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Business Profile

Investment Security

Vanguard Group Of Investment Companies

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Investment Security.

Important information

  • Customer Complaint:
    Please be advised that due to the high volume of complaints received for this business, BBB publishes 1 out of every 10 complaints handled through our conciliation process.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Vanguard Group Of Investment Companies's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 654 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 176 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    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.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/24/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 asked Vanguard to transfer approximately $45,000 from a **** *** account to another firm and they told me that it had been completed. When I for documentation, they could not give me any. I was on the phone for an hour and 40 minutes when, while on hold, The phone was hung up on me. They are taking no responsibility and yet giving me no documentation as to where the money went. other firm says they have not received any ******** I have lost $45,000 and can get no help from Vanguard

      Business Response

      Date: 04/22/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard ********************* (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated (March 25, 2025), regarding a complaint from (***** *****). For your reference we have enclosed a copy of your correspondence as Exhibit A.

      Vanguard has responded to the client directly. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, feel free to respond to this email.

       

       

      Sincerely,

       

      Vanguard Personal Investor

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/22/2025

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      Ive been with Vanguard for 20 years at least. They used to have great customer service. They now have their customer service outside ***************** in *********** when you call they asked for personal information that could be used to commit identity fraud things such as youre Social Security number, whos your best friendall kinds of security questions. Ive constantly asked to be transferred to someone in the ************* and they say youll just have to call back when I reach someone in ***************** by sayingI wanna open a new account. My objective is to transfer my accounts to Fidelity and they will not help I resent having to discuss my personal finances with four nationals in a Third World country. Ive asked for a phone number that I can call and speak someone within the country I reside ************************. I believe that this is criminal what theyve done I need help getting my money out of Vanguard. I dontknow what to do

      Business Response

      Date: 04/22/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard ********************* (Vanguard) in response to your letter datedMarch 25, 2025,, regarding a complaint from**** ********. For your reference, we have enclosed a copy of your correspondence as Exhibit A. 

       

      Vanguard has responded to **** ******** directly. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, feel free to respond to this email.  

       

      Sincerely, 

       

      Vanguard Personal Investor 

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/02/2025

      You could simply just call Vanguard customer service line if you have a ****************** account how many people do or maybe get a coworker that has a vanguard account call and see what they ask for identifying. I had a mask for my Social Security number my best friends name all kinds of security stuff. I dont think you should let this one go.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/18/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I have been back and forth with vanguard going on a week now . I have surgery March 27 and it requires out of pocket expenses before they can operate . I put the request in March 7 , got the forms to them by March 12. The forms were denied same day due to needing an itemized breakdown . Got that to them by March 14 , never got anything back . Called March 17 I was told everything was running smoothly so I was patient . Called today March 18 and was told that my forms have been rejected again because they werent visible I went to the exact same place both times and you could see them fine enough to deny . So again today I went and faxed them for a THIRD time which has now cost me 30$ and I get an email saying its missing like 10 things . These are the exact same forms Ive been sending . I am exhausted and I have surgery on the 27th . You will do everything they Ask and they will still find a reason to not provide you money when needed. When people ask who they should invest with , I will NOT recommend them .

      Business Response

      Date: 03/26/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard Participant Services (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated March 19, 2025, regarding a complaint from ***** ****** (BBB Case No. 23084796).

       

      Vanguard has responded to ***** ****** directly in writing. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

       

      Sincerely,

       

      Vanguard Participant Services

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/12/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 contacted the company more than 10 times regarding a 401K rollover and Ive received information that is inconsistent to representatives out right being dishonest. My rollover is still not finalized. This is an extremely simple request and it should not be this difficult. *** also filed complaints with various regulatory entities regarding this.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/26/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard Participant Services (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated March 13, 2025, regarding a complaint from ******** ***** (BBB Case No. 23058982).

       

      Vanguard has responded to ******** ***** directly in writing. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

       

      Sincerely,

       

      Vanguard Participant Services

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/12/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Unanswered
      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.
      They did not let me register my account with ******************. My company provided all my information to Vanguard during transition of 401k accounts.When I was trying to register my account , system would not let me register saying "system can't find my details".After calling customer ******************** several times since 7 days , I found and they admitted that they mapped my SSN to someone already.They created case to fix this issue before 3 days and till today they didn't fix it.I have no confidence in Vanguard service and products.Due to this I lost my investments as I dont have access to my portfolio.I need justice in this regard. Please help me BBB.I am seeking legal action.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/11/2025

      Type:Billing Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      On February 25, 2025 my husband ***** ******** and I opened Vanguard account ending in -782 in my name, ******** ******. We connected the account with my *************** account and also deposited via mobile check deposit a $150,000 ***** Fargo check from my husband's account, made out to me. Vanguard confirmed receipt of the funds the same day and later sent multiple emails and statements showing the deposit (along with $20 from ***************), and even small interest earned before the end of February. However, by February 28th, online access was blocked and I was told I needed to call in 72 hours. When I called March 3rd they told me it was not ready for access. I called again March 5th and was told for the first time that the account had been closed for security reasons. I was given no prior notice or opportunity to respond. I wad told the money would be returned but was given no further information as to how it would be returned and in fact was told not to call again. However my husband and I called back and were told that the account was closed based upon fraud- we were not given any information about how this finding was made but were only told that we would need to claim the funds from **************** ("reclaim of assets"). Then the Vanguard agent- ********* ******** from the Security Response Team- told us there was no one else we could speak to, hung up the phone. We called **************** and a next-level **************** agent p***ared to verify the check's authenticity and that funds were deposited in Vanguard. After roughly 1.5 hours on the phone, and with the **************** agent still on the line- we reached *******************************, Vanguard Security Response Team. When he learned the ***** Fargo *** was on the phone, ********** immediately hung up. I have since had two similar Vanguard calls but no funds have been returned and we have no information on how we will get back the over $150K of mine that Vanguard has kept. Each time Vanguard tells us no one will help us.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/26/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard ********************* (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated March 12, regarding a complaint from ******** ******. For your reference we have enclosed a copy of your correspondence as Exhibit A.

      Vanguard has responded to the client directly. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, feel free to respond to this email.

      Sincerely,

      Vanguard Personal Investor

      Customer Answer

      Date: 03/26/2025

      [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]

       Complaint: 23053218

      I am rejecting this response because:

      On March 14, 2025, Vanguard wrote to "apologize" for how I was treated.

      Here is what Vanguard sent, and below, my response:

      Restricted Account

      Dear *** *******:

       

      Thank you for taking the time to speak with me on March 13 about the complaint you submitted to the Better Business Bureau regarding your account access being restricted.

       

      Your account was restricted and investigated due to suspicious activity. **** ********, from our research team, contacted ***** ******** to verify the check on March 13. At that time, Mr. ******** was also able to speak with you and have the restrictions removed. 

       

      I can definitely understand your frustration in this situation. We are disappointed to learn that you have decided to leave Vanguard. We do not want to see you leave, but understand you have to make the best financial decisions for yourself and your family. Please know, we have also documented your experience and provided feedback to the appropriate management area in this situation.

       

      If you have additional questions or concerns regarding this matter, you may contact me at *********************** on business days from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time. If you require any additional assistance regarding your accounts, please contact Vanguard at ************, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern time. 

       

      Sincerely,

       

      **** *******

      Executive Correspondent

      Vanguard Personal Investor

       

       

      March 16, 2025

      *** *******-


      It is telling that you begin your "apology" email by misspelling my name, which is ******, not Marnini. Vanguard is truly a place where NO ONE knows your name. It is scary to have your money in a place where the institution can make your life savings disappear- either with an error or intentionally- and you have NO ONE to call to get it back. That is what happened to me. I will urge others never to use this unreliable institution. My husband had Vanguard accounts for decades, which he is now closing based on what you did to me.


