Consumer complaint received 2021-09-20
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: PA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
This is an overview. My full complaint is attached. 

This complaint seeks redress for Wells Fargos XX/XX/2021 decision to limit my online access to the bank and credit card accounts of my XXXX XXXXold mother, XXXX XXXX XXXX This action was taken despite the fact that I have managed her banking without incident for over 10 years ; am joint owner of the savings and checking accounts in question ; am an authorized user of her Wells Fargo credit card ; and have my mothers Power of Attorney, ( POA ). That POA was drafted in accordance with Florida law, Section 709.02 et seq. and was filed at local banks in Florida, where my mother now resides, and in Pennsylvania, where I reside. 

The reason for Wells Fargos action remains opaque, but appears to have been triggered by my XX/XX/2021 attempt to complete a wire transfer from my mothers and my joint checking account. This effort apparently prompted an automatic, computer-generated alert about unusual activity. While I can appreciate that a temporary hold on the transfer might have been warranted until I could clarify matters, what is emphatically not justified is Wells Fargos month-long refusal to restore full online access to my mothers banking and credit card accounts, even after they were satisfied that the wire transfer was legitimate and, indeed, completed the transfer for me. 

My ability to have online access to my mothers accounts is absolutely critical because, while my mother is alert and mentally competent, she is legally XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; and XXXX. At age XXXX, she is also unfamiliar with smartphone and computer technology. Accordingly, my mother has for many years depended on me to pay her bills online ; monitor her expenditures ; and review her credit card transactions on a daily basis to ensure against fraud. 

I am happy to report that, as of XX/XX/2021, my access to our joint accounts was for the most part restored, although there are some lingering issues. However, this restoration occurred only after four weeks of tireless efforts on the part of myself and my brother, a Florida resident who lives with my mother. It also occurred only after Wells Fargo insisted that my brother take time off from his busy contracting business to personally bring my frail, legally XXXX, and XXXX mother to a Wells Fargo branch in XXXX XXXX XXXX FL, all during a virulent outbreak of the Covid 19 Delta variant .

Wells Fargos course of conduct ignored the express provisions of my mothers POA ; contravened its responsibilities under Floridas POA statute ; and fell short of its obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ), to ensure effective communication with a XXXX person such as my mother. 

Moreover, Wells Fargos customer service was labyrinthine and abysmal. Over the past four weeks, I have spent upwards of 15 hours in multiple personal meetings with local bankers and lengthy phone calls with several Wells Fargo employees in different departments. While several individual employees were polite, sympathetic, and sincere in their efforts to assist me, they were hamstrung by Wells Fargos arbitrary policies and often worked at cross purposes to one another, as I was given different information by different departments.

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 explanation