Meta double charged us for the "Founder Cat" in a VR game my daughter plays...
You would think I would have already learned my lesson about dealing with trash companies who are consumer hostile... apparently not. My 10 year old daughter wanted an "unlockable" in a VR game for her Quest 3S... So I stupidly agreed to deal with the devil, aka Meta, again. Big surprise, they double charge us for an item that is an "unlockable". For those of you who may not know, an "unlockable" is something that you pay to unlock on your account. Like a cosmetic, or an in-game pet. That is what the "Founder Cat" is that we bought... but Meta charged us twice within seconds of each other. 2 Separate invoices for the exact same unlockable.
Naturally I tried to contact Meta to get the double charge removed... but their "support" phone number has an automated message that tells you to use their website instead and that they WILL NOT provide support via their "support" number. Have you tried getting support via Meta's site? Wet toilet paper provides more support than Meta's set. 🤦♂️
Paypal dispute it is.... if only that would work... but it DOESN'T. So to open a Paypal dispute with Meta, I have to prove I tried handling this on my own by uploading a file that proves I made the effort. I thought about uploading a recording of their support number saying they would not provide support... so I uploaded a text file stating I tried their support number and their site to no avail, I attached the double charge screenshot form above, and marked it as a double charge. Paypal closed my dispute in the seller's favor in minutes. WTAF?!?!? So I call Paypal (had to Google a phone number first as they DO NOT put their number on their site...) And I get a "support AI agent". It is ZERO HELP. All it can do is tell me that my dispute was closed. So I spend the next 10 minutes convincing tweetle dumb to let me talk to a person.
Finally, a person is on the line... with soooo much background noise I can barely hear her. She tells me thank you for being a Paypal customer for 23 years and 8 months, how can she help me? ... So I tell her the problem, she reopens the dispute, makes some changes (apparently changing it from "double charge" to "product not received" and tells me that it should be resolved within 10 days. She says I am done, askes if there is anything else... I say no, and thank you her greatly for her help.
Within minutes the dispute is closed AGAIN in the seller's favor. 🤦♂️🤦♂️ So I call payback back again... this time I don't let the AI agent talk... I immediately demand a person using choice language to imply my frustration. Again, I get a very nice woman who I can barely hear over the background noise that sounds like a factory, but she is very courteous and eager to help. I explain the issue, including what "unlockables" are in video games and I tell her that I am ready top close my 23 year old Paypal account today if they do not help me get my $8.63 back from Meta. At this point I am pissed and tired of fighting MASSIVE corporations.
She puts me on hold.... I'm frothing... I start this dev.to article. It's not even about the $8.63 anymore. It is about getting raped by businesses who answer TO NO ONE. They BUY politicians with legal and illegal bribes who then pass laws that make it so you can't even sue them for MURDERING PEOPLE (Monsanto/Bayer/RoundUp ☠️☠️☠️ anyone?)
She finally comes back... and tells me that Paypal, themselves, will pay me the $8.63 to satisfy my dispute so that they do not have to push Meta for it. Can you believe this? Paypal will keep me as a customer for now. I thanked the nice woman for her help and told her the long hold time she had me on was fine after she apologized.
I have not received the $8.63 yet... but the check is in the mail I am told.
Be careful out there. The laws PROTECT CORPORATIONS, and our "leaders" are selling us out for their own idea of the American dream that does not include 98% of Americans. 🖖
Being a customer of Paypal's for 23 years may get me back $8.63 but it doesn't even slow Meta's continued consumer hostility and rape.
And I wish Meta was the only corporation we had to worry about, but not even close. 🤷♂️
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