelly Porter contacts KSL Investigators after PayPal suspended his account.
Kelly Porter contacts KSL Investigators after PayPal suspended his account. (Photo: KSL TV)

Not sure where else to turn, he decided it was time to call the KSL Investigators.

We got ahold of PayPal to ask them why they flagged Porter. He shipped the vaporizer immediately, no complaints from the buyer, so why were they holding onto his money without so much as an explanation? With that, PayPal had a change of heart.

In an email, a spokeswoman wrote us that Kelly's "account was limited due to a system issue with eBay email confirmation. His account is now fully restored."

And just like that, Porter's account was reinstated, and he got his money in about one day — not 180 days!

How to avoid lengthy PayPal holds

  • Make sure the name on your PayPal account matches the name on your bank account and credit cards
  • Printing a shipping label directly within PayPal provides tracking and delivery notification automatically
  • Or, if you print your own – say inside eBay – go back to your PayPal and upload the tracking information so PayPal can verify that package's shipment and delivery
  • Ask your buyer to confirm through the PayPal app that they've received the package. That will help spur the release of your funds.

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Matt Gephardt, KSLMatt Gephardt
You might say that Matt Gephardt was born into journalism. On the day he arrived at the Indiana hospital, his father, a reporter, had to quickly rush away after the delivery in order to front a news report. Matt’s television debut came a few years later when, as a toddler, he was used by an Indianapolis reporter to demonstrate how prescription drugs can be mistaken for candy. Matt’s “professional” career in the business began when he was 17 years old, attending high school in Los Angeles, and he landed a summer-job as a teleprompter operator in the Salt Lake City market. He moved to Utah, enrolled at the University of Utah, and never looked back. In the more than 20 years since, Matt has worked virtually every newsroom job: production crew, video editing, video photography, producing, executive producing. In 2010, Matt made the jump in front of the camera as an investigative “watchdog” reporter. Matt’s reporting has not only earned him several journalism awards, it has also led to law and policy changes at local, state and federal levels. When not investigating on behalf of Utah consumers, Matt enjoys “urban hiking” with his wife and three children – setting out on foot towards Sugarhouse or Downtown hoping to run into a friendly group of people gathered at a park, a festival or a new store or restaurant to try out. Matt is absolutely thrilled to be working at KSL where the commitment to ethical journalism, fairness and community is in lockstep with his own ideals.
Sloan Schrage, KSLSloan Schrage
Sloan Schrage started as an “old man” intern with KSL TV in 2007. For the past ten years, he’s produced daily and investigative stories that impact safety, security and wallets of Utah consumers. When he’s not at KSL, he’s either with his family or trying to repair cars with help from YouTube tutorials, or buying cameras or other photography gear that he’ll never use.
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