Consumer complaint received 2022-08-28
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I am seeking redress for time spent recovering {$500.00} that Wells Fargo egregiously mishandled in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. At several points Wells Fargo also misrepresented the steps it had taken to resolve the situation. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a new Wells Fargo Everyday Checking account online. I received email confirmation that the account had been successfully opened and was assigned an account number. I also used the Wells Fargo website to initiate a {$500.00} transfer from an existing XXXX  XXXX account to the new Wells Fargo account, for initial funding. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Wells Fargo stating that it would be closing the newly opened account by XX/XX/XXXX and that, among other things, deposits to the account had been blocked and that any positive balances in the account at closing would be remitted to me via mailed cashier 's check. On XX/XX/XXXX, worried about the {$500.00} transfer I had initiated -- but which had not yet posted on my XXXX  XXXX account -- I called the number for Wells Fargo 's Fraud Prevention Contact Center ( FPCC ) provided in the email. Unfortunately, on that call I did not make it through to a representative : the weekday call center hours listed on the email ( XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX ) were incorrect ; according to the automated voice recording I received, the actual weekday hours were XXXX to XXXX, XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, the {$500.00} transfer posted to my XXXX XXXX account. When I tried to log in to my Wells Fargo account to determine whether the {$500.00} had hit my new Wells Fargo account, I simply received login error messages. 

I followed up by going in to a local Wells Fargo branch on XX/XX/XXXX, where a banker was able to get in touch with the FPCC ( after XXXX minutes on hold ) and informed me that my new account had been closed but that I should get a check returning the {$500.00} initial transfer no later than XX/XX/XXXX. I did not receive a check, and called the FPCC on XX/XX/XXXX to follow up. A representative informed me that a check for {$500.00} had been sent out on XX/XX/XXXX, but that if I had not received it I could visit a local branch, which would be able to provide me a check in person. On XX/XX/XXXX, I returned to my local Wells Fargo branch and spoke with another banker, who also got in touch with the FPCC. He informed me that, contrary to what I had been told by the branch banker on XX/XX/XXXX and the FPCC representative on XX/XX/XXXX, neither he nor the FPCC could locate the {$500.00} transfer and that no check had ever been sent out. He recommended that I send him a copy of the XXXX XXXX statement showing the {$500.00} debit so that he could escalate the issue. I did this, and also called XXXX XXXX about the transaction ; XXXX XXXX informed me they saw no issues with it from their end. I followed up with XXXX  XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and was told that because Wells Fargo had initiated the transfer, Wells Fargo should be able to locate it and resolve the issue. Unsurprisingly, Wells Fargo was unable to do this. Via email, a Wells Fargo banker indicated that Wells Fargo had still not been able to locate the transaction and that a research request -- which could take up to 10 additional business days -- had been initiated. The banker recommended that I dispute the transaction with XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I did this, providing documentation of the above events ; on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX resolved the dispute in my favor and credited my account {$500.00}. I never heard anything else from Wells Fargo. In sum, Wells Fargo lost my {$500.00} transfer -- despite the transfer being initiated on their own systems -- and was both unable to find it and unwilling to provide accurate information about its status for more than a month. Had I not put substantial time toward resolving this problem -- two trips to a Wells Fargo branch, five phone calls, several emails -- I never would have seen my {$500.00} again.

I am including several exhibits to support my complaint : ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) Wells Fargo account opening details ; ( 3 ) Wells Fargo email informing me the account would be closed ; ( 4 ) XX/XX/XXXX XXXX  XXXX statement with {$500.00} transfer to Wells Fargo highlighted ; ( 5 ) email exchange with Wells Fargo.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief