Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2022

  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 have a valid, approved and fully authorised account with Stripe to process payments for me on behalf of my business. i did some work for a longtime and reputable and verified customer and charged their payment method **** card approx 93 dollars moments later stripe informed me that their system has somehow magically concluded that the transaction is fraudulent and not authorised they then froze and locked the account. they also charged me a processing fee of approx $3 dollars. however they never made one single attempt to contact this customer or even verify anything and the customer never once reported the transaction as unauthorised this was just stripes computer saying it is not authorised by the person who paid. stripe froze my account and said they no longer want to do business with me and it is impossible for me to have an account with them. they then tell me they will issue a refund to the customers card since they REFUSE to allow me to withdraw the funds to my bank account however since stripe charged and took out the approx $3 dollar service charge stripes system wont process the refund its stuck saying insufficient funds. so stripe suport for months has been telling me that they will issue the refund but never have. today they then told me i need to add funds to the account out of my bank account and into the stripe to issue the refund however i find this very distrubing because the money that was originally charged to the card has never been withdranw and to this date stripe has never allowed me to withdraw one single ***** so the money is there but stripe took a fee out so the balance is 3 dollars short of being able to issue the refund stripe has absolutely no human contact all i can get are bot type responses that all seem generic copy paste not human like responses and all the options to get a human to call or live chat are greyed out because stripe force closed my account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by Matt Midem (herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Aug 1.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principles, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, *** be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal. [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  
  
  Merchant Account Overview 
  The Complainant submitted an account with Stripe on May 20 under the name Junk Remove at https://hotsypacific.net/solutions-by-application/firecleanup/. Stripe processed 1 payment for the account owner on May 20. During a routine review, Stripe identified strong signals that the Complainant's account was in violation of the Stripe Terms of Service. Specifically, Stripe cannot process payments that appear to be unauthorized by the owner of the charged card. The majority of the Complainants business seemed to be driven through unauthorized, fraudulent charges. On Jun 15, Stripe reached out to the Complainant to let them know about its concerns and that it could no longer support their business. 
  
  
  Closure of Account for Payouts and Merchant Issued Refunds
  After a thorough investigation, Stripe closed the Complainant's account. The closing of this account is in accordance with the following section of the Stripe Terms of Service. Stripe's terms very clearly state that Stripe we *** terminate this Agreement or close your Stripe Account at any time for any reason (including, without limitation, for any activity that *** create harm or loss to the goodwill of a Payment Method) by providing you Notice." https://stripe.com/legal#termination While Stripe is not able to continue processing transactions on the account, this does not preclude the Complainant from signing into Stripe and accessing any of the account's existing data. 
  
  
  Refunds
  The Complainant has been in contact with Stripe regarding the issue of refunds. Our records show emails Jun 15, Jul 28, and Aug 4 explaining that refunds cannot be processed when there is not a sufficient account balance to do so. However, once the Complainant tops up their account, Stripe will initiate the outstanding refund automatically. The Complainant *** refer to the detailed instructions provided in the Aug 4 email to top up the account with the amount needed to satisfy the negative balance of the account. Once this is completed and the wire receipt is provided to Stripe, funds will apply and the refund will initiate.
  
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 17655249
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  stripe  provided factually false statements.      the statement with

  "The majority of the Complainants business seemed to be driven through unauthorized, fraudulent charges"

  however stripe did not do one single investigation  into the actual transaction     they never reached out to the person who provided the card used to make the very minimal 90 dollar transaction,   their was not one single report of any unauthorized  or fraudulent charge by the card owner or the card issuer   VISA .   the only one who says the transaction is unauthorized is stripe but they provided 0 and no evidence whatsoever to support this  besides them saying our system has determined this   even though the transaction went through and was processed successfully  and 2 months later there still is not a single complaint from the person who used the card or the card issuer.        stripe also says a majority of the coplaintants business seemed to be driven through unauthorized activity     well  gee  that's also misleading as there has only  been one single piece of activity   of 1 transaction   again totaling a very tiny amount of approximately 90 dollars.   

  stripe owes me and my business a public apology for the false statement and should  issue an immediate correction    your statement saying a majority of my business is fraudulent and unauthorized activity   is slanderous and libel   and if published will cause significant financial harm to my business and reputation  there is no evidence to support this false claim by stripe  that any transaction i have ever done is fraudulent or unauthorized for this statement to be true there would actually have to be a real human coming forward saying they were defrauded or charged their card without authroization and this has not happen   stripes computer system detected something they though as suspicious   based on their poorly designed algorithm does not meet any standard to hold water accusing a business of fraud.

