Consumer complaint received 2017-09-12
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
My husband and I left the United States on XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX. We notified Wells Fargo of our dates of travel as we were instructed to do before we left. We took a cruise from XXXX, Fl. to XXXX, XXXX for 14 days departing on XX/XX/XXXX arriving in XXXX, XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. We stayed in XXXX for two days than took the fast train to XXXX XXXX, XXXX for the next 7 weeks where we did not have internet access from the condo we had rented. We walked to the small town every day to get internet access but did not have a printer nor could we speak fluent XXXX with the locals to see if we could use one. 

I made three payments on my credit card in XXXX totaling {$850.00} : XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ONLINE PAYMENT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ONLINE PAYMENT XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX XXXX ONLINE PAYMENT XXXX When I received my notice that my XXXX monthly payment was due I noticed that instead of going down my balance went up and I mentioned to my husband something was wrong but did not have internet access until the middle of XX/XX/XXXX to see what it was exactly and contacted the bank to ask what happened. I do not have the exact date for that though. 

Once we arrived in XXXX I was able to find a visitor information office that allowed me to download and print out my bank statements for XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, and XX/XX/XXXX. I underlined all the fraudulent charges made on my credit card beginning on XX/XX/XXXX and ending on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I contacted Wells Fargo Bank and filed a fraud claim around XX/XX/XXXX when we arrived in XXXX. My claim was denied by the fraud department Vice President XXXX XXXX XXXX dated XX/XX/XXXX, stating that since I had made a payment on my outstanding balance that I had authorized the charges and that is their policy in the fraud department. 

I told them that these charges were not authorized and was told by the fraud department that I could send a letter to the Reconsideration Department listing the details of my case. They asked me if I had filed a police report about the fraud, which I find ludicrous because I was in a foreign country and the fraud occurred in the United States in California, Florida, and New York starting the day after we departed on our cruise and continuing until XX/XX/XXXX. 

I did type out a letter with all the fraudulent charges listed with the dates they occurred as well as sending copies of our travel documents to prove we were not in the United States during the fraudulent time period. Again I received two letter from XXXX XXXX XXXX, Senior Vice President Credit Card Fraud Claims Department dated XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. 

I supposedly have fraud protection insurance with Wells Fargo Bank and was very surprised they did not accept my claim. 

I got a call from the fraud department on charges for my replacement card and asked the young lady who called me why I was receiving a call from them in XX/XX/XXXX for miscellaneous charges now but did not receive a call from them in XX/XX/XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, or XX/XX/XXXX when there were fraudulent charges placed on my card? She did not have an answer for me. 

I am extremely upset that this can and does happen to clients of this well know financial institution. I feel discriminated against because of my age and because they have lost several court cases for misconduct costing them millions of dollars that they think they have to recoup by doing this type of poor business practices with long time responsible customers like myself. 

Regards, XXXX XXXX-XXXX  XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX , California XXXX-XXXX

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