Consumer complaint received 2018-08-04
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
Sent to Wells Fargo detailing my issue. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX, CEO and President Wells Fargo & Company XXXX. XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX, California XXXX Dear Mr. XXXX : Greetings, I hope this letter finds you well. Please allow me to also address your fellow directors in this letter. I would like to tell all of you a story about being a victim to your banks irresponsible, illicit, and illegal account scams and ask you how you plan to fix this for me. I find it ironic that you are on a " Rebuilding Trust '' mission or why you would need to be on any such crusade. I laugh every time I see one of your recent commercials on rebuilding in XXXX. 

In XXXX and XXXX, when my issues started and according to your customer service representatives that I tried multiple times, unsuccessfully I might add, to have the issues corrected, they would all lead me to believe that Wells Fargo had done nothing wrong. According to your customer service representatives my account issues were my fault. Everyone knows different now. Gone are any ideas or conceptions that all banks are honest, trustworthy, transparent institutions. I find that quite ironic in the fact that I keep seeing stories about how your bank 's legendary brand is synonymous with scandal. 

That is sad. Sad in the fact that at the same time you yourself were approved by the Wells Fargo 's board of directors for a {$4.00} XXXX raise last year to drive up your total pay package to {$17.00} XXXX ; all the while Wells Fargo is facing several investigations into widespread consumer abuses. An article I found says that you have been dealing with one massive PR headache after another. 

Senator XXXX XXXX had noted that you got rich off the banks massive fake accounts and should have been fired but instead just got a big, fat raise. You dismissed the Senators comments as being ill-informed and inappropriate. How are they ill-informed and inappropriate? How can you or any Wells Fargo board member consider a pay raise of that magnitude, or any pay raises at all for that matter, when innocent consumers, me included, have suffered and were harmed by your banks actions? 
One article noted that you did not get, or refused, a bonus in XXXX because the company did not fully overcome its problems. I am not impressed. I have been struggling with the issue your company caused since XX/XX/XXXX, and you have the nerve to say you did not take a bonus in XXXX. How dare you sir. 

Another article that I recently read noted that, Wells Fargo has had a long list of shockingly anti-consumer headlines going back to XXXX. XXXX, thats when your company finally got caught with its hand in the cookie jar. Trust me, the anti-consumer sentiment with Wells Fargo was taking place well before XXXX. Your banks illegal activities finally caught up with you. 

Since XXXX Wells Fargo has been falling all over its self openly and frequently admitting that,... the company had an incentive program that was off the rails. The bank had to look at how the company was organized and every product and service and then fix anything that was broken. Funny you should say that. How many of your customers are still broken and how many of them have you fixed? 

You also noted that, [ Wells Fargo ] operational structure had been organized by a business lines so problems in the retail banking business got " unfortunately out of control. '' And, Too often the bank was willing to get a small percentage of complaints in one area without taking into account the volume of customers that would be impacted. 
Impacted you said. Impacted? Let me explain impacted and then you can tell me how you are going to fix what has been impacted. I had been a loyal XXXX Bank customer for many years until they were acquired by XXXX XXXX. My wife and I were loyal XXXX XXXX customers from XXXX to XXXX when they acquired by and renamed to XXXX. We remained loyal to XXXX from XXXX to XXXX until they were acquired by Wells Fargo. We did not pick Wells Fargo by choice. Wells Fargo just came along on its own. 

I had many discussions about the XXXX Wells Fargo merger with friends and coworkers that were also XXXX customers. The discussions took place after all of us had received a multi-page manifesto that rivaled the size of a small novel of what Wells Fargo was going to do for us. The diatribe raised many concerns. I do not recall reading anywhere in that information about Wells Fargo planning on opening, closing, altering, or otherwise intentionally screwing up consumer accounts ; all without the knowledge or consent of the consumer. Many of the people I had talked with elected to find a different bank. My wife and I stuck with Wells Fargo from XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I was the XXXX of the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, or XXXX as it is commonly referred to. The XXXX is an association of XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and other XXXX XXXX professionals wanting to better XXXX XXXX in XXXX through code development, training and education of its members. I was XXXX of the XXXX from XX/XX/XXXX, to XX/XX/XXXX. 
I had held other positions with the XXXX prior to being elected XXXX. XXXX to XXXX I was an XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX to XXXX XXXX. XXXX to XXXX first XXXX XXXX. XXXX second XXXX XXXX. Prior to XXXX and during my progression through the elected offices I was also the web master for the association. 

I was well known and recognized for XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX across XXXX. I was XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in addition to XXXX a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX that I XXXX for the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was well liked and respected by my peers. In XXXX, I was recognized by then XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, now a United States Senator for XXXX, for my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

In early XXXX, I was promoted to XXXX XXXX XXXX in the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for XXXX County, XXXX. I had worked my way up through the ranks since starting with XXXX in XXXX. 

Everything was going great. Life was good, great career, the future was headed the direction I had planned. But that would suddenly change in XX/XX/XXXX. You may be asking, why am I telling you this history? You see, in XX/XX/XXXX, will be where the Wells Fargo scandal will take me by surprise ; only no one knew it was a scandal at that time. It would be four more long, torturous years before the lid comes off Pandoras Box and people start to realize what really happened within Wells Fargo. 

As I have previously noted, in XXXX, my wife and I were Wells Fargo customers. As I also noted, in this same time period I was the XXXX for the XXXX. The XXXX also had Wells Fargo as their bank. Funds from membership dues and training conferences were deposited into and disbursed out of the XXXX Wells Fargo account for typical items associated with conducting business. Funds that were largely derived from payments from XXXX counties, cities, and towns out of their tax revenue for their employees to attend XXXX functions. I must wonder if anyone investigated this as some form of tax fraud perpetrated on XXXX citizens by Wells Fargo? 

As time goes on in XXXX, I would receive a credit card from Wells Fargo for the XXXX  that I had not requested. Wells Fargo was contacted, and the card was canceled. I recall the customer service representative from Wells Fargo saying they had no idea why I would get a credit card without requesting one. That would be followed by an unsolicited personal Wells Fargo credit card. As with the XXXX card, Wells Fargo was contacted, and the card was canceled. The customer service representative again had no information on why I had received a card I had not requested. 

In the weeks and months to follow I would receive new debit cards for the XXXX account and my wife and I would receive new debit cards for our personal account with the same scenario ; none that were requested and none due to any of the previously issued cards expiring. This activity would be repeated several times in XXXX and XXXX. While the credit and debit card mystery were taking place, I would receive notifications or discover on my own that new checking and savings accounts were being opened and closed for XXXX and my personal accounts. I had new accounts being opened and active legitimate accounts being closed, without my knowledge or approval, as I continued to complain to Wells Fargo about the activity that was taking place. 

Again, every time I brought one of these issues to the attention of one of your customer service representatives, they either had no clue why activities had taken place, or they tried to make it appear that the issues were my fault. As like the credit and debit cards, no new accounts had been requested. I was making frequent phone calls and visits to local branches every time one of these issues would come up. 

It got to the point I tried opening an account with a different bank to get away from the chaos and confusion Wells Fargo was creating. I found after I had started with the other bank that that they did not offer commercial businesses a debit card to access funds or make purchases. The business nature of the XXXX at the time needed a debit card to obtain supplies, printing, etc., required at training conferences. I reluctantly had to keep the Wells Fargo account open and transfer everything back from the other bank. 

Somewhere along this time frame I would end up with nearly identical debit cards for my personal account and the XXXX account. In addition, I would discover the online access to my personal and XXXX  accounts would be combined as well as the accounts being combined during one of the opening and closings. This action, as with the other activities taking place, were being done without my knowledge or consent. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I would discover that I had spent a little over {$19000.00} of the XXXX funds for personal use ; all because Wells Fargo had sent me matching debit cards and combined my personal and XXXX accounts without any request or approval on my part. There were also several questionable transactions in both accounts that I did not remember making. I would end up having to borrow a little over {$19000.00} from my parents to return what I had used as well as making up for the unexplained bogus charges. I made notification to the XXXX president of the issue and resigned as XXXX. 

I left something that I had poured my life into for 15 years, something I was proud of and thoroughly enjoyed doing. Something with pride, purpose, and meaning. I left disgraced, humiliated, and embarrassed ; and these words come nowhere close to accurately describing how I felt. I knew how this looked and what everyone would think. My father is a retired XXXX XXXX XXXX. My parents taught me to be polite, courteous, respectful, honest, and to know the difference between right and wrong. Attributes that you and Wells Fargo apparently take for granted or simply do not value or respect. 

Since this incident I have been shunned by most everyone in the XXXX XXXX   business and XXXX XXXX in XXXX. I have been black balled by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; I have not XXXX a single class, nor have I been asked to XXXX  a class for XXXX since XX/XX/XXXX. I would also end up leaving an officers position and the XXXX XXXX XXXX I had been running with since XXXX. I am continuing to have issues at work with personnel I supervise being taken away from me as well as being denied promotions or advancement. All issues stemming from XXXX XXXX ill-gotten, ill-advised, ill-conceived, illegal activity. 

So, Mr. XXXX, how do I get my life back? How do I regain my status and respect? My self-esteem, reputation, and good name are forever damaged. They are beyond any simple repair. You and your company ruined my life and any hopes of being what or where I was working toward. How do I regain the respect and reputation I had prior to Wells Fargos illegal intervention in my life? Ill never get the people I considered friends back. Ill never be looked at the same way again. 

Building and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in general require a level of trust. That is something that Wells Fargo took away from me. To this day many consider me to be a thief that got away with something. Sir, I am far from any thief and with what I have endured in this fiasco I have not gotten away with anything. All of this because of Wells Fargo was trying to pad its bottom dollar through deceit, deception, fraud, and sheer ignorance. 

The paltry class action settlement that was offered is an insult when you and other company members are raking in what you do in salaries, not to mention bonuses and other incentives. Giving consumers that you wronged a few dollars from a class action suit will in no way, shape, or form correct my issue, an issue that your bank is solely responsible for. In fact, I am in possession of a {$5.00} check that I did not cash as part of the XXXX versus Wells Fargo settlement. What an insult to injury. That measly {$5.00} does not even begin to correct the wrong your company thrust upon me. 

Seeking compensation I will not disclose here for damage to my reputation, career, and family. 

A copy of this correspondence is being provided to my U.S. congressional representatives, XXXX Senators XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX, Congressman XXXX XXXX representing XXXX XXXX District. A copy is being provided to Senator XXXX XXXX, ranking member, Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection as she was mentioned in many articles pertaining to your banks issue and appears to have taken great interest in your companys activities. A copy is also being provided to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

I would like to close with something I found on your companys website. Your company ethics : XXXX XXXX reputation as one of the worlds great companies for integrity and principled performance depends on our doing the right thing, in the right way, and complying with the laws, rules and regulations that govern our business. We earn trust by behaving ethically and holding all team members and directors accountable for the decisions we make and the actions we take. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct serves to guide the actions and decisions of our team members, including executive officers, and directors consistent with our company vision and values. 
Words to live by or just meaningless fluff designed to make people forgive what your company did? Like your ethics say, do the right thing. I look forward to hearing from you.

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