Consumer complaint received 2023-07-15
Company: Chime Financial Inc
State: NY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
The morning of Monday XX/XX/2023 at XXXX, I received my direct deposit from my job ( as was normal due to the early direct deposit option proposed by Chime ). Shortly thereafter, when I tried to check my account balance I realized I was logged out of my account ( I use Face ID on the app so my keychain information always popped up but the information wasnt listed at this time ). When I tried to input my information, it gave me an error notice that my account had been closed and to call customer service. After a couple of seconds, I was sent an email stating that my checking, savings, and credit builder accounts were closed ( the email worded the closure as happening in the future but listed the day of as the closure date ). I immediately called Chime customer service at the number that was listed in the email and was going around in circles because the automated bot service doesnt list a live representative as one of the immediate options. I finally selected the fraud hotline option to get a real person on the phone, despite that not being my issue and was successful in reaching someone. I explained the issue to the representative on the phone and I was told that the department he was in isnt equipped to handle my inquiry and I was transferred to a representative in Member Services who tried to be helpful but ended the conversation with I cant really tell you anything more than you violated the terms and conditions of your Deposit Agreement, and you have to send an email to Chime Account Review to get more information. Frustrated that I had spent over 45 minutes on the phone to be back at XXXX  XXXX, I sent an email to the Account Review board inquiring about my situation and was told the same thing by four other representatives on email. XXXX representative requested personal information verifying my identity and listed the reason for my account being closed as : We couldnt verify that you were the intended recipient of this deposit ( Ive worked at the same company since XX/XX/2023 and get paid weekly, so Ive gotten this direct deposit many times from XXXX to the second week of XXXX with no interruptions, and I have been a client of Chime Bank for years prior to this ). I sent documentation to the representative who requested it, including my valid ID and my most recent deposit information for the past XXXX months ( there was actually a lot more information that was requested of me ). After a few hours, I sent a follow up inquiry asking about the status of my account multiple times and was sent back what seems to be an automated response based on certain keywords found in the emails that didnt answer my question or even pertain to the inquiry I sent. For example, one email I sent said : Good afternoon! I am sending a follow up email about the status of my account now that I have sent my documentation over as requested by one of the representatives. The response back to me was : We can not give you anymore information about your account until you send in documentation verifying your identity and that you are the intended recipient of this deposit. When I responded saying that I indeed have already submitted my documentation, I received no follow email or response. Im concerned because not only did they list my account as not being able to be refunded or reopened without reviewing my documentation, I have already submitted extremely sensitive information to verify my identity through their email thread that doesnt seem very secure. As of XX/XX/2023 at XXXX, I have not received any sort of response, update, or final decision nor have I received any information about the money that was in my account at the time of closure.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief