Consumer complaint received 2024-09-18 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: Chime Financial Inc
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/2024 I received my regularly occuring deposit to my Chime account. After this my XXXX limit increased from {$250.00} to {$500.00}. After this notice the funds were available to me {$42.00} daily until the limit was reached, but this resulted in an {$11.00} outstanding about still available. Chime currently only allows XXXX advances to be taken in {$20.00} minimum increments so I could not access this. 

On XX/XX/2024 I received another regular deposit. However my XXXX reduced to {$300.00}. Meaning {$200.00} of my check was missing. Further the {$300.00} of my normal check is now being released to me in {$32.00} increments which has caused so many issues that I'm trying to deal with now. Buying groceries, paying bills, etc. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to make it until I get paid again, and I'm terrified that this cycle of XXXX  only releasing MY check to me in small increments so going to continue and its going to cause me so many issues. 

When this happened on the XXXX of XXXX I contacted chime the same night who could not answer XXXX. How XXXX calculates the advances allotted, XXXX. Why my increments are being given at such a ridiculous reduced rate, and XXXX. Where my {$200.00} went. When I first contacted them the agent told me Chime has no control of how the " system '' calculates your XXXX amount and also told me they have no way of overriding the allowances it gives. So the money that I earned my direct deposit can not be given to me in full? When I contacted them again on XX/XX/2024 hoping to speak to a supervisor, I was told by XXXX separate agents that the XXXX feature calculates your advance by your deposit history. Well I've had my Chime account for over 2 years and have worked and am working the same job with the same deposits with some slight variations due to small raises or work hour fluctuations. Each agent confirmed this and could not explain the advance change. They also reiterated to me that no one there at Chime, this was the XXXX initially agents I spoke to and the supervisor I was transfered to, had any control of this " system ''. No one can change anything in it, release my deposit to me, or give me back my roughly {$200.00}. Which is insane! {$200.00} means something to my household and I just don't know what I'm going to do. 

What's really upsetting to me and I can not be alone in this is XXXX. My check is not whole now, and I have bills and needs that have to be met that I have no other means of getting done. XXXX. I'm now stuck, and an agent told me this, with this Mypay nonsense, because Everytime I get a deposit the Mypay is automatically repaid, despite it being my money it can't be taken out so now I'm stuck with roughly half my check being advanced to be in small increments, which is unrealistic to do anything with. XXXX. No one at this company can explain why my advance amount changed and no one can make any changes. What happens if there's a system error. What happens like in my situation when roughly {$200.00} just goes missing. 

Chime advertises a great bait and switch. They bait you with the promise of you having access to your money, what you work for early. But they switch the entire framework of what they offer, the {$500.00} or 50 % of your Mypay is not fixed it can fluctuate, for apparently no reason at anytime, and it can be given to you {$20.00} at a time. 

It's false advertising, and I'm my view, I'm biased criminal to take my earned money and keep it from me. Now I'm stuck and can't get out of this without potentially losing more money which I can not afford. It just seems like Chime rolled out this feature with no internal structure surrounding how to run it and no one there seems to be able to explain it in clear cut English/understandable terms.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation