Complaints

This profile includes complaints for GoFundMe's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  GoFundMe

  855 Jefferson Ave Redwood City, CA 94063-9992

  
• 

  GoFundMe

  815 E St Box 121270 San Diego, CA 92101-6426

• 

  GoFundMe

  PO Box 1329 Redwood City, CA 94064-1329

  

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:01/03/2023

  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.

  How long is Gofundme legally/ethically able to hold funds donated to a non-profit organization?Gofundme has refused to release the funds donated to our ******************** registered as BEPARECOZA, even after we have submitted all the documents they have requested as well as additional information they have not requested. The following are the requirements to receive funds donated that is posted on their website:A US Social Security number or ITIN A ** driver's license, US State ID, or a passport from any country A residential address in one of the 50 states (not a PO box)A US phone number A US bank account in your name Must be 18 years of age or over As of December 2022, we have complied with everything listed and they have yet to communicate the status of the process and are still holding our funds. It is very curious that although we have not received our funds legally donated to our organization, Gofundme has taken the liberty to take their percentage out of the money donated.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/13/2023

  Hello Delphin,

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We apologize for the delay given the urgent circumstances. 
  
  
  Our team conducts reviews on accounts in order to maintain compliance with strictly enforced policies administered by our payment processors and the U.S. ************************** of ******* Asset Control. This may result in withdrawal holds and we apologize for the frustration. 
  
  
  Upon further review of your fundraiser, we have lifted the precautionary hold on your bank transfers. Your first transfer was sent on January 7th. You can expect to see the funds in your checking account in 2-5 business days.
  
  
  Please get in touch with us if you do not receive your funds within the timeline mentioned above.
  
  
  Kind regards,
  The GoFundMe Team

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  AGENT COULD NOT WOULD NOT EXPLAIN WHO CASHED IN THE MONEY IN AUGUST TO THIS ORGANIZATION. IT IS A SIMPE QUESTION, TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE. I DID NOT REQUEST THE MONEY TO BE SENT SO HOW WAS IT SENT???SIMPLE QUESTION Email ************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/13/2023

  **************,
  
  
  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the "In Memory of ********************************* for the pets" fundraiser.
  
  
  As a reminder, that fundraiser is a certified charity fundraiser, meaning all funds are sent to the organization via our certified charity fundraiser payment partner, ******************.
  
  
  The funds raised were distributed to the organization in a transfer in August of 2022.
  
  
  Enrollment with ****************** and subsequent addition to the GoFundMe charity list involves a thorough vetting of the organization, requiring regular communication with the organization's representative and a review of several organizational documents.
  
  
  Here is an article on how that process works: *****************************************************************************************************************************
  
  
  If there is uncertainty surrounding who manages the organization's account with ******************, it's recommended you contact your organization's personnel to confirm that.
  
  
  Should you have additional questions or need any other assistance at all, please feel free to follow up on the existing email thread with our team.
  
  
  Take care,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/15/2023

   
  Complaint: 18677386
  
  I am rejecting this response because: no answer
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I created a fundraiser a few weeks ago due to losing my job. I completed all proper verification procedures. I received deposits multiple days in a row in line with whatever donations were made the previous day. I have had 2 people donate since 12/24 and it shows the donations are still processing. The donators have verified the money has left their account and posted. It would be one thing if I never received a deposit yet but I was receiving them daily until 12/24. I understand Christmas would have delayed this a bit but after getting deposits every day it doesn't make sense that it's been a week and I haven't received them. I sent a message through the app 2 days ago with no response. I just want the money I need.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2023

  Hi ******,
  
  
  We are very sorry for any confusion and inconvenience this presented. To clarify, each time a new donation is made, the donation will go through our standard verification process. The funds will usually become available within 5 business days from the donation date, depending on the card provider. Once the donation is verified, a bank transfer will initiate.
  
  
  That said, we see our team has replied to your email and has confirmed that your funds sent out successfully. You should receive the funds in 2-5 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) from the date the funds were sent.
  
  
  If you have any other questions, please feel free to respond back to that email thread directly in Ticket #******** and we'd be glad to assist you further.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/09/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/30/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My mother died on December 17, 2022 in ******, where we live. Shortly after, I set up a donation page on GoFundMe in order to pay for her funeral costs. Our friends donated their money but I have not been able to collect it. First of all, setting up the bank account page is a mighty task, As I am in ******, I am supposed to put in my IBAN number but the boxes allows you something like 7 characters. So I put the account number and all other info in the box below. I have uploaded banks documents and both my ID (I am Italian) and my ******* driver's licence. I always get an email saying the transfer has failed. There is no live chat agent but only an email service where a random guy emails you and then disappears. I have asked every day for help, but I am always sent back to their useless help page which does not ever cover every possible scenario. There is nothing which refers to people who are not in the US and about what is specifically needed for them to be successful in giving the bank info needed. This is a scam clearly, I have lost my dear mother and I have been ripped off and cheated by GoFundMe. It takes some truly despicable people to do that. A legit company will have a live chat agent helping you or at least a supervisor or manager available for help. I am asked for the same info over and over, and then the money does not get sent because something else is needed which is what I have already provided. I am desperate. What kind of company is this? They make money out of people's grief? They are vile. All I want is to have some real help and being told how I can have my money sent to me. The bank name is correct, my documents are correct. What else to they want from me? I am a real person who was being helped by her friends. GoFundMe is scamming me, and I see they have done that to other. I should have researched them before setting up the page. Can someone please help me? I have **** ******* crowns donated and I need them urgently. Please help me! I beg you

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/08/2023

  Thank you for getting in touch with us today, *****. Sending our deepest condolences to you and your loved ones. We're sorry to hear of the issues you've been having with sending funds to your bank. We do offer live chat and I can see that you're currently working via email with our Escalated team.
  For some added context here, GoFundMe doesn't directly handle the money raised on GoFundMe fundraisers. Rather, our payment partners take care of donation processing and sending money to our organizers and beneficiaries. We're actively working with our payment processor on improving the bank transfer set up experience for ************ accounts.
  Please continue to work with our team in that ongoing email conversation so that we can ensure we get these funds out to you as soon as possible. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 18660704
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Nothing has changed. The so-called Escalated Team is the same as the people who wrote the mails before. They are doing exactly the same thing: finding excuses and delaying the operation.

  Adyen, the company managing their financial transactions, was contacted by me and confirmed that the delays are due to GoFundMe.
  Adyen specifically said to me they only offer technical systems for handling payments, which mean it is GoFundMe preventing the money to be transferred, not Adyen like they claim.
  
  Furthermore, GFM asked me again for bank documents which they already have and which have been verified before. At this point, I am quite concern that I have given to them sensitive information (all of my IDs, bank record documents, etc.), and I am exposed to fraud even more.

  The person emailing me is never the same one. They write and then disappear. A new one writes back and it starts all over again: this has been going on since December 22, 2022!

  I wish to proceed further and report them to the authorities in **********. I now have to notify my donors that they have been scammed; perhaps we could be able to take some action collectively.

  I do not believe they will be refunded either. It seems quite clear now GFM is keeping the donations and this has to be illegal. I cannot believe that in the US, of all places, these fraudsters are allowed to operate in such a manner.

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/15/2023

  Thank you for following up here, *****, and we're sorry to hear about the delay in getting the funds to you. Rest assured that any documents customers send us are permanently deleted by our Data team once an issue is resolved, as we do not hold on to this information for longer than necessary.
  Our Escalated team usually works out of the same inbox, as this allows us to always respond as quickly if your original specialist is no longer available. They were able to work with ***** on entering the information in your bank documents to send out your funds, and we're glad to hear that they were successfully deposited into your bank account. We're standing by to help if there's anything else you need. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2023

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

  I would like to recommend this: It should be made easier to communicate with the right department dealing with money transfer issues. It is unacceptable that a big company like GFM does not have a live chat service, especially considering the fact there are people not living in the US who do set up donation pages. This involves an understanding of how international money transfers work which is an aspect incredibly lacking, at least when I first approached this company with my complaint.

  The fact that I had to point out the problem repeatedly over the course of several weeks, and that only a resolute action prompted those in charge to actually solve it, was extremely frustrating and and stressful experience for me.

  I hope a more serious and considerate approach will now be taken when dealing with similar situations in the future, as well as a proper understanding of what is needed for an international money transfer.

  Having said that, I am relieved to have received the donation money and am thankful to those employees who did help in this matter.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/29/2022

  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 started a gofundme for my friend and her husband as she is going through cancer treatment. The beneficiary is the husband and thats been verified and Ive uploaded a copy of their bank statement for wire transfer information. The bank statement had all the information on it that it asked for and they keep saying they need more info but dont tell us what. This has been going on for over two weeks. Ive emailed asking for a representative to address, have a file number and havent heard from anyone

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/04/2023

  Hi *******,
  
  
  Thank you for reaching out to our team and alerting us to this. We were not able to locate an outreach in our system from your provided email address, but we did locate your fundraiser here: *******************************************************************
  
  
  We were able to track down an on-going ticket with your beneficiary, *******, and are glad to report that *******' original transfer issues are now fully resolved.
  
  
  Our team has followed up with ******* in the existing email thread with further details pertaining to the funds.
  
  
  If you need any additional details directly, or have other questions, please contact our team via our *********** (*********************************************) and we will gladly assist you in any way we can.
  
  
  Warm regards,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have over $2,500 in a fundraiser that was raised on Go Fund Me that I have been trying to collect for over a month now. Every time I try to collect, it says something has gone wrong. Go Fund Me does not provide a phone number to contact customer service. I can only speak to a bot via their website, which is not helpful at all. They are officially withholding money that was donated to me after my fiance committed suicide. The fundraiser opened on Nov 3rd, so it's been nearly two months. I really need this money, so if you can help me out at all since they are accredited with the BBB, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/05/2023

  Thanks for contacting us here, ********, We're sorry to hear about the delay.
  
  
  In taking a look at your account, we're sorry to see that the beneficiary invitation that was sent to your email address was not successful. For that reason, we are unable to disclose any information about the status of the funds and or the bank transfers.
  
  
  If youd like to get in touch with the organizer, who is still fully in charge of the funds for the moment, you can select the Contact button as seen here: ************************************************************************************. They have been in touch with our Care Team directly so you can ask them about the status of the funds directly, or, the organizer of the fundraiser can contact us back with permission to add your email to the conversation in copy so we can assist you both together.
  
  
  We're here to help should you have any further concerns.Tell us why here...

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/24/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This was used to help me , however they are pretending like I dont exist. GoFundMe, you are welcome to contact me ASAP.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/28/2022

  Thanks for reaching out to our team, ******.
  
  
  We were not able to locate any recent correspondence between you and our team under the email address provided. The last email interactions we can see are from 2018. If you're intending to reach out support teams, you can do so here: ******************************************************
  
  
  Once you reach out and clarify the issue, someone will follow up with you as soon as possible to address your concerns.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/23/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have reported this listing, as have others, for violating your posted Terms of Service (********************************************************************). The specific violation would be A (9) the legal defense of alleged financial and violent crimes. ************ has now plead guilty to a Felony 3 Retaliation charge for threatening to murder a sitting judge. Countless people have reported this listing yet it remains up soliciting funds for this violent crime, which he admits to right on your own website. How on earth is this still posted???? Please see screenshot of his charges and guilty plea.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/28/2022

  We appreciate you reaching out in relation to this fundraiser. GoFundMe goes to great lengths to ensure fundraisers on our platform comply with our stringent terms of service.
  
  
  I can confirm that we have investigated this fundraiser and taken the appropriate decision. For privacy and security reasons, we cannot disclose details around our decision making process.
  
  
  You can view GoFundMes Terms of Service by clicking on this link.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/28/2022

   
  Complaint: 18635684
  
  I am rejecting this response because: threatening to kill people is a crime of violence. That is against your TOS. This either was not reviewed, or, GoFundMe doesn't seem to think that threatening to kill a judge is an act of violence.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/23/2022

  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.

