ComplaintsforKEMBA Financial Credit Union, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been banking with Kemba Financial credit union and they have allowed **** to steal money from my account. There is purchases being made with my account and causing it to be withdrawn They are showing up as ride shares They add up to about $125 I have filed a dispute and in case told by customer service that ********** cannot refund me.

  

  Business response

  11/08/2024

  ***** **** **** *** *** *********** ** ******** ******* *** ******** *** ******** ******** ****** *** ******** *********  ******** ** **** ****** ****** **** ******** ****** ********* ** *****
  
  RE: KEMBA Financial Credit Union ACCT ********
          BBB Complaint # ********
  
  Dear ****** *******
  
  I am writing in follow-up to the complaint referenced above, which we received via the Better Business Bureau on October 31, 2024.
  

  To summarize your complaint, you state that KEMBA Financial Credit Union allowed **** to steal money from your account, and there are purchases being made with your account causing it to be withdrawn. You wrote they are showing as ride shares and add up to about $125.00. You wrote that you filed a dispute and were advised by our representative that Mastercard cannot refund you.

  First and foremost, I want to apologize for any confusion and clarify our dispute process. When you called us on September 3, 2024, you asked us to initiate a dispute for a charge from **** in the amount of $32.96 and stated it was not authorized by you. Our representative should have asked you at that time to reach out to **** to try to resolve the claim. Since you already have a relationship with them, we are required to allow them the opportunity to resolve this with you before intervening on your behalf by requesting a charge back. Additionally, when we researched your dispute, we discovered the new card was registered with ****, indicating your continued relationship with them. These are the reasons why your $32.96 dispute was denied. We sent correspondence on September 13, 2024, to inform you of this. 

  
  I understand how frustrating it is to see unauthorized activity on your account, however due to your history of activity with ****, we could not determine which **** charges were authorized and which were not. **** has records to show where the charges were initiated and where the rides occurred to help them determine if it is likely that it was not you who made the transaction in question. When you called on September 14, 2024, about the denied dispute, our representative explained that **** would be better able to determine where the ride took place and if it was initiated through your **** account. 

  
  For your information, the location in the **** description is not where the ride occurred, but where their office is located. You may not have noticed this in other **** transactions because you were not disputing them. They also say “ride share” regardless of if you were sharing the vehicle. All the platforms like **** and **** are known as “ride share” programs.
  
  I am so sorry that we did not explain this to you, as it may have helped you to better understand why we declined your request upon the first review. 

  
  ******** ***********, our Vice President of Operations, spoke with you on November 5, 2024, about your concerns. She let you know that you are always welcome to escalate concerns regarding disputes, and that we would credit the funds to your account as a courtesy exception. She also clarified the amount we were going to credit was $32.96, since that is the amount you disputed as fraud, rather than the $125.00 you mentioned in your Better Business Bureau complaint. The credit was posted to your account November 5, 2024.

  
  Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. We appreciate your membership and look forward to hearing from you. 

  
  Sincerely,
   
  *** ********
  Chief Operating Officer
  ###-###-####
  ****************** 

• Initial Complaint

  06/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have a fraud alert with my phone number on the credit bureau and on chexsystems. Despite this, the credit union's fraud prevention dept called a relative of mine to try to reach me. I'm a former member of the credit union. I believe a family member may have attempted to open a new account in my name, and I'm concerned that the credit union called and left messages on the phone number on the application instead of the phone number on my fraud alert.

  

  Business response

  06/13/2024

  ****************
  Dear Mr. *********.

  I am writing in follow-up to the complaint referenced above dated June 5, 2024, which we received via the Better Business Bureau.

  To summarize your complaint, you state that you have a fraud alert on the credit bureau and on ChexSystems, and that despite this, our Fraud Prevention department called a relative of yours to try to reach you. Your concern was that a family member may have attempted to open a new account in your name. Your desired settlement is that we only contact you directly and not through relatives. You also asked if an application had been initiated on your behalf.

  
  First and foremost, I want to apologize for any confusion. Our Loss Prevention team reached out to your relatives, not our Fraud Prevention or Risk team. We have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to reach you at the phone number, email address, and mailing address we have on file for you. The information we have been using matches the contact information you specified in your complaint; however, you have not answered our phone calls and we have not received any response, email, or written communication; therefore, we have been attempting to reach you through other known relatives.

  
  The account we have been calling about is a line of credit that was opened by you in 2020. We received regular payments for the VISA account until December of 2023. We have been trying to contact you directly so that we can discuss how you intend to resolve the remaining balance due. Until we hear back from you, our Loss Prevention Team will make every effort necessary to contact you to discuss the remaining balance on your account. We have options and solutions available to assist you if you are experiencing financial hardship and encourage you to reach out to us to begin the conversation.

  
  Our Member Care Administrator, Wendy Browning, attempted to contact you June 10, 2024, and left a voice mail message to let you know we received your complaint and to provide her contact information to discuss your concerns in more detail. She also researched and discovered the following information:

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

  KEMBA Financial Credit Union has no record of any membership, loan, or credit card application using your information or credentials since 2020.
  The Digital Banking app was accessed using a device with the same phone number you provided in your complaint and a fingerprint biometric.

  The mobile app would have shown the VISA credit card account in addition to the primary Savings and Rewards Savings accounts within your membership.
  The payment accounts for both the VISA credit card and the previous car loan are the same, and were also created through our Mobile App.

  Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. We appreciate your membership and look forward to hearing from you.

  
  Sincerely,
  *** ******** ***** ********* *******
  ###-###-####
  ******************

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of Transaction: 12/1/2023

  The amount of money overdrawn by the bank: $216

  What the business committed to provide: Per the Credit Union's motto " We exist to enrich the financial lives of our members and associates and will do so with passion, empathy, and integrity."

  Nature of Dispute: I would like my overdrawn fees refunded

  Business tried to resolve the problem: No. The representative claimed they could only refund me 2 overdraft fees.

  Account #: ******   I am making a formal complaint regarding this bank because I am not being heard thoroughly when I call the customer service line neither has the manager that I left a voice message for returned my call regarding this matter. The above motto statement does not match the service rendered.

  My issue is; my payroll check was directly deposited into my checking account on Thursday, November 30th. Thereafter, a previously written check was posted and drafted prematurely from my account, causing a raft of overdrawn fees (7) on other small purchases that I made earlier in the day. The vendor with whom the check was made out to communicated to me that the check would not be posted until the following Monday (12/2/23) providing me adequate time to ensure all funds would be available.

  If the check had been deposited at the requested time, the funds would have certainly been available and this would have all been avoided.

  Just so we’re clear, I understand that this is NOT KEMBA’s fault.

  On a side note, I write this check to this particular company every month on the 25th. If you or someone would simply go and look at my past checks for this particular vendor, and pay close attention to the date that the check is written and the date this check is typically posted to my account.

  It's ALWAYS posted at least a week after the check is written.

  

  Business response

  12/08/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to review, research, and address our member's concern. 

  Kind Regards,

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

  Director of Member Engagement

  KEMBA Financial Credit Union

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a 2018 Dodge Journey. I paid $364 per month through KEMBA bank. KEMBA bank forced me to purchase auto insurance in 2022. Adding an extra $100 to my car payment every month. Totaling $464 per month. I advised KEMBA I was having financial difficulties and could not afford my new car payment of $464 plus my regular car insurance. KEMBA bank refused to drop the car insurance. On July 31, 2023. I had a car accident. KEMBA has not only refused to fix the car. They are now charging an extra $130 a month for insurance. For a car I do not have access to. Because it is totaled. KEMBA bank attempted to delete texts from my bank account. Proving they were exhorting money from me for insurance. (text have been uploaded) KEMBA bank has now refused. To fix the 2018 Dodge Journey. I paid KEMBA bank. To insure!!! My car has been totaled for 4 months and KEMBA is still tacking on insurance. Now kemba has increased insurance payments from $100 per month to $130 per month. Plus car payments in the amount of $364 a month. For a car that was totaled on 7.31.2023. That is a total of $494 per month they are putting on my credit report because KEMBA bank is committing fraud. By trying to make me pay for a totaled car. I already paid car insurance for.

  

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  ******** ** **** ******* ****** **** **** *** ********* ** ********** *** ***** ********* ****** ****** **** *** ********* ********** **** *** *******
  I am writing in follow-up to the complaint referenced above which we received from the Better Business Bureau of Ohio November 29, 2023

  
  To summarize your complaint: you stated that you refinanced your vehicle with KEMBA FCU (KFCU) and provided proof of automobile coverage. You wrote that we have been charging you an extra $100.00 per month since December 2022 for creditor placed insurance (CPI), despite your proof of obtaining adequate insurance coverage of your own. You then stated that you totaled the vehicle in July 2023 and that we have refused to repair the damages and increased the cost of the force place coverage. You also state that we “attempted to delete” text messages you had with us regarding the concerns you messaged with us about earlier this year.

  
  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. I would like to first assure you that we did not attempt to delete any of your messages sent through our digital banking platform; they are still there and visible, including the communications we had regarding the force placed insurance coverage. You may need to change the date filters to view them. If you need assistance with the filter option, please contact our Call Center, ###-###-####.

  
  Regarding the creditor placed insurance, I am attaching our response to the complaint you submitted to ODFI via the NCUA May 25th, 2023, since it addresses that portion of your complaint. I will offer a summary here:

  
  In short, we first received notification that your policy with ******** had been canceled on October 4, 2022. We sent you communications detailing how to resolve the issue, and you did not obtain the required coverage detailed in the terms of your auto loan agreement. Therefore, the CPI remains in place to protect our collateral.

  
  Per our May 2023 response to the NCUA complaint:
  On November 7th, we sent a “final notice” to reiterate the information, and to let you know you had 10-calendar days to provide the proof of coverage, or we would add the CPI. The notice also advised you of the following:
  *** ********** ***** * ** *** ****** * ******** ** *****
  ###-###-#### ? fax: ###-###-#### ? ###-###-#### * *************

  
  Your credit agreement with us requires you to have property insurance on the collateral until you pay off your loan, and that “The insurance we buy will pay claims to us (the creditor) for physical damage to your property. It will not pay any claims made against you and it may not pay you for any claims you make. The insurance we buy will not give you any liability insurance coverage and will not meet the requirements of a state’s financial responsibility law.”

  
  On November 9th, you spoke with *** in our Loss Prevention department, and asked “Isn’t there insurance available through the bank that I can add that is cheaper than regular insurance?”
  *** said, “No,” then explained the terms on the bottom of the letter is to advise that the CPI coverage does not protect you, it protects our collateral. He said “basically, you’ve still got to have insurance, it doesn’t help you at all,” and if you are pulled over or in an accident, you would get an SR22 because you do not have your own insurance. He let you know he also sent an email to you explaining the same information.
  “To clarify, we did not add the CPI coverage until we received notification from ******** that your policy was already canceled.”
  You subsequently advised your insurance had been switched to a policy with **** *****
  “We checked the **** **** lienholder verification link today, and the lienholder information for KEMBA FCU has been added; unfortunately, it still shows that you do not have either comprehensive or collision damage coverage. Upon receipt of the new insurance information including the correct lienholder details and coverage with appropriate deductibles, we are happy to cancel the CPI going forward; however, we are not able to refund any of the premiums we have already paid for this coverage. “
  

  When you notified us on July 29th of your accident, our associate explained to you that the CPI coverage did not cover your accident and was for our benefit to protect the collateral for the loan. You asked if it would pay for the repairs, and you were transferred to our Loss Prevention department. Our associate explained the same, and you stated that we “needed to figure it out” and you disconnected the conversation.

  
  Over the course of the next few months, we tried to obtain information from you to aid in our decision about filing an accident claim. This is the normal procedure when there is CPI on a loan. You declined our request for information which delayed this process. We also reached out to **** **** and they advised you did file a claim with them, however you did not have insurance that would cover the repairs.

  
  On November 15th we emailed you to ask you where the vehicle was since we had not been able to find it in the Columbus Impound lot, and the representative at **** **** told us that you advised the vehicle had been left on the street. You replied via email on November 24th to tell us you had it towed to your home.

  
  On November 30th, we initiated a claim with ***** ********* the company who provides the CPI policies. An insurance adjuster from ***** ******** will inspect the vehicle to determine if the repairs for the accident would cost more than the value of the vehicle used to secure the loan. If the cost of the repairs exceeds the value of the vehicle, the vehicle may be considered a total loss by the adjuster. If that occurs, they may pay us a sum equal to the value of the car as determined by their claims adjuster. Typically, this results in an unpaid balance for which you are still responsible. As stated before, this coverage is NOT a substitute for the accident collision or liability insurance that is required on all our vehicle loans as is outlined in your signed loan agreement.

  
  As you may be aware, insurance costs are on the rise everywhere, and the cost of the premiums for CPI coverage has increased too. This is why the last payment was $130.00 rather than the previous $90.00 premium.
  *** ********** ***** * ** *** ****** * ******** ** *****
  ###-###-#### ? fax: ###-###-#### ? ###-###-#### * *************

  
  The CPI coverage will be in place until we receive notification that you obtained acceptable coverage, or the ***** ******** insurance adjuster determines the vehicle is “totaled.” If it is totaled, they would take ownership of the vehicle and pay off a portion of the balance on the loan equal to the value of the car, as determined by their claims adjuster. You would then be responsible for paying any remaining balance under the terms of the loan agreement.

  
  If it is not totaled and ***** ******** pays a claim for repairs, we would hold funds until the work is complete, and then release the funds to the repair shop under the condition that your loan payments with us are current as well. In this case you would have to obtain proof of adequate insurance coverage as detailed in your loan agreement, as well as in various communications with you in the last year.

  
  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. If you have any further questions, please contact me at ###-###-#### or ********************

  
  Sincerely,
  *** ********
  Chief Operating Officer
  ###-###-####
  ******************

  Customer response

  12/05/2023

  Even though I disagreed with the enforced insurance. There is no denying. I paid it and there was active coverage for the 2018 Dodge Journey. Placed in November of 2022. I had a car accident on July 31.2023. I advised Kemba several times but they refused to even inspect the vehicle. the vehicle is totaled and has been sitting in my back yard with two flat tires. Since July 31,  2023. Not only did Kemba Exhort money from me for insurance. Kemba deleted most of the text messages concerning the force placed insurance. Because I refused to pay for a vehicle I had no access to. Kemba  continued to charge car payments and put it on my credit report as unpaid. . Not only did Kemba. Add this to my credit report. Kemba also increased the amount of car insurance even though they never paid for the first repairs from July 31, 2023..EVEN THOUGH  I PAID FOR CAR INSURANCE!!!!! The only reason Kemba had the car inspected yesterday December 5, 2023. Five months after the accident. . Is because I filed a complaint with the BBB. Kema sent someone to give an estimate on the vehicle.  But the car was never jacked up to look underneath. The axel is broken and the radiator is busted. The vehicle has two flat tires and will not start . I will agree to the terms when Kemba starts being honest about how I was treated. And do better with their business practices. Had I not saved the text messages. Kemba would have continued to lie and ignore my many complaints.

  1) Totally estimate the  entire vehicle

  2) remove unpaid car payments from credit report. I was not behind on payments before the accident. And should not be responsible for a vehicle I had no access to.

  3) Reimburse me for equity in the vehicle and damages for neglecting to fix the vehicle for five months. Leaving me with no transportation. After knowingly exhorting AND receiving car insurance payments from me for well over a year! 
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

• Initial Complaint

  09/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was on maternity leave and was able to get my credit card payment covered through Kemba’s insurance. I called ******** informing them that my maternity leave is over & wanted to see if I can file a new claim for unemployment. I am not returning back to work due to unforeseen circumstances.

  ******** informed me that unemployment is not covered by Kemba under the insurance only disability. I called kemba and spoke to ***** and explained the situation he was rude then transferred me to loss prevention in which I spoke to ***. I explained the situation to him and informed him I may have misunderstood what the insurance covers.

  Before I asked I explained I only pay insurance on my credit card not my car loan so I wasn’t even asking help for my $700 car loan, only the credit card which is $130 a month. I asked since I was unemployed was there something they can do to help me as far as maybe reduced payments, skip a month, etc. He was very rude, showed no empathy, no congratulations on having a baby, nothing. He was very much about business and gave me 1 option which was to close the account and go on a hardship program.

  I explained I didn’t want to do that because I don’t want to hurt my credit, he responded with “that’s all I can offer.” He then asked: When are you making your car payment? I said before 30 days, I have no income so I’m not sure an exact date. Did you file for unemployment? I said yes but I don’t even have an interview with the state until Oct 18. When are you getting a job? I said I’ve been looking but not sure when I’ll get hired somewhere.

  I am very upset with how this situation was handled. I am suffering postpartum depression on top of losing my job. I tried doing the responsible thing and asked for help even offered documentation of being unemployed to get help and there was no remorse for not being able to help on top of no empathy shown. Terrible people to represent kemba, makes me want to leave after being a member for a few years.

  

  Business response

  10/06/2023

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

  I am contacting you in response to the BBB complaint #******** you filed on September 26, 2023. To summarize your complaint:  
  

  You contacted KEMBA Financial Credit Union seeking support and guidance for your credit card payment. You spoke with associates in our call center and in our loss prevention departments. The associates in both departments were rude, unwilling to listen, or provide empathy for your situation given that you had recently lost your employment and were on parental leave.
  