      What I have experienced at Vanish-guard- my money disappearing for weeks - has not only been the worst customer service experience of my life, but may amount to criminal violations, in the way that the company made my money disappear, gave no assurances of returning it, and only returned it to me after I complained to state and federal authorities. I am not the only one who has been mistreated like this by Vanguard- there are many Reddit threads- for example- telling similar, horrifying stories to mine.


      I understand that you wrote to me - and that Vanguard ultimately returned my money after 2.5 weeks- only because of our Better Business Bureau complaint. We also had to complain to the ***, CFPB, California Attorney General, California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, and the local police. At least we live in a country where a major financial institution cannot take a customer's money without any recourse. But, we lost nights of sleep and dozens of hours of time.


      What actually happened is not what you describe in your email at all. Vanguard stole $150,000 from me and I have no reason to believe it would have ever been returned if we did not file multiple complaints. 


      On February 25, 2025, I opened a Vanguard account and deposited $150,000 in a check from my husband's ***** Fargo account. I also linked a *************** account and transferred a small amount. Vanguard did not indicate there was anything suspicious- in fact, there was not. Vanguard accepted the funds, sent confirmation emails, sent an account statement, etc. 


      If there was anything suspicious in a check from my husband (which there was not), then Vanguard could have called to verify the check before depositing it. Instead, Vanguard deposited the check, but made it disappear- blocking the account with no notice to me. Vanguard gave us no information about the money had gone or how we could obtain it. In fact, Vanguard told us ***eatedly (in the approximately 10 calls we had with Vanguard in the next several weeks) that we would have to call **************** about the check. We did so, and ***** Fargo said there was nothing they could do, since Vanguard had deposited the check, which was a perfectly valid check. Indeed, on one occasion we spent 1.5 hours on the phone with a ***** Fargo manager calling to explain this to Vanguard, and when we finally reached a member of Vanguard's so-called Securty Team (named Doron), he hung up the phone immediately upon learning that there was a ***** Fargo *** on the phone. The **************** *** commented to us on the incredible rudeness Vanguard displayed. 


      What we were told, ***eatedly, by approximately 10 different Vanguard ***s in customer service and on the Security Team, each of whom placed us on hold for half hour or more, was that my account had been CLOSED due to a fraudulent transaction. We were given no opportunity to provide information or confirmation, either before or after this action was taken. When my husband and I asked ***eatedly how we could recover through $150,000, we were told that Vanguard could not provide any further information and the call was discontinued. Sometimes we were told we would receive a contact in 72 hours- and no one contacted me. One ***resentative ********* said we would be sent a form to file a claim- we never received this form. 


      Only on March 13th- 16 days after Vanguard accepted and deposited my husband's $150,000 check to me- **** ********* called my husband and asked if the check was valid, which he immediately confirmed. Mr. ********* admitted that Vanguard had never closed the account but had the funds there all along- directly contrary to the overt lies numerous Vanguard ***resentatives told us. I got the funds out of Vanguard and deposited in another bank- after 2 hours of calls with several different ***resentatives- finally on March 14th.


      If Vanguard only wanted to protect security, they could have called 16 days earlier to verify the check. They could have told us the funds were protected, not to worry, and how we could regain access to them. Instead, Vanguard kept the money- deprived me of approximately $700 in gains I would have made if the funds were invested as I planned- and surely profited from having them on deposit. Since Vanguard does this to many people, Vanguard no doubt profits many millions of dollars from confiscating funds improperly like this. I will be investigating what further legal recourse I may have.


      Vanguard treated me like trash, and even now- does not know- or care to know- my name. 


