Consumer complaint received 2024-09-14 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Virtual currency
Issue: Other service problem — 
Company: Coinbase, Inc.
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX of this year, I had to lock down my Coinbase account, as it was used by an unauthorized individual to purchase and transfer some of my XXXX. 
In an attempt to unlock my Coinbase account, on XX/XX/2024, I paid a computer professional to come to my home to assist me in taking the live photos of myself and pictures of my DMV-issued ID card as proof of my identity. 
I needed assistance in doing this as I am a XXXX  XXXX individual, which means that I need help with all aspects of the identity verification process to ensure that it is done properly. 
We completed the process twice, and both times our attempts were rejected. 
I am a member of XXXX XXXX, which, for a monthly fee, provides telephone support to Coinbase members. 
I called them to find out what was wrong, and why the ID verification process was rejected twice. 
At my request, the support agent, XXXX, allegedly checked with an internal specialist because as a XXXX XXXX  relying on another individual for assistance, I was desperate to know why my live video and ID Card upload were being rejected. 
XXXX informed me that the specialist said he reviewed the uploads and told her that " they were insufficient. '' To me, this was discriminatory customer service by Coinbase and its representatives. I explained to the customer service agent that they gave absolutely no information that would help me as a XXXX XXXX person instruct the person assisting me to help us perform the identity verification task in a manner that would allow successful process completion. 
I paid for the support services provided by the computer professional who helped me, and fear that I will have to do that again, in order to complete the identity verification process to unlock my account. 
Since I am XXXX  XXXX, I am filing this complaint because I firmly believe that Coinbase has an obligation to assist people with disabilities, especially when their disability creates a barrier to performing an important and necessary Coinbase process such as identity verification. 
I believe that the internal person 's refusal to provide me with the information I needed to understand the problems with my uploads was a flagrant refusal to accommodate my XXXX and tell me what we were doing wrong, since I couldn't of course see any of the uploaded material for evaluation. 
I wanted to settle this with Coinbase and filed a complaint with them using a note very similar to this description of the issue. 
They informed me that I did not provide what they considered to be a complaint, although I detailed how they refused to accommodate my XXXX by refusing to provide me with any information on what was wrong with my uploaded selfies and ID card photos. 
I suspect they have no idea what accommodations are, and have no understanding of the barriers experienced by XXXX XXXX  in trying to use a completely inaccessible identity verification process. 
I have no idea what policies are in place at Coinbase to assist XXXX consumers who utilize their services, but I can say that no one showed any level of understanding or competence in assisting me. 
One possible method they might use for assisting a XXXX XXXX  in this process might be to allow that individual to have a two or three minute XXXX  or XXXX  meeting with a live Coinbase representative, who could take pictures of the ID card and my face, that would meet their requirements. 
Without an accommodation of this type, I will be forced to continue to pay individuals to try and assist with this process, and if it fails, I will have no useful information as the consumer, of what to do, how to do it, and how to increase the likelihood of its success. I certainly don't want special treatment to let me off the hook, but rather, treatment that compensates for my XXXX, and allows me to participate in this verification process equal to that of non-disabled consumers. 
Thank you for reading this, and I hope we can work this all out with Coinbase.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation