Consumer complaint received 2021-05-29
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Sub-issue: Overdrafts and overdraft fees

Complaint:
Over the years, I have explicitly told Wells Fargo that I do not want or consent to their overdraft protection program. I have explicitly said that I want no part in any shape way or form to do with it and if my funds are low, to simply decline. 
After a year of their ignoring this request and my having to fight it every two months, I finally got an agent to go through the steps and assure me that it would never happen again. I got 5 years of peace until recently, when they did something so egregious, I suspect they violated several laws. 

I made 4 purchases online using my debit card on XX/XX/XXXX. Each one was between {$15.00} and {$20.00}, totalling $ XXXX. On the XXXX, I send a XXXX to my friend for {$50.00}. 
On the morning of the XXXX, I receive a pop-up notice that my funds are insufficient, and I instantly log in and move cash from one account to another, instantly replenishing my account. This was around XXXX, as I was getting ready for work at XXXX. 

6 hours later, I receive an alert that my funds are low and I'm being charged an overdraft fee. From my understanding about manipulative banking practices, Wells Fargo processed my transactions out of order, processing the XXXX transaction before the transactions on the XXXX, because as I was told by a very rude agent who told me to " stop talking so she could teach me ... '' they were allowed to charge some transactions whether I wanted it or not, if they weren't debit or atm. 

This dumbfounded me, as I transferred the funds over within moments of getting the alert, as I always do, as instructed by the agent several years ago who assured me that would stop doing this to my account. This week, the initial front-line customer service rep offered my a percentage back which was already an insult. However, the next agent who was supposed to be a supervisor, was more concerned about getting every penny from me, even if it went against their own promise to me, the laws, and their own policies ( posting order policy, released 2013 ) stating that moving forward from 2013, they would process transactions in chronological order, and no longer in order of amount size. This agent verified that I made that transfer right after the notification around XXXX, and she verified that my account clearly showed that I had opted out of any over-draft protection services whatsoever. But she very rudely told me to stop talking amongst many other rude things, and that I could leave if I didn't like it. ( Recorded, hopefully. ) I feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of my money remaining with Wells Fargo for any period of time from now on. They are taking my money and dispensing it how they want against my own wishes, without even informing me, with no true need to do so, as ample funds were present. It feels like an aggressive new way they are trying to actively find to assert any claim to my funds whether morally questionable or not, as opposed to having the consumers best interest at heart. 
Mind you - They certainly don't afford consumers those interest rates of 70 % per ( less that ) 30 minutes. But that's neither here nor there. It feels like I am being forced to purchase their product whether I want to or not, and I keep thinking, what's to stop them from doing that with another product in the future? Or from charging {$5000.00} next time? Why that amount? Why were they able to change that amount at their discretion in the beginning? It's truly disturbing and I feel extremely violated and uncomfortable with Wells Fargo. 

This stinks and as far as I'm aware, after 4 calls to them, they have no intention to reach out to me or fix any of this in any manner. I am so glad to have the CFPB available to us consumers because frankly, there would be no other active and viable recourse without them.

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