RushCard Members Furious After Not Being Able To Access Prepaid Debit Card Accounts
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's their money, but they can't access it.
Thousands are being hit hard right in their wallets by prepaid debit cards called RushCards after they went offline more than a week ago.
As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported, people who can't get a traditional bank account or don't want one typically use RushCard.
The website claims you get your money up to two days faster with direct deposit.
Russell Simmons, founder of RushCard, posted to Facebook addressing the issue, saying "We know who you are and know you are facing tremendous challenges."
But on Wednesday, the company was still trying to fix the problem for some.
Shannon Chick sounded off on Facebook, saying "2 weeks & I can't access my account....feeling frustrated I can't access my money for bills & everyday use. RushCard GIVE me my money!"
In a statement, RushCard told CBS2 the system is up and running, but a small number of accounts remain inactive. When asked exactly how many that meant, the company failed to respond.
RushCard blamed new technology. But Paul Oster, CEO of Better Qualified, said that's baffling.
"Technical difficulties are solved within a couple of hours, not a couple of weeks," he said.
Oster said he suspects the company may have been hacked, and might not even know it yet.
"Right now, it's about Russell Simmons doing the right thing. It's about RushCard Live doing the right thing," said Oster
The company declared a fee holiday, but it might not be enough to keep disgruntled customers from leaving.
"I can't believe that RushCard thinks waving fees for a few months is a way of compensation for us. I really hope they plan on giving all RushCard members some monetary compensation as well," Martin G. Cooper posted to Facebook.
In a second statement, RushCard said "We are not done yet. You will hear more from us in the coming days about how we will continue to make good on our customers' trust."