  First and foremost, thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to address your concerns. The service that you received did not live up to our standards and I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I appreciate you speaking with me on September 26, 2023, and I am glad we were able to connect and assist you as our member. Our Director of Member Engagement, ****** *************, and ***** ****** our Loss Prevention Manager both connected and spoke with you, here is a recap of the conversations:
  

  ****** contacted you on September 27, 2023, to advise that she was working with ***** ***** to review what other options may be available to you that were not discussed or available during your initial inquiry. ****** provided you with her direct contact information and let you know that she or ***** would reconnect with you on September 29.

  Both ***** and ****** escalated your concerns and frustrations to our leadership team. The calls you referenced in your complaint were evaluated and shared with the leaders of the associates for further coaching and development.

  ***** contacted you on September 29 to advise of the options and support that we could provide. ***** shared that while we did not have a deferment or a skip-a-payment option available for the credit card, we could assist you with a deferment of two months (September and October) on your vehicle loan.

  We hope that this deferment will help support you during your parental leave and we appreciate you being proactive in reaching out to us.

  With this response, it is our hope that we have resolved your concerns, and consider this complaint closed. If you wish to discuss this further, please contact me directly at ###-###-#### or *******************

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********
  

  Chief Operating Officer

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

  

  Business response

  10/06/2023

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

  I am contacting you in response to the BBB complaint #******** you filed on September 26, 2023. To summarize your complaint:  
  

  You contacted KEMBA Financial Credit Union seeking support and guidance for your credit card payment. You spoke with associates in our call center and in our loss prevention departments. The associates in both departments were rude, unwilling to listen, or provide empathy for your situation given that you had recently lost your employment and were on parental leave.
  

  First and foremost, thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to address your concerns. The service that you received did not live up to our standards and I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I appreciate you speaking with me on September 26, 2023, and I am glad we were able to connect and assist you as our member. Our Director of Member Engagement, ****** *************, and ***** ****** our Loss Prevention Manager both connected and spoke with you, here is a recap of the conversations:
  

  ****** contacted you on September 27, 2023, to advise that she was working with ***** ***** to review what other options may be available to you that were not discussed or available during your initial inquiry. ****** provided you with her direct contact information and let you know that she or ***** would reconnect with you on September 29.

  Both ***** and ****** escalated your concerns and frustrations to our leadership team. The calls you referenced in your complaint were evaluated and shared with the leaders of the associates for further coaching and development.

  ***** contacted you on September 29 to advise of the options and support that we could provide. ***** shared that while we did not have a deferment or a skip-a-payment option available for the credit card, we could assist you with a deferment of two months (September and October) on your vehicle loan.

  We hope that this deferment will help support you during your parental leave and we appreciate you being proactive in reaching out to us.

  With this response, it is our hope that we have resolved your concerns, and consider this complaint closed. If you wish to discuss this further, please contact me directly at ###-###-#### or *******************

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********
  

  Chief Operating Officer

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

• Initial Complaint

  09/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Since switching to Kemba for my personal finances, the experience has not been the greatest. Within the same month after opening a basic checking account, I was told the account was getting closed due without notice due to false information reported by another financial institution. Kemba left me personally 'high and dry' and denied me access to my own funds or any kind of resolution to resolve what was never either of our problems, to begin with. Additionally, I have a single dispute from ******** ******** on my account that has not been resolved from over 2 months ago. It appears the staff is all virtual and requests things to be over email. However, my emails have gone unanswered and my issues remain unresolved. I have hired an Attorney to take immediate action if my account is not re-opened to the fullest. The report/ notice Kemba received is utterly false and I am working with the authorities to resolve such false information Kemba was provided. Furthermore, the concern does not even affect Kemba because I can't even overdraft my account. I signed a document to disable overdraft in order to keep my account open but it was still closed for not reason. Kemba Financial Credit Union has absolutely nothing to lose other than earning interest on the money I would like to store safely with them. Again, if my account is not re-opened, I will ask the courts for "liquidated damages" for the hardship and denial of my own personal funds when it mattered most. Kemba has been a complete nightmare to work with since this occurred. I even tried my absolute best to work with them and explain they had nothing to lose if we disabled the ability to overdraft. I am requesting a call from the executive's office to resolve this matter. If the resolution I am seeking is not met before October 14th, we will proceed with a lawsuit against Kemba.

  

  Business response

  10/02/2023

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

  I am contacting you in response to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** you filed on September 21, 2023.
  

  To summarize your complaint: You are concerned that we closed your checking account at KEMBA FCU (KFCU) on August 4, 2023, based on information we received through *********** on July 27, 2023, about an unpaid account(s) at ** ****. You stated the ending balance with ** **** is due to fraudulent activity you reported to them, and they advised they would not close your account or report the amount as past due pending their investigation. You stated that we denied you access to the funds you have on deposit and have not responded to a dispute you submitted to us for a transaction ******** debited from your account earlier than expected.
  

  I want to thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to research and respond to your complaint. After listening to the recorded calls and reviewing your membership records, I am writing to confirm the following:
  

  Regarding the ******** dispute, our associate explained correctly that we are not able to move forward with the dispute you wanted to submit for a ******** debit (you said they withdrew sooner than you expected), since you have a business relationship with them, and had not attempted to resolve with ********.  They also sent you an email to provide you with their contact information to send any additional documentation that might allow us to move forward with a claim.
  

  You replied to them August 4^th stating you have been busy with higher priority things and provided a screenshot that you indicated showed a duplicate payment had been made to ********.  It did not show any communications with them to try to resolve. The associate did not reply, and you emailed again on August 16^th for an update.  Unfortunately, the associate was out of the office that week and did not have access to email. I assure you we have addressed the lack of follow-up to your subsequent inquiry, and I apologize that you did not receive the level of Member Care we expect in this regard.
  

