Consumer complaint received 2024-01-21
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: MI
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not received from closed account

Complaint:
Short story : I am an XXXX XXXX XXXX woman who had to move when I became sick. I am contacting the CFPB because Wells Fargo Bank has still not issued a refund on a cashier 's check that has already been confirmed to not have been cashed. It has been 8 months since the check was issued and my daughter ( the secondary on the account ) and I have spent so much time on the phone with Wells Fargo and it feels we are no closer to getting a resolution. 
Full story : I became very sick and hospitalized where I lived in XXXX, WA. So my daughter came and helped me move to Michigan where she lives and can help me. 
On XX/XX/2023 she and I went to the branch office of Wells Fargo bank closest to my old apartment ( XXXX, WA ) to close my account before moving to Michigan ( where there are no Wells Fargo banks ). I was able withdraw the funds in my account as a cashier 's check. I was told, however, that we could not close the account there, that we would have to go across town to another branch or try to close the account by calling a phone number they provided. Our flight left the following day and we did not have time to go across town. After several phone calls tand hours of her time, my daughter finally managed to get the account closed around XXXX. 
In the meantime, in moving I lost the cashier 's check that the branch office had issued to me on XX/XX/2023 for more than {$3000.00}. I went to my new XXXX XXXX in MIchigan to deposit it, but found I only had the top portion of the cashier 's check ( the receipt portion ). 
My daughter and I called the branch office in XXXX where the check was issued. We were told that to get a refund we would have to fill out paperwork, have it notarized, and then send it back to the branch office. We did all that around XXXX and did not hear back from anyone. My daughter called WF again around XXXX and was told that the check had not been cashed, but that nobody at the branch office knew how to refund the money without me coming into a Wells Fargo bank. I explained that there were no Wells Fargo banks near us ( none in XXXX or even Ohio ). We were told by the branch office that they needed time to look into another way to get the money to me. By XXXX they had still not gotten back to me. 
When I called in XXXX the branch office said they still had no way to re-issue the cashier 's check without me coming into a Wells Fargo bank. I asked that my case be escalated. Within a few days I received an email that my case would not be considered for escalation. Called again. After several phone calls and literally HOURS explaining the case, XXXX person told me that she would be able to get a check re-issued. She told me that she would transfer me to somebody to take my address. I was sent back to the beginning of the voice mail. Finally was able to talk to a person, who told me that whoever I talked to was wrong, but said she would escalate the case and we would have a respone within a few days. 
More than a week passed. I called back and left a message. I was contacted by a person named XXXX who said she would be handling the escalation and said she would need time to investigate. Some days later she called back and had several details incorrect. She also said that the first step to take would be to issue a cancellation on the check and to make sure that it had not been cancelled. I explained to her at least twice that I had already done that, sent the materials to the bank, and that they had already verified that the check was not cashed. XXXX said that there was no record at all of that and we would need to send paperwork again to the branch office. I verbalized my concern that we had already done that and that the branch office had been unable to help us. 
XXXX sent the paperwork by email and my daughter is struggling to download it. 
I am asking for assistance because this has been nothing but a nightmare. I need my money back and I am afraid that they are waiting for me to die ( I am on XXXX ) or for enough time to pass so that they don't have to pay me back. I will continue to try to work things out with the bank, but I have little hope in that. I hope your agency can help me to get a refund on that cashier 's check.

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 non-monetary relief