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:09/08/2023

  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 opened an account with ********************** when they announced they were open to clients from *******. Biggest mistake ever.After the initial money deposit of ****, they converted the amount into $6339.03. The deposit was showing pending, but i could trade. I purchased ****** shares, and sold them when the price went up.They told me I had to wait to withdraw the funds (which was fine), but suddenly the account status changed and it showed me buying power = 0, and I couldnt buy or sell any more.Ive been trying to talk to their support, who are really slow at responding (2-3 days on average), and they ignore half the things i ask, and only reply to sone things.My deposit is still showing as pending after 3 weeks, with NO EXPLANATION. The bank confirms its left my account and reached **********************, but they deny its been received.Public asked me to provide screenshots from my bank, a bank statement, and also the faster payments id, which I did. 3 weeks later, theyre still investigating.*** emailed support, opened live chats, etc and I always seem to have my messages assigned to ***, who is diabolically slow at responding.Her latest excuse is that she has to wait for ****** team to respond. Then she said to email in a complaint. I did that a week ago, and have yet to receive an acknowledgment.I cant close my account, cant withdraw the funds, cant buy or sell shares, and cant get a straight answer from their support person ********** tried emailing the people who I communicated with during the account opening time and they all seem to have mysteriously disappeared. Is this a one-man band?Their phone number has a pre-recorded message: send email to ********************************* then plays a few seconds of music and disconnects. It feels like a scam.Would strongly advise to find a different brokerage. These guys will be sweet as honey before you deposit, then will hold your money hostage, and ignore you completely.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. We apologize for all the issues youre experiencing depositing funds in the app. We are actively working with your bank and our bank partner to resolve this for you as quickly as possible and will keep you actively posted with updates. We sincerely apologize for any delay in our response and your experience as we worked with our banking partner. We want to be clear, transparent, and fast in our response and we know this has taken longer than expected. Thanks for continuing to work with us, and our team will continue to be in touch with you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2023

  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.

  August 16, 2023, I set up a ********** account and was informed by ********** that my employment and citizenship status was approved. I entered banking information, and my account was approved and allowed me to buy stock and ***-bill.August 21, 2023, I receive an email that my bank rejected the account connection. **Proof attached I called State ********************** and was told they had no record of contact from **********. The woman indicated that this seemed like a scam. **Proof attached Being told by the credit union that there was no attempt at account connection caused suspicion of communication I was receiving from **********.I reached out to ********** in a separate email and they said:1.They wanted my ID and a bank statement. 2.They said it wasnt their end and I needed to contact my bank, due to it being a bank issue. I told them that I contacted the bank and was insecure in emailing my drivers license and bank statement putting PII at high risk. ********** then informed me:1.That the account type was not a withdrawal *********** cannot close the account until the amount that is owed is paid. This last bit of information (#1), means I should be able to enter a different payment option. I entered a different payment option and received an error message Restricted from depositing more funds. **Proof of error message attached This means I have no way to enter funds comply with their request to pay off the account, if I wanted to.Attachments # 1 is the notification that funds were rejected from the bank.# 2 Is record of my 6-minute call to North Carolina State Employees credit Union at ************. # 3 is the error received when using a different account to enter funds.IMPORTANT: if a user doesnt have the funds ********************** should not create the account because they are apparently holding users responsible for the amount when banking information didnt go through.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2023

  Hi ********, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. We apologize for the trouble depositing funds into your account. As mentioned in our conversation, your deposits were reversed since the bank account linked is not a transactional account. In situations where a deposit is reversed, the account is restricted from depositing more funds until we are able to verify bank ownership. We are required to verify bank ownership by obtaining a picture of your government-issued ID and a PDF copy of a recent bank statement. We do this to ensure the safety and security of your information and all our members information. At Public, we employ Bank-Grade security with AES 256-bit encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 to secure data in transit.

  Please provide the information requested at your earliest convenience, and we will provide it to our compliance team for an expedited review. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience; if you have any additional questions, please let us know by email at ********************************* Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Yesterday, Aug 22, 2023, I emailed my (1) driver's license and (2) official bank statement pdf to Chanler at **********. I did this in compliance with the requirement that the bank statement was not a screen shot.  ********* response stated that my statement was not accepted because my personal transactions and the amount in the account was redacted. Disclosing the amount of money I have, or what my purchasing habits are, are not necessary to verify the account ownership.

  Again, I complied with the account verification requirements that ********** specified.

  Connecting to the bank account is ********************** preferred method of payment. The connection of account went through a 3rd party and there is no specific reason for why the bank connection failed.  ******** stated there was no attempt at connection, at all. (I have a Venmo account that never experienced the same issue)

  Public.com has a second option for payment. Once learning that the "preferred" method didn't work, I could have used the second payment option but ********** completely blocked me from adding funds to the account by any means.

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/17/2023

  Hi ********, Thank you for your response. It looks like you were able to withdraw your funds and close your account on 9/27. If you have any further questions, please reach out to us by email at ********************************* Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/23/2023

   

  Hi,

   

  Regarding my complaint against **********, ID #********, as long as ********** received my last communication on the multiple efforts I had to take to close the account, in order to protect myself from their charges, this BBB complaint can be closed.

   

  Thank you,

   

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/10/2023

  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.

  Signed up with Public.com to buy treasury bills. We verified my bank account by putting several small deposits into it. I bought a few thousand dollars of treasury bills to test it out. Everything seemed to work, but when I attempted to purchase some additional treasury bills, my account was locked. It seems to get it unlocked, they expect me to email them a copy of my bank statement. This has never been requested of me by any online service. I don't really think my account balance and what I spend my money on is really any of their business.If they expect people to do this, IT SHOULD BE DISCLOSED WHILE OPENING THE ACCOUNT that they expect people to send them a copy of their bank statement, not after you move money into the account.I don't exactly see how this is even legal, but again, at the least they should inform everyone of this process before they move money into an account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Hi ***, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. We apologize for the trouble purchasing more Treasury Bills. Due to the deposit activity in your account, we view that as a high-risk transaction and ask for additional information in the form of a recent bank statement showing you as the account owner and including the account number that corresponds with the account linked to your Public account to verify your information. We do this to ensure the safety and security of you and all our members information. At Public, we employ Bank-Grade security with AES 256-bit encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 to secure data in transit.

  The bank statement can be emailed to us at ********************************* and were on standby if you have any additional questions. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2023

  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.

  Hi,Name: ************* Email: ****************** Phone: ************ Public.com account number: ************ RR ***** have a bit more than $100,000 dollars in my broker account with **********************, which is an online stock trade broker. I requested the withdrawal and they suggested wire transfer.I agreed, but provided the wrong routing number (I provided electronic routing number, not the wire routing number) and never received the money.They suggested for the recall, but it has been more than a week but I still did not receive the money back. Normally the recall takes about 3 business days, but now they even cannot provide an estimated date.Please help.I need the money to pay my mortgage otherwise I will be homeless...

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  Hi **, Thank you for reaching out and for detailing your experience. Were sorry to hear about the delay in wiring your funds to your bank account. As mentioned in our conversation, the wire was being held up by a required review at our clearing firms bank. We are unable to expedite their review in any way. 

  We can confirm that your wire has been processed and provided you the federal reference number for tracking. We were able to reverse the recall, reversal, and bank fees for you as well. 

  Again, we apologize for the delay and inconvenience. Please reach out to ** in the app or by email at ******************************** with any questions.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/22/2023

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/29/2023

  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.

  Public is a site that draws you in promising free stock (1 to 300$), doesn't really explain the premise, but goes in and takes your money, gives you $1 of stock, takes much longer than any other bank to settle, and now I cannot get my money back. I put $4500 in Public, and it is showing up as a 'pending' withdrawal even though it has moved out of my citibank account, so I can't withdraw it back out (screen prints attached). There is also no one to get a hold of to speak to about this without paying to upgrade my account. This app should be illegal-it's awful to put people in this position where they feel like they have been stolen from and have no recourse.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/30/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for reaching out. Were sorry to hear about the trouble depositing and withdrawing your funds. Deposits into your Public account typically take 5-7 business days to settle, and there is a 5-7 business day hold on withdrawing the deposited funds, starting the date the deposit was initiated. Until then, you may see a pending deposit status in the app. You initiated your deposits on March 19, and as of March 29, you are able to withdraw those deposited funds back to your bank. 

