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:09/12/2022

  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.

  My identity was stolen and someone used my account and restarted a subscription I'd already asked to close on several occasions. I was charged for a transaction I did not authorize and they were beyond unhelpful in trying to resolve the dispute. Refused to refund my money and basically was like "oh well"

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  Dear *****************************,

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated September 11th, 2022, relating to the Cleo Builder subscription service. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.

  
  In your complaint, you stated that your identity was stolen and your subscription was restarted as a result of this.

  
  We have conducted a thorough investigation of your account and can find no evidence of identity theft or other fraud. When the subscription was restarted, it was restarted using the same device that you used to contact us to request a refund. Additionally, this is the only device that has logged into your account since June. If you have been able to confirm identity theft with law enforcement or another agency, wed be happy to review any documentation you are able to provide.

  
  Our records indicate that on September 9th, 2022, your subscription lapsed due to nonpayment. You then restarted your subscription in the app, which initiated a $14.99 charge to cover the previous month which had gone unpaid. You then canceled the subscription on the same day, but signed back up a few hours later, which initiated another charge of $14.99 for the new month. Finally, you unsubscribed later that day once again.

  
  As a courtesy, we have refunded one of these subscription payments. Should you have any questions about this, please contact us at *********************************** and were happy to help.

  
  Sincerely,
  Compliance Department

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/21/2022

  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] I filed a police report and was able to prove that my identity had been stole because I lost my phone. The case number is 2022-1618 via ************************************. When I did that you still rejected my refund even after following all your procedure. You're not a company of integrity and I regret using your app.

   

   

   

   

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

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/22/2022

  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.

  The business claims they have sent me 45 dollars. I have sent them multiple screenshots and even CLEO COMPANY has advised via their support team that the deposit was UNSUCCESSFUL however they will not take off the "payment" they would be getting. They are shifting blame to my bank REGARDLESS I and they have proof they did NOT pay me so why would they turn around and charge me. Unacceptable

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2022

  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:08/19/2022

  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.

  It's very simple. I enjoyed cleo and cancelled...a FEW TIMES. I am still being charged.... I literally have to keep cancelling. They still charged me **** and I definitely paid back all my loans ...so there isn't a need to keep charging me.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2022

  Dear *************************,

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated August 19th, 2022, relating to the Cleo Plus subscription service. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.

  
  In your complaint, you stated that you have canceled your Cleo Plus subscription multiple times but have continued to be charged $5.99 each month of the subscription, despite having repaid any Salary Advances.

  
  Our records indicate that on May 19th, 2022, you signed up to Cleo Plus for a $5.99 monthly subscription fee. Between that date and July 22nd, 2022, you received and repaid 2 Salary Advances. Additionally, our records indicate that between May 19th, 2022 and August 19th, 2022, you canceled and resumed your subscription multiple times. These dates include May 21st (canceled) and May 26th (resumed) and July 22nd (canceled) and August 5th (resumed). Cleo confirmed with you each time that you requested to resume the subscription.

  
  Your subscription was successfully canceled on August 19th, 2022. As long as you do not resume your subscription, you will not receive any additional subscription charges.

  
  Should you have any questions about this, please contact us at *********************************** and were happy to help.

  
  Sincerely,
  Compliance Department

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/05/2022

  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 signed up for the plus subscription based solely on Cleo's statement (visible in their FAQ and other locations) which said that in order to qualify for a cash advance consumers must subscribe to their plus subscription and pay a monthly fee of $5.99. That is false. Their terms clearly state that subscribing is not a requirement and a consumer can request an advance without a subscription by emailing a request. Because of their blatant lies and misrepresentation I signed up for the service under flase pretenses. I have been trying to cancel for weeks but the apps automated AI system will not allow me and states that I must repay my outstanding $20 advance in order for them to allow me to cancel. Even after requesting cancellation and advising them they do not have my permission to charge my bank account, they continued anyways. Also their terms do not state anywhere that I am required to repay the advance in order to be allowed to cancel my subscription. The terms state that they will charge me the monthly subscription fee every month until I choose to cancel at which time I will not be charged anymore. Well I have chosen to cancel yet and still charged. The terms further say that in order to cancel all I have to do is open the app and select the cancellation option through the automated AI. That is false. I tried and was refused the ability to cancel. Additionally they are saying I must repay the advance in order to cancel except their terms state it's a non recourse advance and they have no legal or contractual claim against me should I not repay. And when I was given the advance I signed another agreement which did not mention barriers to cancellation and also stated that the advance is "free". To recap they are charging my account without my permission and against my wishes (breaching their own contract) and demanding that I repay a $29 advance which they state is "free". Contacted CS several times. They either don't respond or ignore what I say.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2022

