Wells Fargo Reviews

4) Wells is clueless from branch to branch and no one has any authority to make things right.

Here's the icing on the cake ... My account became overdrawn by -$34 because an internal transfer was pending. The OD threw me into OD. To top that off, I took a check in from a customer for $9,400 and Wells Fargo put a 5-day hold on it because my account was OD. I am going to not only present this to the local Get Gephardt program on channel four here in Utah. I am filing a complaint with the FTC. I believe Wells Fargo is keeping people's money in an effort to skim interest off the money they hold.

Being a web evangelist, I am going to post my entire experience with Wells Fargo on Twitter, which is currently reaching out to 10 million users in the US alone, and ask for people's experience with Wells Fargo. We will let the stories speak for themselves and just maybe corporate will listen. Enough is enough!

I went online and checked my account history, which showed I was NEVER 30 days late and always paid between $50 and $100 a month. I called to dispute this and the customer service agent I spoke with told me that because I was late for my March payment, the following 3 months also were past due. What? Are you crazy? I made more than a double payment in April to make up for the missed payment and still they report me 30 days past due for 3 months?

I filed a dispute with all of the credit reporting agencies (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). They investigated, and even though I sent them all proof that I was never 30 days late, they denied my dispute to reverse the reports on my credit files. Apparently, they contacted Wells Fargo Financial and they provided false information about my account, somehow justifying the past due reports. I continued to call Wells Fargo Financial customer service, and was told a supervisor would be looking into it... but never got any responses. Once again, I sent proof to the credit reporting agencies that this was incorrect, and have not heard anything since Aug. 07.

Unfortunately, I have been laid off since Feb. 08 and have had some trouble keeping up with bills. Occasionally, I would forget to make the WFF payment online, and would get calls until it was paid. The problem is that these people call NON-STOP all day long! Recently, finances have become even tighter and I forgot to make my payment online in Nov./Dec. I repeatedly asked WFF nicely not to call my house before 10 am, but they call every morning between 7-8:30 am. Now they are just blatantly harassing me at this point, because they call at least 10 times per day and say nothing when I pick up the phone, or hang up on me. I only owe $65, and I do have the money to pay but because these people seem to feel the need to harass me over and over and over again, I refuse to pay them ever again.

I can also understand the people who have complained about Wells Fargo Bank. Last Feb., I opened a bank acct. with them online strictly for internet purchases (eBay, PayPal, etc.) to protect my regular bank acct. from hackers. I had to transfer money from my WaMu acct. to open it. The money left my WaMu acct. but never showed up in the Wells Fargo acct. After a week, I started to get upset and continued to call and send emails about where my $200 went. They said it was still processing, and I had to wait. I emailed them that I would be closing this account as soon as my money showed up, because waiting over a week with my money floating in cyberspace somewhere was totally ridiculous. So then some jerk who saw my email decides to close my account right then before the money came in. I drove to the nearest Wells Fargo branch after customer service on the phone did nothing to tell me why or when my acct. got closed. The branch lady got the same results by calling them and was just as frustrated with their incompetence as I was. My money finally got returned to my WaMu account, but it took another week after that.

Wells Fargo, no matter what division, is by far the worst financial institution in the United States. They steal people's money; they close accounts with no authorization. They indiscriminately report past due on people's credit files with no proof, and they are rude and harass people with non-stop phone calls.

The first time, she called, if you didn't have the membership number after a long drawn out process of getting that far, it says the call can't be completed and hangs up on you. Then she called back and the person with the credit card company said she would have to transfer her but for sure she wouldn't be hung up on and she transferred her to nothing and then the disconnect noise. Then she was pissed and called back and said my daughter is a Vice President of Wells Fargo, which she is, and that she has money in Wachovia and is going to transfer it out because of being hung up on seven times and the customer service person got us to a person, who badgered me about keeping the service for four minutes and after I said again I wanted it stopped badgered me again for another few minutes before finally saying it would be stopped, whether it is or not, who knows.

Therefore, I had not seen the actual paper bill. Nor did the actual pay amount alert me that the payoff was due. I did not know I had not made the pay off amount until the next month when I received a bill stating that I owed $700 in interest. As soon as I received this bill, I paid the account in full. I have tried to dispute this with Wells Fargo, but to no avail. Is there any other alternative dispute process I can take? They are charging me an exorbitant monthly finance charge while I am disputing this also. They should be ashamed. Please tell me how I can pursue this misleading, deceptive, and unfair charge.

My banking account is also with Wells Fargo, so I tried to go to the branch for help here in Modesto, there, the banker called the Auto Finance Dept to see what happened. They also told him that I had changed the amount from 637.00 to 326.00. But offered no explanation. They then had the banker fax them a copy of my statement to show that indeed the 637.00 was taken out. Then me that the would fix it in 2 working days. Then I get an email from them stating that my request for a refund was denied. They admit that it was their error and yet they refuse to fix what they did. Now I'm left with a checking account overdrawn 500.00 and countless fees. And two checks that bounced! So I am going to be charged by third parties for returned item fees and the amount of the checks. With what money?? Not one person has even offered any apology or anything. Nothing. They just denied my claim and pushed me aside. It was their mistake. My Wells Fargo Auto Finance Account # **.

I have an excellent payment history and have an excellent credit score. In short I pay all my bills on time. I choose not to use online methods of payment due to fears of identity theft.

There were not any consequences this time around. The check was mailed in plenty of time before it was due. I realize things happen and so should the credit card companies. 1. The mail could have been delayed possibly due to a storm (IKE). 2. Mail got lost. 3. Mail got lost in the mailroom at the credit card company 4. Human error (probably)! In short a reasonable company and a Postmark would resolve any reasonable doubt. Please pass this along to any one that can help me change this policy. Thank You

The second email response from the bank told me to read the disclosure and no where does it say the bank can charge as many fees as they want with no end. The limit should be two or three and the transactions after that should be declined just as credit cards do. If Wells Fargo could not charge customers outrageous fees these transactions would have simply been declined.

This is a CA State Disability check and says so on it. This was my rent, food and medication money that was suppose to last me three weeks and Im down to NOTHING. I have no way to get the money back and I CANNOT work to make up for the loss as I am disabled. The bank does not take into consideration they are leaving customers with absolutely nothing.

Unable to pay rent this month. May have to live in the car.

In September of 2006 I went to court (2nd appearance because the attornys for Wells Fargo did not appear in court the first time)and while I was setting in court the attorney for Wells Fargo came into the court and touched me on my shoulder and motioned me to come out of court and proceded to intimidate into signing what I thought was an agreement for me to pay my debt that Wells Fargo had charged off, but with the interest, penalties and lawyer fees, had increased to $5212.

I agreed to pay $150.00 a month and signed the paper. The lawyer told me that this was the best deal I was going to get even from the judge. He would not allow me to go back into court, but said he would handle the paper work.

Bad image of my business to my supplier just because my financial institution (wells fargo) does not care where part of the money went that I trusted them with AND PAID A FEE FOR! It is certainly a shame.

I have been deceived and it has caused me financial hardship when I have to come up with an additional $3,000 a year along with my mortgage payments. I filled out a hardship application with wells fargo financial. Enclosed was proof of my income,outstanding debt, and justification why I am having hardship. I explained that at the time that I refinanced my loan I had one child and now I have two and they both have medical problems. Channel 13 our local news station gave a number to a non profit organization called HOPE.NOW which is to prevent foreclosures.

My counsler Mary had made several attempts contacting Derek W. to try to modify my loan by adjusting my interest rate or lowering my monthly payments to help me get through this difficult time. Derek Wilcox told me that I am capable of paying my mortgage payment so I do not qualify for a loan modification. They also stated that I have an additional $2,000 a month in my bank account and what I am doing with my money. I asked them where was that account located because by right I would like to claim that money. I was willing to fax over proof of my bank statements from January until most current which will show $2oo.oo between pay periods,several overdrafts and paycheck advances that I have been taking just to pay my mortgage to avoid the $100.00 late fees.

