Consumer complaint received 2022-11-28
Company: Google Compare Credit Cards Inc.
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Managing, opening, or closing your mobile wallet account

Complaint:
On or about XX/XX/2022, I made a request for emergency funds from my GooglePay account ( XXXX ) to my mothers GooglePay account ( XXXX ) for the amount of {$180.00} to assist me in obtaining care for my sick pet cat. My mother agreed to send these funds and they showed as received into my account a short time later that day. 

When I attempted to withdraw these funds, first to my XXXX XXXX debit card which failed, next to a virtual XXXX XXXX debit card provided by my banks chat support team which also failed, and then to several other debit or prepaid cards which all failed as well, I contacted GooglePay chat and phone support with no success or explanation about the cause of my issue withdrawing the {$180.00} of funds.

Shortly after these chat and phone support conversations, I began receiving emails from Googlepay requesting that I now submit photos of each of the cards I had attempted to use to withdraw funds ( even if they failed ) and to upload my California drivers license, which I did, except that my virtual bank card was never a physical card and could not be captured via photograph, and also since my bank cards format has my name printed on one side and the card number on the reverse and Googlepay only allowing one photo per card, I was unable to submit all of the requested photos, but left detailed information explaining the reasons why I could not fully comply with the request.

Each time I submitted the photos requested by GooglePay, a clearly automated response email would be sent to me stating that I did not comply by sending the proper photographic documentation, and to try again. This continued on for hours, well into the night and early morning hours of XX/XX/2022 and still could not withdraw funds. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, after countless chats and calls with GooglePay support, I received a final email stating that the specialist/expert team at GooglePay had reviewed my case and decided that my account should be permanently closed with no opportunity to withdraw the funds or refund my mothers account, and that they would be sending my funds to the appropriate government authority for where I live, which is the California XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX. 

I waited 6 months for these funds to be transferred to the XXXX XXXX, but they had no record of funds coming in related to my googlepay account, and GooglePay chat support did not seem to understand that my account had been permanently closed over 6 months ago and that those funds continued to sit in this account despite the email from GooglePay stating they would send funds to appropriate governmental agency.

I have received no new information or update about this money despite several more hours of chat and phone support conversations, and there is no good way of contacting someone at XXXX who can speak my language, are competent enough to understand my issue, or that have the authority to do anything other than apologize and tell me to await further instructions from the specialist team. This almost exact same situation has occurred with my girlfriends GooglePay account, to which my mother also sent {$180.00} to on the same day, XX/XX/2022 when i appeared to have trouble withdrawing those funds from my account. 
Her account was also permanently closed and GooglePay supposed to send to California XXXX XXXX XXXX, yet those funds continue to sit in a permanently closed GooglePay account instead, and my mother is out {$360.00}.

Please help me! My cat has long since died because i could not access the funds my mother so desperately wanted me and my girlfriend to have to get my cat emergency treatment, and have added insult to injury by continuing to hold these funds 6 months later.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation