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:03/29/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Public is a site that draws you in promising free stock (1 to 300$), doesn't really explain the premise, but goes in and takes your money, gives you $1 of stock, takes much longer than any other bank to settle, and now I cannot get my money back. I put $4500 in Public, and it is showing up as a 'pending' withdrawal even though it has moved out of my citibank account, so I can't withdraw it back out (screen prints attached). There is also no one to get a hold of to speak to about this without paying to upgrade my account. This app should be illegal-it's awful to put people in this position where they feel like they have been stolen from and have no recourse.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/30/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for reaching out. Were sorry to hear about the trouble depositing and withdrawing your funds. Deposits into your Public account typically take 5-7 business days to settle, and there is a 5-7 business day hold on withdrawing the deposited funds, starting the date the deposit was initiated. Until then, you may see a pending deposit status in the app. You initiated your deposits on March 19, and as of March 29, you are able to withdraw those deposited funds back to your bank. 

  
  Public offer a free fractional share for all members when their account is approved and when they initiate their first deposit. The fractional shares are randomly selected between $1-$300. 

  
  We apologize for the inconvenience. Please reach out to us in the app or by email at ******************************** if you have any questions or need help withdrawing your funds.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/15/2023

  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 an existing account with Public. I checked on it daily. Last week I bought a new phone and transfer all my data to the new phone. As a result I am now not able to get back to my old and existing account with Public. Because I cannot tall to an administrator. I emailed but the response stated no one monitors th site so I need to create a new account which will not be associated with my current investment. I want to get connected back to my old investment. I have money in the old account that I don't want to lose because I cannot reset my password or chat with an administrator.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. Were sorry to hear about all the trouble logging back into your account. Per our conversation, you indicated you were able to successfully log into your account with the help of our team. If you run into this issue again or have any other questions, please feel free to contact us via email at ********************************. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/14/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This is my original message to the company. This will explain the entire scenario.Hello, my name is *********************** I recently had a charge for $200 that was withdrawn out of my Chase checking account. The date of the transaction was in November I believe on the 27th.Unfortunately, this is not my charge. I do not have an account with you. I disputed the charge in the I disputed the charge with the bank, however, they took the money back out of my account, stating that you responded to them with the following information:account number : ******* Email: *********************** Phone number: ************ All of these pieces of information that were given to me, or not in any way, correlated or connected to me. The phone in which was used to make the transaction from what ***** has told me was an android device and as you can see from my email I have an iPhone. Also, you can see that my email address is not the one you have on file.I want a refund of my $200 back into my account please. I request a response promptly so we can resolve this issue. If there is a phone number in which I can call, I would love to do so to speak to someone about this, so it can't happen to me or anyone else ever again.The phone number you have on file goes to an automated voice message in which just gives you emails to correspond with.Respectfully,***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/17/2023

  Hi ******, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. Were sorry to hear about all the trouble here. A Public account was created with your personal information, and your debit card information was used to fund the account. Public does not have the capability to initiate bank transfers in any way. We recommend refiling your dispute with your bank.

  
  We apologize for the situation that occurred and have closed your account. Thank you for your cooperation while we investigated. Please reach out to us at ******************************** with any questions. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/23/2023

  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 opened an account with PUBLIC.com, I decided to close my account so I sold my remaining stock...I was told when trades were settled my funds would be transferred to my bank account...this never happened so I am out of my funds...I tried the HELP at PUBLIC but what they told me there was not true as they kept telling me my funds would be returned but they never were. So ****** learned I will never deal with this company again.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/09/2023

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and for letting us know. We apologize for the trouble in withdrawing your funds and closing your account. We manually transferred your remaining funds to the bank account on file on January 10th. Withdrawals take 3-7 business days to arrive in your connected bank account from the date the withdrawal was initiated. Unfortunately, we dont have any control over the settlement timeline. 

  We apologize for any inconvenience and recommend your reach out to your bank to ensure your funds are received. Please let us know if you have any questions in the app or by email at ********************************* Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/09/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

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

  Answered:

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

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/14/2022

  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.

  Public, has some very shady practices and when purchasing stock or crypto, they take the fee upfront. The complaint is however, once you sell, your money is on hold for weeks. Also, when being told that my money would have been available on 12/12, it wasn't. I was then told it would be available today, 12/13 and it isn't. I am now being told it might be available tomorrow! Then!!! How long will it take to actually hit my account? I am tired of excuses and being lied to.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/28/2022

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and for your feedback. We apologize for the trouble in withdrawing your funds. The great news is that you have been able to withdraw on 12/13, 12/14, and 12/22. It is important to note that there is a 5-7 business day hold on withdrawing recently deposited funds, starting the date the deposit was initiated. Additionally, funds from sold stock will take trade date plus 2 full business days to settle (known as T+2).

  
  Again, we apologize for any inconveniences this caused. Please reach out to us in the app or by email at [email protected] if you have any questions. Thank you. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/02/2022

  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 been trying to access my account for well over a month now. Every time I try to log in, I get a message that a code is being sent to my phone via text and that I need to use that code to access my account. However, I never receive the text.I have contacted Public numerous time regarding this issue and have attempted all the "solutions" they have suggested. I am still not able to access my account, and I have been waiting for over a month for someone to contact me "once they have solved the issue." Of course, no one has contacted **** am considering legal recourse.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2022

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out. Were sorry to hear about the trouble logging into your account. Per our latest conversation, we see youre running an out-of-date version of the app. Outdated versions of the app may produce errors like the one youre experiencing. We recommend updating your app by deleting the app and then reinstalling it again on your phone. 

  
  Alternatively, you can attempt to log in from any web browser to access your account on the web at ********************* 

  
  Once the app is updated, please try logging in again. If you are still running into issues, please let us know by email at ******************, and we will continue to troubleshoot this. We look forward to hearing back from you. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/27/2022

  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.

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  [Your Answer Here]

   

   Of course the transfers of the 3 attempts were rejected because you ****** *ocked any type of account movement then all of a sudden you just decided to lovk and block me from anytype of account access! Your platform and your so called customer support ****** are down rihjt disgusting and pathetic and its a total gut wrenching embarrassment that you allow them to continue to take advantage and steal and be the nastiest people towards customers that you make money from! *** had to dispute and close a banking account do to you airheads taking money from my banking financial account with out authorization and or my knowledge of the funds! And do not waste a reply with the same as seen in all your ripped off reviews from others of the *** automated message of we cant make deposits from accounts! Thats the biggest scandal and cover up nonsense lie the world has heard! Anyone with common sense who scandals others financial assets would atleast say i didnt do that! Right and i was born in the *****!  Get it together and come up with better excuses and get some advice on how to not be spotted so easily when your trying to scam others  lame *********  good day  keep the funds for your legal fees as you will need to create a better believeable lie  moron!!!

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  
  
  
  
   
  ocumentation showing i tried twice. They will not let me withdraw my funds and they will not message me back as i have repeatedly asked them to unfreeze so i can get my assets and available cash funds moved out! Anyway they ate doing this disgusting thing so they can go past the 5 business days and as they stated charge my account as liquidity! This has to be against federal and state laws in the ********** seek justice as im getting the federal government involved and i will not stop until this cheating scamming platform is shut down. Please help anyway you can. As those are my assets!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2022

  Hi *****, Thank you for reaching out and letting us know. Were sorry to hear about the trouble with the funds in your account. It is important to know our clearing firm will restrict your account when you request an outgoing account transfer (****). The **** was rejected due to the balance of the account was insufficient to cover the outgoing **** fee. 

  Per our recent conversation, we have lifted the withdrawal restriction and have offered to send you a check for the remaining balance in your account. 
  
  Please note the Community Guidelines you agreed to require that every Public member treats all community members (including Public employees) with the utmost respect. Due to the serious nature of your violations your social privileges and investment account at Public will be closed.

  
  If you have any additional questions, please let us know.