Consumer complaint received 2021-03-20
Company: Coinbase, Inc.
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Virtual currency
Issue: Money was not available when promised

Complaint:
Hello. At XX/XX/XXXX I registered an account at Coinbase.com and invested some funds into cryptocurrency. At XX/XX/XXXX ( ten days ago ) I tried to enter my account at Coinbase.com. I couldn't do it because this requires authentication through SMS, and I had lost access to the number that used to register this account ( I don't think, that this is a really extraordinary situation when a person changes his phone number after 7 years had passed ). I created a ticket to XXXX  support, and I was asked to register a new account and upload ID documents to verify my identity. The same day I did it, and the same evening I got an email from XXXX support saying that my identity was verified. Below there is my correspondence with XXXX support concerning this issue : <Thu., XXXX. XXXX at XXXX XXXX. 

Hi, Thanks for letting XXXX Support know about your authentication issue. We'll be in contact with you as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, you may be able to resolve the issue with some troubleshooting tips for 2-step verification. 

You can also learn more about authenticator apps like XXXX XXXX or XXXX, and how to install them. 

Regards, XXXX Support ref : XXXX > <Thu., XXXX. XXXX at XXXX XXXX 

Hi there, Thank you for your patience. We're happy to help you regain access to your original account. 

Please create a new and temporary XXXX account using a different email address at XXXX XXXX XXXX, and proceed with the following steps : 1 ). Add and verify your new phone number. For security purposes, do not add and verify a VOIP number.

2 ). Complete the ID upload and live webcam photo ( selfie ) at : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Once completed, these steps will help us verify the ownership of your original account. Please respond back to this email with the temporary accounts email address once you have completed the above steps. From there, we will review the information and we should be able to update the phone number on your original account to help you restore access. 

Please note that we will delete the temporary account after the original account has been recovered. Therefore please do not take any additional actions on your temporary account such as adding payment methods or using your wallet. 

If you have any questions or encounter trouble in the meantime please feel free to send us a message and we will be happy to look into it. 

Thanks, XXXX  Support ref : XXXX : ref > <Thu., XXXX. XXXX at XXXX XXXX. 

Hi there, Thank you for creating your temporary account. 

Please note that your temporary account will need to have a live webcam photo ( selfie ) uploaded to the account to verify ownership. If you still need to complete this step please complete the onscreen instructions after clicking this link : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX You will be presented with the opportunity to submit a webcam photo after uploading your ID. 

Thank you for your cooperation as we proceed with our review. 

Regards, XXXX Support ref : XXXX : ref > The email I received on the mailbox of my temporary account : XXXX, XXXX. XXXX at XXXX XXXX 

You're ready to invest! 
We've verified your account. You're all ready to invest in crypto. 
> So right now it's been 10 days since I last heard from XXXX support. Two days ago I wrote personal messages to official XXXX accounts on XXXX XXXX : XXXX  and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Both account are listed on official XXXX website hXXXX XXXX XXXX  I politely asked them to give me any information regarding my case - how is it progressing and how much time would it take to resolve it. Since now, I didn't receive an answer, not from XXXX account, nor from XXXX XXXX XXXX. That reluctance to communicate makes me disturbed about the future of my cryptocurrency stored at coinbase.com My issue is registered at XXXX support as case # XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation