Consumer complaint received 2023-08-21
Company: Netspend Corporation
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-issue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online

Complaint:
I was gifted a NetSpend prepaid debit card ( I believe in the amount of {$500.00} ) in XXXX and then took steps to activate it. 

I submitted several documents to the NetSpend team on XX/XX/XXXX, and received a response from XXXX that their activation process required an ID and a SSN. 

As I was going through my citizen naturalization process and the NetSpend activation process proved to be more time consuming and inconvenient than I had expected, I had to delay the submission of the needed documents until a later date. 

I reached out to NetSpend again on XX/XX/XXXX and requested more information on the activation process as my legal name changed. On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX responded to me saying that my account was not yet verified and NetSpend needs the usual set of documents ( XXXX, ID, Proof of Address ) to proceed. 

I submitted a set of documents with my new legal name on XX/XX/XXXX, and received a response on the same day. XXXX said that the submitted documents are not valid as they were " Not in Cardholders Name '' even though the card has no name as such, and my account was not yet verified. Later that day, I responded to XXXX requesting more help and clarity on the situation and asked him if I needed to submit the court order with the name change. I received a response, this time from XXXX, who once again told me the documents were not valid. I then tried to call the number on the back of the card. The automated response system could not process my request or connect me to a customer service representative. I then sent another email to NetSpend trying to get hold of any of the customer service representatives that I have communicated before. I received no direct response, yet I received a forwarded email which was sent from XXXX to XXXX and required the customer service to provide me some assistance and " educate '' me on how to read the phone number located on the back of the card and how to use my phone, as, apparently, I was not quite intelligent to operate either. I didn't quite understand why the representative assumed I was uneducated in that area and why I was addressed as a " she '' even though the ID card that I submitted was shot in clear light and specifies my sex. I then understood that my situation mattered little to NetSpend team and that, out of at least 4, no customer service representative was on the case. Another generic email followed, stating that I need to submit a set of documents to verify the account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I once again reached out to customer service and summarized my situation : I can not access my account, automated response system hangs up on me, I can not get hold of any customer service representatives, nobody is tracking the progress. I received a response on the next day, XX/XX/XXXX - this time XXXX apologized for the inconvenience, responded to none of my questions or concerns, notified me of a restriction ( that was news to me ) on my account which stopped me from accessing it, and suggested I call the number on the back of the card as NetSpend had " restructured '' their automated phone system. 

I was absolutely exhausted to deal with the same issue over and over again while getting absolutely nowhere and worse if anything. Yet later, I did as suggested and, to no wonder, the automated phone system was just the same and kicked me out several minutes after. On XX/XX/XXXX I once again reached out to customer service and restated my situation, expressed my frustration, notified NetSpend about reaching out to Customer Protection Bureau, as their practices reminded me more of fraud than financial services, and again asked for more help. I received no response. 

Below I will attach the email correspondence in full minus the submitted documents as per your instructions above.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation