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:08/29/2025

  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 have a smart pay leasing account to pay off my phone, they will not allow my payment to go through we have paid over 900 to the company, we only owe 197 but they are refusing to look in to payment processing issues, state it is on my banks end when my bank has done everything in their power to insure the payment goes through, this leasing company refuses to speak with a spouse even in a community property state. Witch means if they put this missed payment on my husbands credit then it will go on my credit as well, to my understanding it is illegal to refuse a payment from someone who’s credit it may go to

  Business Response

  Date: 09/17/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank Ms. *** ******** for contacting Tempoe/ WhyNotLeaseIt regarding her previous lease. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of her lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise Ms. ******** had two leases with Tempoe/ WhyNotLeaseIt. One was closed after items were returned and one remained open. Our records indicate that the lease defaulted and was sold to ******** ****** ******** LLC on 12/27/2019. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Third-Party agency directly at ###-###-####. We would have no additional information as we are not the current owner and have not contacted Ms. ******** since the date of sale.
  
  Sincerely, 
  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of Tempoe/ WhyNotLeaseIt 
  P.O. Box ***** 
  ************************* 

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2025

  ******** ******
  
  
  Subject: SmartPay BBB Complaint - ********
  
  To Whom It May Concern: 
  We want to thank Ms. ******** ****** for contacting SmartPay regarding payments for her husband’s lease. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist Ms. ******, currently. Our records indicate that she is not the lease holder, so we are unable to speak with her regarding the account.
  We would like to provide some general troubleshooting for payment issues with SmartPay. We suggest verifying all information with SmartPay, such as address and phone number, matching the information with the bank, as this does sometimes cause declined payments.
  Sincerely, 
  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay 
  P.O. Box ***** 
  ************************* 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/20/2025

  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.

  I purchased an 18 MONTH SMARTPAY LEASE-TO-OWN PLAN for an ****** ** and completed my lease to own plan on july 13th 2025 and i now own the phone and should be able to use my phone number and phone freely making it an unrestricted phone but SmartPay refuses to follow through and take off the restriction they have placed on my phone number for the phone. Ive called SmartPay 3 days in a row to get the restriction on my account removed but im just placed in circles and told the restriction is removed when its not. Id like to get my number back without the restrictions on it so that i can use my number for a new phone carrier. Ive had to move forward with getting a new number because i can’t wait any longer without an active phone number. But id like to get my original phone number back:###-###-####.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/02/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ****** ***** for contacting SmartPay regarding her account. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of her lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise we informed Verizon, on August 12, 2025, that the device was paid off. All restrictions have been removed from the device. Since the device is now paid off and we have provided that information to Verizon we suggest Ms. Glass work directly with them to restore service. 
  
  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay 
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/02/2025

  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. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ****** *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2025

  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 June of this year I applied for a SmartPay lease and was approved but never approved anything nor did I use it to buy a phone. I bought my phone through Apple (confirmation email attached). I have been using my phone with ******** **** since June 20th and I have been using ******** **** in general for 7 years and have never had an issue. ******** **** told me that there was a restriction put on my phone from Smart Pay and ever since August 5th I have not been able to use my phone. I have talked to countless people with ******** **** and Smart Pay with no one able to help me. ******** **** tells me is Smart Pay issue because they put the restriction on there but Smart Pay tells me there is nothing they can do but they can see that I did apply for one but it has expired because I never used it. Both companies have been throwing me in circles for 5 days now with transferring me to different departments and telling me to call the other company because there is nothing they can do.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/25/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ***** ****** for contacting SmartPay regarding service connectivity. We do apologize you continue to have service issues. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise we were able to locate *** ******** IMEI, linked to an account. We were able to remove the IMEI from that account, which should remove any restrictions placed on her service. We do suggest processing a reset on the device, so the most updated information is received. If *** ****** continues to have issues, we suggest contacting ************ directly.
  
  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay 
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2025

  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 have several email from ******** **** saying that I was getting a refund since April and there is no refund and now smartpay has sent me to collections over a phone I didn't have

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ****** **** for contacting SmartPay regarding her account. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise a full return was processed on 7/29/2025. A refund, in the amount of $60.74, was issued to the card ending in ****. Normally refunds take 7-10 business days to be processed. The lease is now closed.
  

  We sincerely apologize for the delay in processing from ************.
  

  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2025

  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 have been a long time customer of SmartPay leasing. For the past 2 leases, I have experienced hardship making payments to them resulting in late charges and/or them disconnecting my service for non-payment. I have expressed to them on numerous occasions, that I have tried to update and change payment methods, I have tried to clean up my account and remove unused or expired cards, and I am unable to complete ANY of this using my online account. I have to call which is almost always at 30-45 minute ordeal as I have to confirm literally ALL my information TWICE, before ever speaking with a person to make my payment. I have expressed to them the issue regarding my payment methods, to which they state that there was NSF, which is not the case. (screenshots included that show error message and balance info) I stayed on the phone for several hours trying to resolve this, and still to no avail, nothing has been resolved. I have now opened a new lease after completing the previous, hoping that after a year, things will be better. They are not, and I am STILL unable to complete a payment.
  Also, when they send out payment reminders, they dont give you the due date, they state a date that is 3 days AFTER the due date, the date that ends their grace period, which I feel is counter productive and misleading. Their customer service team also leave alot to be desired.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ***** ****** for contacting SmartPay regarding her account. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of her lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise we were able to deactivate all debit cards listed on *** ******** account, except the card ending in 3292. Per the Lease Agreement, payments are automatically debited from the designated debit card every 30 days, eliminating the need to visit the SmartPay website or manually initiate payments. A copy of the Lease Agreement has been attached for *** ******** review. The due dates are shown on page 2. 

  We sincerely apologize that SmartPay didn’t meet *** ******** expectations. Her comments have been provided to the Management Team and the concern is being reviewed.
  
  It’s our goal to make every customer experience a positive one and the feedback can help us achieve that.
  
  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2025

  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.

  My phone was broken and I was order a new one and sent them $166.00 and they sent me a message of out of stock. And has returned my money yet. I'm still waiting for my money

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank Mr. ****** ******* for contacting SmartPay regarding his lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise the lease was closed on 6/30/2025 and a refund, in the amount of $166.43 was issued to the original form of payment.
  

  We sincerely apologize for this experience.
  

  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box ***** 
  Cincinnati, Ohio ********** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/28/2025

  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 purchased a phone through smart pay Within 2 weeks of having the phone I was having issues with it Within about a month I called to complain about itThey told me to try a few things at home see if it helped matters things like power off the phone and power it back on an do an update of settings reset and options like that which of course did not work So I called them back again asking them what can I do about this phone they told me that I need to call ******** **** and return it with them since that was my carry So I called ******** **** they told me that I need to return it through Smart pay Needless to say I wasn't able to return my phone. And it says On smart pay's website that I should be able to return my phone through smart pay I deal with a bad phone since week 2 of purchasing it ,had to make the payments on it made 14 payments on it until it was paid off because they kept taking it out of my account After I asked them not to, because I was paying for something that was broken or I couldn't use .They still took their payments out with no consideration..I did everything in my behalf to solve this ,I reported it right away that it was no good, I made 15 payments on a phone i was only able to use for 2 weeks ,how is that fair ? How is that even legal? I'm asking fir the 15 payments refunded back to me . $385.00...I had a working phone for two weeks that was all..

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ******* ******** for contacting Tempoe regarding his previous lease. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of his lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise we have three records of *** ******** contacting Customer Support via email. The first email stated the device was having issues and was damaged. Since the device isn't covered by a replacement plan a response was sent explaining *** ******** would need to contact either the service provider or the manufacturer to check eligibility for a replacement or exchange because SmartPay only facilitates the lease and cannot replace the device. If *** ******** spoke with ************ and they directed him back to SmartPay that is due to his device not being eligible for replacement/ exchange. *** ********** option, at that point, would be to return the device, which would close the lease. At no point did *** ******** call in and request to return the device. *** ******** then sent a second email stating the phone was damaged and was again told to contact the service provider or manufacturer about replacement/ exchange options since no further information was provided. A third email was received from *** ******** again stating the device was not working properly. Again a response was sent explaining the customer would need to contact the service provider or manufacturer about a replacement/ exchange. Each response email also explained if *** ******** has any further questions or concerns to call Customer Support. At any point after the lease started *** ******** could have contacted Customer Support about the issue. By calling into Customer Support more information could have been provided, questions could have asked and after Customer Support had been made aware that *** ******** had already contacted the service provider an agent could have reviewed the return process. The return process does need to be completed on the phone, as information does need to be verified, in order to create a return label. *** ******** provided a screenshot of the website explaining the return process. During the email exchanges *** ******** did not request to return the device. At this time, we decline to refund the payments made towards the lease. 
  
  Sincerely, 
  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  
  

  I do not feel I was answered properly or directed properly into fixing this issue. The information from what I understood that I was given was that I could not return the phone bottom line Never did they tell me if I call another number customer service support I can get another phone it'll all be taken care of like they're explaining that was not explained to me what should have been Regardless at the end of the day I was stuck paying on the phone for months that I could not use that was damage in the very early beginning And when calling in about the phone I should not here or call there it should all be taken care of when I called the very first time and give playing about the problem things should have been taken care of right then and there I should not have dragged on that long Incompetence or lack of knowledge whatever it may be It was not direct it properly and it taken care of this matter and getting a new phone And was still left to make the payments on it for months after I don't think I'm asking for very much and I think I'm being very fair and reasonable about it
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* ********
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ******* ******** for contacting SmartPay regarding his previous lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise *** ******** was provided with a copy of his lease at the time of origination. Within the lease, Section 11, pertains to terminating to lease by returning the device. Since *** ******** never provided additional information, or called Customer Support for assistance SmartPay was unaware of the steps taken by *** ********. This is why all emails sent to *** ******** directed him to call Customer Support with any additional questions or concerns. A copy of the Lease Agreement has been attached for *** ********** review. At this time no refund will be issued as the lease is closed.
  

