Consumer complaint received 2015-10-22
Company: Empowerment Ventures, LLC
State: NV
Product: Prepaid card
Sub-product: General purpose card
Issue: Unauthorized transactions/trans. issues

Complaint:
I have a Rushcard that I use to make Direct Deposits for on my payroll every 2 weeks. I received an email that they were having some maintenance done with their website on XXXX/XXXX/15. On XXXX/XXXX/15 there was another email stating to take any funds out of the card just in case it was needed while the maintenance was still in progress. I had no funds in there at the time. On Wednesday night XXXX/XXXX/15 my direct deposit was supposed to hit my account and then I usually withdraw the funds the next day. Since XXXX/XXXX/15, I have not been able to get my funds out of my card. My card says my account is inactive. The website will say my funds are there but then the day after it would show as XXXX dollars.When calling the company for more information it either rings and hangs up, or when they answer it is a " our systems are down '' speech and unable to see your account please call tomorrow. I have relentlessly called them every day twice a day, on hold for 3 hours, emailed them over 20 times to their email address XXXXXXXXXXXX. I have XXXX messaged them over 30 times. Then on Sunday XXXX/XXXX/15, my account stated my deposit was there on another card I had previously but that one expired on XX/XX/2015. Since then they issued me a new caed which expires in 2018. This is still the case. I can not access my funds in any way at all. I get nothing but no explanations on the phone when you speak with agents. They are not in XXXX but outsourced from XXXX. They say they will call you back but they do n't. I still have not had any of my money returned to me since this has happened and there should not be any excuse for them not to update the card with the money unless they have taken it and are not saying so. My livelihood depends on my payroll checks, If I do n't have then bills will not get paid, there will be no food on the table, I take the bus to work so no bus fare, and my dog whom i love very much has no food to eat as well. I do n't have it as bad as the XXXX people who have been affected by this. But it is still my earnings that I worked hard for and I should not have to wait for them to give me what is rightfully mine. I called my HR payroll department and because it was posted as " received fund '' from Rushcard as it seemed to be an open account at the time, they are unable to reverse the money to cut me a live check. I am one of the many who needs this to be corrected and as soon as I am able to I am going to take all of my money and burn the Rushcard into ashes. But in the meantime I still need my money and it has not been resolved. This is not how a business is run especially if involves money and banking. If this was just a technical issue then there are ways to get the money back. They could issue checks. They could issue money orders. But instead they ignore our emails, avoid our calls, lie to us on the media, and the contract says no arbitration allowed. There has to be some justice done to get this corrected.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief