Consumer complaint received 2021-08-30
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: Chime Financial Inc (TN)

I recently opened an account with Chime, in order to receive direct deposits from my employer. The account was correctly set up and correctly linked with my employers direct deposit system, as I checked prior to the date I was to receive my first direct deposits. 

I was supposed to receive two separate direct deposits from my employer on XX/XX/XXXX, in the amounts of {$4700.00} and {$1200.00}. I had not received the direct deposits but mid-day, which is unusual for direct deposits. I contacted Chime and was told that it sometimes takes two pay periods for direct deposit to work and that perhaps Id receive mailed checks. I reached out to my employers payroll department and they informed me that the direct deposit was properly set up and that payment had been sent to Chime. I forwarded this information to Chime and later received a reply stating that essentially, Oh, whoops, yes we now see that we DO have your money but the account name doesnt match the name on the deposit. 

I replied that the names DID match and sent documentation to prove such. I then received a reply that said turns out it wasnt an issue with incorrect names but rather they could see that the deposits were for business purposes and they only allowed personal deposits. I replied that they WERE PERSONAL deposits- my paycheck from my employer! They almost immediately replied and went back to their first excuse saying that whoops, they messed up again- they actually could see that they were personal deposits but the names didnt match. I again sent documentation showing that they DID match. Chime claimed that because my deposit name listed a middle initial, which my Chime account did not, that they could not receive my deposit. I have NEVER encountered any institution that wont receive a deposit due to an initial. I sent them my birth certificate, drivers license, Social Security cards ( one with maiden name and one with married name ), and my marriage license. Even with ALL of that identifying information that matched my account and deposit information, they still claimed that they could not change my account. 

They told me that my funds were returned to my employer and should arrive in 1-3 days. I was told this on XX/XX/XXXX. As of today XX/XX/XXXX, my employer still has not received my money. I reached back out to Chime and requested detailed documentation showing that my funds had been sent to my employer, not some generic reply. The representative sent me a trace number and told me that my employer and I could use it to find my money. I reached out to my employer, and they explained that only Chime could use the referenced trace number to track the money, not the receiving firm. 

I contacted Chime once again to ask that THEY track my money and send me detailed confirmation. However, I dont believe that the trace number they sent me was even a legitimate number. From my understanding, the beginning digits of a trace number are supposed to be the banks routing number, yet the digits did not match Chimes routing number, or any banks routing number for that matter. I conveyed all of this to Chime and have not received a response in over four hours, when previously, they were replying in real time. 

Because of this incompetence, if not outright fraud by Chime, I have missed a mortgage payment, several other bills and credit card payments, my daughters tuition, and countless other important payments.