Consumer complaint received 2023-12-08
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem using a debit or ATM card

Complaint:
While recently checking my bank account I noticed XXXX XXXX charges we did not make. This surpried me because at the time I was in the hospital recovering from a major XXXX and physically couldn't eat solid food ( can prove with documentation if needed ). We rarely use XXXX so I asked my wife about it but she too had not ordered from them. We checked our XXXX account and the last time we had ordered from them had been XX/XX/XXXX, the disputed charges were on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX from XXXX for {$52.00} on XX/XX/XXXX and {$57.00} on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX charge from XXXX XXXX for {$47.00} on XX/XX/XXXX We bank with Wells Fargo Bank so I called them and submitted a claim for the XXXX charges and an additional XXXX charge I thought was fradulant but was a mistake. They put a hold on the funds for {$170.00} while they investigated. They sent me a letter a short time later stating my claim was denied due to my previous relationship with the vendors and they releasedthe funds. I then called them about the claim letter where they again told me I was being denied due to my previous relationship with the vendors so I requested the documents they used to make their decision as stated in the denial letter. 

They sent the requested documents which was several months of paper bank statements and a breakdown of their decision. We found the disputed charges on the statment and unlike on the Wells Fargo app i usually use the paper statement has part of the name of the restaurant in the description of the charge. I called Wells Fargo again with these recently relized details and the agent confirmed the charge was for a place called XXXX XXXX  after I mistook it for a restaurant outside the US. But they again stated my claim was being denied due to my previous relationship with the vendor and no further action would be taken. 

I looked up XXXX XXXX and it is a XXXX of a kind restaurant in XXXX XXXX Califorina ... .. We live in Virginia . To further reinforce the charges are fradulant my wife made several purchases at physical locations in Virginia on the same dates as the disputed charges which proves we were in Virginia. It was right around the time I was being discharged from the hospital ( again can provide documentation if needed ). Common sense should prove the charges are fradulant because why would we order food on XXXX from a restaurant in California when we live in Virginia? 

I have banked with Wells Fargo for a long time and this is only the second time I had to deal with a claim ( the first time they actually alerted me of the fradulant activity ). I do not feel like my money is properly protected or thebissue properly investigated. The issue remains unresolved. We assume someone gained access to our XXXX account and somehow made the fradulant charges so have chaged our passwords and will be using alternative methods of payment when using vendors like that again.

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