[Issue Resolved] Simplex Exchange is a FRAUD

[BenRickert]

**WARNING** The Simplex Exchange that is linked here on this website is engaging in fraudulent activities. If you do NOT want your money stolen, DO NOT use this platform!!
I have been entering small credit card orders to this exchange to test out their platform and gauge the level of legitimacy based on execution price, Accuracy of valuation and speed of transaction. First $120.00 purchase. No problem. Then $200.00 purchase. No Problem.

Then, on May 25th at approximately 10:30 CDT, I entered a Credit Card purchase order for $300.00 of Bit coin Equivalent. The transaction was authorized and accepted as per usual. The card was billed and the money withdrawn. NO BIT COIN. To the time of this writing NO BITCOIN. I emailed their support unit 4 separate times to ask what was happening with this transaction. The market has been volatile and I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. My only responses have been computer generated confirmations of the receipt of the support tickets. NOT A SINGLE RESPONE and NO BIT COIN. But THEY DID TAKE MY MONEY.
I strongly recommend you DO NOT use this exchange as they are disreputable. I would also recommend that Bitcoin.com no longer links to this fraudulent exchange.

[apovey]

did you get anything yet?

[BitcoinXio]

I have had some correspondence with Simplex and they wrote the following. I would say just be patient as they work through the backlog.

Due to rising volume of the btc ecosystem, our analyst team if overloaded. Unfortunately, this affects the approval time period. We have added double our shifts and recruiting/training new analysts to help with the workload.

We are generating a few features which should help cut the time period, they will be implemented by the end of the week. We are updating all the users that are going to manual reviews that the approval times are higher than usual and that we are doing our best to give them the best and fastest possible service.

[BenRickert]

On Wednesday May 24th at roughly 10:30 am CDT I entered a credit card purchase with Simplex to test their capabilities. I only entered a $300.00 purchase amount as I was unsure of their reputation and capabilities. They processed the Card and took the money. I never received the Bit coin. Even as of this writing. In addition, I submitted several tickets requesting an explanation from their Customer Support group. I received NO response. Again. 5 days later and I still have nothing more than a $300.00 debit from my Credit Card. The Exchange is either a complete Fraud, or completely incapable of processing transactions. Either way, you lose. I did. DON'T use this Exchange!! They are NOT trustworthy.

[bitkilo]

If you have been waiting since the 24th for your purchase then you have a right to be upset about it but this has only become a problem since the bitcoin price started to skyrocket and Simplex got flooded with orders that they could not handle the volume of.

Simplex have handled bitcoin purchases for a long time now and very rarely have we seen complaints here about the service.

Keep us updated.

[BenRickert]

If you have been waiting since the 24th for your purchase then you have a right to be upset about it but this has only become a problem since the bitcoin price started to skyrocket and Simplex got flooded with orders that they could not handle the volume of.

Simplex have handled bitcoin purchases for a long time now and very rarely have we seen complaints here about the service.

Keep us updated.

This gives me some relief. I will wait until the week is up. Then I will pursue remedy through my CC co. I am aware that the exchange probably experienced problems due to the massive transactional volume influx. Understandable, but certainly does nothing to instill confidence in their capabilities. Thank you for the insight. Let's hope for the best.

[simplexsucks]

Yes, they do, I ordered a few days ago and no bitcoins. I emailed them and no reply. A few days ago on buy.bitcoin.com it said '2016' not '2017' on the bottom of the page. I checked the Simplex Facebook page, they stopped posting in 2016, for some odd reason , in the back of my head, i think buy.bitcoin.com and simplex have some kind of connection if not the same person/ppl. Tomorrow I'm going to get a chargeback on my credit card and file a investigation on Simplex and Buy.bitcoin.com.

[Fremont]

Yes, they do, I ordered a few days ago and no bitcoins. I emailed them and no reply. A few days ago on buy.bitcoin.com it said '2016' not '2017' on the bottom of the page. I checked the Simplex Facebook page, they stopped posting in 2016, for some odd reason , in the back of my head, i think buy.bitcoin.com and simplex have some kind of connection if not the same person/ppl. Tomorrow I'm going to get a chargeback on my credit card and file a investigation on Simplex and Buy.bitcoin.com.

Hi simplexsucks,

Simplex control and run the entire service on buy.bitcoin.com; if it said '2016' on the bottom of the page they may simply have forgotten to update it (the page is entirely controlled by Simplex). There were no problems with them prior to the recent spike in Bitcoin value and the associated rush of Bitcoin purchases via credit card, and they have informed us that they were overwhelmed with orders. This massive increase in users could not have been anticipated (as the Bitcoin value increase itself could not have been anticipated) and they advise us that they are working as quickly as possible through their backlog of orders.

If their support are not responding to you and have not fulfilled your order then certainly use whatever means necessary to recoup your funds. I don't think any investigation as such is warranted, though you are certainly within your rights to file any such case if you feel it is the correct move to make.

It is not really acceptable in this day and age for a company such as Simplex - who are dealing with instant payments - to leave customers in the lurch without word for days on end, and we have advised them in no uncertain terms that we are very unhappy with the way that they have handled this issue.

Fremont

[simplexsucks]

Ya...whats strange now is everything that was wrong with the page is now fixed, for example, the 'Live Chat' at the bottom going to a error, is no longer there once someone complains about simplex being a scam. It's pretty simple to remove a link. I don't know, but it's fishy or the webmaster isn't doing their job? Take a pick.

[Fremont]

Ya...whats strange now is everything that was wrong with the page is now fixed, for example, the 'Live Chat' at the bottom going to a error, is no longer there once someone complains about simplex being a scam. It's pretty simple to remove a link. I don't know, but it's fishy or the webmaster isn't doing their job? Take a pick.

We have set up a redirect from buy.bitcoin.com to our Exchanges page at https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin to ensure that no more orders are placed through buy.bitcoin.com until Simplex resolve their issues.

I'm 100% certain that Simplex don't monitor the internet for people claiming "Simplex is a scam!" then change their site(s) accordingly, and the most reasonable explanation for the issue is the overwhelming demand that they have seen in the past couple of weeks. I know from personal experience over my 6+ years involvement with Bitcoin that when it's your own money stuck in limbo that the worst case scenario comes to mind, but Simplex are a highly reputable company (who, no doubt, could certainly up their communication game) and we take them at their word regarding the recent delays.

Fremont

[Decoded]

Simplex has been in the Bitcoin exchange business for. While. I doubt they would want to risk their reputation. The price has just dropped! With the recent fluctuation with Bitcoin, it's no doubt that the trade volume there has gone through the roof, with the publicity bringing people to want to buy Bitcoin with their credit card (Which I don't really recommend trading with credit card, btw). Just wait a while and do your best to get into contact with them. If you've received this problem, it's likely someone else has, maybe even tons of others, hence the inability of their customer support to keep up.

Try and get this topic onto Reddit or even Bitcointalk. Bringing it here is great, but the more visibility, the better. You will find others in the same situation​ and maybe get them to bring this to Simplex.

I'd usually recommend going through your cc issuer as a last ditch attempt. You always want your trade to be successful, otherwise there will be complications.

[Dynamix]

Yes for sure it is , my friend tried withdrawing from there and it took a shitload of Time. I do not suggest that, I currently trade on Bitmex and its MUCH better ! Have a look in my signature

[simplexsucks]

Ya...whats strange now is everything that was wrong with the page is now fixed, for example, the 'Live Chat' at the bottom going to a error, is no longer there once someone complains about simplex being a scam. It's pretty simple to remove a link. I don't know, but it's fishy or the webmaster isn't doing their job? Take a pick.

We have set up a redirect from buy.bitcoin.com to our Exchanges page at https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin to ensure that no more orders are placed through buy.bitcoin.com until Simplex resolve their issues.

I'm 100% certain that Simplex don't monitor the internet for people claiming "Simplex is a scam!" then change their site(s) accordingly, and the most reasonable explanation for the issue is the overwhelming demand that they have seen in the past couple of weeks. I know from personal experience over my 6+ years involvement with Bitcoin that when it's your own money stuck in limbo that the worst case scenario comes to mind, but Simplex are a highly reputable company (who, no doubt, could certainly up their communication game) and we take them at their word regarding the recent delays.

Fremont

Come on, your just trying to put the whole blame on simplex, that isn't how the world works. You should have some responsibility for this since you put them on your site.. I havent't seen a single comment saying sorry for your part of putting them on your site. You say 'Sorry,It's a simplex problem". Come on dude. Be A Man.

