Hi all, Yesterday I received an e-mail from IB saying I needed to fill out a Non-Professional Questionnaire and do so before November 24 or my access to North American market data would be suspended. Well when I logged in yesterday this questionnaire immediately showed up. I answered all questions and typed my full name, which is IB's way of an electronic signature. I then clicked on "Continue". But then I got a message saying: "An error occurred while submitting your request. Try again in a few minutes." So I tried later, all through the day, but it was still the same. And today it still hasn't changed. I have no idea why I am getting this error message. I've checked over and over again, I have really answered every question and if I intentionally don't answer one of them, it will warn me it's required. Although that's already very annoying, it gets much worse than that. Because the website won't let me go anywhere else. There's no way to skip this or to get past this questionnaire or the error message after I fill out that questionnaire, meaning that I can't manage my account configuration at all. I can't deposit, withdraw, change market subscriptions, modify trading permissions, I even can't contact Support Center by chat, nor by ticker. I also can't get access to my statements. Whatever I try, IB's website keeps directing me towards that questionnaire. I've tried several different browsers, tried it through the Interactive Broker's app on my Android tablet, but that gave the same results. Tried logging into Account Management on an iPad, but that also didn't make any difference. I wanted to contact IB by chat, but on their general site there are only two options. One for general inquiries, but that one doesn't allow you to start a chat conversation, it just says something like that it's very busy and that you should try to look up the answers you're looking for from their FAQ. The other is for urgent matters, but if you select that one, you have to log into your account, but instead of getting someone to chat with, I immediately get that very same questionnaire again. So I called IB, I've spoken to at least 3 different people, they promised me they would solve it today, the last person I spoke to sent me an e-mail with some instructions to make a log file (from my browser) and asked me to send him this file, which I did, but I haven't heard anything back thus far. And I am beginning to believe I won't hear anything from them again. Meanwhile I still can't access anything. Now this comes at a really bad time for me, because I am trading on margin and my excess liquidity is getting too low, so I want to deposit funds to my account to prevent getting into a situation where I will get a margin call or where I will be forced to sell some positions to prevent a margin call. But considering that you need to first notify IB that you're going to send money, I can't, because going to funds management or deposits will only get me that very same horrible questionnaire again! I really don't know what I should be doing now. I have filled out that questionnaire dozens of times, but each and every time it ends with that error. I've tried to access account management through TWS in every possible way, including "Help --> Customer Service --> Open Message Center & Customer Service Chat, but it all directs me towards that very same questionnaire! I just can't comprehend how IB can do such an idiotic thing. According to the e-mail I still had 4 weeks to fill out the questionnaire, but IB is forcing me to do it right away. I think this should NEVER be the case, it's fine by me if they take you to the questionnaire or show a simple reminder that you need do that before a particular time. But I think it's absolutely ridiculous when they block access to all other functions of account management as long as you haven't done so. What if you are in a hurry to do something within account management and the questionnaire or whatever it is they want you to fill out or agree with is very complicated and needs some studying and/or contemplating? And why can't you contact customer service (by chat or ticker) while you're at the questionnaire? Or in this case when there is some technical issue and I can't complete it because of that technical issue? I find it however strange that I see no other people who are having this same issue right now. I've had it since yesterday. I would think with so many other customers there should be others who have the same problem. Monday the markets will open again (obviously) but I am financially vulnerable right now, and there's so much going on, the situation in the Middle East, we are getting the Fed with an interest rate decision next week, some of the companies I have shares of are going to report their quarterly results, so I would really want to add some funds. I don't think IB is going to compensate me when I still can't fund my account next week and I get indeed forced to sell some of my positions after which they might bottom and go up a lot. Does anyone perhaps know how I could solve this? Because I don't know what to do anymore. I will try calling IB again on Sunday, but I don't have high expectations. Besides I hate calling, especially in English. Thanks, and sorry it seems this message has gotten pretty long.
Hi Overnight, thank you for your reply, I fear however I don't understand what you're saying. I do understand that @def is someone who is connected to or working for IB, but I don't get the rest of what you mean, I am really sorry. Maybe it's because I am exhausted. Or maybe I am just dumb.
Maybe try clearing your web browser cache or use a different browser. It sounds like this could possibly be the problem. Best of luck.
Tell them you'll be filing a claim and small claims court and pay the 20 bucks for chat GPTs new GPT4 implementation with access to the web it will be able to do a lot of these sleuthing and footwork through the various pages regarding rules and regulations and come up with a decent way to advise you on what to do and even if you have to do it yourself learn how to do it properly and do it and if they don't respond you win by default and then they will have to pay money to pay a lawyer to defend themselves so then therefore they will be incentivized to rectify the problem
Simple: call up IB and request to have them close all your positions. They are required by regulation to do so.
def works for IB and could potentially offer some help if he sees this. Many of us long time IB customers feel that IB's technology is really good 99% of the time, but sometimes when it goes bad it will put you in a tiny little box that you feel you will never escape from.