  stripe refuses to issue the refund to the customer so i can collect an alternate payment from me because stripe took out a 3 dollar processing fee they now say their is insignificant balance to cover the refund and that the balance needs 3 dollars added to it or it wont process   stripe says the only way i can top up the balance is by doing an odd method of using a wire transfer from the bank that charges a $15 fee to send 3 dollars  in order for stripe to provide the refund  however stripe was the one who took out the 3 dollar fee.     again this is no fraudulent or unauthorised activity here  this was such a small approximate  $90 transaction

   

  Sincerely

  
  Matt Midem

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/16/2022

  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/31/2022

  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.

  I bought an account from a Website using stripe and got scammed, After doing some research I found out that this website is operating illegally, Then How stripe is not aware of this business yet? Since when selling Gmail and password is legal? The website was- https://accselling.com The Business Name was- ACCSELLING *** Card was- ******************* Expiry- 11/23 Transaction date- July 31, 2022 I'm attaching the screenshot of the charge lookup, Please go through this and refund the charge and take appropriate action against the business. Stripe can't let this fraud running.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by ****** Kothari (herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jul 31.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principals, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, may be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  Stripe's Relationship to the Complainant
  To clarify, Stripe is not the merchant. As Stripe is not the merchant, it is not held responsible for the customer service administrated by its users. This is outlined in the Terms of Service: "You know your Customers better than we do, and you are responsible for your relationship with them. Stripe is not responsible for the products or services you publicize or sell, or that your Customers purchase using the Services; or if you accept donations, for your communication to your Customers of the intended use of such donations. You affirm that you are solely responsible for the nature and quality of the products or services you provide, and for delivery, support, refunds, returns, and for any other ancillary services you provide to your Customers." https://stripe.com/legal#your-relationship-with-your-customers
  
  
  Results of Investigation
  Stripe appreciates the time you took to share your concerns with us. We will look into this further and follow up directly with the parties involved as appropriate. Please note that per Stripes Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, we are unable to share any details about another Stripe user nor confirm any internal processes or actions involving another user account. Thank you for your understanding. Should you have questions pertaining to your own Stripe account, please let us know and well be happy to assist.
  
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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.

  We are a small business that has had an account with Stripe for several months now. We had a new client execute a contract with us and paid us a $5000 retainer for our services. We ran the transaction and shortly thereafter was informed by Stripe the customer disputed the transaction. As it turned out the dispute was an error on the client's side as his admin assistant didn't recognize the charge and submitted the dispute to ************ The client immediately withdrew the dispute and we notified Stripe it was a mistake. *********** indicated to the client that Stripe had the funds returned to them and the client's credit account with *********** was debited for the $5,000. At this point we are extremely dissatisfied with Stripe. Stripe has indicated it could take 2 months to get the funds back which is unacceptable to us when they know that the funds are sitting in Stripe's bank account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by ***** Tonnessen (herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jul 29.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principals, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, may be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  Merchant Account Overview 
  The Complainant submitted an account with Stripe on Jan 28, 2022 under the name ********************************************* LLC at www.benchmarkmyplan.com. When the customer initiated a dispute against the Complainant through ************ Stripes only role is to collect or disperse funds in line with the decision of ************ Stripe plays no role in the ultimate decision made on whether the chargeback is valid. *********** has not marked the dispute in question as withdrawn, therefore, Stripe is not able to unilaterally **** it has withdrawn and reverse funds.
  
  
  As Stripe has had the opportunity to discuss this issue with the Complainant previously, we take this opportunity to reiterate next steps explained to the Complainant on Jul 20 and Jul 31. Stripe is unable to change the status of their dispute without sufficient support to do so. To expedite this, the Complainant may obtain a withdrawal letter from *********** and confirmation that the funds in question were re-billed. With both pieces of information, Stripe will be able to resolve the open dispute as withdrawn on our own.
  