[simplexsucks]

Ya...whats strange now is everything that was wrong with the page is now fixed, for example, the 'Live Chat' at the bottom going to a error, is no longer there once someone complains about simplex being a scam. It's pretty simple to remove a link. I don't know, but it's fishy or the webmaster isn't doing their job? Take a pick.

We have set up a redirect from buy.bitcoin.com to our Exchanges page at https://www.bitcoin.com/buy-bitcoin to ensure that no more orders are placed through buy.bitcoin.com until Simplex resolve their issues.

I'm 100% certain that Simplex don't monitor the internet for people claiming "Simplex is a scam!" then change their site(s) accordingly, and the most reasonable explanation for the issue is the overwhelming demand that they have seen in the past couple of weeks. I know from personal experience over my 6+ years involvement with Bitcoin that when it's your own money stuck in limbo that the worst case scenario comes to mind, but Simplex are a highly reputable company (who, no doubt, could certainly up their communication game) and we take them at their word regarding the recent delays.

Fremont

Come on, your just trying to put the whole blame on simplex, that isn't how the world works. You should have some responsibility for this since you put them on your site.. I havent't seen a single comment saying sorry for your part of putting them on your site. You say 'Sorry,It's a simplex problem". Come on dude. Be A Man.

And also, the buy.bitcoin.com crappy site. I could of 'Live Chatted' with you or simplex to find out it was heavy traffic period but it was a dead link! Thanks!

[simplexsucks]

Buy.bitcoin.com should refund us in the time being...some of us need btc for survival and no money in my bank account? i can't get any! scam

[bitkilo]

Buy.bitcoin.com should refund us in the time being...some of us need btc for survival and no money in my bank account? i can't get any! scam

Unfortunately bitcoin.com cannot refund any deposits made to buy.bitcoin.com as the money sent to them is not in our control.
We have removed Simplex from our list of exchanges until they can catch up with outstanding transactions and show that they can handle large volumes in the future.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

[simplexsucks]

Buy.bitcoin.com should refund us in the time being...some of us need btc for survival and no money in my bank account? i can't get any! scam

Unfortunately bitcoin.com cannot refund any deposits made to buy.bitcoin.com as the money sent to them is not in our control.
We have removed Simplex from our list of exchanges until they can catch up with outstanding transactions and show that they can handle large volumes in the future.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Is there anyone I can talk about this on the phone with?

[Fremont]

Come on, your just trying to put the whole blame on simplex, that isn't how the world works. You should have some responsibility for this since you put them on your site.. I havent't seen a single comment saying sorry for your part of putting them on your site. You say 'Sorry,It's a simplex problem". Come on dude. Be A Man.

Unfortunately it is a Simplex problem. Bitcoin.com has absolutely no control over the service offered by Simplex at buy.bitcoin.com - ultimately they are 'leasing' that part of the site, and they pay their 'rent' via a shared fee. I have explained the reason for the delays, and it is essentially regurgitated information from Simplex as that is all the information we have available to go on.

I fully understand your frustration but please don't take it out on those who have noting to do with the situation at hand. I have to say though if I were in your shoes I would indeed be having a similar reaction.

And also, the buy.bitcoin.com crappy site. I could of 'Live Chatted' with you or simplex to find out it was heavy traffic period but it was a dead link! Thanks!

You could not have live chatted with any Bitcoin.com staff at all using that link; had it been working it would have brought you directly to Simplex support, but I agree with you it absolutely should not have been a dead link - this is something that only Simplex can change as Bitcoin.com has no control over links on buy.bitcoin.com.

[Fremont]

Is there anyone I can talk about this on the phone with?

I'm afraid Simplex do not have a phone-based customer support line; all support communication must be done entirely via email / their live support system (where applicable).

[gil80]

I have similar issue. Friday the 26th, $3600 Australian dollars have been taken out of my account.
I did receive the following response:

"Your payment request from Mycelium has been cancelled.


Simplex payment ID: ####


Your transaction has been cancelled due to changes in the BTC exchange rate.

This was done to protect you from the recent major decrease in the BTC value and to prevent an unexpected loss on your end.

Please carry out a new transaction - the new transaction should better reflect the current BTC value.


We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused."

However, there's no comment or response about refunding the cancelled transaction.
I did everything I can to get an answer from them to no avail.