  We sincerely apologize for any confusion regarding *** ********** lease with SmartPay
  

  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/14/2025

  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 became disabled and my account became delinquent. As of 5/2/25, I paid just under $700 to resolve my account with SmartPay, to a third-party debt collector the account was sold to. Upon trying to reactivate my device after paying the debt in full, I was told by ************ that I need to contact SmartPay to remove the SIM restrictions on my device. I contacted the third-party debt collectors (******** ****** ******** & *******) and I was told by both to contact SmartPay. SmartPay claims that they sold account and have no control over the device, effectively giving me the run around. I am out of options and I have now spent precious time and money, making phone calls and sending emails, all to be passed off to someone else and essentially spinning in circles to no avail.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/03/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ******* ******** for contacting SmartPay regarding her account. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of her lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise *** ********** account defaulted and was sold to ******** ****** ********. After an account is sold SmartPay is not able to make any changes to that account, including removing any restrictions placed before the sale date.
  

  We sincerely apologize for any confusion regarding *** ********** account
  

  Sincerely, 
  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/08/2025

  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 never bought anything from this company. Never even heard of them. They have collection agencies such as ******* ********* ******* or ******** ****** ******** that will not leave me alone after I told them I didn't buy anything with SmartPay. I'd appreciate it if they would leave me alone as this has been going on nonstop for several months via phone calls, texts, bills in the mail, and emails.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/19/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ***** ****** for contacting SmartPay regarding his account. We understand that there is some confusion with the terms and conditions of his lease. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise a lease for a cell phone was created at ****** **** ******** **** ************ *** *****. According to the lease two ****** ** phones were purchased. We have attached a copy of the lease agreement for review. Our records indicate that the lease defaulted and was sold to ******** ****** ********. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Third-Party agency directly at ###-###-####. We would have no additional information as we are not the current owner and have not contacted *** ****** since the date of sale.  

  All consumers should be aware, for any organization to thoroughly investigate and resolve claims of identity theft, the organization may request that the consumer provide additional documentation to complete the investigation. Documentation may include: 
       A signed copy of an Affidavit of Identity Theft. 
       A copy of a police report alleging identity theft which specifically lists the loan; and 
       A copy of the consumer’s personal identification, such as driver’s license or other government-issued photo identification. 
  Consumers can learn more about handling identity theft, by contacting the Federal Trade Commission at ****************, calling (877) IDTHEFT (438-4338), or writing to the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Any consumer that suspects they may be the victim of identity theft may also want to reach out to their local law enforcement agency to report the identity theft. 
  
  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  I have never signed any lease agreement related to any ******. I also do not see a copy of any lease agreement in the response. I have never been to the ***** store at this location. Also, I don't even have an ****** - I use *******. This sounds like nonsense and a complete scam. Again, I want this business and any of its affiliates to stop contacting me.
  
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ******
  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/11/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ***** ****** for contacting SmartPay. The Lease Agreement is attached for review. If *** ****** believes the lease was created fraudulently he would need to file an ID Theft claim at ****************.

  
  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/20/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  
  

  This is not me. It's not my email address and there's no handwritten signature. The IP address also isn't mine, but the lease was supposedly created in a ************ ***** store so I'm not sure why it's even an electronic signature anyway (there's also no mention of ***** anywhere in the lease). Maybe you are looking for another person with my name, or maybe you are making up documents out of thin air, but either way I've been getting harassed non-stop, and my family wants it to stop. That is the only resolution I am willing to accept.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** ******
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2025

  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 noticed a charge on my account that I did not recognize; I contacted my bank and they said I have to deal with the merchant and the merchant is refusing to give me my money back. I didn’t not authorize this charge.
  
  They gave me a cancellation ticket number ********; but my money still has not been returned; they refuse to speak to me anymore when I call in.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/19/2025

  To Whom It May Concern: 
  

  We want to thank *** ******* **** for contacting SmartPay regarding a charge to her debit card. We completed an investigation into the matter and advise a refund, of $119.47, was issued to the card ending in **** on 5/09/2025.

  We sincerely apologize for any confusion regarding *** ****** debit card.
  

  Sincerely, 
  

  Customer Advocacy Team 
  Corporate Offices of SmartPay
  P.O. Box 36454 
  Cincinnati, Ohio 45236-0454