Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service -- Unexpected or other fees -- Complaint #9200009
Complaint Overview
Complaint ID: 9200009
Company: Appfolio, INC.
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-Product: Check cashing service
Issue: Unexpected or other fees
State: District of Columbia
ZIP Code: 20001
Date Received: 2024-06-06T12:00:00-05:00
Date Sent to Company: 2024-06-07T12:00:00-05:00
Company Response: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Submitted Via: Web
Consumer Narrative
Hello, My family entered into a new rental agreement to become tenants in a single family home, in Virginia. The owners are using a property management company, which in turn uses a company, AppFolio, which offers an online portal in which tenants can make rental payments, request maintenance services, etc. We have discovered, upon trying to pay rent for the first time as tenants at this property, that AppFolio charges not only a 2.99 % transaction fee for payments by credit card and a {$9.00} transaction fee for payments by debit card, but they actually charge a {$2.00} fee even if paying by XXXX. Importantly, my family was given NO options to pay that did not have a fee. A " fee '' that tenants can not bypass is not actually a fee, it is of course a rent increase, which is contrary to the terms of the lease we signed. There were no options to pay rent offered that did not contain a fee, no disclosures regarding how to avoid fees, and no information presented which explicitly stated or even implicitly implied that as tenants we had multiple options to pay, including some which did not require fees. Upon researching the issue, it appears that the actual cost to the company to process an eCheck is approximately XXXX cents. That means this fee is XXXX times the cost to AppFolio. This is exorbitant, and it is a fee that is being charged when I, the consumer and tenant, am not receiving any good or service in exchange. I am receiving a service I am being forced into by the property manager and landlord, and it's a service that is typically free and costs next to nothing to process. After questioning these fees, the property manager offered us a no fee option, which is a paper check. This is ridiculous, as we should be able to initiate a bank to bank transfer, where the landlord 's bank is the beneficiary and receives the rent each month ; this transfer would be free. Instead, we are forced to use AppFolio, which has deceptive and misleading information on our account, pushes us to pay with fees that are grossly more than the costs to AppFolio to process our eCheck, and when we protest we are offered massively inconvenient options to pay despite the fact that electronic no fee options do exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Complaint #9200009 about?
Complaint #9200009 was filed against Appfolio, INC. regarding Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service specifically about Unexpected or other fees. It was received by the CFPB on 2024-06-06T12:00:00-05:00.
How did Appfolio, INC. respond to this complaint?
The company responded with: "Closed with explanation". The response was timely.
What is the risk level of this complaint?
See the risk assessment section for details on this complaint's risk profile.
How do I file a similar complaint?
You can file a complaint with the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov/complaint. Select the appropriate product category (Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service) and describe your issue in detail.
Can I see other complaints against Appfolio, INC.?
Yes, visit the Appfolio, INC. company profile at readthecomplaint.com/company/appfolio-inc to see all complaints, risk scores, and analysis.
Disclaimer
This analysis is AI-generated based on publicly available CFPB complaint data. It does not constitute financial or legal advice.