Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I had been applying for loans online; on May 19th, I received a call from someone who claimed to be from Light Stream who told me I had been approved or a loan of $11,000 and he wanted to confirm my information. He went through every detail of my life from full name, address, phone number, social security number, bank name, bank account number and etc. I was actually surprised he knew my full social security number; normally employee should only have access to the last four digits, but, I let it go. He finally said, someone from their accounting will call me. A few minutes later, someone called me and again told me the same info and he said he is ready to transfer the money to my account but he needs access to my bank account. He wanted me to give him my online banking login name and password. I asked why, he said it's part of the process but I refused and said I will not let him have access to my bank account. I told him if that's the condition, I don't want the loan; he said well there is another way, that I should take out $50 from my bank account, then deposit $10 into my account via an ATM and not a teller and then give him the reference number. Again, I asked why and he said he needs to see a deposit in my account which doesn't make sense. By then, I was sure this was a scam, I asked him to give me the name of their company's website and he gave me Light Stream's web address which looks legit. Anyway, I refused to do what he asked me which of course made him very angry and told me I wasted his time. Both men had an ****** accent. Clearly, these men were scammers using Light Stream's name, but, I want to know how they got access to my full information. Are you being hacked and you don't know it? At this point, I don't even know what to do, these scammers have all of my information.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2023

  We can confirm that this is not a valid LightStream offer. Unfortunately, others will attempt to impersonate LightStream in an effort to gain monies from the public. We can assure you that LightStream does not ask customers to provide any type of down payments,request they purchase gift cards, or provide personal information over the phone in order to be considered for a loan. LightStream will never send unsolicited emails, text messages or letters asking clients to provide, update,or verify personal or account information, such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, PINs, credit or check card numbers, or other confidential information. If you have received a suspicious email,communication or believe you may be the victim of a possible scam, please forward any information to ************************************** Ignore and delete unexpected messages asking for password, PIN, or other confidential information.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/22/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They have gone into my account early on SEVERAL occasions. I get conformation emails that my payment will come out on the 24th and the 26th because I have 2 loans with them, yet they go in my account on that Friday or Saturday, sometimes 2-4 days ahead of time. That's very frustrating and NOT what I agreed to.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/22/2023

  Please note that we initiate the payment and send a request to your bank two business days before your monthly payment is due. Once we have sent the request to your bank, your bank is responsible for processing our request in time for your monthly payment.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/19/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  350 dollars to insure a loan. Then requested another 200 to process paperwork for transferring from us bank to my bank told them to stop loan And they said could not and would return my money

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/20/2023

  LightStream will never send unsolicited emails, text messages, or letters asking clients to provide,update, or verify personal or account information, such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, PINs, credit or check card numbers, or other confidential information. If you have received a suspicious email, communication or believe you may be the victim of a possible scam, please forward any information to ************************************** Ignore and delete unexpected messages asking for a password, PIN, or other confidential information. If you have additional questions or concerns, please call us at ************** for further assistance. We also accept calls made through the relay service (dial 711).

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/14/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called in several times to make my payment, they confirmed the payment information with me, confirmed that the payment went through and then would call me a couple days later saying that it did not go through. I would then go through the steps again and get the same results. We finally had to switch bank all together to get payments to go through correctly. Initially, this account was set up on auto pay, and still is, yet i have to call in every month to make a payment. They claim its my banks (both banks) fault, yet my bank doesnt show they even attempted to the pull funds. Seems like a glich in there payment processing from what my banker told me. Ultimately, they reported me as being more than 30 days late and caused a big decline in my high 700 credit score. Never been late on anything. They are quick to tell me any reason they can grab for fault, instead of taking ownership of the issue and having me set up properly on auto pay and pulling payments on a timely manner.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to LightStream. We have reviewed your account carefully and can confirm that your payment history is being reported accurately. The payment issue was reported to us by your financial institution, and LightStream was unable to obtain payments. Each time this error occurred, we made an attempt to contact you via email. At this time, the delinquency is valid. We advise communicating with your financial institution to review your bank account information.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/07/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Spoke with someone from Lightstream loans about getting a loan to fix my car. I was told that I had to send $200 on a gift card to clear the transaction through the insurance. Then I was told it would be an extra $350 before I could get my loan. Then, someone claiming to be world loan attempted to withdraw $350 from my bank account. Light stream is a fraud. Do Not trust it

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2023

  We can confirm that this is not a valid LightStream offer. Unfortunately, others will attempt to impersonate Lightstream in an effort to gain monies from the public. We can assure you that Lightstream does not ask customers to provide any type of down payments, request they purchase gift cards, or provide personal information over the phone in order to be considered for a loan. LightStream will never send unsolicited emails, text messages or letters asking clients to provide, update, or verify personal or account information, such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, PINs, credit or check card numbers, or other confidential information.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/08/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/06/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I applied for a loan and was subsequently denied. This was not a problem. However, they do not provide a public phone number to call to request a letter of declination. I sent an email requesting this. They promised to provide it more than 3-4 times, and every time they did not send it. Finally I said I was frustrated with their lack of service that they finally sent it.
  
  Unfortunately, this did not matter. I got it too late and was unable to use the letter as needed. Their apathy and negligence may very well lead to some tough financial situations for myself and it could have been handled or resolved with filling a simple request. Please fix your ability to handle customers and your customer service needs - especially when your business deals in impacting lives. If anything, please withdraw the hard inquiry on my credit history.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/07/2023

  We apologize for the inconvenience and are sorry that the letter you requested was not provided to you in a manner that met your expectations. We will continue to strive to provide the best service we can that will satisfy the needs of our clients. In relation to the hard inquiry, since an application was submitted for review, the inquiry stands as valid and cannot be removed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/05/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I accepted a loan from Lightstream on 6/23/2020 for $12,000 at ****% APR. There was no issue until April 2022 they attempted to debit a payment that was unsuccessful. Since that time I have repeatedly attempted to contact Lightstream. I have reached their service representatives but they are unable to work with me to accept payment. I have asked for information to log into my online account, and it states, "Loan information is no longer available for this user ID." I spoke with a representative of Lighstream who attempted to help me log into my account, but was unable to provide me a password reset. This representative hung up on me while I was trying to resolve the problem. This is affecting my credit and I would like to pay the bill but I cannot find a way to do so. I continue to receive e-mails stating they will be debiting my account, but I never see the charge and I cannot contact them to adjust my payment information. I do not have any of the supporting documentation aside from email, as I cannot access my online account. I would like them to contact me so i can access my account and update payment information, as well as correct my credit report.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  For further assistance, please contact us at **************. We also accept calls made through the relay service (dial 711).

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In 2019 I applied for a loan for $30,000 and with interest and fees had to pay back $37,984.32 within 48 months. The loan was taken before COVID was a thing and the world was “normal”. LightStream offered a COVID payment deferral option, which I took for the month of April (2020) under the understanding that the payment would be moved to my final payment and no fees or interest would accrue. A lot of companies were doing this, more specifically because of the lack of funds people had at the time. There was no underlying information about the deferral, even when we called and asked, so we made the deferral. To my surprise, after I finished paying the agreed total from my loan, I saw that I had an outstanding balance of $588. Which, when I called LightStream, was the “interest that accrued” from the COVID payment deferral. I explained to countless customer services agents and other departments that I was told no interest would accrue and to provide proof of any agreement that the interest would be charged. We read over our loan agreement and saw no such information about the deferral. LightStream told us that the deferral interest was stated by email, on their website and when we called. We told them it was not and asked for recordings of the call, copies of the email ( I have every email they sent me ) or an agreement of the deferral. They denied and were unable to do so. They sent me to their collections department and I started to receive threatening phone calls from over 7 different representatives. I called the collections department and spoke with the manager named Lauren, explained my situation and I asked her for proof of interest fees under the deferral option. She told me she had nothing to show, which shows they are adding interest without prior authorization. She also stated I would need a “subpoena” to see a more detailed record of all interactions with LightStream. They are scammers and thieves. They are charging me more than our agreed loan. Thieves.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/05/2023

  Our records indicate that the request to defer the payment was made via our website. In order to submit the request, the user was required to review our disclosures and the conditions they outline, which included the following: "Any deferred payments will be added to your final payment amount, and interest will continue to accrue, potentially resulting in additional interest paid over the life of your loan." By submitting the request, the user consented to the provided disclosures.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/05/2023

  Hello,

   

  Is there a reason why this information had to be provided to BBB and not to myself? From my countless phone calls and multiple emails, all representatives and emails DID NOT contain the disclosure above. Please provide me with concrete proof, that during the deferral (that occurred over the phone and not online) this information was made aware to myself. I will assist in that, it was not. No one told me this and the representative FAILED TO DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION. All calls were recorded and monitored as per the warning before transferring to the representative. Please provide BBB and myself the recording and transcript, so you can see the representative failed to do their duty and job. I am not responsible for  your employees mistake. I am not going to pay for fees that were not agreed upon OR made aware of. 
  

  As well, your threatening phone calls from multiple representatives is uncalled for. Lauren’s (collections department manager) unprofessional and blatant demeanor was unnecessary. 
  

  The fees you added illegally, without just cause, without agreement - needs to be removed and my account closed. 
  

  I will pursue necessary steps to ensure the removal of fees and closure of my account. I will not, am not and shall not be blackmailed and threatened to pay for ANY fee’s. I paid the agreed upon amount, AS PER OUR CONTRACT. A reminder, which is a LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENT. IN FULL AND WITHOUT FAIL. 

  Thanks. Send this to whichever department needs to approve the removal. I will not be played. 
  

  *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  The terms outlined in the "Daily Simple Interest Loan’ section of your original loan agreement remained the same during your deferment period. At the time of your request, you were presented with a pop-up window that allowed you to select the reason for the deferment request, the pop-up also included the following disclosure:
  
  We can offer you a deferment of your monthly payment. If you provide confirmation to proceed, the above-mentioned payment will be deferred. If you wish to defer any future payments, you must contact us at least two business days prior to the next payment due date. We can offer up to 90 ‘days of payment deferrals (3 total payments), but you will need to make the request to us each month. Any deferred payments will be added to your final payment amount and interest will continue to accrue, potentially resulting in additional interest paid over the life of your loan.
  
  In addition, to complete your deferment request, it was necessary to hit the submit button, agreeing to the following statement:
  
  "By hitting Submit, you are authorizing LightStream to defer your next available payment."
  
  We have also sent your customer service feedback to the appropriate department.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2023

  Hi again, 
  

  Please note that you are still under the impression that the deferment was made online. It was not. It was made over the phone with one of your representatives. Since all calls are warned to be “monitored and recorded”, please take the time to find the call I made in April and confirm that the representative did not notify me of the interest charges. When I asked, they told me no fees would be incurred for the deferment. Along with that, no email was sent regarding those terms of service for the COVID deferment. This proves that LightStream is at fault and is unable to provide proof that any agreement was made and/or LightStream failed to notify me that the deferment would accrue interest.
  

  Once again, I called for the deferment and not online. This is now the responsibility of LightStream to investigate who I spoke too, why they did not notify me of the interest charges and retract any charges made to my account as for LightStreams fault.
  

  You have reported the account delinquent to the credit bureaus, which have all been disputed and yet, you have no proof or any agreement that shows interest would be charged.
  

  Please also note, the internet and systems record all interactions made on behalf of employees and customers. Please send the recording of conversation I made in April with the representative and see the mistake they made. A mistake that I will personally not pay for.   
  

  No conclusion will be made in a positive relation to your employees mistake. I will not pay, I fulfilled my agreement/loan. 
  

  I would like this account closed, balance set to 0 and all credit report delinquency retracted and fixed. 
  

  Thanks. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  After my State Farm agent recommended LightStream for a personal loan we applied with a credit score over 800 and a income of over $400k and have never not paid back a personal loan ever in our lives. I started wanting a $100K and quit trying after $26K and never could get a answer as to why. They kept referring that we had too much debt which they don't let you explain anything they just say re-apply again. They called my wife once and said if you made that much money why didn't you save it. We are vested in real estate and are in between getting rid of a property and needed some cash to consolidated and pay some bills. Just as mad now at State Farm for even recommending this company to us. If you have great credit and pay your bills and have income don't bother to apply with this company. There parent company appears, according to the news is on the watch list soon to fail.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/23/2023

  When an application is received, we review several different items, including the credit profile, financials, debt to income ratio, payment history, remaining loan balances, and income compared to the loan amount requested. Based on our lending guidelines, we are unable to extend credit at this time.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  this was supposed to be a soft inquiry not a hard inquiry! get it off my credit report or ill ***! (transunion)

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  When you submitted the application with LightStream, there was a disclosure at the end of the application that the applicant was required to acknowledge. This disclosure confirms the applicant authorizes Truist to pull the credit history in order to make a credit decision. Therefore, we are unable to have the hard inquiry removed from your credit report.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/20/2023

  if u dont remove it ill sue ** plain and simple!!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  Our application fully discloses that we will conduct a hard inquiry on your credit prior to you submitting the application. Therefore, we are unable to have the hard inquiry removed from your credit report.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/23/2023

  I have sent transunion a letter and they will remove it promptly.