Problem Solved: I sent money to the wrong person on Venmo. Now my account is frozen!
If you run a business, you have to answer your customers. So Venmo's excuse of not answering its phones because of the pandemic is utter nonsense. But it looks like you finally got through to the company, only to have it freeze your account. Thanks for nothing!
You could have reached out to a Venmo executive. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the PayPal managers (PayPal owns Venmo) on my consumer advocacy site.
I contacted Venmo on your behalf. It refunded your $100 as a "one-time courtesy." I'm not sure how returning your money is a one-time courtesy, but if it makes Venmo feel better, that's fine.
"We won’t be able to help with any mistaken payments like this in the future," a representative told you. "We recommend making sure you send future payments to the intended recipient. The best way to do so is by making the payment directly to the phone number or email address associated with your friend’s Venmo account rather than searching for their name in the app. Using QR codes in the app is another great way to make sure you’re paying the right person -- let me know if you’d like more info on that."
It sounds like you're going to pass on that offer. You've had enough of Venmo. Next time, maybe just send Delia a check for her birthday.
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Christopher Elliott's latest book is “How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveler” (National Geographic). Get help by contacting him at http://www.elliott.org/help
© 2020 Christopher Elliott.
