Robinhood Is Nonetheless Going through Many New Complaints and Lawsuits from Purchasers as a consequence of Lack of Correct Buyer Assist: Report

Main digital funding platform Robinhood is dealing with quite a few lawsuits from shoppers. The Fintech agency’s shoppers have been complaining in regards to the prolonged delays on the subject of resolving their account points. These issues have led to many customers being unable to entry their funds for months, in keeping with a latest report.

Robinhood shoppers have voiced their issues through social media and a few persons are fairly indignant on the agency, which has filed to go public and is looking for a $30 billion valuation.

Alex Mesa, Roinhood’s Head of Buyer Expertise, acknowledged that the agency has been struggling to maintain up with its consumer base which is rising quickly. Mesa confirmed that Robinhood is making appreciable investments to enhance its customer support.

In statements shared with WSJ.com, Mesa had mentioned that in the event you, in a single day, expertise a rise of 350% of whole quantity, then there’s merely not sufficient personnel to handle points. That’s why the corporate has not been in a position to present correct assist, Mesa claims. The agency’s Chief Government has additionally mentioned that Robinhood will probably be increasing its buyer assist group as quickly as potential.

Robinhood reportedly handles round $20 billion of shopper belongings, and particular person accounts have been insured as much as $2 million money and $10 million in inventory. Which means shoppers usually are not liable to probably dropping their deposits if Robinhood experiences issues or fails as a enterprise.

On-line, many indignant Robinhood shoppers have been disclosing the problems they’ve skilled with the inventory buying and selling app. The agency’s prospects allege that it has been “ghosting” them on their oustanding complaints. Many have additionally complained about having severe difficulties with accessing their funds in a well timed method.

Brenton Place, a Michigan resident, famous that it took round 5 weeks and plenty of emails to lastly get his Robinhood account unlocked. He had been denied entry to his account as a consequence of some confusion relating to financial institution transfers, Place claims.

Place instructed the WSJ that he had been compelled to attend helplessly as the worth of his funding portfolio saved declining as a consequence of market crashes. Whereas he might have offered off his holdings, the funds would nonetheless have staid caught or locked in his account, he claims.

It’s value noting that Robinhood was among the many very first free digital or on-line inventory buying and selling platforms that contributed to the rise of GameStop shares in January of this yr. That unprecedented rally is now generally known as the “meme” inventory rally.

Robinhood has additionally been criticized for briefly stopping prospects from buying GameStop shares and likewise the shares of different companies in the course of the market frenzy. The Fintech agency claims that it was unable to fulfill the minimal deposit necessities on the fundamental clearinghouse – which is why it was compelled to droop buying and selling at the moment.

Regardless of these points, Robinhood has been gaining reputation. The corporate’s app was downloaded round 4.5 million instances by this previous Sunday, in keeping with knowledge from Apptopia.

Notably, Robinhood can also be having to cope with powerful questions relating to its customer support because the suicide of 20-year-old Alex Kearns (in 2020). Kearns was a College pupil who thought he had misplaced some huge cash on choices buying and selling through Robinhood.

Robinhood has, for a very long time, been offering customer support solely by electronic mail, and Kearns’ household claims in a lawsuit that he had despatched a number of emails to the agency. Nevertheless, he solely received automated replies.

US Congress members tried to handle these points with Robinhood in February. In the course of the conferences, the corporate’s lack of telephone assist for shoppers was cited as one of many many points. Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said that the agency would broaden its customer support as quick as potential.

Choices buying and selling shoppers utilizing Robinhood are actually in a position to get assist from buyer assist through telephone, and in March 2021, the agency’s administration mentioned that it will likely be spending $11.7 million and also will recruit round 400 staff for its new customer-support middle – which will probably be based mostly in North Carolina.

Robinhood shopper Amy Vickers has expressed her frustration with the agency. Vickers instructed the WSJ that she had tried to maneuver her shares to Constancy Investments when Robinhood had prevented its prospects from shopping for GameStop shares in February of this yr.

When Vickers discovered that the switch might lock up her positions for an prolonged time, she tried to reverse the transaction. Nevertheless, she was reportedly unable to take action, even after attempting to get in contact with Robinhood by electronic mail and the agency’s official web site.

Robinhood instructed Vickers that it’d take a few week to finalize the switch, nonetheless, her final inventory was transferred to Constancy 18 days after she had initiated the transaction. By this time, her GME shares had dropped significantly.

The Robinhood group famous in its weblog submit:

“Over the previous yr, we’ve accelerated our investments in buyer assist. We consider nice customer support incorporates a mix of actual folks and one of the best know-how, and we proceed to spend money on each.”

Launched in 2013, Robinhood is among the pioneers of zero-commission buying and selling for the retail brokerage sector. Many younger shoppers have been utilizing the Fintech agency’s app, which now has round 13 million customers. Robinhood is planning to conduct an IPO later in 2021, and likewise intends to promote some shares on to its shoppers.