Complaints

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

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• 

  Advance America

  322 Rhett Street Greenville, SC 29601

  
• 

  Advance America

  592 Fieldstown Rd Gardendale, AL 35071-3414

• 

  Advance America

  9784 Parkway E Birmingham, AL 35215-7832

• 

  Advance America

  726 Battle St E Talladega, AL 35160-2567

• 

  Advance America

  300 Oxmoor Rd Suite 101 Homewood, AL 35209-6116

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:02/17/2023

  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 contacted advance America on the 1st of February to extend a payment was told I need to come in to do this. I made the payment anyway because it was the next payment I would need to extend so I called back on the 7 and was explained to come in person before the next due date. Due to my work schedule I could only go on the week before Due which was 2/9/23 . The lady (black ethnic ) informed me that systems were down and to call before coming back. I have called every day since systems have not been back up and payment was still processed ! The website has a new message as of the 15 which is the date my payment came due and was processed but the whole system has crashed! This has put me in a bind . I followed protocol but they are not holding to there end of the contract.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  April
  6, 2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:         Mr.
  ******* ******, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance
  America, Cash Advance Centers of South Carolina, Inc. (“Advance America”) is in
  receipt of a complaint filed with your agency by Mr. ******* ******, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In
  his complaint, Mr. ****** states “I contacted advance America on the 1st of February to extend a payment was told I need to come in to do this.” Mr.
  ****** states he went ahead and made the payment and decided “…it was the next
  payment I would need to extend so I called back on the 7 and was explained to
  come in person before the next due date.” However, due to his work schedule,
  Mr. ****** was unable to come into a center the week prior to the due date. Mr.
  ****** states he was informed that “systems were down and to call before coming
  back.” Mr. ****** states “I have called every day since systems have not been
  back up and payment was still processed!” Mr. ****** is looking for a billing
  adjustment.

  
  On February 7, Advance America became aware of unauthorized access
  to a portion of its network and, out of an abundance of caution, proactively
  shut down all of its systems. The resulting system outage affected our ability
  to service loans in the weeks that followed.  Systems and services were incrementally restored throughout February and
  normal loan servicing was substantially resumed by March. With systems being
  restored, Advance America will be able to request a payment deferment if
  eligible.

  
  Advance America strives for excellent customer
  satisfaction. The system outage was an unforeseen and isolated event. Mr.
  ****** should have no issue requesting payment accommodation in the future. We
  apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused Mr. ******. If Mr. ******
  incurred non-sufficient fund fees (NSF) due to not being able to extend his
  payment on February 17, 2023, Mr. ****** may provide a copy of his bank
  statement or printout showing the fees to *********************************.com and we will be more than happy to refund those fees.
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to Advance America, Cash
  Advance Centers of South Carolina, Inc. under
  any applicable laws, statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/17/2023

  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.

  Their site has been down for 7 days now. They customer support doesn’t answer their emails. Their call in support has no answers. Some people rely on their payday loans and they give no options or estimations on fixing their site. A day or two down is one thing, but seven days is just irresponsible.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  March
  20, 2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:         Mr.
  ***** *******, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance
  America, Cash Advance Centers of Florida, LLC (“Advance America”) is in receipt
  of a complaint filed with your agency by Mr. ***** *******, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In
  his complaint, Mr. ******* states “Their site has been down for 7 days now.”
  Mr. ******* states “They customer support doesn’t answer their emails” and
  “Their call in support has no answers.” Mr. ******* states he wants “Contact by
  the business.”
  
  On
  February 7, Advance America experienced a systems outage and promptly began
  investigating. Through the investigation, Advance America learned the incident
  involved unauthorized access to a portion of the network, so the entire system
  was proactively shut down out of an abundance of caution. The system for
  automatic payments came back online and in the interest of meeting the expected
  payment dates, Advance America successfully processed those payments. The
  online and storefront capabilities are now fully available, and storefront
  locations have remained open to assist customers make transactions.
  
  Mr.
  ******* was able to originate a payday loan through his online portal on
  February 21, 2023. As of March 3, 2023, his loan was paid in full, and was able
  to reloan on March 8, 2023.
  
  Advance America strives for excellent customer satisfaction,
  and we regret when a customer is dissatisfied with their experience with our
  company. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Mr.
  *******.
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to Advance America, Cash
  Advance Centers of Florida, LLC under
  any applicable laws, statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2023

  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.

  The company website has been down for 2 weeks with no way for customers like me to pay their loans! They have NOT provided any assistance other than repeating “we expect the system to back in the upcoming days”. What does that mean, but they still expect customers to pay however we’re not able to reloan if needed! We cant eveb reach them via messenger or email! I have sent 3 separate emails which no one has responded to. Nor can i or anyone else comment on the professional business page on ********! Its not right that they charge us a fortune in fees but cant get their business running! This makes me think something fishy is going on. Myself and other customers want answer before they take our money! I DONT WANT TO HEAR ITLLBE BACK UP AND RUNNING IN THE FUTURE! I want them to provide the reason for the shutdown, an actual date of resolution, and any leway they can give customers for late payments! If you go to their ******** page you’ll see they’ve disabled comments…….not professional at all

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/22/2023

  I’ve already made one complaint about this company, but id like to make another one!! They claimed they were unable to take money from customers accounts while their “outage” was going on…….WELL THEY TOOK MONEY FROM MY BANK ACCOUNT!! Their system is still not restored because on their site thats still not updated it says i still owe them the money!!! I have proof! They’re outage is still going on because they have yet to update their system and their in store site is not working either! It is 2/20/2023, this has been going on since the beginning of the month and they have yet to provide customers answers or payment plans of any kind! I dont want them to have another dime of my money until they give me a satisfactory answer, and a refund for the money they weren’t supposed to take!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2023

  March 15,
  2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:       Ms.
  ********** ****, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear Ms. R*****:
  
  ACSO of Michigan, Inc. (d/b/a
  Advance America) (“Advance America”) is in receipt of a complaint filed with
  your agency by Ms.
  ********** ****, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In her complaint, Ms. **** states
  “The company [Advance America] website has been down for 2 eeks with no way for
  customers like me to pay their loans!” Ms. **** states “They [Advance America] were
  unable to take money from customers accounts while their ‘outage’ was going
  on…….WELL THEY TOOK MONEY FROM MY BANK ACCOUNT!!” Ms. **** states “It is
  2/20/2023, this has been going on since the beginning of the month and they
  have yet to provide customers answers or payment plans of any kind!” Ms. ****
  states “I don’t wan them to have another dime of my money until they give me a
  satisfactory answer, and a refund for the money they weren’t supposed to take.”
  
  On February 7, Advance America
  experienced a systems outage and promptly began investigating. Through the
  investigation, Advance America learned the incident involved unauthorized
  access to a portion of the network, so the entire system was proactively shut
  down out of an abundance of caution. The system for automatic payments came
  back online and in the interest of meeting the expected payment dates, Advance
  America successfully processed those payments. The online and storefront
  capabilities are now fully available, and storefront locations have remained
  open to assist customers make transactions.
  
  Ms. **** paid both of her payday
  loans in full as of February 27, 2023, and reloaned on February 28, 2023. Ms.
  **** was not charged any late fees or returned item fees by Advance America. If
  Ms. **** has further questions or concerns, she may reach out to our Customer
  Care Team at ***** ********.
  
  Advance
  America strives for excellent customer satisfaction, and we regret when a
  customer is dissatisfied with their experience with our company. We sincerely
  apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Ms. ****.
  
  This letter is written under a
  full reservation of rights and is not intended to be, nor should it be
  construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any rights afforded
  to ACSO of Michigan, Inc. under any applicable laws, statutes, or
  procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/16/2023

  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 called Advance America since last week, February 7th because I could not access the website to payoff installment loan. i was told their website was down and could not access my account to give me payoff. I have since contacted Advance America customer service and got the same reason also stating they didn't know when their website would be back up???? I want to pay off this loan before the next payment is scheduled to come out of our checking account but no one seems to be able to help or give me any information of what my payoff would be...Feb 15th still cannot access their website.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  March 13,
  2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:       Mr. ****** *******, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance America, Cash Advance
  Centers of Missouri, Inc. (“Advance America”) is in receipt of a complaint
  filed with your agency by Mr.
  ****** *******, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In his complaint, Mr. *******
  states “I have called Advance America since last week, February 7th because I could not access the website to payoff installment loan.” Mr. *******
  states “I was told their website was down and could not access my account to
  give me payoff.” Mr. ******* states “I want to pay off this loan before the
  next payment is scheduled to come out of our checking account but no one seems
  to be able to help or give me any information of why my payoff would be”.
  
  On February 7, Advance America
  experienced a systems outage and promptly began investigating. Through the
  investigation, Advance America learned the incident involved unauthorized
  access to a portion of the network, so the entire system was proactively shut
  down out of an abundance of caution. The system for automatic payments came
  back online and in the interest of meeting the expected payment dates, Advance
  America successfully processed those payments. The online and storefront
  capabilities are now fully available, and storefront locations have remained
  open to assist customers make transactions.
  
  Mr. ******* was able to pay off
  his loan on February 22, 2023, which was prior to his next due date of March 1,
  2023.
  
  Advance
  America strives for excellent customer satisfaction, and we regret when a
  customer is dissatisfied with their experience with our company. We sincerely
  apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Mr. *******.
  
  This letter is written under a
  full reservation of rights and is not intended to be, nor should it be
  construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any rights afforded
  to Advance America, Cash Advance Centers of Missouri, Inc. under
  any applicable laws, statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  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.

  A company scammed me from Advance America cash advance pay day loans say they would give me a loan for $3000. When they called they already had all my bank info. They look money from my ***** *** in the amount of $2000 dollars and they also reversed transactions in my bank account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/27/2023

  February 27, 2023
  
  Via Email
  
  Ms. Cindy R*****
  Better Business Bureau
  408 North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville, SC 29601
  
  RE: Ms. ****** ********** Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear Ms. R*****:
  
  Purpose Financial, Inc., f/k/a Advance America, Cash
  Advance Centers, Inc (“Advance America”) is in
  receipt of a complaint filed with your agency by Ms.
  ****** ********* and we appreciate the opportunity
  to respond.
  
  In her complaint, Ms. ********* states “A company scammed
  me from Advance America cash advance
  pay day loans say they would give me a loan for $3000.”
  Ms. ********* states “When they called they
  already had all my bank info.” Ms. ********* states “They
  look money from my ***** *** in the amount
  of $2000 dollars and they also reversed transactions in
  my bank account.”
  
  After a diligent search of our records, we could not
  locate any open or closed accounts in our system
  associated with the personal information provided in Ms.
  *********’s complaint. Advance America does
  not operate brick-and-mortar storefront locations in the
  state of Illinois nor does Advance America offer
  online services to residents of Illinois. Additionally,
  Advance America does not utilize the program or app
  called “***** ***” for any part of the loan process.
  
  These communications appear to be part of an effort by
  criminals to defraud consumers by falsely claiming to represent Advance
  America. Advance America has previously communicated similar efforts to state and
  federal regulators as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law
  enforcement agencies.
  
  We recommend that Ms. ********* continue to document all
  details of any such communications in the
  future, that she not disclose any personal information to
  the individuals, and, if appropriate, report such
  communication to law enforcement.
  
  This letter is written under a full reservation of rights
  and is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, any admission of
  liability or as a waiver of any rights afforded to Purpose Financial, Inc.,
  under any applicable laws, statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  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’ve been trying to pay off the balance of my loan since February 7. I was told they can’t accept any payments and it’s unclear when they could. I want to pay off the entire loan and my due date for the first payment is February 17. They couldn’t assure me that my automatic payment would be processed either. So, I’m being charged interest everyday, even though I wanted to pay early and there’s a possibility that they can’t process my scheduled payment so I’ll be charged a late fee as well. I was a repeat customer until this. I can’t even pay at a local store via check, or cash. If the roles were reversed, they would send me right to collections and seek litigation. This is outrageous that me, a consumer will be punish for Advance America’s technical problems.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/24/2023

