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:11/13/2024

  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.

  Hi Im writing today because on OCT 28 I was scammed. I was given a fake customer phone number and I was scammed on the phone through Venmo. When I realized what happened, I immediately called my bank and they froze my cards. This made the money that I was scammed with on Venmo disappear. I called several times and I was guaranteed that I was going to get my money back on Nov 6th, just to not get my money back. I had to call a third time; the man said we had to submit a dispute and then I was going to get my money back. The dispute was denied and now I called back just for a lady to apologize for her coworkers that lied to me because I was never going to get the money back. I am going to submit a complaint against Venmo. I was really counting on that money and I was lied to by 3 different representatives and assured that I was going to get the money back just to get denied.Every single time i called i had to explain over and over again what happen and i got the same answer this had been very stressful and i find it very unprofessional that i was lied to by the representatives of venmo over and over again. I will be submigting a complain today to the better business burue anx where ever else i can.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/10/2024

  Dear ****** ******, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  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.

  Date: 11/10/2024 I had a person try and pay me thru Venmo. I was told that my payment was on hold and would not show in my account because a business sent me the money and to verify that both of our accounts were not scammers that Venmo required they send a additional $400 and that once they did I returned the $400. Then they asked for another $500. When I told Venmo that I dont have the money and just wanted my $400 back they sent me a $1000 check which they want me to mobile deposit into my bank account that they signed my name on the back of and then wanted me to send them the $600. I refused to do this and have not gotten my $400 back from Venmo and the other person has not gotten there $950 back. So Venmo has not provided either anything and I am out $400 and the other person is out $950

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  Dear **** ******, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  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.

  Venmo has permanently restricted my account for reasons unknown. They will not give me the money in my account. They restricted this account and I didn't know yet they still let me transfer this money into the account after it was restricted. I want my money back I transferred this money in from my ******** account. Proof is attached showing the instant transfer to my venmo debit card for $317.20. The remaining money in the account was from other payments from friends. I also attached a email from venmo with a timestamp showing the account was frozen before the transfer was initiated. Also a email stating they accepted my transfer. It seems based on other complaints they are doing this to a lot of people I'm hoping you guys can help with a resolution otherwise I will forward this to the ** attorney generals office for help.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2024

  Dear ***** ********, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  Type:Product 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.

  3 transaction dates: Sept 21, 2024 $70, Sept 21 another $70 and Oct 24, 2024 $70 were transferred by ***** **** into my Venmo account (see attached). These monies never showed up in my wallet. I triple checked that I did not transfer the money into my checking. I did not. My daughter checked that Venmo took these amounts out of her checking. Where is the money?

  Business Response

  Date: 12/03/2024

  Dear **** **********, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** **********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  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.

  I have used Venmo successfully multiple times over many years, even though I have many times read complaints that they eventually take your money and refuse to give it back. I just thought other people mustve made a mistake or done something wrong. And now it is me they have stolen from! Recently, I had several friends pay me through Venmo. I tried using a small amount of the money available in my app as a transfer to another friend. Over and over again over many hours, I was told my payment was denied. I contacted live chat help and they told me my account is in good standing, but their system flagged my payment and it wont go through and they cannot tell me why. It is to protect me that they cant tell me why. I tried to transfer the money to my bank card, which I have successfully used in the past and I verified for them in the past, but I also got denied payment with that. The chat person said the system is flagging me for my protection. I was told over and over again that the only answer is to give them complete access to all the money in my bank account besides the money they already have. As if I would trust them with one more ***** or any more access to my money when they have already failed me and stolen what I have and wont give it back.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/06/2024

  Dear Jage *******, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  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.

  My mother and I were the victims of a scam that involved Venmo. We have filed a series of disputes with Venmo. When I called the customer service line, and followed the prompts to reach the correct section of the customer service to help discuss a dispute, as soon as I was connected with a person and they asked how I could help them, when I said, "I am calling for help with a dispute" they HUNG UP immediately. This happened three times in a row, with different customer service representatives. It seems that they must be instructed to hang up.I need help with the dispute, and I have information to give them, and questions that I want to discuss with them.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/11/2024

  Dear ***** ******, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/21/2024

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  I disagree with the email response that the Venmo/PayPal sent me, which I have pasted below. my response. 
   
  I am rejecting this response on two main points, detailed below:
  
  1. As detailed in previous communication, My mother and I were scammed. These were not authorized transactions, in that they were made under false pretenses under the control of someone who said that he worked for Venmo customer service. He directed the payments and I had confirmation from my mom via text that they were going to her account. (She I sent the scammer $4997. )At that point my my mom and I disputed this transactions as unauthorized.

  This was characterized as a "personal payment" -- and the scammers take advantage of Venmo's lax regulation of the personal payments. But this payment was miscatagorized and did not go to where it was supposed to go. This was not a personal payment because it did not go to the person it was directed to. The money went somewhere else -- not to my mom's debit account as I believed it would. 
  

  2.
  The dispute is regarding a set of payments from my mom to me, and my account shows a negative balance now of $4013. HOWEVER, while Venmo was investigating these fraudulent transactions, I received two valid Venmo payments friends totally $973. That money was taken by Venmo as account recovery payment. These funds are not part of the dispute  and should have been taken. They are not part of the dispute. They should be returned to me immediately.

  Thank you,
  *****

  Letter response sent to me from Paypal/Venmo referred to in Venmo's response to BBB Complaint.

  This is ****** with PayPal's Office of Global Customer Complaints and Advocacy, and I'm reaching out to you about your Better Business Bureau complaint (********). I want to start by expressing my sincere apologies for the distress and inconvenience you and your mother have experienced. I understand how frustrating and upsetting this situation must be, and I am here to assist you in resolving this matter.
   
  I have reviewed the details of your case and would like to provide you with a comprehensive update. On October 17, 2024, you received a credit-card funded payment totaling $4,989. This payment was categorized as a personal payment, which typically includes money received for gifts, living expenses, or other non-purchase purposes. Unfortunately, personal payments are not covered under Venmo Purchase Protection.
   
  On October 26, 2024, Venmo received a chargeback notification from the sender's credit-card company, indicating that the charge was unauthorized. We promptly informed you of this via email and the ****************** A chargeback is a payment reversal initiated by the cardholder's credit-card issuer, and once it is processed, Venmo cannot prevent it from going through.
   
  You responded on October 27, 2024, explaining that you and your mother were victims of a scam and were instructed to send the money to the scammer's debit account. I am truly sorry to hear about this unfortunate incident.
   
  On October 30, 2024, Venmo disputed the chargeback with the credit-card company on your behalf. We also debited the payment from your Venmo account. As this payment was classified as a personal payment, it was not eligible for reimbursement under Venmo's Purchase Protection program.
   
  As of now, we are still awaiting a response from the credit-card company regarding the resolution of this chargeback. This process typically takes around 75 days from the dispute date, so we expect to have a final decision by January 10, 2025. If the credit-card issuer declines the chargeback, the payment will be returned to your account.
   
  In the meantime, the debit has resulted in a negative balance of $-4013.25 in your Venmo account. I understand this is a significant amount, and I apologize for any financial strain this may cause.
   
  Regarding the instant transfers to a card ending in XX11 on October 17, 2024, you reported these withdrawals as unauthorized. Venmo initiated an investigation, which included a review of your account login history and payment history. On December 10, 2024, we concluded our investigation and determined that the payment was not unauthorized, as your account login activity remained consistent throughout the relevant period.
   
  Additionally, I want to sincerely apologize for the experience you had when trying to reach our customer service team. It is completely unacceptable that your calls were disconnected when you mentioned needing help with a dispute. This is not the level of service we strive to provide, and I will ensure that this issue is addressed with our customer service team to prevent it from happening in the future.
   
  I understand that this outcome may not be what you were hoping for, and I genuinely empathize with your situation. If you have any other questions or need additional help with this matter, don't hesitate to reach back out to us. Just reply to this email or send a new one to ****************************************************************, and we will get back to you. You can also check out the Venmo *********** for day-to-day questions you might have about your account.
   
  Sincerely,
  Franco
  Global Customer Complaints & Advocacy
  PayPal, Inc.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 12/31/2024

  Dear ***** ******, 
  
  Thanks for getting back in touch with us. We appreciate another opportunity to look into this as we want our customers to know their issues are taken seriously.
  
  We reviewed your experience once more and sent you another response via email that we hope will address your concerns. As always, you can reach us by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website, and we will be happy to speak with you about your issues.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/12/2024

  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 am trying to retrieve my money from my venmo balance and I have worked with venmo customer service for the past week and have made no progress. They have stopped responding to my calls or emails and I continue to have a balance in my account that i need to access. I've added different accounts to try to transfer into various other places but I am unable to get my money. I need to access this cash asap.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/10/2024

  Dear ***** ********, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  My direct deposit was made into the wrong account. My employer has not received the funds back and Venmo stopped responding to my emails when I provide the account it went into and the amount. The account that it was deposited into is ************ (notice the 9 as the typo) where my account is ************. The deposit was for $1,138.22 on 9/13/24. I would like Venmo to use the information provided to reverse the deposit and send it to my correct account.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/03/2024

  Dear **** *****, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2024

  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.

  $1073.00 was transferred into my Venmo account via a payment from a friend. I was unable to use these funds to make debit purchases, atm withdrawals, or instant transfers to bank accounts on file. After speaking to a few custom service representatives, I was instructed to transfer my funds out of my Venmo account into an account on file using *********************** standard transfer method. This method would allow me to access my funds in 1-3 business. I was given and ETA of Nov. 8th. On Nov. 8th at 10am, Venmo issued a security hold/review and did not release the funds. I called customer service and was not given a reason as to why my funds were being held for a security review. I have not violated any Venmo terms as a customer. I feel as though ********************** is keeping my funds and giving excuses. Meanwhile, I fall behind on bills.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2024

  Dear ******* *****, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/08/2024

  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.

  When attempting to link a new bank account, I encountered technical issues within Venmos system. Since that time, my account has been frozen, and I have been unable to access my funds.I have reached out multiple times to resolve this matter and was informed that my account remains frozen due to Venmos inability to verify my bank account access. I uploaded several bank statements as requested, providing Venmo with all relevant information and documentation. However, despite my compliance and full cooperation, my account remains locked.During my most recent interaction with a Venmo representative, it came to light that a savings account might have been selected incorrectly when setting up the bank connection, which could have caused the initial connection failure. Nevertheless, this issue was not adequately addressed, and my access to my funds remains restricted.I must express that it is deeply concerning, and frankly quite alarming, that a financial institution like Venmo can legally restrict my access to funds in this way. Being unable to access my own money is causing considerable stress, and it raises serious questions about the security of consumer funds in situations like this.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2024

  Dear ***** ****, 
  
  We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate you letting us know. When issues like these happen, we work hard to support our customers and be there when they need us most.
  
  We're here to help, so we reviewed your concerns and responded to you directly via email. If you have any other questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach back out by replying to our message or by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/11/2024

   
  Complaint: 22529735
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I emailed Venmo back and didnt receive a response. Venmo demands a statement of a specific bank account with 4 digit ending which is not mine. Since I do not have that bank account and I am unsure how they mitigated this number into my account, ********************** is unable to verify my identity without this specific bank statement. The mitigation of number seemed to have happened due to Venmos faulty system. My account access is frozen and Venmo has not refunded me my money. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2024

  Dear ***** ****, 
  
  Thanks for getting back in touch with us. We appreciate another opportunity to look into this as we want our customers to know their issues are taken seriously.
  
  We reviewed your experience once more and sent you another response via email that we hope will address your concerns. As always, you can reach us by visiting our Contact page on the Venmo website, and we will be happy to speak with you about your issues.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Venmo