The purpose, Simmons has said, is to help the millions of Americans who are unable or unwilling to participate in the country’s traditional banking system. “There are more than 68 million Americans who cannot or choose not to establish a traditional banking relationship. We believe that every American should have access to an affordable place to keep their hard-earned money—one that’s safe and convenient,” the RushCard website reads. In an op-ed written for the New York Daily News in August, Simmons wrote, “A decade ago, I watched poor and working-class families standing in long lines outside check-cashing stores, waiting for the privilege of paying to cash their paychecks. I thought there had to be a better way.”

But since the launch of the product, it’s been said that the RushCard, and similar tools, can do more to hurt than to help. Much of the criticism centers around the fees users are charged. When obtaining a RushCard, there’s a one-time charge ranging from $3.95 to $9.95 for the first time money is put on the card. Users then choose to either pay $1.00 in fees for each transaction (up to $10 a month) or unlimited transactions for a charge of up to $7.95 per month. They’re also subject to fees normal for most bank-card accounts, such as ATM withdrawals, and balance queries.

The RushCard isn’t the only prepaid card that’s under scrutiny. In 2014, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed stronger oversight and regulation of these types of cards, saying that it hoped to provide greater recourse for customers who were overcharged and to create more transparency about how the financial products worked. They also hoped that the scrutiny would force card operators to provide greater protections against lost or stolen cards, and force the business to provide funds to cover account discrepancies brought on by technical errors in the event that they couldn’t be solved in a timely manner.

But those protections don’t exist yet, and some RushCard holders are still suffering. A spokesperson for the company provided a statement saying that the system that processes deposits and transactions is once again working, and that only “a small number of accounts are still in an inactive state.” The statement continues, “To those impacted, we can't begin to express both how sorry we are for the hardships that you've experienced and our commitment to making this right.” The company has sent replacement cards and tried to reassure customers that despite the glitch, their funds are still safe (and FDIC protected), which means that the money in a user’s account will be returned to them, eventually. Simmons has said card fees will be waived for several months and has recorded a video apology. He’s offered to call users who are still having problems if they DM him on Twitter. Simmons has also said he would pray for those affected by the problem.

@_Love_Holly_ @UncleRUSH right prayers dont pay bills. Im sitting in the dark with my 1 year old son becuz i have no access to my money. — T LADY (@Beautiful_Ty) October 19, 2015

But those efforts are of little consolation to those still reporting trouble activating their new cards or contacting customer service, leaving many powerless to access their own money.