Consumer complaint received 2024-12-14
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Closing an account — Funds not received from closed account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (MA)

XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX I closed a joint account that had a value of {$31000.00} I had with my deceased father. He had been dead for years and my mother submitted his death certificate to Wells Fargo several times to close his other accounts. I requested the closure of the account and sent them another copy of the death certificate. Wells Fargo closed the account and sent me a check that required his signature. I called and asked for a reissued check. They said they would send it. 
A few weeks go by and I call again for an update and they told me they needed more time to reissue the check. I waited a couple more weeks and called again to ask for an update and they told me they can not reissue checks and there was never a request to reissue checks. I asked why they issued a check that could not be cashed and they insisted there was no problem. I asked them to reissue a check anyway and they said I would need to fill out a lost/stolen check form. 
I received the form and returned it. It was rejected. They sent a new copy and informed me that the form needed to be notarized. This time, the form had my father 's name in the name section mixed in with my name. It appeared to be a typo. I asked them to send me a new form. They insisted it was not a typo and that it would not be rejected by a notary. I brought it to a notary and they refused to sign it ( it was not my name in the form ). I called and asked for them to reissue the form as the name was wrong. I insisted they make sure my name was the only name on it and they refused to comply. Again, insisting that the notary would sign off on it. I asked them to check with their legal department that this was the case and they confirmed. 
I received the 3rd form and it now had a XXXX ' sign in the name and my father 's name on it. The notary rejected it again ( my name does not have a '+ ' in it ). I called again and asked for a form with only my name on it. They refused and said they could send a blank one instead. I asked to change to written communication. At the time they agreed but they responded only briefly via paper mail before returning to direct calls and not responding to mail. I filled out the blank form and notarized it. I noticed they had not sent me any return envelope not return address but luckily I had one of the old ones and I sent it back. 
I called a couple weeks later because I was receiving no response from written communication and no calls. They told me they had received no form. I asked them to check at the address I sent it to and they told me it would take a week to research it. I called a couple weeks later and they insisted they were still working on it. A couple weeks later I call again and they deny the request to research. They claim I never called and there was no form or request to look for the form. I asked for them to send me another form multiple times over the coming months but the forms never arrived.

Multiple times over the course of these exchanges, I asked to be escalated to management or a higher priority. These requests to speak to management were denied and when I requested escalations I had my case moved to a different department that would send me repeated canned responses. They would either call or email saying " your case is closed. We sent you a form '' I would reply " I have not received a form '' and they would reply " we are reopening the case, please give us 3 weeks to investigate the case '' and then they would reply with " your case is closed. Our records show we had sent you a form last time ''. 
Finally after passing a year of this I demanded, formally, that Wells Fargo issue me a check for the money they owe me. They refused to respond. I asked a local lawyer and they tell me there is nothing they can do because Wells Fargo engaged with me primarily via call to make sure I wouldn't have a record. I have many records of communication but not enough for a case. 
I should also mention that they had told me this matter could be " fixed if you went to an in-person branch ''. However there is no branch in my entire state and the closest one is over 10 hour drive. It is doubtful that there would be a fix at an in person branch and I have run out of options. It seems like this bank can rob me and there is nothing I can do.