Consumer complaint received 2019-05-21
Company: BANK OF THE WEST
State: TX
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Money was not available when promised

Complaint:
Bank of the West ( BotW ) is unreliable, uncaring and unwilling to help customers in need. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, my wife and I went into the XXXX, XXXX branch of BotW where we had banked for three years. We originally opened our BotW account at XXXX, XXXX when we moved to XXXX in XXXX. 

During this visit, we wire transferred earnest money to an escrow company in XXXX XXXX, XXXX as part of our purchase of a property there. While conducting this business, we asked the BotW employee helping us how we could submit a second wire transfer for the balance due at closing when we would no longer be physically in XXXX or near a BotW branch ( none in XXXX ). The employee told us that since we had come in person to the branch, been verified and would be sending the wire to the same exact company and routing information, just with a different amount, that we would be able to initiate the second wire transfer via telephone. We were happy to hear this and thought nothing more about the answer. BIG mistake on our part. 

Fast forward to XX/XX/XXXX. We are in a rental house in XXXX XXXX and call BotW to initiate the second wire transfer. NOW we are told a completely different story. " Oh no. Bank POLICY requires you to be in person for a wire transfer. '' We were also basically called liars by the officers at the XXXX branch and the XXXX branch because they both said, " Oh no. One of our employees would NEVER tell you that. '' Their suggestion : see if the escrow company would take a personal check. A FREAKING PERSONAL CHECK FOR THE BALANCE OF A HOME PURCHASE!! When my wife asked if BotW would do that, she did not get an answer. Frankly, this answer was not only  ridiculous, it was insulting. 

Their only solution : show up at a BotW branch in person. SO - since BotW was unwilling to fix their mistake and didn't care enough to come up with a realistic solution - that's what we did. I flew from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX and back in one day. I took a cab from the airport to the BotW branch in XXXX   XXXX, sent the wire transfer, then took a cab back to the airport and flew back to XXXX XXXX. As a XXXX person, this was VERY taxing for me, but based on our situation with the move, it was the only solution. 

BotW was unrealiable, uncaring and unwilling to help us in this situation that one of their employees created. They cost us a LOT of unnecessary money to fix THEIR mistake by one of THEIR employees. People need to understand thney can not trust ANYTHING told to them verbally by ANY BotW employee because the Bank will not fix it if there is a problem and call them liars if they insist they were told otherwise. 

Worst of all? BotW officers kept intoning " bank policy '' as if it were a Bible verse. Here 's a hint : policy is not law. Exceptions can be made to " bank policy '', unlike state or federal laws or regulations. Especially in a case where two people were given wrong information by a BotW employee. And you know what? Now the XXXX branch mysteriously claims that they can't identify the employee who conducted the wire transfer, even though the employee has to sign and put their information on the document. Gee, very convenient, hunh? 

Okay, enough ranting. Like I said, we're still recovering from traveling XXXX miles on the move, making a day-long trip to XXXX XXXX courtesy of BotW and moving into our new home. Thanks for nothing, Bank of the West!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation