Consumer complaint received 2019-08-21
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: TN
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
This is a Wells Fargo credit card which was advertised as awarding XXXX points after spending {$3000.00} within the first three months. The account was opened in mid-XXXX*. The account was opened by calling the XXXX # in the advertisement. From the onset of our conversation I told the representative I wanted the card which offered me XXXX upon spending the specified amount. I repeated that several times during our conversation to ensure I was signed up for the correct account. 

*I called Wells Fargo today to ask the date the account was opened and was told that information is confidential and can not be disclosed to me. 

I began using the credit card issued by Wells Fargo on XX/XX/2019 and by the end of the first cycle ( XX/XX/2019 to XX/XX/2019 ) {$2100.00} had been charged. That balance was due on XX/XX/2019 and it was paid in its entirety on time XX/XX/2019. By XX/XX/2019 the {$3000.00} threshold was already exceeded. The statement for the period of XX/XX/2019 to XX/XX/2019 showed a balance of {$3200.00}, which is not due until XX/XX/2019. 

Upon receiving my second statement, on or about XX/XX/2019 I noticed the bonus Reward Points were not on the account. In fact, NO REWARD POINTS were posted to the account. On XX/XX/2019 I contacted Wells Fargo and was told I DID NOT HAVE A REWARDS CARD. 

The Wells Fargo representative was told that at the time I opened the account I emphasized several times during our conversation that I wanted the card which awarded XXXX points after {$3000.00} were charged to the account. The representative " created a case '' and gave me Case # XXXX and the XXXX # at the " Corporate Office '' that handles these problems. The XXXX # I was given was : XXXX. Further, I was told someone from that office would be calling me to resolve the matter. 

No calls from the " Corporate Office '' were received for several days. Therefore, on XX/XX/2019 I contacted the toll-free number provided for the office within the " Corporate Office '' that was handling the problem. The representative reviewed the note by the person who spoke to me the day I requested the credit card and he said the notes stated that " the customer is requesting a rewards card ''. Nevertheless, he told me it had to be further investigated in order to correct it. Someone would have to listen to the recordings of the telephone conversation between the representative who opened the account and I. At that point I asked why it would be necessary, since he had just told me the representative 's notes said I had requested a Rewards Card. He stated it was protocol. Nevertheless, he told me I would receive a call from a representative by the close of business. 

The close of business came and went and no return call. Therefore, I contacted this so-called " Corporate Office '' on XX/XX/XXXX. This time the representative simply went over the notes inputted into the system and told me somebody would call me back. This time he refused to give me a time frame. 

Yesterday, XX/XX/2019 at XXXX hours CST I again called the " Corporate Office '' the person who I spoke told me the case had been assigned to a Case Worker by the name of " XXXX '' and that " XXXX '' had called me yesterday at XXXX hrs CST, but there were no notes regarding the conversation. I told him I never received such a call yesterday and that my phone did not show a missed call yesterday. Nevertheless I told him I would call later to speak to " XXXX. '' Finally yesterday I was able to speak to " XXXX '' who said he was waiting for someone to review the recordings of the conversation between the representative and I. I asked " XXXX '' why this was necessary since the representatives ' notes indicated I had requested a Rewards Card. " XXXX '' said he could not see such a comment inputted into the system by the representative who opened the account for me over the telephone. This is totally contrary to what I was told by the representative who spoke to me the very first time I spoke to this so-called " Corporate Office ''. 

Again, " XXXX '' would not give me a time frame to resolve this matter. I asked him if this is something which happened often and he said he couldn't disclose that information. 

It is a known fact that Wells Fargo has engaged in illegal and/or unethical practices in the past. In fact, when I XXXX  " Well Fargo Scams '' yesterday there were pages and pages of different schemes utilized by Wells Fargo which were deceptive and some outright illegal. Some of them led to substantial fines. 

Thus, there is reason to believe this a case in which the customer is offered one service and is provided a different one. This is nothing other than the old and proverbial method of " BAIT AND SWITCH ''. In other words, the customer enrolls in one type of credit card and is given another one which does not provide the benefits the customer anticipated and the main reason he had requested it.

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 monetary relief