  You also called on August 16^th and asked to speak with a supervisor.  Our associate authenticated your information and asked to assist.  You let the associate know you were sent a form from ***** and would like to talk to one of the Virtual Branch Leads or specifically *****.  You disconnected the call when placed on hold.
  

  On August 21^st, a senior associate called and left a voice mail message for you with direct callback information to her extension and stated they were responding to your email.  The associate called again on August 22^nd and left a voice mail message to let you know of her schedule for the day.
  

  Regarding the checking account closure: You opened your membership with KFCU on July 18^th, 2023. On July 27^th we received 2 alerts from ***********, indicating that ** **** reported your account closed with the reason “account abuse” in the amounts of $1167.55 and $438.41.  It is our standard practice to review and close new memberships when reported unpaid balances with other financial institutions exceed $100.00. Therefore, we made the determination that we would have to close the checking account and restrict further debit card, remote deposit, and courtesy pay permissions. Since you had some outstanding activity pending on your checking account, it was not closed until 08/04/2023 to allow time for the activity to settle.
  

  While the debit card was turned off, you would have been able to access the funds in your checking account at any of our branch locations.  The remaining balance of $62.55 in your account was transferred to your Primary savings on August 4^th.
  

  On August 4, 2023, you called into our Virtual Branch (VB), and per your request our associate escalated your concerns to our leadership team. You spoke with ***** and voiced your concern about the voice mail message we left on 7/27 to advise you of the account closure. You let ***** know you wanted to appeal against our decision.  ***** discussed the report from *********** alert, explained the unpaid balance, and asked if ** **** could provide a paid in full letter to us. 
  

  You shared that your card had been stolen and you filed disputes with ** **** and their investigation was still ongoing.  ***** asked if you could provide a letter from ** **** to confirm that the investigation is ongoing to support a request to keep the account with us open, and explained how we pull from *********** to identify any risks. 
  

  You asked if we could make an immediate exception and were advised of our exception process, and provided with our email address, as well as the instructions for sending an E-signature document.
  

  On the evening of September 20^th, you sent an email to me directly, asking to be contacted regarding your account and we spoke on Septembre 21^st. During that call you indicated you had filed a complaint against KEMBA through the Better Business Bureau (BBB), prior to your email to me. You also shared what had transpired with ** **** with regards to your accounts and that you were not aware they had reported those to *********** and charged off the accounts that were negative. You stated the Manager of the ** **** in Dublin had placed a note on your accounts on April 28^th, 2023, that the accounts should remain open and were a result of fraud currently in dispute. You provided the Managers name and email along with her immediate supervisor’s name and email with whom you had been working with.
  

  I emailed the Manager and her leader using the contact information you provided, and received a reply which said that while she cannot discuss your specific account with me, when a ** **** customer disputes a charge for fraud, the customer would have received a letter from ** **** supporting this. I passed this information to you via email on September 21^st and stated that if you do not have such a letter, this may indicate that ** **** does not consider the *********** report to have been made in error.  This is the documentation ***** referenced in her discussion with you that would have supported your request to keep the checking account open with KEMBA.
  

  We also discussed the risk involved with accounts, and that losses occur in many ways other than with an overdraft, such as a check deposited that is returned unpaid for any reason.  When I asked if you made complaints against ** **** since they have a regulatory obligation to resolve disputes in a certain timeframe and should also have provided paperwork to support their decisions, you said you did not file any complaints. I explained that the *********** report will prevent you from being able to open a checking account in most financial institutions, not just KEMBA.
  

  In this conversation, I also verified exceptions can be made with proper documentation, such as a copy of the police report that you stated was filed. I reiterated that without documentation we would not be able to make an exception, since it could be considered unfair treatment if we did not make an exception for another member in a similar scenario.
  

  When asked for a copy of the police report you filed, you stated you have been unable to locate it without certain information that is in the report, and that ** **** did not require a police report for the dispute. I emailed you on October 2^nd, asking for your availability for us to discuss our options, as without documentation we have limited options to meet your request.   
  

  Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or ******************.
  

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********

  Chief Operating Officer

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

• Initial Complaint

  08/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased an item on December 7th, 2021 from ******* for $197.78. I submitted a return for one of the items totaling $94.59 on August 6th, 2023 and returned the item August 7th,2023. The item was received by the warehouse on August 8th. 2023.

  I was supposed to receive a refund back to my original ***ment method however I still have not received my money. I’ve been told that I had to contact ***** due to me using ***** ***. Then after contacting ***** I was told to reach out to my bank as this has to be settled between the merchant and bank.

  It’s been 11 days and no one knows where my money is and they can’t find my money. I’ve contacted Kemba several times and they’re telling me to reach out to ***** as I have several times and they’re telling me that it’s a digital wallet and doesn’t handle the actual money at all so they won’t be able to get the money.

  This was purchased using an old bank card that I had through KEMBA which has now expired. ***** generated an ***** *** Number that’s provided to *** as a bank card for privacy reasons so they don’t have access to my bank card. However when I contact *****, they’re saying they don’t have access to the card any longer being that card was removed from the account. I keep getting the run around and everyone’s telling me to call the other. I need my $94.59.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2023

  *************** 

  I am contacting you in response to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** you filed on August 29^th, 2023.

  To summarize your complaint: You returned an item you purchased on December 2021 to ********** on August 7^th, 2023, which was received on August 8^th. You had been waiting for the refund of $94.59 for the returned item and expected the funds to be credited to the KEMBA checking account listed above. You stated you were told it would be refunded to the original form of ***ment, which was made via ***** ***. The ***** *** account you used has since been closed, and the virtual card which connected to your KEMBA debit card is no longer available. ***** advised you to contact your financial institution for assistance, and you contacted us with your concerns about the unposted refund on August 29^th, 2023, at 12:39 p.m.
  

  I want to thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to research and respond to your complaint. After listening to the recorded calls and reviewing your membership records, I am writing to confirm the following:
  

  You called us on August 17^th and asked if a refund to a now-closed KEMBA debit card would still be processed. Our representative confirmed with our Operations Department and advised that we would be able to post a refund to a closed debit card without issue. During this call, it was not mentioned that the transaction was made using ***** *** and the virtual card they issued for online transactions.
  

  On August 29^th, upon reviewing your account history, our representative was not able to find the original purchase transaction. This was due to the transaction occurring more than five hundred days in the past, which would only have been viewable through the account statements. Our representative could have seen the transaction upon reviewing the documents we have on file for your membership. I apologize for the lack of knowledge and misinformation on our part, in that instance.
  

  This caused you some concern, and you called back at 1:40 p.m. and spoke to another representative. You explained that you used ***** *** and that the refund was made on August 17^th. You also explained that ***** *** advised you to contact our “Digital Wallet” Department. You stated it had been 11 days and that you needed to know the whereabouts of your refund.
  

  Our representative asked if your previous KEMBA debit card was linked to your ***** ***, and you confirmed that it was. After speaking with our Operations Team, our representative advised you that it was ***** who would have to complete the research, since their digital wallet card had been used during the transaction. Additionally, your mother joined the call and expressed **** * **** ***** concern about the situation, stating that we needed to do something about it. Our representative offered to reach out to a supervisor. ***** then joined the call and explained that since the transaction was made with a virtual card that had been issued by *****, we did not have a way to research this. ***** also suggested that if the refund had been rejected, the merchant may be able to process the refund another way.
  

  You then called back at 3:36 p.m., explaining that you had called several times and were looking for a refund for something you had returned. You said the refund was made to your ***** *** and should have gone to your bank card. Our representative asked for the refund amount and checked your account. Our representative explained there did not appear to be a refund at that time, and suggested you reach out to the merchant or to *****. You said the refund was issued on the 16^th, and the representative apologized for not being able to see the credit yet due to it not being received. You then disconnected the call.
  

  At 4:46 p.m., you called and asked to speak with someone in the Digital Wallet Department. Our representative asked if you were having problems with our Digital Banking, and you explained the reason for your call. The representative asked you for the details and looked at your account for the refund. You stated ****** had approved the refund on August 17^th.  When asked, you said that the refund was supposed to take ten business days, and the representative explained that meant by August 31^st. The representative also explained that since the original transaction took place in 2021, we would not be able to dispute the charge, nor did we see any refunds from **********.
  

  You asked if it was possible that the refund might have been credited to another account you had since the debit card you used was closed. The use of a virtual card was not mentioned by you on the call. You asked if it were possible that the refund would be credited to another opened account that you also have with us. We explained that the credit would only be posted to the account that was connected to the previous debit card. You said, “Thank you.,” and disconnected the call.
  

  ***** ********, our Digital Experience Manager reached out to you at 5:57pm on August 29^th, due to the supervisor, *****, alerting him of your concerns. He explained he was happy to reach out to our Operations Team to see if we had any more details and would contact you on the 31^st, since he would be out of the office the next day. You thanked him for this and said that was fine.
  

  On August 30th, we received notification of your complaint to the BBB. ***** ********, our Member Care Administrator, reached out to you at 1:46 p.m. After thoroughly discussing the matter with you, you seemed to agree that this was a matter for ********** or ***** to resolve. You told ***** that ********** indicated they would be able to reissue the refund if not received within the ten business days they indicated in your previous communication with them. You agreed to reach out to ***** if the refund had not been posted by September 1^st. She let you know that she would communicate with ***** and would advise he did not need to contact you on the 31st, to which you agreed.
  

  ***** provided you with her contact information. You then emailed a copy of the refund approval to her, and she explained this meant that ********** had approved refunding the item, outside of their normal return guidelines. ***** explained that the approval of the refund did not mean they had processed the refund on the same date. You later clarified that they advised the refund was processed about a week later. ***** also explained why we cannot pursue an inquiry for a refund that was made to a virtual card issued by another institution (*****) and that they would need to reject the refund to get it back to ********** in order for them to issue you a credit another way.
  

  On September 5^th, you emailed ***** and wrote that neither ***** ***, nor ********** had resolved the issue, and that no refund had been received. ***** replied to your email and offered to try to do a conference call with *****, which you agreed to that afternoon. The ***** representative would not discuss the specific matter with ***** on the line per their security policies and offered to call you back. When asked, the representative did not know what ***** does with refunds sent to their closed accounts or virtual cards.
  

  Given your diligence in trying to resolve the matter, and your concerted efforts to communicate with all the parties involved, we determined that we would offer you a courtesy credit of $94.59 to settle the matter. We appreciate your KEMBA membership and felt that this gesture would be an appropriate exception due to the time and effort it was taking to try to resolve the issue with *****. The credit was posted to your account on September 5th.
  

  You thanked ***** for the courtesy credit and for the time she spent trying to assist you with the situation. She explained that KEMBA would formally respond to you regarding your BBB complaint with the information and send you a copy of the letter for your records.
  

  Should you have any other questions or wish to discuss the situation further, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or ******************.
  

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********

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

   

  *** *** ** ******* **** 

• Initial Complaint

  08/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This issue involves my personal bank account. I wrote 3 checks in May 2023, June 2023 and July 2023 to the Social Security Administration for debt collection situation and my checks were not clearing.

  On July 24, 2023 my account showed 4 checks clearing one of which was cashed by the SSA back in March 2023 but somehow SSA resubmitted a check they already cashed in March so I called Kemba on a Saturday before the checks posted.

  This was putting my account in the negative because Kemba allowed this check to go through for a second time. There was nothing that could be done so all checks went through placing my account in the negative and Kemba charged me an overdraft fee, I called on Monday July 24 and was sent a form to get my money back to my account. I signed the form at the request of Kemba and a day or so later the amount of the check was returned to my account.

  However the problem happened again when SSA resubmitted a check that was cashed on July 24 again on July 31 and once again Kemba allowed this check to be cashed again once again placing my account in the negative.

  I called Kemba again on August 1, 2023 and was told I needed to speak to a specialist and that person would call me back in 2 hours. That person called and his name was **** ***** and he was very nice and professional. He sent me another form to sign but told me I could take a photo and send it via email so I didnt have to mail it again. I did so and he confirmed it's receipt and also removed the overdraft fee, He said it would be sent to the accounting department to get the money returned to my account.

  As of today August 9, 2023 that has not happened. I sent him an email with no response and called him using his extension from the email he sent and still no response.

  This has messed up my account multiple times allo**** not 1 but 2 checks be taken out of my account twice. I tried putting a stop payment but it would not allow it but it was allowed to be taken out of my account twice.

  

  Business response

  08/17/2023

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

  Dear Mr. ****,
  

  I am contacting you in response to the Better Business Bureau complaint #******** you filed on August 10, 2023. To summarize your complaint: You wrote checks to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in May, June, and July of 2023 that had not cleared. On July 24, 2023, you noticed multiple debits from the Social Security Administration, causing your account balance to overdraw and a $27.00 overdraft fee to be charged. You contacted us for resolution and completed forms to have some of the debits reversed. There was an additional debit on July 31^st.
  

  You contacted us again on August 1, 2023, and we sent another form to sign to have the payment reversed. We confirmed we received the form and removed the overdraft fee. We also advised we would send the details to our Accounting Specialists, and request the funds returned to your account.

  As of August 9^th, this request had not been completed by our Accounting team. You emailed our representative and did not receive a response by email or by phone. Your attempts to place a stop payment on the items were not successful.

  On August 10^th, we received notification of your complaint to the BBB of Central Ohio.

  I apologize for our lack of response to your inquiry and thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to research and respond to your complaint.

  After listening to the recorded calls and revie**** the activity on your membership, I am writing to confirm the follo****:
  

  July 24, 2023:   The SSA submitted four automatic clearing house (ACH) debits in the amount of $170.00 each. The SSA converted the physical checks you provided into electronic debits. This occurred automatically during our overnight processing. When the debits were submitted, it caused your membership to have an overdrawn balance and a $27.00 overdraft fee.
  

  As stated in your complaint, you contacted us about the debits. We reviewed your activity and determined one of the $170.00 payments was a duplicate payment for a check that cleared in March. We subsequently reversed one of the debits.
  

  July 31, 2023:  The SSA submitted another ACH debit request in the amount of $170.00. This was a duplicate payment for a check that had already cleared your account in March 2023.
  

  August 10, 2023:  You contacted us after noticing the funds had not been reversed and requested the reversal of the $27.00 overdraft fee and sent a form to reverse the second duplicate debit.
  

  While researching the issue, we determined that we reversed the incorrect debit, which caused the resubmission on July 31 by the SSA.
  

  August 11, 2023:  Our Digital Service Manager, ***** ********, contacted you to discuss the situation. He explained what had occurred and offered our apologies for the errors, as well as for the lack of communication.
  

  You notified ***** ******** that you were already in contact with the SSA and that they are going to begin sending you billing statements that you can pay online. We agreed that a stop payment for check #**** was appropriate, and the SSA would make another attempt to collect check #**** since we returned it in error.
  

  As an additional precaution, you asked that we place stop payments for the other checks that had already been collected by the SSA this year (****, ****, ****, ****) and requested to extend the 14-day verbal stop payment for these items to six months. We placed stop payments on the account for each of the checks and emailed the stop payment forms to you to sign and return.
  

  August 14, 2023: You spoke with Brian and confirmed check **** had been successfully collected by the SSA, and there is now a stop payment in place to prevent additional payments for the same check number.
  

  We will continue to monitor your account, and ***** ******** has provided you with his information as a point of contact for any other questions or additional support you may need.
  

  We have provided coaching to the associate involved to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future, and I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Please be assured that I take all feedback very seriously and thank you for your membership.
  

  Should you have any other questions or wish to discuss the situation further, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or *******************
  

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********
  

  Chief Operating Officer

  *** *** ** ******* ****  
  

  Customer response

  08/17/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
  Regards,
  
  ****** ****

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have my checking account with Kemba Financial Credit. Pickerington Ohio for several years. I received July10 2 notices my State & School taxes were not paid for 2020. I have my carbon copy of chech#110 fir $366 to Ohio Treasurer of Ohio for $366. I went to bank yesterday & spoke to someone today. There records don go back so now I will have to repay $700 because they are not keeping records long enough. I am going to * * * ***** for copies of my filings. The bank said they did what the can do Please help thank you..the bank also does not have statements for that time frame. I would have noticed I had $700 too much

  

  Business response

  07/20/2023

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

  I am contacting you in response to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) complaint #******** you filed on July 15th, 2023.
  

  To summarize your complaint: On July 2nd, 2023, you received notification from the Ohio Department of Taxation that you had not paid your state and school taxes for 2020. You visited the Pickerington Branch on Thursday, July 14th and called us on July 15^th for assistance. Neither of our associates were able to locate the membership and you stated that we advised you that “our records don’t go back that far” and furthermore, our associates did not know how else to assist you. You stated your concern that you would have to make another payment for your taxes.
  

  I want to thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to research and respond to your complaint. After listening to the recorded calls and reviewing your membership records, I am writing to confirm the following:
  

  When you called us on July 15^th, our representative was not able to find your previous membership. You provided the current member number and clarified that the previous membership was in your married name. The purpose of your call was to request copies of checks used for your State of Ohio and school taxes. You said the checks were for tax year 2020 and written in 2021. You also let the representative know your previous name was ******. You said you paid through *** ***** but since it is not tax season, they are not available to assist you.
  

