Consumer complaint received 2019-12-23
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
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:
The company is Wells Fargo ( " bank '' ). The dates of the transactions are XX/XX/2019. 

I have a credit card, debit card and a checking account with the bank. The credit card provides rewards a 1 % cash rebate. The debit card does not. The credit card automatically takes monthly payment from the checking account. 

In the afternoon of the 25th while I was purchasing an {$1100.00} item ( refrigerator and some installation and disposal services ) from XXXX XXXX on the internet, my credit card was rejected twice. I then purchased using the debit card. That night I spent {$230.00} at a restaurant in XXXX using the debit card. 

I asked the bank in two phone calls and four e-mails to credit both transactions for the 1 % rebate, and the bank refused. 

I could go to small claims court and get the money, but, of course, the amount is too small for the effort. This unfairness in remedy power is why the CFPB exists. 

I would win in small claims court under the facts further explained below. After purchases for XXXX up to the XXXX, the checking account had a balance of around {$30000.00}. I was transacting for the refrigerator using my iPad. If bank wanted to block my account for a security reason, it could have checked with me through calling me or instant messaging me. The bank did not. Instead, the bank first rejected the transaction ( first e-mail received after the rejection ) and then informed me there was a security question ( second e-mail received ). 

Was there a valid security reason? No. The amount should not trigger any issue given the above financial information. That the amount was for XXXX, rather than XXXX should not have bothered the bank because it should know that the largest electronics goods retailer records all its internet transactions as being from XXXX. Moreover, as an internet transaction, the bank ( and all banks ) should have a system to check whether the item is being physically delivered and, if so, where. If the delivery address matches the credit card address, the bank should know the purchase is valid. This should be a requirement as more transactions are done over the internet, and especially if a rewards program is involved. 

( This was the third time that the bank blocked my account needlessly. I suggest that banks should report to the CFPB how many times accounts are blocked and how many times those closings were wrong. Banks with too many wrongful blockings should pay substantial fines to the CFPB. ) So, I was on the internet. With my credit card blocked, I used the debit card of the same bank. What did the bank expect me to do instead? Did the bank expect me to stop my internet transaction to check my e-mail and then call the bank to go through their automated system to inform the bank of its error? Did the retailer likely paying the bank something for the transaction want me to stop transacting?

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