Consumer complaint received 2018-02-21
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: IN
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Confusing or missing disclosures

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I attempted to open a Checking account at Wells Fargo & was treated in an abusive/discriminatory manner by XXXX XXXX & XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX XXXX made several unprofessional comments & attempted to obtain PII ( Personally Identifiable Information ) that is not required to be disclosed by consumers in order to open a bank account. His inquiries were invasive & had criminal undertones & as far as I was concerned he was attempting to defraud me. XXXX XXXX asked about my hobbies, did I sing? He wanted to know specifically why I had come to XXXX XXXX, & he repeatedly told me that I was, " the worst '' for having a specialized logo on a debit card from another bank. I asked him to stop referring to me as the worst & I also refused to answer his request to know the city I was born in. 45 minutes later, ( Yes, 45 minutes later ) After XXXX XXXX told me that Wells Fargo treats cashiers checks like cash, I was denied by the teller & told that there would be a hold placed on the cashiers check. I drove 30 minutes away to go to my own bank & I attempted to make a deposit to this new account, on more than one occasion in the drive thru & the XXXX branch, but the wait was too long, so on XX/XX/XXXX, I went to the downtown branch & was advised by XXXX XXXX that the account was closed for fraud. From then on, XXXX XXXX treated me in an abusive & discriminatory manner as if I had come to the bank for fraudulent purposes. I explained to XXXX XXXX the seriousness of making false allegations of fraud. I basically was unlawfully detained by XXXX XXXX because of her outrageous behavior, I had to push past her attempts to block me from opening an account. I was at the branch for over an hour. I spoke with several managers regarding this matter and they never were unable to provide a definitive answer as to why the account was flagged for fraud or suspected fraud. I consider Wells actions unlawful & racially motivated. XXXX XXXX said she was, " uncomfortable '' accepting a {$750.00} money order from me & asked, " Why I had purchased the money order? '' As if I had to have a reason for having a money order in my possession. XXXX XXXX subjected me to a series of questions such as, " Just how much are you planning to deposit? '' Saying condescendingly, " I do not want to have a repeat of what happened at OUR other branch & she suggested that I come back the following day when the Branch Manager, XXXX XXXX was available to verify whether the {$750.00} money order was good or not. XXXX XXXX then got up from her desk & walked away for several minutes without explanation. When she returned, I told her that I had filmed the entire interaction, she suddenly backtracked and asked, " Did you really film this? '' She said, " It is against the law to film in this branch & when I told her I did film it, She said she could accept the money order! '' I explained to her that no one would believe her outrageous behavior had it not been captured. Oddly enough, this particular Wells Fargo employee is believed to have a criminal history of XX/XX/XXXX, but yet treated me without dignity, respect, or compassion. Unlike XXXX XXXX, I have no criminal history. Speaking with XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX was one of the most humiliating moments in my life and I can not understand why Wells Fargo would subject XXXX veterans to this type of discriminatory behavior. Wells Fargo continues to place undue and unreasonable holds on my debit cards and as I am trying to order items online, my purchases are being denied. All of which is causing a undue hardship and is affecting the quality of my life. I made an in person complaint at the Branch but the Regional Manager, XXXX, stopped the complaint from reaching the Corporate Offices, as it should have, so I am still being treated very poorly by Wells Fargo employees. I am also a military whistle blower experiencing reprisal, & these unlawful attempts by Wells Fargo staff to defame my character and cause financial harm are directly related to my reports to congressional officials and must be stopped. I have the right to bank without interference or restriction,

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 non-monetary relief