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









    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/07/2025

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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.
      Compliant case *******. Vanguards lost my ~$300k 401k fund due to its rollover mishandling. It has been obstructing me accessing my financial asset against my wish.A Vanguard agent left me a voicemail on Monday on 2/18 11:44a asking me to call back re: fund rollover wire transfer request. I called back on the same day at 5pm and found out that agent had issued a check in mail on 3pm, without consent from me. I was extremely unhappy because I do not want a ~$300k check lost in mail and specifically instructed Vanguard to void the check and work with my asset management manager whose institution is receiving the wire transfer.After 20 days, I found my vanguard balance is $0, and my asset management firm who is supposed to receive the rollover fund has never received the ~$300k.I need Vanduard to return my financial asset, ensure it's securely wire transferred to the rollover plan per my request, refund any feed, and pay me fair market interests for the period it has been obstructing me from accessing my financial asset.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/22/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard Participant Services (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated March 13, 2025, and follow up notice dated, March 28, 2025, regarding a complaint from ****** **** (BBB Case No. 23035529).

       

      Vanguard has responded to ****** **** directly in writing. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

       

      Sincerely,

       

      Vanguard Participant Services

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/07/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      401k Plan ID ******. I left this company on 06/06/2024 and have requested the balance of my 401k to be sent to me via check. The company has said 3 times that a check was sent and never arrived. But for some reason the 1099 tax form made its way to me. So I paid taxes on money I never received and I do not believe the check was ever sent.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/07/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      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.
      On Feb. 28, 2025, I attempted to deposit funds to my Vanguard **** *** account online, as I have done many times in the past. I elected to deposit a total of $500.00, which was to be split equally among the four funds within my account. I listed for the $500 to come from my outside bank checking account, which again, I have done many times before. Immediately after hitting the "Submit" button however, I received a message that the funding transaction did not transmit. I chose then to hit the 'Cancel' button instead of submitting again, as I did not want to risk having the transaction run twice. I have subsequently learned that on March 4, 2025, Vanguard sold $125.00 of shares in each of my four funds in order to simply deposit them back into those funds, in essence 'churning' the money. With this process, they also charged me a $25.00 processing fee per fund, taking in fees $100.00 of the $500.00 I had originally attempted to invest. I had tried to call Vanguard prior to March 4th (as I had received an email stating that my transaction was still pending but not funded), but had been kept on hold for very long times and was unable to continue to wait. Upon seeing the churned transactions and fee withdrawals on March 4th, I called Vanguard again on March 7th and waited until a representative came on the line (luckily, this time the wait was only about 20 minutes). He explained that the 'buy' and the 'funding' transactions are considered separate, and so the buy orders remained intact, even after the funding order was listed as not going thru. This is not something I have ever encountered in my years of depositing funds to my Vanguard account, nor do I accept having to pay $100 for a system error that set off a chain of events where they simply sold and bought from the exact same funds, creating no benefit whatsoever to my account. The difficulty in reaching a customer service representative over the phone at an earlier point also contributed to the problem.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/06/2025

      Thank you for your follow-up email.  Vanguard did contact me directly and quickly mailed a refund of the $100.00 in fees they had assessed, so this matter is resolved.  That would not have happened without your assistance, and I am very grateful for your help.

      ***** ***

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:03/05/2025

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      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 attempted to make a withdrawal with this company from an account that I have had for over a decade. I sent all necessary documentation and received a letter saying more information was needed. When I called I spoke to a representative named *** Rayanvayan who was extremely unprofessional - after I tried to explain the situation and she denied my request after not hearing any of the information, I requested to speak with a supervisor and she stated that a supervisor will not do anything for me and said there was no reason for me to speak with them. I advised that it really was not her choice and she told me she would have a supervisor call me back within a day - I asked multiple times what the name of the supervisor was and after the 6th time I asked she gave me a name. The whole interaction was extremely unprofessional and I still have no resolve to my case. I would like a member of management to reach out to me to resolve this.

      Business Response

      Date: 03/26/2025

      We are writing on behalf of Vanguard Participant Services (Vanguard) in response to your letter dated March 5, 2025, regarding a complaint from ***** ******* (BBB Case No.23024680).

       

      Vanguard has responded to ***** ******* in writing. If you have additional questions, or if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

       

      Sincerely,

       

      Vanguard Participant Services

    Vanguard Group Of Investment Companies is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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