  Withdrawal letter
  MUST be a screenshot of a message in the banks online messaging portal or a photo of a letter on bank letterhead
  Cannot be a forwarded email from a bank rep
  MUST state cardholder dropped or withdrew the dispute
  Cannot state the dispute was resolved in the cardholders favor
  MUST include the following info, which must match the charge info:
  Cardholder name
  Last four digits of card
  Amount of dispute
  For Rebilling Statement:
  MUST be a screenshot of the users online banking portal or a photo of their paper account statement
  Redacting sensitive information is fine; required info must still be legible
  MUST include the following info, which must match the charge info:
  Cardholder name
  Last four digits of card number
  Original charge amount & date
  Conditional credit amount & date
  Reversal of conditional credit amount & date
  
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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 launched a consulting business this year and set up a basic business account with Stripe, Inc. on May 23, 2022. I linked and confirmed my email, bank account, and enabled 2FA the same day. I tried a test payment of $200.00 the same day to confirm everything was functioning and immediately received an email entitled Stripe has blocked a likely-fraudulent payment on your account. A follow up message provided a link to complete my identity verification which seemed straightforward and appeared to resolve the issue, with payout arriving a couple days later. For about 30 days, payments on Stripe were successfully processed and payouts arrived as expected, minus the 3-4% processing fees. But in July a customer made a large purchase of $20,000 that had to be broken down to about 8 payments due to low daily limits from her overseas bank. On July 19, 2022 Stripe unilaterally paused payouts and emailed me saying We have paused payouts to your bank account until we can verify your business. After verifying our business (adding a link to our new website rather than the ** page), the freeze was temporarily lifted, then immediately reimposed. On July 21, 2022 ****** from Stripe wrote After digging through your account information on my endyour next payout is scheduled for Jul 22. But over $15,000 in funds were not received on the 22nd, or the 25th which another customer service representative indicated on the phone. On July 26th, Stripe subsequently asked for invoices for some charges and communications with your customers which were immediately sent, and then resent on July 28th when Stripe requested the same information again. On July 29th, Stripe wrote Payouts to your bank account have been paused for *************************************************************************** yet again. I currently have $19,928.90 frozen indefinitely with Stripe follow the pattern of the past three weeks. This behavior reeks of fraud with similar scams reported on reviewopedia.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by *************************;(herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jul 29.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principles, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, *** be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  Merchant Account Overview 
  The Complainant submitted an account with Stripe on May 23 under the name Mission Success at  https://www.missionsuccess.us/. Stripe processed payments for the account owner until DATE. During a routine review, Stripe identified strong signals that the Complainant's account was in violation of the Stripe Terms of Service. Specifically, Stripe cannot process payments that appear to be unauthorized by the owner of the charged card. The majority of the Complainants business seemed to be driven through unauthorized, fraudulent charges. 
  
  
  On Jul 25, Stripe reached out to the Complainant to let them know about its concerns and that it could no longer support their business. After a thorough investigation, Stripe closed the Complainant's account. Payouts to your bank account have been paused for 120 days starting on the day the Complainants account was closed. During this time, held funds will be used to cover any disputes or refunds on your account. The remaining balance will be transferred to your bank account on Nov 22.
  
  
  The closing of this account is in accordance with the following section of the Stripe Terms of Service. Stripe's terms very clearly state that Stripe
  "We *** terminate this Agreement or close your Stripe Account at any time for any reason (including, without limitation, for any activity that *** create harm or loss to the goodwill of a Payment Method) by providing you Notice." https://stripe.com/legal#termination
  
  
  While Stripe is not able to continue processing transactions on the account, this does not preclude the Complainant from signing into Stripe and accessing any of the account's existing data. For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2022

  Complaint: 17642425
  
  This response is being rejected because, to date, Stripe has failed to demonstrate a single transaction that violated its services agreement despite multiple requests for clarification on which term I am alleged to have violated from the referenced agreement. Stripe has repeatedly cited a concern for higher risk of disputes or refunds on this account in the total absence of any given criteria or demonstrable data for what Stripe or its partners consider to be higher risk and, again, without a single actual case of a dispute or refund in this accounts history. In fact, one customer who has made about 70% of my recent business transactions communicated directly to Stripe that she had, in fact, authorized the transactions and yet they still claim these transactions appear fraudulent regardless of her testimony and willingness to provide additional documentation as needed. 

  While Stripes long terms and wordy services agreement may state it has the right to unilaterally terminate the agreement without any cause, this is certainly not a fair business practice for consumers and for small business owners alike whose livelihood is dependent upon routine transactions either processing as normal or being able to be refunded. In this particular case, Stripe has unilaterally chosen both to pause all payoutseffectively freezing almost $20,000 in recent transactionswhile also refusing to unlock the ability to initiate refunds which is its sole oft-cited justification for the 120 day hold on all remaining payouts. Stripe has [our] cake and wants to eat it as well, but it cannot have it both ways. It must EITHER enable the payouts immediately absent any evidence of fraudulent charges OR else continue the 120 day hold for disputes and refunds while ALSO permitting said refunds to be returned to the customer(s) so an alternative payment processor may be used for the transactions to be completed or to allow them to be cancelled completely (note that Stripe will not return over $1000 in processing fees even if they do eventually permit the refunds according to their predatory terms which is not acceptable considering their failure to uphold their services agreement to actually process the transactions for which they are collecting said service fees. Why should Stripe be compensated for refusing services and causing significant financial harm on its customers by pausing both payouts and refunds?).

  This same abuse of terms has been reported multiple times by other business owners who have left reviews here: https://www.reviewopedia.com/stripe-com-reviews

  It is requested that BBB assist with engaging Stripe to either reenable refunds or reenable payouts before 120 days. Otherwise, it is requested that BBB downgrade Stripes business rating for its unfair services agreement, predatory business practices, and multiple reported failures to fulfill its advertised servicesnamely software services that allow businesses to accept payments and send payouts since they are refusing to do exactly that in this case. Other small businesses have to be made aware of this unacceptable business behavior. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  While Stripe is not able to continue processing transactions on the account, this does not preclude the Complainant from signing into Stripe and accessing any of the account's existing data. For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 17642425
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Contrary to its recent claim, the business has completely failed to provide any sufficient detail for its allegation that any of the payments associated with this account have indications of unauthorized, fraudulent charges and has also failed to respond to one of my customers who manually followed up with Stripe confirmed that recent charges were neither unauthorized nor fraudulent. There has been zero transparency to date from Stripe for specifically how they view the alleged violation of their terms or any method or recourse provided by which I can provide proof that these transactions were fully authorized other than the vague charge quoted below. 

  Specifically, Stripe cannot process payments that appear to be unauthorized by the owner of the charged card. The majority of the Complainants business seemed to be driven through unauthorized, fraudulent charges. On Jul 25, Stripe reached out to the Complainant to let them know about its concerns and that it could no longer support their business. After a thorough investigation, Stripe closed the Complainant's account.
  

  It is requested that Stripe shares their thorough investigation or provides some measure of recourse other than wait for four months to access business funds in their account. 

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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.

  Dear Stripe,After reaching out to the complaints department, Seems like nobody actually reviewed it. Hence I'm using BBB to file a complaint.I would like to report two websites, Selling Stolen account credentials illegally using stripe. Please look into their website. Many poeple are getting scammed by them and It is highly illegal to sell such details. It is not allowed by any card networks. These two websites are- https://accselling.com/ & https://csgosmurfkings.com/https://csgosmurfkings.com/ - This website is selling stolen account credentials using stripe, This website has FAKE company details at their footer. Please look into this website and review their website as soon as possible to stop them https://accselling.com/ - This website has a similar business model and selling illegally stolen account credentials and their products are in violation of stripe's policy. Please go through their website and you'll understand. This website is registered under company name- ACCSELLING *** The rule should be the same for everyone, They have been violating stripe policy for months, I believe that stripe should not ignore this and review these 2 websites as soon as possible. My humble request to you, Please review their website atleast one time, This needs to stop right now. I'm also attaching screenshot of their website and the products category they are offering. Looking for a early resolution.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by ******* Jerrard (herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jul 29.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principals, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, may be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  Stripe's Relationship to the Complainant
  To clarify, Stripe is not the merchant. As Stripe is not the merchant, it is not held responsible for the customer service administrated by its users. This is outlined in the Terms of Service: "You know your Customers better than we do, and you are responsible for your relationship with them. Stripe is not responsible for the products or services you publicize or sell, or that your Customers purchase using the Services; or if you accept donations, for your communication to your Customers of the intended use of such donations. You affirm that you are solely responsible for the nature and quality of the products or services you provide, and for delivery, support, refunds, returns, and for any other ancillary services you provide to your Customers." https://stripe.com/legal#your-relationship-with-your-customers
  
  
  Results of Investigation
  Stripe appreciates the time you took to share your concerns with us. We will look into this further and follow up directly with the parties involved as appropriate. Please note that per Stripes Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, we are unable to share any details about another Stripe user nor confirm any internal processes or actions involving another user account. Thank you for your understanding. Should you have questions pertaining to your own Stripe account, please let us know and well be happy to assist.
  
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 17642418
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Hello, After submitting many complaints stripe have not reviewed anything. If someone is selling illegals items and you're 100% sure about it, Still I can't really see stripe doing anything to stop it. I completely understand that you can't share the outcome of the review but that doesn't mean stripe won't share the status of the review. I just want to know if the review is completed or not, You can keep the outcome private. Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  The Complainant has filed multiple BBB complaints in various names as well as raised this complaint across several channels within the Stripe organization. The proper course of action here is for the Complainant to raise a dispute of the transaction with their bank or card network to reclaim funds from the merchant. As for the merchant using Stripe's platform to process payments, Stripe stands firm on its privacy policy. Please note that per Stripes Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, we are unable to share any details about another Stripe user nor confirm any internal processes or actions involving another user account. However, we will look into this issue with the merchant directly and take action in accordance with our Service Agreement and operating policies. For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this complaint and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2022

  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 started a fundraiser campaign in mid-June 2022 on a well-known platform to raise money for a cause I believe in dearly. This platform uses Stripe as their payment processing vendor. I am an individual and not a business, and I intended for 100% of the money that I raised to go to my cause. My main audience was friends and family. To show commitment to my own campaign, I donated $1,010 of my own money using my personal credit card to my campaign via the crowdfunding platform. Within the first week, I raised nearly $2,000 from friends and family. After a week, Stripe suddenly put a hold on my account without explanation. They refunded all of my donors contributions, but for some reason did not refund my own donation. After more than two dozen attempts to contact them through various methods, the only explanation that I got from them is that my business (again, I am an individual) is high risk and that they are holding that $1,010 to cover customer disputes. They originally told me they were holding this for 5-7 days, and when that passed, they then changed the hold period arbitrarily to 120 days, and they only told me this after multiple more attempts to contact them. I explained to them in every one of my communications that I am a simple individual who tried to raise money for a campaign, and that there is no risk of disputes because they already refunded all of my donors money. It makes no sense to hold this money and they never once provided any explanation about how I violated their terms or how they determined my business to be high risk. It feels like a scam or fraud.They already ruined my reputation and completely stopped my attempt to raise money for my cause. The only resolution that I am seeking at this point is that they return my $1,010.00. I am seeking that they return this amount in FULL, and that they do not keep any of their exorbitant fees that they normally would charge, since they never provided any service to me whatsoever.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by ***************************;(herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jun 28.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principals, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, *** be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  
  
  Merchant Account Overview 
  The Complainant submitted an account with Stripe on Jun 17, 2022 under the name SupportUkr at https://fundly.com/save-a-soldier-s-life. Stripe processed payments for the account owner until Jun 19. During a routine review, Stripe determined that the complainant's business was at a high risk for disputes. On Jun 28, Stripe reached out to the Complainant to let them know about its concerns and that it could no longer support their business. After a thorough investigation, Stripe closed the Complainant's account capabilities for refunds and payouts. The closing of this account is in accordance with the following section of the Stripe Terms of Service. Stripe's terms very clearly state that Stripe "*** terminate this Agreement or close your Stripe Account at any time for any reason (including, without limitation, for any activity that *** create harm or loss to the goodwill of a Payment Method) by providing you Notice." https://stripe.com/legal#termination
  
  
  Reserve Terms
  In order to mitigate future losses to Stripe as a result of chargebacks on the Complainant's account, a reserve was set in place that will last for 120 days. Funds will be transferred to the complainant's bank account on Nov 9, 2022. This is in accordance to Stripe's Terms of Service:
  "We *** impose a Reserve on you for any reason if we determine that the risk of loss to Stripe, Customers, or others associated with your Stripe Account is higher than normal. For example, we *** hold a Reserve if: (i) your or your Customers activities increase the risk of loss to us or to your Customers, (ii) you have violated or are likely to violate this Agreement, or (iii) your Stripe Account has an elevated or abnormally high number of Disputes." https://stripe.com/legal#clearing-funds-and-reserves
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/02/2022

   
  Complaint: 17636133
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They are not looking at my case for what it is and are only providing a canned answer for "risky businesses". I am not a business. There was never a risk because this was a fundraiser for friends and family to donate money to a cause. There is certainly now no risk whatsoever because they have already refunded all of my donors' donations and the only money they are holding is my own donation of $1,010.00. What they are doing is completely arbitrary and their response makes absolutely no sense at all. If they find this "risky", why do they even partner with Fundly to provide payment processing services for crowdfunding campaigns?