I'm going to call my bank and dispute this transaction.
What a bad service.

[Dynamix]

Well that's not good at all, so many exchanges have been doing this for a long while. There should be a stop but with decentralization comes some flaws. Hopefully, it won't be really big of a deal.

[marcod]

Hi, I just wonder if you were finally able to get either your bitcoins or your $300 back into your card. I had the same problem with Simplex on May 30, but I bought $250 through the link provided by Bitstamp . The order went through and they took $250 out of my card but no sign of any coins nor any acknowledgment from neither Simplex not Bitstamp. I filed a support request from Simplex first on the same day after I did not hear from any of the about my order for about 10 hours and on May 31st a reply said that they were still working on that ticket. I haven't heard zip from then since. I also filed a support ticket with Bitstamp and that was even worse no response at all. I am starting to believe that this Simplex stuff is really a BIG SCAM.
Any suggestions from you guys on what to do?

[Neoclassical]

So...scam or simply very badly managed like most crypto exchanges these days?

Don't write off to malice what you can write off to stupidity.

[Jeffconor26]

bitcoin.com cannot refund any deposits made to buy.bitcoin.com as the money sent to them is not in our control. It's very bad

[Neoclassical]

Thanks for the warning. Post a heads up on reddit related subs too, pls.

[bitgone]

I made a purchase 4 days ago of $175 approx. via Simplex which this site directed me to. I have created several tickets and all I get in reply is that '"An analyst will go over it shortly" I ask for timeline, I get nothing. This is my second transaction with Simplex so I went through the verification process already and the first transaction went through in about 3 hours.

They say they are manually doing this process which has had no movement in 4 days whatsoever. The best they can give me is "shortly" for a timeline? I really don't understand how Bitcoin.com would allow this company to be associated with them in any way shape or form, let alone pipeline people to them to do business.

The customer support is abysmal and I feel it's all automated responses. I will report on the outcome of this inquiry of mine but after reading posts here I am really starting to have my doubts. Why would you allow this company to be associated with you Bitcoin.com? I really am scratching my head on that one.

[sidius]

I have made a Bitcoin purchase of $600 and over 24 hours later, I have received the response from "Mike" who is apparently a member of team simplex - an analyst will manually go over the verification process???

So in essence, they are extremely slow, i just hope i can get my BitCoin value or my money back as this is affecting my time as i had planned, not to mention the stress encountered in having to deal with fraudulent companies if in fact they are.

i expected different, but learnt to lower my expectations.

ps. money was debited IMMEDIATELY when the transaction was done!!!!

[bitkilo]

It is unfortunate that we are still hearing of users having problems with receiving bitcoins from Simplex in a timely manner.
I would direct users to the posts made by myself and especially Fremont above regarding Simplex being a separate company to Bitcoin.com and we have no control of transactions made with them, you must contact their support team.

Please note that if you look at the date of all the complaints against Simplex i think you would see that at least 95% of them or more are at times when the bitcoin price is on a big rally and everybody seeing a news story on TV suddenly wants to buy bitcoins all at once. When they experience higher than average sales this puts a lot of pressure on Simplex to complete all demands in a timely fashion.

Simplex is not a scam and have always proven to deliver to their customer, although in some cases this delivery can be slower than expected i have never hear of a single case where a user did not either get the bitcoins they had purchased or a full refund.

!	Message from: bitkilo
	I will lock this thread now because the original complaint was sorted. Any other user having problems are free to start their own thread but i would advise against calling Simplex a scam site until you actually have proof, if they have not paid you out yet maybe just say that Simplex owes you BTC and state you case in the thread

[shocked]

Jesus... I made a mistake with my wallet software. Simplex wasn't to blame and their customer service is truly incredible. They really care. I hope that anyone else who has issues resolves everything. I wish you luck.

[shocked]

stephzone,

You're an ignorant person and I suggest that you educate yourself about the complex world that we live in. I can assure you that your life and the life of those around you will be much improved by you getting help. You are hateful, racist, and sexist. Your use of language is extremely violent. Given that you're using the Internet and have access to the world's greatest resource for gaining information, I would suggest using it. Please allow me to help guide you to a few resources which will help make you a better person and understand the complex world which you live in. Search for:

Democracy Now!
Truthdig
The Intercept

You really need help.