  March
  24, 2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:         Mr.
  ****** *********, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance
  America, Cash Advance Centers of Ohio, Inc. (“Advance America”) is in receipt
  of a complaint filed with your agency by Mr. ****** *********, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In
  his complaint, Mr. ********* states he had been trying to pay off his balance since
  “February 7.” Mr. ********* states “I was told they can’t accept any payments
  and it’s unclear when they could.” Mr. ********* states “They couldn’t assure
  me that my automatic payment would be processed either.” Mr. ********* states “So,
  I am being charged interest everyday, even though I want to pay early”.
  
  On
  February 7, Advance America experienced a systems outage and promptly began
  investigating. Through the investigation, Advance America learned the incident
  involved unauthorized access to a portion of the network, so the entire system
  was proactively shut down out of an abundance of caution. The system for
  automatic payments came back online and in the interest of meeting the expected
  payment dates, Advance America successfully processed those payments. The
  online and storefront capabilities are now fully available, and storefront
  locations have remained open to assist customers make transactions.
  
  According
  to our records, Mr. ********* entered into a Customer Agreement (“Agreement”)
  through the Advance America online portal on February 1, 2023. Pursuant to the
  Agreement, Mr. ********* agreed to repay an amount of one thousand three hundred
  sixty-six dollars and sixty-nine cents ($1366.69) in 17 bi-monthly payments of
  seventy-five dollars and ninety-three cents ($75.93) and one (1) final payment
  of seventy-five dollars and eighty-eight cents ($75.88). On February 23, 2023,
  Mr. Carpenter’s first payment was made via his debit card. As of March 23,
  2023, Mr. Carpenter’s loan has been paid in full.
  
  Advance America strives for excellent customer satisfaction,
  and we regret when a customer is dissatisfied with their experience with our
  company. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Mr.
  ********* and as a courtesy, a check has been requested in the amount of ten
  dollars ($10) to reimburse Mr. ********* the interest charged between February
  17, 2023 (his original due date) and February 23, 2023 (when his first payment
  was debited).
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to Advance America, Cash
  Advance Centers of Ohio, Inc. under any applicable laws,
  statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  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.

  This company gave my information to a debt collection agency, **** ******** Solutions, and claim I owe a $200 loan from several years ago and placed it on my credit report as in collections. I have no loan with this company and demand this be removed from my credit report IMMEDIATELY and resolve this inaccuracy with the collection agency as well. This is not my loan.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/07/2023

  March 7, 2023
  
  Via Email
  
  Ms. Cindy R*****
  Better Business Bureau
  408 North Church Street, Ste.
  C
  Greenville, SC 29601
  
  RE:          Ms. ******* ******, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance America, Cash Advance
  Centers of Florida, LLC (“Advance America”) is in receipt of a complaint
  filed with your agency by Ms.
  ******* ****** and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.
  
  In her complaint, Ms. ******
  states “This company [Advance America] gave me information to a debt collection
  agency, **** ******** Solutions, and claim I owe a $200 loan from several years
  ago and placed it on my credit report as in collections.” Ms. ****** states “I
  have no loan with this company and demand this be removed from my credit report
  IMMEDIATELY and resolve this inaccuracy with the collection agency as well.”
  
  According to our records, Ms.
  ****** entered into a loan agreement  on
  July 29, 2019, through the online portal. Pursuant to the Agreement, Ms. ******
  agreed to repay an amount of four hundred forty-five dollars ($445) on or
  before August 15, 2019. Ms. ****** made payments totaling two hundred
  seventy-five dollars ($275) which included a thirty-dollar ($30) return item
  fee. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact Ms. ******, the remaining
  balance of two hundred dollars ($200) was sold to ***** Services on January 23,
  2022. ***** Services has confirmed they outsourced Ms. ******’s debt to **** ******** Solutions.
  
  We recommend Ms. ****** reach
  out to either **** ******** Solutions or ***** Services at (877) ******** to
  discuss mutually agreeable payment options.
  
  This letter is written under
  a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be, nor should it be
  construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any rights afforded
  to Advance America, Cash Advance Centers of Florida, LLC under any applicable laws,
  statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Ally P*****
  Senior Governance & Risk
  Analyst
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2023

  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.

  On Advance America website they stste they have an outage. I am not able to see my account for the past five days. I called and ask why and when will it be fix but they have no explanation for me. I am not able to check my account but they are able to withdraw from my bank account for payment. How can thst be when the representative told me they have no access due to the outage. Please help me get an explanation as to when the outage will be fix?

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/13/2023

  March 13,
  2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:       Ms. MaryLouise
  ********, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear Ms. R*****:
  
  Advance America, Cash Advance
  Centers of South Carolina, Inc. (“Advance America”) is in receipt of a
  complaint filed with your agency by Ms.
  ********** ********, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In her complaint, Ms. ********
  states “On Advance America website they stste they have an outage.” Ms.
  ******** states that she is unable to view her account online and when she
  contacted Advance America on when she would, was unable to get an answer. Ms.
  ******** states “I am not able to check my account but they are able to withdraw
  from my bank account for payment.”
  
  On February 7, Advance America
  experienced a systems outage and promptly began investigating. Through the
  investigation, Advance America learned the incident involved unauthorized
  access to a portion of the network, so the entire system was proactively shut
  down out of an abundance of caution. The system for automatic payments came
  back online and in the interest of meeting the expected payment dates, Advance
  America successfully processed those payments. The online and storefront
  capabilities are now fully available, and storefront locations have remained
  open to assist customers make transactions.
  
  Ms. ******** did have an
  automatic payment made on February 17, 2023 in the amount of sixty-four dollars
  and seventy-one cents ($64.71). Ms. ******** was also able to complete a draw
  on her Line of Credit account on February 19, 2023 in the amount of one hundred
  ninety dollars ($190).
  
  Advance
  America strives for excellent customer satisfaction, and we regret when a customer
  is dissatisfied with their experience with our company. We sincerely apologize
  for the inconvenience this has caused Ms. ********.
  
  This letter is written under a
  full reservation of rights and is not intended to be, nor should it be
  construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any rights afforded
  to Advance America, Cash Advance Centers of South Carolina, Inc. under
  any applicable laws, statutes, or procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  Date of transaction: 01/01/2023
  Amount that was sent to them: $180
  
  I was told by this company that a loan I applied for was approved.
  At that time Loan Officer Assigned: Jason R**
  Loan officer ID: **** Contact No: +1(916) *** * **** 
  He told me to send him $180 for verification. I waited for 3 days talking with this guy. He lied so many times. So after giving him a chance to make it right, he has not answered my phone calls or emails

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2023

  
  February
  6, 2023
  
  Via Email
  
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:          Mr.
  ***** *********, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  Purpose
  Financial, Inc. (f/k/a Advance America, Cash Advance Centers, Inc.) (“Advance
  America”) is in receipt of a complaint filed with your agency by Mr. ***** *********. We have reviewed and
  appreciate the opportunity to respond.
  
  In
  his complaint, Mr. ********* states “Date of transaction: 01/01/2023 Amount that
  was sent to them: $180 I was told by this company that a loan I applied for was
  approved.” Mr. ********* states “At the time Loan Officer Assigned: Jason R**
  Loan officer ID: **** Contact No: +1(916) ******** He told me to send him $180
  for verification.” Mr. ********* states “Mr. R**” is no longer returning calls
  or emails.
  
  After a diligent
  search of our records, we could not locate any open or closed accounts in our
  system associated with the personal information in Mr. *********’s complaint. Advance
  America does not own or control the phone number “(916) ********”. Advance
  America does not request funds to be paid for “verification”. Additionally,
  Advance America does not operate any brick-and-mortar storefronts in the state
  of Illinois, nor does it offer online services to Illinois residents. Advance
  America was not part of nor aware of Mr. *********’s loan request. These communications appear to
  be part of an effort to defraud consumers by falsely claiming to represent
  Advance America. 
  