  Later in the conversation you stated that there were two checks, one for $277.00, and the other for $366.00. The representative asked you if the checks were from a different account. You advised the account number should be the same one you provided that is on the bottom of the check copy you were holding. You reminded them the name had changed; however, you previously provided the newest account number, not the one associated with the membership under the name, ******. Due to this information, the associate was not able to locate any checks on that membership for the amounts you provided.
  

  Later the same day, (July 15^th) you submitted a complaint to the BBB of Ohio. Our Member Care Administrator contacted you to see how we could assist. You explained the information and advised us that on your second visit to our Pickerington branch, the Branch Manager was able to assist you, and found the information you needed.
  

  In the conversation, you clarified that the payments were not paid with checks, but through debit card transactions. The transactions were located on the May 2021 statement. You stated this was the information you needed to provide as proof of payment of your taxes. You expressed your frustration that you had to call twice and visit our branch twice to get what you needed, and that you were concerned we did not keep records of your account information for the required time.
  

  Wendy, our Member Care Administrator, apologized for your experience and your frustration. She let you know we would follow up with the appropriate leaders to ensure any needed coaching would take place. She also clarified that we have account records for your previous membership from 2012 until the account was closed in June of 2021.
  

  In addition to your formal complaint, you also shared concerns about an interaction with an employee of the Pickerington branch, and she assured you she would forward the information to the Branch Manager for follow-up. She explained that KEMBA would formally respond to you regarding your BBB complaint with the information and send you a copy of the letter for your records.
  

  Please know that I take all feedback very seriously and thank you for your membership. Should you have any other questions or wish to discuss the situation further, please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### or ******************.
  

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  *** ********
  

  Chief Operating Officer

  
  

  Customer response

  07/31/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
  Regards,
  
  ********** *****

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I applied for and accepted an unsecured loan thru Kemba Financial. Since then, I have identified multiple additional charges related to this loan which were not adequately explained to me while applying and accepting the loan. It was made to sound like life insurance was covered with the loan; however, I have received two charges (one for $16.67 on 06/30/2023, and one for $18.32 on 5/31/2023). I am seeking reimbursement for these sneaky charges that were thrown into my loan.

  

  Business response

  07/14/2023

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

  I am contacting you in response to the Better Business Bureau complaint #******* you filed on July 10th, 2023.  To summarize your complaint: you noticed two charges were added to your Unsecured Loan balance for  optional insurance premiums: $18.32 in May and $16.67 in June. You wrote that you thought the insurance was  “covered with the loan” and the cost of the coverage was not adequately explained; you are seeking cancelation  of the coverage as well as a refund for the premiums.  

  I want to thank you for your feedback and the opportunity to research and respond to your complaint. After  listening to the recorded calls and reviewing the loan closing documents, I am writing to confirm the following: 

  • 5/01/23 Our Member Services Loan Specialist spoke with you about financing the purchase of a motorcycle.  After discussing the steps you would take to get a loan for a purchase from an individual, it was determined  that a personal (unsecured loan) would be an easier process, and in lieu of that you would look at  dealerships.  

  • The Loan Specialist called back the same day at 12:22pm to go over the unsecured loan terms. During the  discussion of the payment amount, it was stated, “the monthly payment is $235.63 and that does come fully  protected with disability and all that fun jazz in case something happens to you.” He did not specify the  cost. The loan specialist sent the loan documents for your review and agreement on May 1, 2023. You  signed the documents electronically.  

  • On July 10th, you called and spoke with one of our Member Service Representatives. You explained you did  not agree to the optional insurance coverage and were seeking cancelation as well as a refund. The  representative offered to send you a copy of the disclosure where the coverage was agreed to by you, and  stated we would be able to cancel it, however we could not refund previous premiums since you elected the  coverage. The representative offered to send you the cancellation through email.  

  • On July 10th (later in the day), we received notification that you had escalated the concern to the Better  Business Bureau, and we initiated our research into this matter. 

  On July 11th ***** ********, our Member Care Administrator, called you to discuss your concerns. She  apologized and explained to you that we could cancel the optional insurance upon receipt of the signed  cancellation form, and considering the review of the conversations, we would also request a refund for the  premiums that were paid in May and June. You stated this would resolve the matter to your satisfaction,  and that once this was completed you would respond to the complaint accordingly. She offered to send the  form electronically, and you advised you had already signed the electronic document on the 10th.

  ***** confirmed with our Loan Processing Specialist that we had received the cancelation form and  processed the refund of the premiums to the principal balance of your loan. Our Specialist also noticed the  same optional coverage was on your KEMBA VISA line of credit. ***** communicated this to you and sent  the form for cancelation, which was returned by you and processed. We also refunded the $1.73 premium that was charged to the VISA on 12/31/22. You no longer have credit life or disability insurance on your loan  or the VISA. 

  While the terms of the insurance coverage are disclosed on the CL/CD insurance documents you agreed to in  your loan package, we agree that the explanation of the coverage by our loan specialist was not sufficient. For  your understanding, the monthly loan payment amount is structured so that it includes sufficient funds to pay  the insurance premiums during the term of the loan. However, since the premiums are paid to **** ******  ***** (who we partner with for this coverage), they are added to the loan each month, then disbursed to  ****. The total cost for the coverage is disclosed on the insurance forms as $265.46 for the life insurance, and  $465.40 for the disability coverage on this loan. The disclosure also details the cost per $1000.00 of your  monthly loan balance at $0.77 and $1.35, respectively.  

  I apologize for any confusion or concern that resulted from this. We have provided coaching to the associate  involved to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future, and I thank you for bringing this to my  attention. Please be assured that I take all feedback very seriously and thank you for your membership.  

  Should you have any other questions or wish to discuss the situation further, please feel free to contact me at  ###-###-#### or ******************.  

  Thank you for your membership and the opportunity to serve you. 

  Sincerely,  

  *** ******** 

  Chief Operating Officer 

  cc: BBB of Central Ohio 

  ********* ***** *********** 

  
  

  Customer response

  07/18/2023

  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
  Regards,
  
  ***** *******

*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. ↩