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:07/05/2025

  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.

  July 5, 2025 Ive been trying to withdraw the $300 I saved in my account, but I keep running into issues. Every time I try to connect my bank using Plaid, it says the connection fails. However, it seems to have no problem connecting when its time to withdraw money from me.Ive tried linking both my SoFi and Truist accounts and even received confirmation emails saying the accounts were successfully connected. But the app still says reconnect and wont let me access my funds. I just want to withdraw my money.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/14/2025

  Hell Requita,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We understand your frustration regarding the difficulty withdrawing your $300 and the issues you experienced connecting your bank accounts via Plaid. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
  
  On July 5, 2025, you reached out to us about being unable to link your bank account. This issue was immediately escalated to our ******************* for a thorough review.
  
  Following our investigation, on July 7, we advised you to relink your bank account and attempt the withdrawal again. We're happy to confirm that on July 7, your account was successfully relinked, and a $300 return deposit to your SoFi account ending in 8860 was initiated. Our records indicate the deposit was successfully completed, please check your account to confirm. We followed up with you on July 8 to share this information and request if you needed additional assistance.
  
  We appreciate your understanding in this matter and thank you for your continued patronage. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/18/2025

  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.

  Pursuant to 15 U.S. Code 1681b - Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports, any information reported on my consumer report requires explicit written consent. At no time did I provide such consent, and reporting this information without my authorization is a clear act of fraud. Under 15 U.S. Code 1681a(2)(B) - Exclusions from a Consumer Report, any credit transaction that involves the use of a Social Security card is required to be excluded from a consumer credit report. This account violates that provision and should not be reported.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/23/2025

  Hello ********,

  Thank you for bringing this to our attention. 

  We have reached out to you directly via email ticket number ******. To initiate an investigation into your claim, provide the following to us via ticket ****** or ****************************************************************:
  Provide an Identity Theft Report or Police Report
  We have received your FTC Identity Theft Report
  Provide identification documents
  A clear photo of a government-issued ** (e.g., drivers license or passport).
  A selfie holding the same **, ensuring both your face and the ** are clearly visible.
  Answer the Following Questions to Assist in the Investigation:
  How did you first become aware of the account or tradeline in question?
  Have you been a victim of identity theft before? If yes, how recently?
  Have you been notified of any data breaches involving your information? If yes, please provide details about the incident.
  Have you noticed any unfamiliar activity on other accounts you own (e.g., social media, bank accounts, email addresses)? If yes, please describe the activities.
  Could you confirm the email address where you have been receiving our communications? 
  Next Steps
  Once we receive the required report, identification documents, and your responses to the questions above, your claim will be escalated to our Risk Operations Team for review. Please note the Ava account will remain in a ************ with an active membership until all of the required information has been received. 

  If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us at ****************************************************************.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/12/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am submitting this complaint against **** Ava, a company that claims to help build credit through small installment loans. I enrolled in their service with a one-year loan agreement, paying $25 per month. I have consistently made my payments on ******* May, I paid the usual $25. It was deducted from my bank account and reflected in my transaction history. However, in the first week of ***** **** Ava emailed me claiming they never received the May payment. I checked my bank records, which clearly show the payment was successfully withdrawn by **** Ava. Despite this, I paid againanother $25for May to prevent my credit from being negatively ************, theyve received two payments for May, yet their app still shows me as late. Strangely, the app reflects that my remaining loan balance has dropped to $75, which proves the payment was processedbut it continues to mark my account as delinquent.Since then, I have attempted to contact the company through all available channels. I have:Left three voicemails Sent three emails Received zero responses There is no working customer service number, and I cannot get any support or clarification. I am now being penalized with a late payment on my credit report for a payment they clearly received, and I am left with no recourse or acknowledgment.This feels like a scam. I am asking for the following:1.Immediate correction of my account status and removal of the late mark.2.Written confirmation that both May payments were received and one was credited to June or refunded.3.Clear contact from a **** Ava representative regarding my case.This situation is causing unnecessary harm to my credit score, and their lack of support is unacceptable.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2025

  Hello ******,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

  We want to confirm that, as communicated to you via ticket number ****** on June 16, 2025, we identified and resolved a processing delay with a payment you made on May 29, 2025. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.
  We are pleased to inform you that this payment has now been successfully applied to your Save and Build account.

  Additionally, we identified a duplicate payment made to your Save and Build account, for which a refund has already been issued. Please allow 5-7 business days for this refund to reflect in your bank account.

  We also want to clarify that the May 29, 2025 payment was never reported as delinquent to the credit bureaus.

  We appreciate your understanding in this matter and thank you for your continued patronage. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/18/2025

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/09/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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 did the Ava credit builder savings loan. You pay 25$ a month and it goes into a savings account and reports on time payments monthly. At the end of the 12 months. Youre supposed to get your money back. I made my final payment June 5th. Said I was allowed to withdraw my funds. Everytime I try I get an error message. My bank said theres no record of any deposit coming in and to contact Ava. But Ava doesnt have humans working for them apparently. You call and you have to leave a voicemail and wait for an email wich you never receive. The email them and get an automating a bot telling you someone will reach out within 24 hours. My 300 suddenly went down to 166 dollars. Then 152 dollars. Now 144 dollars with no explanation as to why or what is going on and why I still cant withdraw my money. I received one email wich sounded like A.I stating they would look into it. 4 days later and still nothing. I want my money back or I will be suing because this is clearly a scam or some poor excuse for a business with A.I running it and now actual human to so speak to or real number to talk to someone. All I want is my money back. I fulfilled my terms of my loan. Now there taking money from me but cant answer an email ?? Somethings definitely fishy with this company. I would never recommend Ava to anybody after this ordeal. All I want is what was agreed upon in the user terms I signed day 1. I shouldve had my money already. The full amount. Not missing more then half

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2025

  Hello ******,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  We understand your concern and frustration. We apologize for the inconvenience and slow responses from our Customer Support team. We are experiencing a system issue with the Save and Build account withdrawal process which has been escalated to our Technical Support team. They are working on resolving the issue as quickly as possible.
  We appreciate your understanding in this matter and thank you for your continued patronage. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.
  

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/13/2025

  I already sent all the screen shots asking where money and Ive asked countless times to speak to a representative or have phone number to call and speak to someone. your response is the same exact same as any of the automated emails Ive gotten back from a bot. Thats still not explaining where my 300 dollars got touched 4 seperate times with no explanation for the charges and is down to 135 dollars. Wheres my other 165 dollars. And this has been going on since June 5th. So this response is not satisfying at all where did the rest of my money go. And its been over a week already so how long is it going to take you people to fix

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2025

  Hello ******,
  We understand your frustration and sincerely apologize for the delay and the responses you've received. That's certainly not the experience we want you to have, and we appreciate you reaching out to us again.
  We understand your frustration and sincerely apologize for the delay and the automated responses you've received. That's certainly not the experience we want you to have, and we appreciate you reaching out to us again.
  We've reviewed your account and the withdrawals from your Save & Build account. It looks like during the withdrawal process on June 5, 2025, you authorized $133.97 to be used as a payment toward your Ava Card. Subsequent authorizations for payments toward your Ava Card were made on:
  Ava Card Payments from Save & Build Account
  June 7, 2025: $13.90
  June 9, 2025: $7.48
  June 11, 2025: $9.25
  In total, these authorized payments amount to $164.60, which paid off your full outstanding Ava Card balance.
  As a result, the remaining $135.40 from your Save & Build deposit was returned to your linked ********* account ending in 0957 on June 12, 2025.
  We hope this explanation clarifies where the $165 went. We understand this has been a frustrating experience, and we're here to help if you have any more questions about these transactions.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2025

  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.

  The Ava app didnt allow me to make a payment. I tried changing banking accounts, calling them and emailing them. I spoke with my banker and they had no rejected payments on their side yet the system did not properly process from the proper account. It reduced my credit score and have not provided a way to pay them. I have multiple emails where I informed them they were trying to charge the incorrect account. The amount of dispute is $16.07 plus $30.00 for the savings account. More importantly I want my credit restored and any and all late payments be removed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2025

  Hello *****,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. Due to a character limit, please review our full response in ticket number 276291.

