In doing some spring fall cleaning yesterday, I found a couple of PayPal reload cards that had been sitting in an “active MS” envelope at the bottom of a pile in my office. This was the result of my old accounting system before I was really doing very much manufactured spend (MS), which consisted of an envelope for active MS and for completed MS. When I started ramping up my MS I switched over to a new, more robust accounting system. Unfortunately, it seems that the last four cards that were in my old accounting system never left it.

I figured it was about time to liquidate these reload cards.

Imaging my surprise when, despite the fact that I had just scratched in the scratch off area to reveal the code moments before, PayPal alerted me that the card had already been redeemed. I tried to load the second card onto my account; same thing. Then the third and fourth followed suit. This wasn’t looking good, so I immediately got on the phone with PayPal.

To begin the dispute process, PayPal requires that I email or fax in the following:

  • Front and back of each card
  • State ID
  • Receipt
  • Proof of address
  • Dispute reference number

Unfortunately, since these cards were in my old accounting system, keeping track of receipts wasn’t something that was handled well, so I have to contact the stores the cards were purchased at (two different stores) to get the store’s copy of the receipt, also known as the electronic journal.

When I called the stores, both said that I had to talk to a department that was only staffed from 7 am to 11 am Monday through Friday, so that is the next action item in this saga.

I also contacted my credit card companies to see if there was anything they could do. Three card was purchased with a Chase card and the other with a Diners Club. Diners Club said there was nothing they could do and Chase recommended I call the Disputes Department, which was closed at time of calling.

To be continued…