Why does nobody talk about how Venmo handles disputed payments?

I was at a coffee shop in Portland last month when I sent $45 to a guy for some used camera gear we agreed on. The gear never showed up and he ghosted me. I filed a dispute with Venmo and waited 2 weeks just for them to say "we can't reverse this because it was a friend transaction." Now I'm out 45 bucks and basically learned the hard way that Venmo's purchase protection is basically useless unless you use the goods/services option. Has anyone actually had success fighting a Venmo dispute?

3 comments

3 Comments

hunt.quinn14d ago

Man, I don't know, seems like you're making a pretty big deal over 45 bucks. Yeah it sucks losing money, but Venmo's always been super clear that friend payments aren't for buying stuff from strangers. That's literally what the goods and services option is for, the one you skipped. I've had friends Venmo me for concert tickets and one time the show got canceled and we just sorted it out between ourselves like adults. Maybe take this as a cheap lesson and move on instead of expecting a payment app to be your personal purchase protection.

henderson.wesley14d ago

Wait, wasn't the concert ticket $45 or $50 though?

robin_henderson8114d ago

Yeah exactly, I got scammed out of $30 for a hoodie the same way and just ate it