Consumer complaint received 2017-08-03
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (NY)

To Whom it May Concern, I successfully opened a checking account with Wells Fargo Bank in  XX/XX/XXXX and was allowed to make an initial deposit of {$50.00} online. At the time, Wells Fargo was offering an account opening bonus of {$250.00} and there was a minimum balance of {$1500.00} in order to avoid a monthly service fee. I mailed a check for {$1500.00} that same week in order to bring my balance over that threshold.
A couple of weeks later, my check was returned to me in the mail with a note saying that I needed to go into a branch with a photo ID to verify my identity. The closest branch is 1 hour and 22 minutes from my home -- nearly a 3 hour round trip drive. I called to inquire as to why my check was returned. I was told over the phone in   XXXX   that I could re-send a check for my {$1500.00} deposit. On  XX/XX/XXXX , I wrote a second check and mailed it out the next day. I never received any further notice about this deposit.
Recently, I received a statement from Wells Fargo showing that my account balance is only {$30.00} as of  XX/XX/XXXX , when a second monthly maintenance fee of {$10.00} was charged to the account. It appears that they never deposited my second check for {$1500.00}.
I called today,  XX/XX/XXXX  and was told that the only thing I can do is appear in person at a branch. Despite my pleas for understanding that the drive to a branch is an undue burden, the bank refused to speak with my about the account and told me that they could not answer any further questions. They hung up the phone on me.
At this point, it appears to me that Wells Fargo did not open this account in good faith. My impression is that they never intended to allow me to deposit and rather were looking to steal my money in the form of monthly maintenance fees. I 've been told that I can not even close my account over the phone. Effectively, the bank has told me that they will continue to debit my account to {$0.00} unless I drive 3 hours round trip to prove that I am me. As a business owner with excellent credit who has lived at the same address for almost my entire life, I ca n't believe that Wells Fargo has had any difficulty in identifying me. They could easily   XXXX   my name and verify every piece of information I have provided as to my knowledge I am the only person in the entire United States with my name and I do own a sizable business in the hometown I have lived in since my birth in  XX/XX/XXXX . Furthermore, if they could not verify my identity, why would they have let me open an account and make a deposit? At this point, the only answer I can surmise is that they intended to take advantage of my distance from a branch all along. I wonder how many others ' accounts they have pilfered under the guise of " not being able to verify identity ''.
I was unfairly charged a fee on an account that I twice tried in good faith to deposit money into in order to avoid a fee. The bank has refused to speak with me over the phone. Please help me compel them to at least return my money -- including the {$20.00} in fees that they have attempted to steal -- and close my account.