Russell Simmons’ RushCard, a pre-paid card used as an alternative to traditional banking, is quickly losing favor with thousands of customers who are currently unable to access their accounts.
According to the card’s parent company, UniRush, LLC, the issue lies in a glitch in the transfer of information from one “technology partner” to another that is inhibiting the company from processing deposits and withdraws. Scores of cardholders took to Facebook and even created a Change.org petition to vent their frustrations.
“There are thousands of us that have been locked out of our accounts, can’t access accounts, money is missing, direct deposits not posted,” Nicole Blackshear of Dayton, Ohio told HipHopDX.com. “They keep lying on their Facebook page that the system is back up, and it’s not. When you call, you stay on hold for hours and then the line just hangs up on you. I have not received my direct deposit and the money that I had in there already is not available. Try to swipe the card at a store or ATM and it declines. Tried to log in online and it says my card is deactivated. If you go to Facebook and go to RushCard’s or Russell Simmons’ page you will see that there are a million of us suffering. People are being evicted, can’t get to work because they can’t get gas. People are needing milk and pampers for their children. People’s utilities have been disconnected. There is so much pain and suffering and no explanation.”
The latest entry on the RushCard Facebook page apologizes to cardholders and assures them the glitches are being ironed out:
We continue to work around the clock to solve your account problems. Here is where we stand. All direct deposits that were scheduled to be paid on Friday were posted today, one day early. We are working feverishly to update all cardholder balances and expect to have this task completed tomorrow. However, we know many of you have not had your issues resolved. We are listening to you, and are working diligently to get your accounts up and running. We appreciate your loyalty and your continued commitment to RushCard and apologize for the inconveniences and hardships this situation has caused you.
This incident isn’t the first time Simmons’ RushCard has faced criticism.
Way back in 2009, the Huffington Post ran a story highlighting the many similarities between the RushCard and standard banking practices; the RushCard advertised itself as being a far better option.
