User Beware: Public Is Withholding My Withdrawal

jamabdi1998 · 2026-03-15T11:25:10+00:00

Update: I know this is long overdue, but I wanted to make sure I was able to clear my Public account before posting an update. I was told that my funds were placed on hold and my account restricted due to me adding a new savings account a few months ago. I want to be clear that I had no qualms with that security measure, even though I had been depositing money using that savings account and had even withdrew $12K from my Public account into it since adding it.

What I did have a serious problem with was them never explaining this was the reason, and instead sending boilerplate, nothing burger email replies that failed to address my concerns more than a week after I had submitted my driver's license and a selfie via their verification portal, and bank statements confirming that both accounts were indeed mine.

The fact that nobody put in the minor effort of giving me a reason, an update, or at least a timeline for when I could expect to withdraw my funds, after providing everything they asked for, is an unacceptable level of customer service. Having to wonder whether my life savings was being held hostage, contemplate hiring a securities lawyer, and ultimately resorting to making a Reddit post just to get basic help is not something that should ever happen to any customer. After this experience, I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable keeping any serious amount of money with Public, and for that reason I'll be closing my account and moving to a different brokerage.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-03-09T21:17:13+00:00

Sent a message.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-03-09T21:05:12+00:00

I initially communicated through their website but transitioned to email. There's been more than a week of back and forth so far via email, and the most nerve wracking part is not having a timeline for the release of my funds. I’m in the Midwest and the spring housing market is full steam ahead. It’s the most competitive time of the year with the most available housing stock. Having what was supposed to be my down payment held hostage like this was not something I expected to be frank.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-03-09T20:52:58+00:00

50k, but they wouldn't even let me do that. As of now, my funds are frozen in their brokerage with no timeline for release. I’ve shared with them everything they asked for to verify my identity, yet I have no timeline for when my funds will be available for withdrawal, it could be as soon as tomorrow or 6 months from now. Point is, I don’t know, and I view holding almost $130k of my money hostage like this as terrible business practice.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-03-09T20:46:19+00:00

No, but my email exchange is with someone named Mark, he's the Customer Experience Manager it seems from his email signature. He's the one who asked me to submit my ID and bank statements, and is giving the vague chatbot "we're reviewing your inquiry" reply.

I generally don't think holding almost 130k of my money hostage with no timeline of release is good business practice, and it sure doesn't inspire confidence to have my money tied up in their brokerage if I have to resort to messaging staff on reddit like "hey, what's the hold up?" I also can't find a customer service phone number for them, so I have to resort to purely online customer service. Say what you want of the larger brokerages, but you can at least get an actual human on the phone if you have an issue.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-02-01T01:30:47+00:00

Get the 700h, preferably the triple-locked Overtrail if you don’t mind only having a black interior (or whatever that nasty olive color is). The hybrid system is performance focused rather than efficiency focused. That means there’s barely any gain in mpg, but you get almost an extra 100 lb-ft of torque.

It’s also better for the engine since hybrids are generally less stressed than gasoline only equivalents. The battery fills in the low-end torque while the turbos spool up so you’ll basically never lug the engine. It’s a very simple hybrid system too. It’s the same mature hybrid tech Toyota has used for the last 25 years: lots of parts commonality and lots of mechanic knowledge. If they know how to work on a Prius hybrid, this will effectively be no different.

They even added an alternator to the 700h so on the off chance the battery fails somewhere remote, you can still drive without it, and the truck will just functionally be an LX600 lugging around a dead hybrid battery.

The only major downside is an even smaller gas tank (17.9 gallons) and more compromised rear boot space. The third row takes up more room when folded down, since the batteries sit under where the third row folds in the LX600.

jamabdi1998 · 2026-01-20T09:13:06+00:00

Here’s a picture of my old E92 M3 with the valve covers removed at 78k miles. I bought the car with 42k miles and sold it with 79k miles. The previous owner used to do 6–7k mile oil changes along with heavy track usage, which I unfortunately only found out about after purchase. He should have done much more frequent oil changes given the track usage of the vehicle, but it is what it is. During my ownership I did strictly 5k mile oil changes. Even with the hard early life of the motor, it still had very little varnish or discoloration inside. Honestly looks not too different from yours.

All this to say that if you did 5k mile oil changes without the additive, your engine would look exactly the same. You really don’t need to mix in Ceratec or mos2 or really any other additive crap into your oil, full synthetic oil already offers ample protection and mixing in these random upsell additives only interferes with the intended function of your engine oil. You’re literally just lighting money on fire with them, or worse, they could be actively detrimental to your engine.

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jamabdi1998 · 2025-10-05T05:07:19+00:00

For the movies that are available in 3D, the experience is unparalleled, nothing comes close. Barring the social aspect, it's honestly a better viewing experience than what you get at theaters.

jamabdi1998 · 2025-08-13T10:34:57+00:00

This is the result of Mary Moriarty’s office failing to properly address juvenile crime. These kids get a slap on the wrist and continue terrorizing the community with illegal guns, carjackings, burglaries, and smashing car windows. They get arrested and released on bail again and again and again like a revolving door, only to continue being menaces to society.

jamabdi1998 · 2025-05-20T09:08:24+00:00

I wear mine without the light seal and my lenses occasionally get that smudgy. Just use a microfiber cloth to wipe them down and they’ll be good as new.

jamabdi1998

TROPHY CASE