  Stripe has already humiliated me and has ruined my reputation with my friends and family, but now they are causing me financial hardship. They state in their canned answer that my "claim for damages is baseless". This is bogus because I am not seeking damages. I am not disputing their terms of agreement. I am only asking them to immediately refund my donation in full that I made to my own campaign. Their arbitrary hold on my money is completely baseless, even if they have the right to do so under their terms of agreement.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 17636133
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  For the reasons I have explained over and over to Stripe, their holding of my money is completely arbitrary and their use of generic language when dealing with me shows that they do not care about their customers and that they are not looking at my situation for what it is. They have placed me inside the category of a "risky business", even though I am an individual who simply started a fundraiser, and they state they are holding my personal money to mitigate against "customer disputes", even though I have no customers, they refunded all of my friends' and family's donations already, and I don't even have a way to collect more donations for this or any future fundraiser because they locked my account. They are simply holding my own money for no reason at all and they do not provide any explanation other than these generic responses.

  They have been very shady, and I am afraid that when the 120 days is up, they will make up a way to hold my money longer or even indefinitely. As I stated before, I am not seeking any damages. I am only asking that they refund my money in FULL, and that they do not take any fees that they typically charge on transactions. They provided NO SERVICES to me at all, and so they are not due any fees.
  

  For anyone who reads this and who wishes to do a fundraiser through Fundly/Stripe, or if you actually are a business contemplating using Stripe as your payment processor, BEWARE. Read other BBB complaints about them and other reviews in other forums. This seems to be a common practice with them and I wish I had read these complaints before I decided to use them as my platform.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/28/2022

  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.

  I used Stripe for about a year to run a small cell phone store in ******, ** area. In the case of my business, I never had an issue processing my small payments for cell phones, ranging from a couple hundred dollars up to $1000. All of a sudden, we run a charge for $3300 because our primary processor in my business was down, and we had a large transaction to fulfill. Stripe flagged the transaction and is now holding the money from me for "at least 120 days". They are stealing the time-value of money!It is one thing to say $3000 is a red flag, sure ok... However, A normal payment processor would then query you for records authorizing the charge, bank statements, financial documents, and give sort of procedure to remedy the issue. Stripe provides NO SUCH METHOD TO RESOLVE the issue. I am concerned because there are reports of Stripe continuing to add "30 days" to the reserve hold past the initial 120 days, indefinitely. One article detailed a hold that was surpassing its 240th day. Stripe is taking advantage of a lack of regulation in this space to steal small merchant's large transactions. They see a big, outlier transaction and lick their chops, hiding behind KYC and "Fraud prevention" To hold your money indefinitely.**You cannot call Stripe. They do not have a phone number. Their support page on their website has Phone call and messaging grayed out. You can only email. If you email, you get robots. Even in the same email thread, a different "agent" (with a different name and everything) answers each time with not prior knowledge of your history. There are no ticket numbers to your support request; nothing tracking it. Why is one of the largest fintech companies able to operate without a phone number listed? This is a huge regulatory failure. Why is Stripe hiding from my questions? Why doesn't strip query me for documents or records to cure/remedy the issue? When I ask Stripe if any recent transaction were disputed, they decline to provide an answer.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2022

  Below is Stripe's Response to the complaint submitted by **** Enos (herein referred to as the "Complainant") on Jul 28.
  Stripe Overview
  As background, Stripe provides a technology platform that allows merchants selling permissible goods or services online, or through a mobile device, to quickly and simply accept credit card payments.[1] Merchants register for an account by providing contact information, some information about their business and its principals, and bank account information. This information is submitted through an electronic application process and additional information, such as ID scans, may be requested by Stripe after submission.
   
  Merchants have control over what information is provided to Stripe for credit card charges, this must minimally contain the card number and expiration date. Most merchants also elect to provide the name, CVC, ZIP code as an anti-fraud measure, but are not required to. It is important to note that funds are briefly held in an aggregated clearing account at a bank before being deposited into the merchant's bank account.  It is important to note that merchants identify the account into which funds are ultimately deposited through the Stripe management interface. Merchants consent to Stripes Services Agreement when establishing their account. A current version of the Stripe Services Agreement is available at https://stripe.com/legal.
  [1] https://stripe.com/payments
  Merchant Account Overview 
  The Complainant submitted an account with Stripe on Nov 5, 2021 under the name FLEXPHONE at http://flexph.one.  The Complainant has been in contact with Stripe regarding this matter and understands the reasons for the temporary payout pause and actions they must take in order for a release of the pause to occur.
  
  For the reasons explained in detail above, Stripe acted in accordance with its terms of service in the handling of this merchant account and the Complainant's claim for damages is baseless.