Consumer complaint received 2017-05-30
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (MD)

Time  is of the essence because I am having difficulty with Wells Fargo not accepting my power of attorney and I leave the country in les s than three  weeks.  <P/> I am an   XXXX   and am SHOCKED by the unprofessionalism, illegal conduct, and poor training of  Wells Fargo  banking employees. I approached the  XXXX , MD bank branch on  XXXX   XXXX  over a year ago and roughly 6 months ago explaining that I would be out of the country and needed to add a Power of Attorney ( POA ) to my banking account so that they could manage my checking and savings accounts. I explained that my agent is located in  XXXX , NY which i s 4-5 hou rs from the nearest  Wells Fargo  branch. They said the only way to add my agent is for them to travel to the nearest branch, despite knowing the distance. I gave them two weeks to come up with a more reasonable method and they did n't. They said there was NO work around to confirming my agent 's identity. Unbelievable in the  21st Century.   <P/> They said they would not accept my POA document until my agent showed up in person.  <P/> I used the MD statutory durable power of attorney form and had it notarized at  Wells Fargo  bank in  XXXX  on  XXXX   XXXX ,    2017. Eve ryone involved at  Wells Fargo  's  XXXX  branch was fully aware of the purpose of the document. My agent traveled from NY state to this branch this Saturday,   XX/XX/XXXX   to show up in person. Despite providing all photos IDs and able to provide necessary signatures, the manager was had been involved in this process from the beginning told me that the POA doc was defective for many reasons. He said it could not be honored by the bank because it was witnessed by their own bank employees. I pushed back and said it was legally binding doc that they had to honor. The  manager  checked with their legal department and said that yes they agreed it was a properly executed POA. They said though that I had to execute an entirely different POA. They also said we had to complete their  POA  forms.  <P/> Moreover, on a less important issue -- they said that my POA would not be able to access my minor trust saving 's account or the savings account I use to escrow rental home security deposit ( these two accounts are not a priority, but does n't make sense that an agent would be limited in this way ).  <P/> The manager was FULLY aware that what is most needed is my POA to be able to conduct my financial affairs over the phone since she lives 4-5 hours from the nearest branch (   XXXX   XXXX   and taking care of a  XXXX  neighbor ). He said that they will honor her POA powers at the counter but not over the phone, which defeats the purpose and critical need for my agent while I am out of the country in very remote locations for 9 months. ( see doc showing email thread  ) T his morning I sent them the MD statute that they are in violation of. This statutes requires them to honor valid POAs ... in this case, I used the statutory POA form to ensure I received this protection under MD law.  <P/> Attached is a recent email thread with the branch manager for the branch located on  XXXX   XXXX  in  XXXX , MD. Please investigate this immediately. This bank 's conduct is not only illegal, but highly unethical. They should be fined.  <P/> PLEASE POST THIS ON YOUR WEBSITE ( the form does n't let me click to authorize this ).  <P/> Thanks,  XXXX   P.S.  This bank once had stellar service and from my observation over the last  5-7 y ears they have fired their most seasoned employees and hired inexperienced employees who are woefully improperly trained.  XXXX   XXXX  is incredibly rude and unprofessional,  XXXX   XXXX  is very helpful and responsive but limited by policies, and manager  XXXX   XXXX  tried to be helpful but appears to be poorly trained and tightly controlled or forced by upper management to participate in this illegal conduct to set up barriers to consumers ' needs.