  
  Public offer a free fractional share for all members when their account is approved and when they initiate their first deposit. The fractional shares are randomly selected between $1-$300. 

  
  We apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to us in the app or by email at ******************************** if you have any questions or need help withdrawing your funds.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  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 have an existing account with Public. I checked on it daily. Last week I bought a new phone and transfer all my data to the new phone. As a result I am now not able to get back to my old and existing account with Public. Because I cannot tall to an administrator. I emailed but the response stated no one monitors th site so I need to create a new account which will not be associated with my current investment. I want to get connected back to my old investment. I have money in the old account that I don't want to lose because I cannot reset my password or chat with an administrator.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. Were sorry to hear about all the trouble logging back into your account. Per our conversation, you indicated you were able to successfully log into your account with the help of our team. If you run into this issue again or have any other questions, please feel free to contact us via email at ********************************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2023

  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.

  This is my original message to the company. This will explain the entire scenario.Hello, my name is *********************** I recently had a charge for $200 that was withdrawn out of my Chase checking account. The date of the transaction was in November I believe on the 27th.Unfortunately, this is not my charge. I do not have an account with you. I disputed the charge in the I disputed the charge with the bank, however, they took the money back out of my account, stating that you responded to them with the following information:account number : ******* Email: *********************** Phone number: ************ All of these pieces of information that were given to me, or not in any way, correlated or connected to me. The phone in which was used to make the transaction from what ***** has told me was an android device and as you can see from my email I have an iPhone. Also, you can see that my email address is not the one you have on file.I want a refund of my $200 back into my account please. I request a response promptly so we can resolve this issue. If there is a phone number in which I can call, I would love to do so to speak to someone about this, so it can't happen to me or anyone else ever again.The phone number you have on file goes to an automated voice message in which just gives you emails to correspond with.Respectfully,***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. Were sorry to hear about all the trouble here. A Public account was created with your personal information, and your debit card information was used to fund the account. Public does not have the capability to initiate bank transfers in any way. We recommend refiling your dispute with your bank.

  
  We apologize for the situation that occurred and have closed your account. Thank you for your cooperation while we investigated. Please reach out to us at ******************************** with any questions. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2023

  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 opened an account with PUBLIC.com, I decided to close my account so I sold my remaining stock...I was told when trades were settled my funds would be transferred to my bank account...this never happened so I am out of my funds...I tried the HELP at PUBLIC but what they told me there was not true as they kept telling me my funds would be returned but they never were. So ****** learned I will never deal with this company again.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and for letting us know. We apologize for the trouble in withdrawing your funds and closing your account. We manually transferred your remaining funds to the bank account on file on January 10th. Withdrawals take 3-7 business days to arrive in your connected bank account from the date the withdrawal was initiated. Unfortunately, we dont have any control over the settlement timeline. 

  We apologize for any inconvenience and recommend your reach out to your bank to ensure your funds are received. Please let us know if you have any questions in the app or by email at ********************************* Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  Public.com has made it impossible to withdraw my available cash funds (deposited from my own bank) and is non-responsive to my inquiries and request to speak with a person (even though the option is provided).

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/09/2023

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2022

  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.

  Public, has some very shady practices and when purchasing stock or crypto, they take the fee upfront. The complaint is however, once you sell, your money is on hold for weeks. Also, when being told that my money would have been available on 12/12, it wasn't. I was then told it would be available today, 12/13 and it isn't. I am now being told it might be available tomorrow! Then!!! How long will it take to actually hit my account? I am tired of excuses and being lied to.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/28/2022

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and for your feedback. We apologize for the trouble in withdrawing your funds. The great news is that you have been able to withdraw on 12/13, 12/14, and 12/22. It is important to note that there is a 5-7 business day hold on withdrawing recently deposited funds, starting the date the deposit was initiated. Additionally, funds from sold stock will take trade date plus 2 full business days to settle (known as T+2).

  
  Again, we apologize for any inconveniences this caused. Please reach out to us in the app or by email at [email protected] if you have any questions. Thank you.