  My husband died three months ago, *******worker set up a Go Fund Me account titled Donations for the ****** Family. They will not allow the organizer to set up a beneficiary and will not communicate with us effectively. There is no phone number and electronic communication through chat and email is spotty at best and has done nothing to resolve the situation. They have also changed our email addresses without notice and suspended and deleted our existing accounts for no reason. The fundraiser currently stands at $6,660 dollars raised before their fees are deducted. I have access to all of the screenshots and information needed to report this scam artist operation to whomever is needed to insure they cannot continue to prey on the less fortunate.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/31/2022

  Thanks so much for getting in touch with us, *******. We're sorry to hear about the trouble you've run into with account verification. I can see that our Trust and Safety team is currently working with our payment processor to get the account set up and verified properly. Please continue to work with our team directly in the ongoing email conversation with them so that we can get the funds to you as soon as possible.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 18632576
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have encountered some problems with the company, and they do not seem likely to resolve these problems in time for my donations to be transferred to my bank account.  After further review, I have found that a majority of people seem to never receive the funds donated and in many cases, those funds are not sent back to donors either.  GoFundMe has no customer service phone number and only a P.O. address. When you ask for help on the web you get a chatbot and then the occasional email, which leads nowhere.  I am currently attempting to escalate these issues to the Attorney General, the BBB, and any news networks who will listen.  I plan to talk to a lawyer as well.  *********** says all funds donated will be returned to donors if I cannot manage to transfer the funds to my bank account by February 5th. I am attaching websites for you to look at with reviews and news stories from others who have experienced the same problems that I am going through. 
  Thanks again,
  **************************;
  *************************************************************************************************************************************************
  ****************************************************************
  *********************************************************************
  ********************************************************************
  ****************************************************************************************************************************
  *******************************************************************************************************************
  **************************************************************************************************
  ***********************************************************************************************
  ***********************************************************************************
  **********************************************************************************
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/05/2023

  Hi *******,

  Thank you for your follow up. We are truly sorry that this has not been resolved yet. We are especially cognizant of the fact that this fundraiser is in aid of your family at a time of grieving and we understand the added pressure this can bring to a beneficiary.

  A senior member of our team is working closely with our payment partners on this. As you know, our payment partner ***** suspended *******'s account due to suspicious activity. This created some issues with our product and *****'s ability to send funds to her account.

  To resolve this, we are communicating daily with Adyen and providing you with frequent updates in our ongoing email thread. Rest assured, we will make sure funds get to the correct place as soon as we can.

  Please feel free to follow up with our team on that on-going email thread and we'll offer any additional assistance we can.

  With kindness,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/06/2023

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/18/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I used gofundme to start a fundraiser for a slum (********* Camp) in ***** housing refugees that are currently getting no aid. I later found that the nonprofit I assigned as nominee "********* ************************* is inactive for the last 2 years, the owner passed away. This is confirmed by the refugee family in Bububuram Camp in ***** ***** I am in touch with Gofundme initially agreed to transfer beneficiary to our selected new charity ***************** after we reached $500 and 10 donors in fundraising. A lady called ********* at gofundme promised this in writing.After I did, they broke their promise and asked me to take up with paypal giving fund instead. ****** clearly told me they neither have the funds nor are in control of the fundraiser page. Both are clearly in the custody of Gofundme. It is so hard to raise money for charity, gofundme takes a tip and commission for every donation yet they won't help me on a simple request and have broken their agreement. Here is the new non-profit I need my fundraiser linked to, only Gofundme can do this https://www.gofundme.com/f/yxa6r-*********-camp-*****-*****-for-********-refugees

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/22/2022

  ************,
  
  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you're experiencing here. There seems to have been some miscommunication there, though the team is working to make sure your funds are directed to the correct organization moving forward. It looks like you are currently working with our Charity & Business Team via email ticket #********. To ensure this is resolved as soon as possible, please continue to keep communication in that thread and the team will be standing by to continue working with you on this.
  
  Thank you.