Consumer complaint received 2020-02-03
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Seized or attempted to seize your property

Complaint:
The complaint is about fraudulent debt collectors and Wells Fargo Bank. XXXX  XXXX XXXX have taken advantage of the system using unscrupulous means to force us to pay a debt that had been negotiated previously with XXXX XXXX XXXX. We have been involved in disputes between those collection agencies who were claiming the same debt. To this day, it is affecting our livelihood and our home is on the line, all while we were trying to act correctly and pay our debts. In the first place, XXXX XXXX XXXX lied about owning that debt and proceeded to write a payment plan settlement for us. XXXX  XXXX XXXX lied about owning that debt and about being able to recover any of the money we paid to XXXX XXXX XXXX  and persisted with intimidation for payment of this debt. Both agencies were charging us at the same time for the same debt. We will demonstrate with documents that these agencies have been taking advantage of the power granted by the system and enforced fraudulent claims for immediate payments. In the case of XXXX  XXXX XXXX, without agreement. 
This problem has gotten out of control. As you will see in the attachments, we can proof our good intention to pay the debt and we still have it, but according to our possibilities. Our resources are not enough for more legal action, so we request your intervention. 

The court ruled in favor of these unscrupulous agencies, granting us a lien on the house even when they lied and skipped many debt collection laws to punish us for non-payment. We are affected. We have been trying to find ways to make a payment arrangement since XXXX when we paid {$620.00} to XXXX XXXX XXXX, however, that has been impossible. The XXXX XXXX  have been rude on the phone and they refuse to make a payment arrangement. They have treated us like criminals. The debt problem has been taken personally and they have no intention of solving it objectively. Therefore, we turned to credit lawyers in XXXX to be intermediaries, but they could not reach a reasonable settlement either. See attachment 1. 

During the economic crisis of XXXX, our Wells Fargo credit card account went to default and was acquired by collection agencies. 
In XXXX, a payment arrangement was negotiated with XXXX XXXX   XXXX  to settle the debt we owed ( Attach. 2 ). After making 2 payments to XXXX XXXX XXXX ( {$500.00} down and {$120.00} first monthly payment ) we received a letter from XXXX  XXXX XXXX  offering a lower settlement of the SAME DEBT ( Attach. 3 ). 
What we told to XXXX  XXXX XXXX  : we were making payments of the same debt to XXXX XXXX  XXXX  and they should be able to collect money from them. Also told them that we will not do business with them or accept any deals from anyone UNTIL WE RECOVER OUR MONEY to continue paying this debt with whomever showed proof of ownership. ( Attach. 4 ). 
XXXX XXXX  XXXX  told us : they are not going to refund the money and that XXXX is lying. 
We made a claim of fraud to Wells Fargo : we sent a letter to the bank explaining what was happening ( Attach. 5 ).

While the bank was researching the issue ( Attach. 6 ) : XXXX  XXXX XXXX desperately kept calling, threatening to be paid, causing calls to be very heated. We received a letter from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX threatening to proceed in the Superior Court and requesting a payment of the original debt plus interests. All this in the middle of the Wells Fargo investigation. 
We felt worried, threatened, doubtful and skeptical because those are publicly known tactics that are used by fake debt collectors or scammers to intimidate people. ( Attach. 7 ) Wells Fargo closed the claim on XX/XX/XXXX. Wells Fargo sided with us and we were credited {$620.00} ( Attach 8 ). Later, contacted XXXX  XXXX XXXX to settle the debt and was dismissed by a rude and a hostile agent not wanting to settle by saying that it was too late for us. However, they are continually checking my credit and probably have called from some other agency belonging to the same owner, XXXX XXXX - XXXX XXXX XXXX. Sarcastically, we received another letter from a third debt collector, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX ( after being sued in XXXX ) representing XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX requesting the payment of the same debt in question. ( Attach 9 ). 

Lien on the house : In XXXX, we were trying to refinance through Wells Fargo Mortgage and found out that a lien had been attached to the house since XXXX. Wells Fargo Mortgage agent investigate where the lien came from and let us know. To demonstrate our willing to settle this debt, we presented all these attachments to them and we made a call to XXXX  XXXX XXXX  in presence of their agent who witnessed the hostility we have received for years. The Wells Fargo agent heard clearly after 10 seconds of starting the call, they said : I got you. 
Professional help was hired : from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ( Attach 1 ), XXXX XXXX  XXXX could not help us. XXXX  XXXX XXXX maintained the same stalking attitude and with dishonesty have abused the power that the system has granted them by blocking us from a reasonable settlement, by adding interest and other magnified fees to the main balance that we will never be able to pay. We have never tried to evade our responsibility and we have acted in good faith at all times. Contrarily, all these collectors have been acting dishonest and perversely treating us as criminals.

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