  We looked into your account and found that it is currently frozen due to a failed bank transaction with your ********* account ending in 1878 on 6/24/2024. We understand the account was closed and you have attempted to relink a new bank account multiple times. However, we have to clear the block on your customer account with our ACH processor due to this R16 before a new account could be utilized.

  In order to unblock your account, you must request a document from your bank called an OFAC Compliance Letter or OFAC Clearance Letter. To obtain an OFAC Compliance Letter, you should contact your bank's customer service or visit a local branch. You can explain that an ACH transaction from your bank account resulted in a R16 return code.
  You should request that the letter specifically states that the account closure was not OFAC related. The bank will then review your account's status and provide you with the required documentation.
  We requested this documentation from you multiple times between June 2024 and August 2024. A secured payment link was provided on August 23, 2024 to process the payment due on your Ava Card through another method. At this time the payment is still outstanding, to complete the outstanding payment please utilize this secure link: ********************************************* Please note the link will expire in 7 days. 

  We appreciate your understanding in this matter and thank you for your continued patronage.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/27/2025

  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 am filing this complaint regarding Ava Finance and their mishandling of my credit builder account. I enrolled in their credit-building loan product and set up autopay for all payments. While the company has consistently withdrawn their monthly subscription fee, they have failed to withdraw the actual loan payments, which are meant to build my ********* a result of this system failure, Ava Finance has reported a late payment on my credit report. This is both inaccurate and damaging, as I took all necessary steps to ensure payments would be made on time via autopay.I have made multiple attempts to resolve this directly with Ava Finance by email, but I have only received minimal and unhelpful responses. The issue remains unresolved, and the inaccurate late payment is still negatively impacting my credit.I am requesting that Ava Finance immediately remove the late payment from my credit report and correct any inaccuracies associated with my account. I also request that they review and resolve the technical issues related to their autopay system, which failed to process the loan payments despite being properly set up.I hope this matter can be resolved promptly and fairly.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hello *******,

  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  To clarify, your Ava Subscription payment was successfully processed using the Mastercard ending in 9822. However, payments for your Save and Build Account are handled separately and are processed via ACH from your Chime account ending in 9531. Please note that automatic payments can only be successfully processed when there are adequate funds in the connected account.
  If you'd prefer to make your Save and Build Account payments using a debit card, you can do so through our Pay Now feature. Please note that there's an additional $3.00 convenience fee for debit card transactions, and we're unable to process this type of payment on your behalf. To add a new bank account to your ********************** account, you can do so by following these steps:
  Open the Ava app on your device and navigate to the "Settings" section.
  From there, select "Checking Account Connection".
  You should see an option to "Switch Checking Account" - select this option.
  Follow the prompts to connect your new bank account to the ********************** app.
  

  Due to a character limitation, please see our complete response via Ticket 270878.

  Best Regards

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2025

  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.

  Something went wrong Unfortunately, Ava can't complete your account registration

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2025

  Hello *****,

  Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We truly appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  After reviewing your case, we werent able to find any prior contact with our Customer Support team regarding your application or the issue you experienced.
  As part of Avas internal policies and in line with federal guidelines, we conduct several verification checks during the setup of an account. Unfortunately, your application did not meet the required criteria during these checks, and as a result, were unable to proceed with providing services at this time.
  These verification steps are in place to help ensure that were accurately reporting to credit bureaus and upholding the integrity and security of our platform.
  Because your account setup wasnt completed, your subscription payment was not processed.
  We truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your understanding. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2025

  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.

  Was approved and linked 2 of my bank accounts. Paid deposit then received an email to create account setup . Afterwards I was receiving errors saying something wrong error. I just couldnt get in at all. I emailed them for 2 days. They ran my credit thats how I was able to get approved. Now my score was knocked down for nothing also an inquiry on my report. Also paid deposit

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2025

  Hello *******,

  Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We truly appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  To clarify, we do not perform a hard credit inquiry as part of our application process. However, in accordance with Avas internal policies and federal guidelines, we conduct several verification checks during the setup of an account. Unfortunately, your application did not meet the required criteria during these checks, and as a result, were unable to proceed with providing services at this time.
  These verification steps are in place to help ensure that were accurately reporting to credit bureaus and upholding the integrity and security of our platform.
  Because your account setup wasnt completed, your subscription payment was not processed.
  We truly apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and sincerely appreciate your understanding. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2025

  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.

  The AVA app representative stated that they couldn't take a payment out of my personal checking account for the ******************** savings builder account that they have listed as a loan However, they were able to take the membership fee from the same account they stated had a negative balance. Which was $9.62 What is happening is the AVA app has a glitch which disconnects from my personal account and the savings account of $25.00 cannot not be taken out. The AVA app reports to the credit bureaus a negative balance as a result and my credit report has gone down 50 points. I also enclosed a copy of the AVA tradeline on my credit report. The company also reports that they will provide a trade line to your credit report which they do not. This company is a fraud, and it should be illegal what they are doing to consumers. I want their account and credit removed from my credit report permanently and a refund of my total payments of ****** plus the ***** in membership fees.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2025

  Thank you for reaching out and giving us the opportunity to address your concerns. We truly understand how important this is to you and have carefully reviewed your account. Heres a summary of our findings:
  On January 2, 2025, we received your request to turn off *******. This was processed successfully, and at that time, we advised that you would be responsible for monitoring your account and ensuring on-time payments moving forward. Please note that your Ava membership is automatically processed using your linked debit card ending in 3398.
  After a detailed review, we identified one instance of a delayed payment on your account. Specifically, the payment for your Save and Build Credit account, which was due on March 21, 2025, was received on April 30, 2025.
  To help avoid this, our system sent four email and push notifications beginning on the due date one reminder and three follow-ups with a manual payment option. These are intended to support timely payment within the 29-day grace ******* Unfortunately, since the payment arrived after this period, it was reported as late in accordance with federal credit reporting guidelines. Were unable to reverse or remove this reporting.
  Your Ava Card tradeline began reporting to the credit bureaus on December 4, 2024, and if unused, there won't be any activity to report, hence, your credit history may not see much improvement over time. Ava Subscription payments are not reported to credit bureaus as they are not considered a line of credit.
  The Save and Build account began reporting on December 12, 2024. 
  You can contact our Customer Support team, and well assist in closing your Save and Build account and issuing your deposit refund.
  Lastly, while we truly appreciate your feedback, were unable to honor your request for a refund of your Ava subscription fees, as this is outlined in our service terms.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/14/2025

  I reject the answer as the credit card provided by the company for customers to use for building credit does not work. It is useless credit card and as such how can I build on credit if Im not able to use the card The one time I used it it was paid immediately back. The reason I took my account off of auto pay is because AVA took out the monthly fee before it was due. I do not agree with them taking the fee whenever they want. I have notified the support team on numerous occasions that the credit card is useless and they refuse to address it in addition the trade line on my credit report is 0 so I dont know how they are helping me with a zero balance trade line.  I constantly get messages to use it but I cant I try to use to pay a small bill. It doesnt work. AVA needs to make some concessions by deleting there company totally off of my credit report.  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2025

  Hello Evita,
  Please take a moment to review our more detailed response in ticket number ******, as we were limited by character constraints in our reply here.
  The Ava Card is intended for use with monthly recurring subscriptions at these merchants: **************************************************. After examining your account, we did not observe any recent attempts to use the Ava Card. We did find one contact attempt with our Customer Support team regarding the ********************** Card; however, it was from an unauthenticated email address, and since authentication was not provided, we were unable to assist with that inquiry.
  If the card remains unused, there will be no activity to report, which means your credit history may not show improvement over time. Please keep in mind that while the Ava Subscription is essential for accessing Ava's range of products, it is not classified as a line of credit. Consequently, the payments for your membership are not reported to the credit bureaus.
  The Ava membership is automatically processed using your linked debit card ending in 3398 on the second of each month.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/10/2025

  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.

  I created my account on 5/9/2025 at 11pm. Once I saw my spending limit I contacted suppport to take off the limit. He said he couldnt do that so I cancelled the account an hour after .i asked for a refund of $9.54 and they told me no because I didnt cancel it within 72 hours .i did cancel it within an hour of creating the account

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2025

  Hello Devante,
  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  The Ava Subscription in the amount of $9.54 was automatically refunded to your Mastercard ending in 5961 on May 11, 2025. Please review your account transaction history.
  We appreciate your understanding in this matter. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ****************************************************************.