Consumer complaint received 2024-01-08
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
Hello, I'll try to summarize this at the end so that it hopefully, it doesn't come off as a mess of paragraphs. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I bought a plane ticket from XXXX for XXXX US dollars. I mistakenly chose the wrong destinations, I bought a ticket for XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. I had intended to buy the ticket for XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX. 

I contacted XXXX immediately and they told me that the ticket through XXXX was already processed and that they would try to get the refund but that there were no guarantees. After talking with them on the phone, I immediately contacted the airline, XXXX, directly. The representative immediately refunded the ticket for XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, the equivalent of XXXX XXXX dollars, sending it back to the XXXX linked to XXXX. This made the ticket unusable and my reservation was taken out of their system. I call back TravelGo to let them know that the airline has refunded the ticket on my name and they let me know that they will contact me when it reflects on their bank records. 

A couple days later, I contact XXXX asking for my refund. The representative informs me that it isn't reflected in their records. XXXX days from the date I had originally purchased the ticket, they ask me for a " refund certificate '', because according to them, the refund is not reflected in their records. I contact XXXX through phone, the representative informs me that the refund is indeed reflected through their records but that they were unable to provide me with proof directly and suggested that I use their customer service email. 

I emailed XXXX immediately after and it takes until XX/XX/XXXX to receive an email back. The email is in XXXX and confirms the refund was sent back to the company on XX/XX/XXXX, and suggests that I contact my bank. I contact Wells Fargo through phone and request to open a claim. They open a claim and when I looked it up on their website, the representative had labeled it as " never received merchandise '' which wasn't accurate. Sometime later, I get a letter in the mail requesting more proof, and temporary credit to my account. I immediately forwarded the email sent to me by XXXX to the Wells Fargo Claims Center email. 

A couple months later, I get a letter in the mail from Wells Fargo that a processing error did not occur, which is not why I opened the claim, and that they were going to deduct the temporary credit from my account. I called their customer service line repeatedly, I was told first that my case could possibly be reopened if I submitted proof, apparently the email that I forwarded just showed a bunch of pictures, and to try submitting screenshots and wait XXXX day. The next day, I called and was told that nothing could be done for my case because it was already closed. I immediately called again and spoke to a different representative who informed me that my case wasn't actually fully closed and was pending a final investigation. I called for the last time on XX/XX/XXXX, and am told once again that my case was closed and nothing could be done to reopen it. 

To summarize, I bought a plane ticket from a third party company. I got the airline to refund the plane ticket and send the money back to the third party. the third party company is denying that they received my refund despite there being plenty of time for it. They refuse to refund me despite the ticket no longer being valid or usable at the time the refund was approved. My bank did not do enough to help me get my money back, with some representatives providing generic answers to get me off the phone. 

I shouldn't be responsible for the cost of the plane ticket when I have clear proof that XXXX is keeping my money for a ticket that was no longer functional on the dates that I requested.

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