  Dear ******* ******,

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated August 5th, 2022, relating to the Cleo Plus subscription service. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.

  
  In your complaint, you stated that you subscribed to Cleo Plus in order to receive a Salary Advance. You further stated that Cleo’s FAQs indicate that in order to qualify for a cash advance consumers must subscribe to Cleo Plus, at a monthly subscription cost of $5.99 and that this is inconsistent with Cleo’s Terms and Conditions. You also stated that you have been unable to cancel your subscription due to the outstanding Salary Advance on your account.

  
  Our records indicate that on March 27th, 2022, you signed up to Cleo Plus for a $5.99 monthly subscription fee. Between that date and April 20th, 2022, you received and repaid 2 Salary Advances, each in the amount of $20.00. The next day, you requested and received a third Salary Advance for $20, and requested an “express” payout which is available for an additional fee of $3.99). Our records indicate that you did not repay the third salary advance. You then requested to cancel your subscription on July 28th, 2022, but were denied due to the overdue Salary Advance.

  
  The Cleo Plus subscription costs $5.99 per month and through the subscription you may access certain features such as Daily Cash and Credit Scoring. Consumers also have the option to apply for a Salary Advance, however they may also do so without subscribing to Cleo Plus by emailing Customer Service as stated  in our Terms and Conditions.  There is no fee for the salary advance itself although as noted there is an option for express payout for $3.99. 

  
  Cleo will never engage in any debt collection activities or make any reports to consumer reporting agencies due to nonpayment. However, users must repay any outstanding Advances before being able to cancel their subscription. Therefore, we are unable to cancel your subscription until the $20.00 Salary Advance and $3.99 express fee have been paid.

  
  Should you need help with us, please contact us at *****************. Once this has been repaid, we will be happy to help you cancel your subscription.

   

  Sincerely,
  Compliance Department

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2022

  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.

  Oh my where to even begin with Cleo. I have attempted to email them 25 times, not exaggerating, 25 times, to cancel this service, yet they keep attempting to take $5.99 out of my bank account every month. I have disputed the charge every single month with my bank, and did get refunds yet they still always try to take it out. They are not a legit company they are fraudulent. You cannot keep taking money out after a customer cancels, that's illegal but I was told by a rep from their company that evidently they are above the law, and can indeed keep taking money out of my account because the law does not apply to them, FRAUD!!!! Thank God my bank has stepped in and won't let them keep trying to scam me. Stay as far away as you can from these scam artists, once you sign up, you sign up for life and cannot cancel this service. I had to get a different debit card and they are trying to take money off the closed one!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2022

  Dear *****************, 

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated July 29th, 2022, relating to the Cleo Plus subscription service. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.

  
  In your complaint, you stated that you have emailed customer service multiple times in order to cancel the Cleo ************ and that you have been charged $5.99 each month.
  Our records indicate that on November 27th, 2020 you signed up to Cleo Plus which is a subscription service that provides access to various features, such as Salary Advance, Daily Cash, and Credit Scoring. The service costs $5.99 per month. Between November 27th, 2020 and June 2nd, 2022, you applied for a total of 55 Salary Advances. On June 2nd, 2022, you requested and received another Salary Advance for $50 and shortly thereafter you revoked authorization for Cleo to take payment from your account. 