  We recommend that Mr. ********* continue to
  document all details of any such communications in the future, that he not
  disclose personal information to the individuals, and, if appropriate, report
  such communication to law enforcement or other proper regulatory authorities
  for further investigation. 
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to Purpose Financial,
  Inc. under any applicable laws, statutes, or
  procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/07/2023

  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. 
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2023

  Type:Order 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 been having issues with advanced America on a few payday loans, a few of them they only gave me for a week, and it is supposed to be a two week loan, so I am paying then $77 to borrow money for one week, and then, even though they know my paydays are on Friday, they have been making me pay back the loans on a Wednesday or Thursday, which puts me in default with my bank, and I have to pay a overdraft fee, I have reached out to them several times, by phone and email, and nobody responds back to me or resolves my problem

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/20/2023

  March
  20, 2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:         Ms.
  ***** *****, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  ACSO
  of Michigan, Inc. (d/b/a Advance America) (“Advance America”) is in receipt of
  a complaint filed with your agency by Ms. ***** *****, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In
  her complaint, Ms. ***** states “I have been having issues with advanced
  America on a few payday loans, a few of them they only gave me for a week, and
  it is supposed to be a two week loan, so I am paying then $77 to borrow money
  for one week”. Ms. ***** states “…I have reached out to them several times, by
  phone and email, and nobody responds back to me or resolves my problem”.
  
  According
  to our records, Ms. ***** entered into a Customer Agreement (“Agreement”)
  through the Advance America online portal on January 25, 2023. Pursuant to the
  Agreement, Ms. ***** agreed to repay an amount of six hundred seventy-seven
  dollars ($677) on or before February 2, 2023. To date, Ms. ***** currently owes
  seven hundred five dollars and sixty-six cents ($705.66) due to a returned ACH
  payment on February 6, 2023.
  
  Due
  to Michigan state requirements, customers are subject to repay their loan on
  their next payday. If Ms. ***** chooses to originate a loan the week prior to
  her pay date, she will be due within that timeframe. We have attempted to
  contact Ms. ***** multiple times to answer any of her questions and assist in
  concerns regarding her due dates. Ms. ***** may contact our Customer Care team
  at (844) *** ***** to discuss payment options available to her and to discuss
  concerns regarding when her loans are due.
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to ACSO of Michigan, Inc.
  under any applicable laws, statutes, or
  procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/21/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  I have had to pay numerous fees due to them sending my payment in before my payday, and they know when my payday is! I had to put it on my app. Are they going to pay my over the limit fees, as there are many! That is why I cancelled my last payment. I had asked several times, to no avail. They always sent it in on a wed or thurs. I can send all email I have sent them
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ***** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/29/2023

  March
  29, 2023
  
  Via Email
  Ms.
  Cindy R*****
  Better
  Business Bureau
  408
  North Church Street, Ste. C
  Greenville,
  SC 29601
  
  RE:         Ms.
  ***** *****, Complaint ID ********
  
  Dear
  Ms. R*****:
  
  ACSO
  of Michigan, Inc. (d/b/a Advance America) (“Advance America”) is in receipt of
  a complaint filed with your agency by Ms. ***** *****, we have reviewed and appreciate the opportunity to
  respond.
  
  In
  her complaint, Ms. ***** states “I have reviewed the response made by the
  business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this
  does not resolve my complaint.”  
  
  We
  have reviewed Ms. *****’s reply and wish that we could provide a satisfactory
  resolution. As a deferred presentment lender, we are bound by the laws of the
  State of Michigan.  We have adhered to those
  laws and the terms of the loan agreement entered into by Ms. *****, including
  the loan due date.
  
  We
  have attempted to contact Ms. ***** multiple times to answer any of her
  questions and assist with her concerns regarding due dates. Ms. ***** may
  contact our Customer Care team at (844) *** ***** to discuss payment options
  available to her and to discuss concerns regarding when her loans are due.
  
  This
  letter is written under a full reservation of rights and is not intended to be,
  nor should it be construed as, any admission of liability or as a waiver of any
  rights afforded to ACSO of Michigan, Inc.
  under any applicable laws, statutes, or
  procedures.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ally P*****
  Senior Compliance Governance & Risk Analyst