I spoke with Derek W. on July the 12th and he informed that my mortgage payment was late. I explained to hime that I had $1,500 of my $2,000 mortgage payment and I will be a week late paying my mortgage. He told me that they would accept the $1,500 for July's payment which was automatically withdrawn from account. Two weeks later I received a letter stating that july's payment was not received and that I owed $2,185.00 which included the late fees for that month. I have been deceived once again because I do not have an ESCROW ACCOUNT and the $1,500 was not applied to my mortgage so I am trying to understand where the money went. My account is current and I have paid all the late fees the following month to bring my account current.

The mortgage payments are withdrawn from my bank account each month so I can provide documentation showing that they have received payments in a timely manner. My account is now showing 30 days past due and I am receiving daily calls asking when am I going to send the payment. I am so behind on past due utility bills and property taxes because my first priority has been my mortgage payments and I have neglected to pay other bills. My last conversation with Derek W. was that wells fargo had wanted to offer me a deal which was they would waive next months month to add to the end of my loan but I had to sign aggrement to have my payments automatically withdrawn from my account every month. I explained to Derek W. that I could not agree on the terms because I work in the tipping industry and I am not guaranteed to make the same amount of money so I can not agree on the terms. He then told me that they can not help me at this time. I also told Derek that one month is not going to help me when I am having difficulties paying my mortgage. He gave me advice which was my obligation is to pay my mortgage so I need to sell my automobiles, work to full time jobs, or get a better job to pay my bills. I refused to be belittled by him or anyone else.

My credit scores is in the 700's which has proved that I am a responsible person. Due the way the econony has been I am doing the best to my ability. There was an article in yesterday's paper Sunday morning stating that HOPE.NOW has helped more than 500,000 people, so my question is why I am not among these people. I am asking for help but I am being turned away because my account is not in serious delinquency. DUE to my account being 30 days past due it will be reported to credit bureau which will affect my credit. Wells Fargo was aware that I had partial payment for the month of july and they aggreed to take the money so it was should be applied to my mortgage or return my money. I am trying to avoid foreclosure and I will do whatever means neccesary. Thank you for your time.

Paying exhorbatant interest for a 700 dollar amout..Cannot pay it off during the time I am trying to pay off balance. The intrest is pitting me over the edge.

I asked to speak to a manager, and she asked why i was getting irrate with her, i explained economy sucks, and a lot of people are having a bad time - she kept saying she wants cash and sent in money gram. I said no, I have a 100.00 money order and would send it it, give me the address, she refused again. I asked for her manager, she transferred me to a lady named LAQUAN and she said she lost her mom too, but still pays her bills and her car note!!! this broke my heart. (my mom was my best friend, and I will never be over her death) I then got loud with her, and stated you cant get blood out of a turnip, and I was doing the best I could, I had 100.00 I would send them and to give me the address, she placed me on hold, when she returned, she said that would not "hold" the account.

I said just give me the address and I wanted the other womans name, she refused to give me her name, and stated i would have to speak to her manager. she gave me the po box mailing address and sent me to oblivian in the phone system. I also want to state that in the past, when i was late on my truck payment, they would call the "day" after it was due. and when I would explain I would pay in two days or 4 days or whatever the case may have been, they still call 5-15 times a day every day and as late at 11pm at night.

I mailed the 100.00 money order and a 160.00 check, which was part of my house payment. just to get them off my back, but I know they will still call tomorrow and the next day, and the next day. I have also previously asked for extensions on the truck payment and they refuse those as well, stating "they dont file extensions" I just need a break, to get back on my feet again. they are harassing, belittling and threatening me all the time. I miss my mom, so much since her death on 6/18 and to have that lady tell me that, and then to loose my job so shortly after on 6/30. wells fargo is just always humilating me, and they even told my ex husband who was here once (he answered the phone, i was gone.) and they told him I owed them money on the truck and better get it paid! how embarassing.

Thats right. They would not let me close the account. They said all transactions had to close out before I could close it. The balance said I had 11.74 left. I moved that out to make the balance 0.00 so I could close it. When all the transactions went through the online statement gave the the incorrect information. It had overdrafted twice again for eight dollars. Seventy more dollars in fees for eight dollars overdrawn. This is absurd. They will not let me close the account and they keep charging me fees.

I paid over seven hundred dollars in fees for over drafting about three hundred. They have put me through mental anguish and caused me to be late on other bills. How long will they left me keep using my card while my account is in the negative? Why did they not tell me something was wrong with the account. All they care about is making money off there customers no matter what. Small claims court here I come!

I am unable to pay other bills because of the large ammount of fees incured. I was already in financial hardship due to my Mortgage company giving me wrong information. I am now late on most of my bills for this month because I do not have the money to pay them. There customer service is horrible and will not even look into the matter. They seem like they are reading from a script they are given and will not even talk to me like a human being. I am furious!

These are preditory fees that are worst than checking account or even credit card fees for overdraft charges and are lucrative revenue streams for the company. I'll probably pay the fees so they won't threaten my credit and then cancel the Wells Fargo debit card.

I even reached the point of disconnecting my telephone by unplugging it and also turning down the volume to shut it up. Who pays the phone bill....definitely not them but we were totally inconvenienced. Even if you talked to them, they would still continually call you all day long. We have both tried to explain to each of them there since no doubt they all have called us at one time or another of the following: We do not have any monies and do not make the amount of monies that was submitted on the credit applications. The credit applications were fraudently submitted. Not their problem he was told.

He even tried to explain to each of them he was receiving Unemployment Compensation. Next question out of their mouths: How are you paying your rent? When did that become their business is what we want to know. Next question: What about your Federal Stimilus Check from the Federal Government? They were duly told it was totally confiscated to pay back taxes...an audit we were in for the past 2 years as if that was any of their business.

My husband continually tried to tell them when he would answer the telephone to just come and repossess the vehicle and/or vehicles since there were 2 vehicles involved. Both vehicles should not have been financed, whatsoever, if they, Wells Fargo Auto Finance, had verified the information that was on the credit applications sent to them by United Hyundai. They definitely did not do their homework at all. Information on both applications were different and the applications were sent in within 3 weeks of each other. Both applications had 2 handwritings on them plus our signatures which, in the age of computers, can be altered. Someone at their company failed to do their job which has caused nothing but headaches.

Next for the CLINCHER: On June 23, 2008, unbeknown to us, Wells Fargo Auto Finance without our authorization, went into our personal checking account at Wells Fargo Bank and withdrew almost $1300. That money was there to pay our July Rent and now we are struggling to get our rent paid thanks to those.

The following morning we were sitting in front of a banker hoping against hope to have our monies returned. Whoa is Me! The banker contacted that division and according to THEIR contract were allowed to tap into your checking account as long as you banked at Wells Fargo. WHAT CONTRACT! They never sent us anything from their division, Wells Fargo Auto Finance. Also as long as you banked there, they could not repossess the vehicles or vehicles in question. We voluntarily gave them permission to repossess it. Were our bank accounts closed, oh hell yes, and it was immediately done. The banker informed that division that we had officially closed both checking and savings.

My husband requested a copy of THEIR CONTRACT only to receive another copy of the contract you receive at a vehicle dealership. We read and re-read it on the back and there is nothing in that generalized contract that states if you Bank at Wells Fargo that Wells Fargo Auto Finance can take monies out of your account without authorization. Apparently that company can do as they well please. My husband has worked for numerous collection agencies in the State of Nevada, City of Las Vegas and informed me he was governed by the FDCPA..Fair Debt Collection Practices Act at each of these agencies. When he talked to Wells Fargo Auto Finance, he was informed they do not have to abide by those laws. Are they better than all of the other agencies in this city and state? Guess So!

What is taking place today....here goes....One of the vehicles has had the license plates returned to DMV and is sitting in the parking lot ready for repossession. As for the other vehicle, head for Hillsboro, OR where it is located for we have no monies to retrieve it since the individual who agreed to pay for it drove it there. Of course, we were conned into purchasing both of these vehicles by none other than United Hyundai.

My husband has faxed information to the following: Office of the Comptroller of the Currency against Wells Fargo. Yes, it is a division of the Federal Government. What do we want: Our monies back. As I said above, we are existing on Unemployment Compensation and barely making ends meet in this economy. Jobs are scarce right now. I paid a total of $1125.00 for nothing, they put my property on a lien and I know that they are going to repeat this scam again. So I have reason to worry for I dont want to lose my home over unscruplus deals. Finally, the calls have stopped here which as been a godsend. Peace and quiet from a ringing-off-of-the-hook phone. We have been trying to secure an attorney to go up against United Hyundai and Wells Fargo but to no avail. Attorneys want monies upfront but we have no monies to spare at this time. Stressed out, oh yes I am.

Everyone out there please read this statement: Run, don't walk away, from United Hyundai and Wells Fargo Auto Finance. If you don't, you will have more problems than you know what to do with in your lives. We should know for we are living proof. They do not care about you at all.

It can easily be seen how people in debt are abused and can never come out of it. Fortunately it is only the one time $83 for me, since I pay on time. But this rate should be illegal.

i immediately asked her what did she mean by people like me, i explained to her that i am doing my best to take care of myself and unfortunately i was not blessed with the kind of money that would prevent life from happening. she still continued to be rude. i told her that i didnt ask for anything to be reversed all i wanted to do was set up payment arrangements so that i could get wells fargo their money. i was extremely offended at how kim treated me and how defensive she was from the beginning of the phone call. i had several friends that have went into that bank and said that they have been treated the same way. is it because we are black? my best friend Kristina (white) went in and had her overdraft fees reversed with no questions asked. why is that so?

im extremely embarrassed and i have told several of my coworkers and friends (including Kristina) and since they have all closed their accounts with wells fargo and will no longer bank with them and we advise others to do the same.

Wells Fargo has harrassed me until I am a nervous wreck, I sent letters to stop the phone calls, they have been ignored, calling me 17-33 times per day. non stop.

They are costing me huge amounts of airtime on my minutes and the aggrivation of just calling me and my wife constantly for no reason. I just want it to stop.

I received a letter from Elizabeth today June 30,2008 the letter was dated June 26,2008 stating that my account had been closed on June 19, 2008. This occured with no fore warning. To go along with this they stopped my overdraft protection. I earn fairly good money and do not have credit problems. I do not believe it is right and it should not be legal for any company to close an account without providing advance notice to the consumer. I have had a checking account with Wells Fargo since about June of 2000.

I do not know what the consequences are other than a possible hit to my credit score. If a lawsuit is winable I am willing to go for it. Although, I don't really care if I have a Wells Fargo credit card or not. At a minimum, I want people to know the tactics being used by Wells Fargo and hopefully it will prevent other consumers from doing business with such a shaddy business.

I withdrew all money from the checking account where the erroneous deposit was made and am making arrangements to move my $35,000 in student loans elsewhere. I have been a customer with Wells Fargo for over 12 years with an excellent banking history. Now I am searching for a new bank. I am also going to file in small claims court. Ideally I will be able to convince the judge that this an example of exploitive and abusive bank practices squeezing blood out of a full-time student, full-time single father with custody of a 14 year old boy, and part-time employed. The total I spent over that 2 day period was ~$30 and I accumulated over $350 in charges I intend to fight. I am asking for all charges reimbursed plus whatever legal ramifications can be employed to deter these kinds of practices.

About a month later, a woman calls asking for my fiance`. I ask to take a message and she says, This is **** with Wells Fargo. Just have him give me a call. I told her that if there was a problem with the account that I'm the one to talk to. She said that since my name wasn't on the account she couldn't tell me anything and hung up. She called again a week later with the same message. She got the same response from me. She responded tersely that she couldn't talk to me about the account because I'm not listed on the paperwork and hung up. She called again a week or two later and I told her that we weren't interested and not to call back. She said that I didn't have the power to make such a request because I wasn't on the account. She was informed then by my fiance` (who heard her nasty tone of voice) on the other line that I was to be put on the account and that I would be the one to talk to about the finances. **** became quite friendly when she heard his voice and said that she thought we would like to hear about their loan consolidation program. He hung up and I told her, yet again, that we were not interested and to stop calling.

A couple of months later this young man calls looking for my fiance`. I asked if he was with Well's Fargo and he said he was and wanted to speak to my fiance` about a loan consolidation for our bills. I said, I don't know what it's going to take to get you people to stop harrassing us about that loan consolidation! WE ARE NOT INTERESTED! STOP CALLING! Later that afternoon, my fiance` calls me and told me that he just got a call from Well's Fargo about the loan consolidation program. He told them that we weren't interested and hung up. I don't take kindly to being harrassed especially by a bank. I'm paying off the loan in full and will NEVER deal with another company that uses Wells Fargo PERIOD!

I have taken to screening calls, taking Ativan, and have become very angry and it's taking on toll on my back and blood pressure.

When I found this statement, I called Wells Fargo and they told me the money was turned over to Oregon State Land Claims. I contacted Oregon State Land Claims, sent them copies of the statement, my Mom's will and anything else they needed. They did not have the money from her account. If Wells Fargo really turned it over to them they would need records from Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo said their records only go back 7 years and they can't help.

I filed a complaint with OCC. They told me a bank is only required to keep records for 5 years and they couldn't help.I filed a complaint with the State Attorney General. He forwarded the complaint to OCC and they told me the same thing again. I filed a complaint with the FTC. They forwarded a complaint to the OCC and they told me the same thing again. Wells Fargo sent me and OCC a letter saying the account was closed in February of 1999 and they just can't help with a closed account.

I didn't close the account, no family member closed the account, I wasn't even aware of the account until 2007. I have all the documents to prove that my deceased mother had an account with Wells Fargo when she passed away. Wells Fargo has evaded the proof I have and gotten by by saying the account is closed, their archives don't go back far enough, they turned it over to state land claims, etc. State Land Claims can't find it and needs records that Wells Fargo claims it can't find as these archives have been destroyed.

My mother's bank account was stolen, lost, and never sent to her survivors, or people (her sons) designated as heirs in her will.

Near bankruptcy

well i get the bill and the want me to pay 469.67 for late charges they and they still are billing me for insurance that i sent them already,so i called and they tell me its for from the month of january of 08 and and they had told me and charging me insurance from sep to feb but they are charging montly like i dont have insurance the insurance i have i had since febuary and still have them. it just seems that they are going to keep doind this to see how much extra the cand bill me fo every month it was 188.96 in late and other charges plus the payment.

well im still trying to catch up on my credit cards that i have that are pilling up just stressing out me and my wife get it in argument because of it

I informed them that my mother does not speak english and that I would translate for her. They were adamant that they were not allowed to disclose any information. I spoke to a supervisor level employee and he was very rude to me and hung up on me. Based off of what just transpired I can not but help to think this is a scam to fish for an account number. Can someone please look into this for me?

I contacted them to debate the charges. Their response was that it was not able to be disputed.

So my question/concern/issue is how are they able to charge whatever they want to the person returning a leased vehicle without allowing the person to dispute, debate and fairly review the charges? I asked for the breakdown of these charges and I can confidently debate a majority of them.In addition, who would have known if something happened to the vehicle from when it left my hands to when the accessor reviewed it.

If they had properly made me aware of these fees, I would have opted to purchase the car and kept it longer and/or sell it to a private party. But I was not given any option but to pay the bill or else I was treatened by them that they would report it to the credit agencies.

My vehicle was totaled, my insurance didn't cover anything, gap tried, WFF didn't work with them. I can't go to work, very stressed with nowhere to turn. They are trying to drown us in debt! I can't get anywhere without a vehicle. No job means no money..

I have been stressed at work and at home. I have gotten sick a lot since the calls which results in spending more money to get well, this puts me further behind. I asked for some arrangement, and extension or if they can lower the interest because my liabilites are more than my assets. I was informed that they would reposses my property under the law.

This practice is unfair. If charges posted on a particular day are going to be sorted, they should be sorted highest to lowest instead. If that were the case, my total overdraft fee would've been $34 (my highest dollar amount charge was $540). Or they should organize charges based on date, in which case it would'be been the aforementioned $68. If you disregard ATM withdrawls for an overdraft fee, it would've taken three charges only to put me into overdraft -- a total of $102. Any way you cut it, the bank is doing everything it can to maximize the amount of money it can squeeze from me for overdraft fees. It's an appalling tactic.

Rather than a maximum of $102 in overdraft fees, I was charged $306. Ridiculous!

Knowing this would cause an overdraft on my account I was anticipating it on my account when I login Tuesday. Well, sure enough, there it was, along with nine (9) other overdraft fees. The nine other fees were accessed for charges that I had made Friday and Saturday (12 & 13th).

I understand that banks do not process purchase made on off hours or weekends, but in my case they processed them AFTER the large $895 withdrawl made Monday. My account had enough in it to cover everyone of the purchases made prior to the automatic withdrawl, but because they processed that one first all of the purchases were made with NFS. Instead of a $34 overdraft fee, I was charged $340!

I contacted Wells Fargo Bank this morning. The rep I spoke with said that they always process the high dollar amounts first. I can understand if all the purchases were made on the same day, but the high dollar amount ($895) was not submitted until mid-day on the 15th, so why hadn't they processed my other purchases already? This seems very unethical if not down right underhanded. Now, instead of my next paycheck going towards rent or food for my family, some wealthy banker will be getting a hefty bonus.

Can this really be legal?

After loosing my deposit, Wells Fargo charged me over $300.00 in overdraft charges. Up until now they have refused to deal with the problem. I have sent a similar letter to them which was hand delivered, yet I am yet to receive a response.

This caused my account to be overdrawn and the fees totalled up to about $1000. I requested this error fixed and I was yelled at and passed from manager to manager and then hung up on because none of the departments of Wells Fargo wanted to take care of this issue. They would send me from one department to another. So I decided after 5 years of employment to quit my job with Wells Fargo. Then one month later with no calls from Wells Fargo I discovered somehow they are able to stop my use of my AZ Central bank account even though this account is in good standing. AZ Central claims that they cannot remove this chexsystems complaint, that only Wells Fargo can remove it. Wells Fargo will not talk to me; they keep sending me dept to dept. They admit it was an error on their part but refuse to remove the fees they charged me for thier error. So now I cannot use my AZ Central bank account and other banks are charging me $5 each to cash my paychecks! This has gone on for over a year with no resolution. This cost me time and fees from other banks. All I want is my account cleared from chexsystems so I can use MY bank account. I want Wells Fargo completely out of my life. Please Help.

This all began in November of last year when they changed their account numbers. My payments are now late. Each month this would happen, even after I spoke to several tech support people in addition to customer service supervisors. Each time, they'd again verify my information only to find it hasn't changed.

Now I can't make my payments via phone either as it comes up account not found. They said I'd have to go to a location. I was told there that they no longer take payments! I called them back and told them. Now they are telling me that I have to go to Western Union each month or overnight my payments to them (more charges!)

They have trashed my credit as a result of their inability to find the problem. They say that the problem is with my bank, Chase. Chase said there are no problems on their side and all my other payments for all my other creditors always go thru with no problem. Wells Fargo is the only problem I have each month. Now my credit is trashed, they are rude to me on the phone and have hung up on me when I asked them to explain to me why they are the only creditor I have problems with?? I despise Wells Fargo!10 months of aggrevation is enough for me.

They have ruined my credit!

These circumstances, as well as the fact that the company changed its name nearly every month, indicated to me that the situation was not a mistake, but a purposeful attempt to defraud me, and possibly others, on an ongoing basis.

Repeated attempts to resolve the situation via phone contact with Norwest Customer Service yielded no results, so I was left with no alternative but to close my account and initiate a fraud report at my local branch bank. At that time, I also drafted letters to the local branch President and the Norwest's Corporate Operations Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Neither letter yielded a response, much less an apology or a resolution. I work for the credit card division of a major U.S. bank, and I advise people of their rights under Visa regulations and federal law on a daily basis, so this situation was all the more frustrating. I will attempt to contact the entities involved once again, via registered mail, but, other than that I do not know what recourse I have in the face of Norwest's stonewalling.

Here is a cut-and-paste version of the letter I sent.

Mr. Jeff Kemink,

Moorhead MN 56560

Dear Mr. Kemink:

One of your parent bank's most recent corporate promotions includes the phrase, "Norwest--It's About People." Whenever I hear that phrase, or the old standby "To The Nth Degree," I wonder whether it is referring just to the customer, or also includes an institutional, philosophical commitment on the part of your own "people," your employees. After you read this letter, I hope you take the time to answer that question, along with assisting me in resolving some troubling issues.

I have banked at your location since moving to Moorhead in 1991. When American Bank & Trust was acquired by Norwest, I elected to remain a customer. Since my checking account has been with Norwest, however, I have had some unpleasant and disappointing experiences I feel require your attention.

My first issue deals with the fact that I was told the monthly fee for my check access card would be waived, due to my employment status and account relationships with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. My records indicate that I have been charged the fee since its establishment (December 1997), however. That small inconvenience and expense aside, there is a much more serious issue I would like to tell you about.

Once a month since September, 1998, my account (032-252910) was fraudulently debited in the amount of $30.00. It appears to me that these regular charges are for some sort of computer pornography access or membership, which makes the situation all the more offensive and troubling to me. The merchant seems to change names and machine IDs every month or two, but these are the transactions as they appeared, chronologically, on my statements:

"Mach ID 440369 Playgirl Online (800- Ny 831421711314";

"Mach ID 440369 Playgirl.Com 800- Ny 834428711344";

"Mach ID 427529 Multimedia *playgirl*on 8007 Ny";

"Mach ID 427529 Multimedia *playgirl.Co 8007 Ny";

"Mach ID 427529 Greydove *xgry.Com 8007 Ny"; and

"Mach ID 401149 Bird N Bee,I *ybird.Com 8007 Ny."

Since my repeated attempts to have the fraud investigated and stopped via Norwest Customer Service were unsuccessful, I have had no viable option but to gradually move all my personal and business accounts to a more secure, cooperative institution; and then, to eventually close my last account in person June 3.

At that time, an employee finally went through the process of filing formal fraud claims as far back as allowed by federal regulations. It is disturbing to me that such issues, which I take quite seriously and have attempted in good faith to correct, remained unresolved. I know you, as a bank executive, are extremely busy, but I feel I must inform you of these issues since they were never appropriately handled by anybody else.

If you are personally unable to help me in recovering the money stolen from my account, I would appreciate your assistance in escalating my complaints to the appropriate levels, tracking down who fraudulently gained access to my account, and determining how such access was gained. I thank you for your time and attention. I may be reached at the address, number, or e-mail address above.

Sincerely,

Scott

As my above explanation and letter copy indicate, the entire situation was incredibly frustrating. There was also the additional horror and shame associated with the fact that I was unwillingly giving money to a dishonest, disgusting person or organization on a monthly basis. My disgust was only heightened by the fact that I know many of my rights as a consumer, yet was unable to garner assistance from individuals at any level of Norwest's organization.

It is indeed extremely frustrating that banks ignore their obligations -- legal and otherwise. It's good that Scott is being persistent. He could also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission , the Comptroller of the Currency, the Minnesota banking regulators and his state's Attorney General. While he's at it, he might as well sue the bank in Small Claims Court.