  
  While your stop payment request was honored and processed on June 9th, our investigation indicates that we charged you two subscription payments totaling $11.98 after that time and we are therefore issuing you a refund in that amount. 

  
  We apologize for any inconvenience. Please reach out if you have any further questions. 

  
  Sincerely,
  Compliance Department

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/08/2022

  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.

  Very unhappy that I was charged $5.99 for Cleo plus in September, November and December 2021 for a service Cleo decided I was no longer eligible for due to my change in income. Why was I charged for services that you did not render?

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2022

  Dear ***** ******** 

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated July 8th, 2022, relating to the Cleo Plus subscription. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner. 

  
  In your complaint, you stated that you were charged $5.99 in the months of September, November, and December 2021 after being deemed ineligible for a service.
  Our records indicate that you signed up to the Cleo Plus on July 14th, 2021. Cleo Plus is our $5.99 subscription tier through which you have the ability to apply for a salary advance. Between the dates of July 14th, 2021 and August 25th, 2021, you applied for, received and paid two Salary Advances. You canceled your subscription on December 30th, 2021. 

  
  Salary Advance eligibility is subject to change, as stated in our terms and conditions. So long as you do  not have an active or overdue Salary Advance, you are able to cancel your subscription at any time in the Cleo app, but a change in eligibility does not automatically cancel your subscription, because Cleo Plus subscription features additional services such as Daily Cash and Credit Scoring. Therefore you are charged the monthly subscription fee of $5.99 until you cancel the subscription. Our records do not indicate that you made any attempt to cancel prior to the cancellation on December 30th, 2021. 

  
  Your subscription was successfully canceled on December 30th, 2021 and you have not received any subsequent charges, so we consider this complaint to be resolved. Should you need anything further or have additional information to provide, you can contact us via email ***********************************. 

  Sincerely,
  Compliance Department

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2022

  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.

  I start an account on the Cleo app. I was told I qualified for a cash advance and was told in order to do so I had to sign up for a Clio Plus account which costs some money and then I was told I needed to sign up for a credit builder card which cost additional money and then deposit money onto the credit builder card after doing so and paying all the fees I was all of a sudden told that I did not qualify for the cash advance all this occurred within 2 hours and immediately I asked for a refund of all of my money in the beginning I was told they do not issue refunds on their subscriptions. So I told them what had happened and they said based on the circumstance I did qualify for a refund of all phones however I had to wait up to 45 days I was refunded the subscription price for the Cleo Plus account however I was not refunded for the credit builder card nor the money that I deposited on to the credit builder card I wish to receive a refund of both of these items as I was informed I qualified for. I have tried to reach out however there's no phone number to call somebody and when I did the chat resolution option I was told that I was using improper language and kicked off of the chat session and now do not have the option to chat with somebody therefore they think they can keep my money.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/06/2024

  Dear *****,
  

  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau dated July 15th, 2022.Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.
  

  In your complaint, you stated that you first signed up to Cleo Plus and following that you signed up to the Cleo Builder subscription and applied for a credit builder card in order to gain cash advance access. You transferred money into your security deposit, however after doing so you were not eligible for the cash advance. As such, you requested a refund for both subscriptions and wished to close your card and have your security deposit returned to you.
  

  According to our records, you signed up for Cleo Plus for $5.99 on May 19th, 2022, and then signed up for the Cleo Builder subscription, and you received a promotional rate for the Builder subscription. You applied for a Credit Builder Card, then added money to your security deposit. On the same day, you attempted to request a Cash Advance but encountered a bank disconnect error and as such, you opened a **************** ticket and requested a refund for all transactions between yourself and the Cleo service which totaled $14.79.
  

  Per Cleos Terms & Conditions, the $5.99 Plus subscription and $3.80 Builder subscription upgrade fees were refund eligible. As of May 19th, 2022, the Plus and Builder subscription fees totaling $9.79 have been refunded to you.
  

  As stated in our Terms, the funds in your security deposit totaling $5.00 may take up to 45 days to return to your Cleo Wallet. We attempted to return those funds to you on May 19th, 2022, however you have removed your payment method. The most recent attempted payment of your funds was on April 10th,2024.
  

  We are happy to return your funds to you if you can provide an updated payment method. Please contact us at *********************************** to do so.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  Compliance Department 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/09/2024

  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

   

  I have been waiting 2 years for this refund and there should be interest applied for waiting over 2 years. I was never contacted to ask for new bank info so best I can see cleo intended to keep my money and never return it. 

   

   

   

   

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

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
  
   
  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/23/2024

  Dear *****,
  

  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau dated August 14, 2022.Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.
  

  In your reply to our response to your complaint, you stated that you have been waiting two years for your refund and that there should be interest applied to that refund balance for your extended wait. You also claim that you were never contacted by **************** to update your payment method to receive the funds requested.
  

  On May 19, 2022, when the original Credit Builder Card closure was processed, the Cleo App prompted you to add a payment method so that the remaining funds in your security deposit could be successfully transferred back to your personal checking account. On May 19, 2022 and August 16, 2024, **************** advised you in your opened support tickets to reconnect your bank to aid in this transfer process.Additionally, each time the app was opened from May 19, 2022 and thereafter, you were prompted to reconnect your bank account.
  

  The transfer of the remaining funds can still be completed at any time by reconnecting your account in the Cleo app. As this is not an interest-bearing account, no interest payments are applicable.
  

  If you do not wish to reconnect your bank account to receive the return of your security deposit, please reach out to **************** and ********************** can arrange a ****** or wire transfer. For assistance with this,please contact us at ************************************
  

  Sincerely,
  

  Compliance Department 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/30/2024

  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 Answecr Here]

   Cleo lies. I completely closed my account upon realizing it was just a scam no way did they contact me on the app. And I never received said emails. I'm quite certain they drew interest while holding my $5 for 2 years and I should receive that interest payment.

   

   

   

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

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/21/2022

  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 subscribed by mistake. I contacted the company withing minutes of making the purchase and they've refused to reimburse me.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/06/2022

  
  Cleo is in receipt of your complaint referred to us by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) dated June 21st, 2022, relating to a Cleo Credit Builder Card which is a secured charge card issued by WebBank, Member FDIC. Cleo takes customer complaints seriously and strives to resolve all issues in a fair and equitable manner.

  
  In your complaint, you stated that you subscribed by mistake, contacted **************** within minutes of subscription, and were refused a refund of the subscription fee. 
  Our records indicate that you signed up to the Credit Builder subscription tier and opened a Credit Builder Card on December 24th, 2021. You canceled this subscription on June 16th, 2022. We do not have record of any attempts to cancel the subscription prior to this date. Our subscription refund policy states that in order to receive a subscription fee refund, the user must (1) contact us within 7 days of sign up and (2) not have generated a Credit Builder Card. Based on our records, you did not meet either of these criteria. Therefore, we were unable to issue a refund as requested. 

  
  Your subscription was successfully canceled and will end at the end of the current billing period on June 24th, 2022.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2022

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  On 6/7/2022 a refund for xfinity in the amount of $30 was issued to my Cleo credit builder account. Refund not only shows in my transaction history but was verified but a customer service representative. Issue is the funds themselves were not credited to my account. Cleo REFUSES to assist in this matter. Also I can not spend the amount on said card because its fraud and I do not have the option to add additional funds to said account. No where is it stated its a one time use card. Being charged a monthly fee for a one time use product is unreal. Had issues using app even though I was using most current version. Tried deleting it and reinstalling. I enter my email to sign back in, I get the verification code. I enter said code it tells me my email is funky and to try again. Ive had my email for over 22 years I assure you there is nothing funky about it. Only way to contact Cleo is via chat. I have brought these issues to their attention and they dont care. With all these issues and lack of service Im not sure I want to keep my account active. Why have it if I cant use it? Issue is if I close it it will damage my credit.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, my complaint, ID ******** regarding Cleo has been resolved.
  

  (By clicking "OK", your complaint will be closed as Resolved.)

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************