Complaint Review: Bancorp DBA NetSpend

I chose to use the NetSpend refund option when I used TurboTax this year.  HUGE mistake.  On top of the TurboTax fee,  this service costs approximately $30 for the service and they conveniently do not send the card to you so they can hold onto the funds for even more profit.  It took me around 2 hours to deal with customer service from Turbo Tax to TPG Bank in Santa Barbara (Turbo tax middle man who collects fees then sends the funds onto Bancorp, owner of NetSpend).  NetSpend customer service is an ineffective department within this company.   They conveniently have no authority and are about as inept a customer service group as I have ever encountered.   I filed the return on February 25.  The funds were deposited by the IRS on March 5.   On March 12,  I still had not received a card to use and was being told that I could take another chance that they would be able to "expedite" a "new" card to me within 3 days.  They would not provide a tracking number for their "faster" card mailing.   It took 2 hours to simply cancel the transaction and send the money back to the IRS so I can start over and get the refund straight from the IRS by mail.  Which, they say, takes 6 days to get the money back to the IRS.  This service is not faster, not convenient and just an all around clown show.  Avoid this company!  It is a frustrating waste of time and energy for the consumer.

If you find that you are in the same situation as I am.  Here are some helpful tips and phone numbers to call to get the refund returned to the IRS and start over...

Turbo Tax customer service 1-800-624-3025 - call them and let them know about this situation.  Let them know that you will not use their service if they advertise BanCorp's NetSpend service to consumers.

TPG Bank in LaJolla, CA (a Santa Barbara, CA based bank) 1-877-908-7228 - processes the refund from the IRS and collects the TurboTax fee and the NetSpend taxes and fees.  They get the refund funds from the IRS, take out the fees and then send the excess to NetSpend.  They will be cutting the check to you once this is corrected.

BanCorp - the account that NetSpend sets up is actually a prepaid credit card owned and processed by BanCorp.  Call NetSpend and get your actual account number and routing number - since you don't have the card number - where the funds are being held for ransom.  The routing number for my transaction was 114924742 which is a BanCorp account.

NetSpend - 1-855-646-8848 - The BanCorp subsidiary holding the funds for ransom.  Good luck here.  Hit option "1" twice and prepare to be sent around and around.  It will take them about 30 minutes to get you to a customer service rep, who will then refer you to another person or two, because they can only reissue another card.  They can not send you a check.  Do not get another card!  Have them reject the funds.  This will take the clown show 6 days to complete. 

Never use BanCorp or any of its subsidiaries such as NetSpend.