Consumer complaint received 2023-05-04
Company: Chime Financial Inc
State: KY
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
I sent my domestic partner, XXXX XXXX, to the XXXX XXXX branch ATM located at XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, KY XXXX on the morning of Monday, XX/XX/2023 with my XXXX debit card to withdraw {$1900.00} from my Chime checking account. The ATM could only dispense a maximum of {$800.00} per transaction, so XXXX planned to withdraw the {$1900.00} by making two separate {$800.00} withdrawals and one {$300.00} withdrawal. 

The two {$800.00} withdrawals were completed and dispensed just fine. When XXXX tried to withdraw {$300.00} at XXXX XXXX, however, the ATM said it was processing the transaction and made sounds like it was counting or dispensing the cash, but then the ATM said " This transaction could not be processed. The transaction has been cancelled. Would you like another transaction? '' XXXX selected " yes '' and made a second attempt at XXXXXXXX XXXX. to withdraw {$300.00}, at which time the ATM did the same exact thing : the ATM said it was processing the transaction, made sounds like it was dispensing or counting the cash, and then said " This transaction could not be processed. The transaction has been cancelled. Would you like another transaction? '' This time XXXX selected " No '' and drove away from the ATM because another person was waiting to use it and she realized the ATM was not going to process the transaction. XXXX called me at XXXX XXXX and I informed her that my Chime banking app was showing two pending transactions for {$800.00} each ( {$800.00} plus ATM fees ) and ONE pending transaction for {$300.00} ( {$300.00} plus ATM fees, which is one of the two transactions the ATM said were cancelled ). 

After speaking to me, XXXX called the XXXX XXXX branch of XXXX XXXX at XXXX XXXX and spoke to XXXX. After XXXX explained what happened less than 10 minutes beforehand, XXXX said they'd try to re-balance the ATM and asked for XXXX 's contact information. XXXX gave XXXX my name and contact information since this involved my debit card and checking account and XXXX said someone would reach out to me. At XXXX XXXX XXXX  called XXXX back and she told XXXX that her supervisor said I would have to dispute the transaction with my bank and to hold onto the receipt from the ATM. When XXXX told her the ATM didn't give her a receipt because it said the transactions were cancelled, XXXX put XXXX on hold while she spoke with her supervisor again and then XXXX came back and told XXXX that her supervisor said the ATM would just credit the money back into my checking account since the transactions were cancelled and the pending transaction for {$300.00} was just a temporary hold. 

Today, Thursday, XX/XX/2023, I discovered the pending transaction for {$300.00} has now fully processed and appears on my statement as a completed withdrawal for {$300.00} ( from XX/XX/2023 at XXXXXXXX XXXX  ). Additionally, my statement now shows a second completed withdrawal for {$300.00} ( from XX/XX/2023 at XXXXXXXX XXXX. ), which was the second attempted withdrawal that the ATM said could not be processed and said it cancelled. That second withdrawal never appeared on my statement as a pending transaction, however ; it only appeared in my completed transactions after it had fully processed. 

After seeing that both attempted withdrawals were now showing up as completed transactions ( and the pending transaction was not merely a hold that the ATM was going to credit back like the XXXX XXXX  supervisor said it would ), I called XXXX XXXX  today, XX/XX/2023 at XXXXXXXX XXXX  and spoke to XXXX. I explained all of the above to XXXX and I told her I was filing a dispute with Chime. Since the ATM did not give my partner a receipt for the cancelled transactions, I requested something in writing from XXXX XXXX  to aid me in my dispute, stating the two {$300.00} withdrawals could not be processed and no cash was dispensed because both transactions were cancelled by the ATM. 

XXXX told me she could not give me anything in writing, but she said Chime would be able to reach out once I disputed those transactions, at which time XXXX XXXX  would be able to verify that those transactions were cancelled by the ATM and no cash was dispensed. I have since filed a dispute with Chime regarding the two unauthorized transactions. I was informed it would take at least 10 business days to investigate and I might be given a provisional credit depending on the information they receive from XXXX XXXX. 

While I await the results of Chime 's investigation, I would like to file a formal complaint against Chime for allowing cancelled transactions to be debited from my account in the first place. This is inexcusable.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief