Consumer complaint received 2017-09-25
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
1 ) Made lower payments on the account, not in full amount, called in to discuss lower payments, no resolution. I call in over 6 times in XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, over 20 times in XXXX. Longest call was over an hour. I was never told account would potentially be closed prior to its closing due to lower payment amounts, which I informed them of a change and inquired of solutions and given none to stop the close of the account. 
2 ) This account was open for nearly 10 years, yet all it took was after 2 missed payments, when it was abruptly closed without any acknowledgement, letter or call before or after it closed. I found out when I tried to make a payment online and could not access the account. 
3 ) I had no access to account via Online banking, which is my primary form of banking and was given no explanation. When I called Online Banking, which handles situations like this regarding the account, yet they had no further explanation and had no way to restore access to the account so that I could make payments at my convenience ( the way I was able to access this account before ) and did not inform me of other ways. Reps from different departments including Online Banking claimed they could not " see '' the account. It became invisible so to speak. When I called in the representatives did not know what was going on. Then I was given information it was conflicting -I was told the account was closed, I was told it was in collections, pre-legal sometimes simultaneously on the same day speaking with different reps. I was also told it was in pre-legal, legal and legal remedies, sometimes I was told this information simultaneously on the same day speaking with different reps. All the information was conflicting and misleading. 
4 ) However, despite my having no access to this account via Online banking and all access to it being XXXX, Wells Fargo decides to steal from my connected checking account by accessing it and taking over {$3700.00} from it in payment. I found out about this when I tried to make a debit purchase that I knew funds in my checking account would cover and the transaction was denied. Then when I called into Wells Fargo about my checking account -they could not tell me who the merchant was (??? ). I clearly did not know, because I did not have a debit planned, so I did not know what this transaction was and neither did Wells Fargo. The incompetent thing was that neither did Wells Fargo. They did not know what this was yet later I found out they could see " XXXX XXXX '' in the description. So now my checking account is overdrawn and the rep is acting as if they can not immediately return those funds so that I can clear a bill that is going to come out! I had to speak with a supervisor about this who did tell me it may be internal, but said they would return the funds, which happened, although it should have been just as immediate. They returned the stolen funds. I later received a letter that this was an Automatic Payment ( to the " closed '' credit card account ) and all future ones have been XXXX. This does not make any sense. Why would automatic payments be on the account when the account was " closed? '' I did not have access to the credit account via Online Banking and any functions tied to this account were XXXX. Wells Fargo reps did not have any access to the credit card account and could not " see it '' when I called in. Also, previous payments were deleted, so why did this " payment '' get stolen from my checking account after the credit card account was closed? 

5 ) Additionally, when I was told the account was being handled internally at a department called " collections '' or " pre-legal '' or " legal '' at different times on the same day by different reps. I was told I had time to find a solution for this account and to call different numbers, and finally this one : ( XXXX ) XXXX, yet, when I called numerous times to the number provided no one answered and this was during hours of operation, listed by the Wells Fargo rep and on the answering recording. Sometimes, the Wells Fargo reps would place me on hold to call this number and return to say no one picked up or that the phone just disconnected. { Why would they pull this charade, to accelerate the credit card account placing it in a law office and then say no one contacted us, which is what they said happened ( see 6 ) }? 
5a ) I even complained by calling to the CC Case Management department with 2 case numbers and I do n't think they resolved the situation. The rep I spoke to did not seem to take this seriously at times and I do n't think he actually spoke with the manager at that number as claimed because the problem persisted. Additionally, when I called to see if anything had been done I was told it was " proprietary '' and this was not to be shared with consumers. Ridiculous. There needs to be more transparency. Additionally, I am surprised there is a manager when I was lied to when I called when I encountered a nasty rep who denied that department had managers at all and that I was unable to speak to one or another rep when I did not want to take the verbal abuse she tried to spew toward me, the consumer. 

6 ) XXXX notes. Nasty customer service. Additionally, despite all the calls, Wells Fargo reps are putting incorrect notes on the account, not documenting my various calls and claim I only called once in XXXX! When I called over 6 times. Because, I did not contact them, which is not true, or because of the faulty notes placed on the account, the credit card account is accelerated to an external law office and I am told there is no way it can be reversed by a nasty-style-of-communication rep named XXXX in the legal department. When I called the insensitive, offensive, nasty rep named XXXX who made fun of/mocked my name and sounded very discriminatory whom I spoke to in the " pre-legal '', " legal '' or " legal remedies '' department ( -depending on who you speak to, you are given different names with the same number ) said we have to treat accounts the same and " not discriminate '', yet this account was not treated the same. It was accelerated to the external law office, based on faulty notes and information, and I was told misinformation by reps at Wells Fargo about what was happening to the account. I asked to speak with a different rep and I also asked to speak with a manager, she said I could not speak with either and tried to continue her abusive tone and phone manners toward me. I did not get any substantial answers from this call. 

When I called previously the account was is an internal " collections '' department, yet I am being contacted by an external law office. How can two different places be handling this account at the same time how can it be in " collections '' within Wells Fargo ( not external ) and then be at an external law office at the same time. ( See point 7. ) 7 ) I received two letters simultaneously and dated differently by Wells Fargo and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. These letter say conflicting information and are both dated in XXXX on 10 days apart. XXXX is dated XXXX/XXXX/XXXX provided to me by Wells Fargo saying a " Notice of acceleration on credit card ending in ************. '' Saying the whole amount is due and to contact them. Then, I receive a letter dated XXXX/XXXX/XXXX from XXXX XXXX XXXX stating to contact them and make the whole balance payment. 
This is hardly helpful to any consumer to be told the same thing at the same time by two different entities. Most require 30 days after letter is dated. Then when a consumer calls there is no clarification. Getting these two confusing and conflicting letters at the same time, unethically accelerating this credit card account and providing XXXX information is wrong. 

8 ) Sent correspondence for them to lower interest rate, instead they increased credit line. Is this a predatory lending practice?

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