Consumer complaint received 2017-02-16
Product: Bank account or service — Checking account
Issue: Using a debit or ATM card — 
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (CA)

There are a couple things I 'd like to touch upon, one I know what over draft protection is. But banks find it very easy for to just collect the fee for transferring money when swiping a debit card. They tell me the fees are regulated, but one bank charges each time the card is swiped, and another charges one fee at the end of the day and that same bank will charge XXXX as well every once in a while. I asked when I set up this account that since I have overdraft protection that it only work on checks and eft, and not on everything including debit card swipes/inserts, and was told yes it could but because of the type of account I have that it couldnt be set up like that until a year after the account was opened. More than a year later I found out that was a lie, and that they couldnt set it up that way. ( Bait and switch much? ) Aside from this, numerous reps have given me confusing information regarding why charges to my cards will go thru without sufficient funds being in my account. one said " recurring charges will always be processed no matter what. '' and so i said a recurring charge comes thru on a expired or a card number reported as lost or stolen and on a closed account will go thru? Their response was " yes. '' OK ... .. another response was " its at the banks discretion to either pay or approve the recurring charges once they are presented to the bank because they could have been processed at a previous time. '' One charge I was questioning was a recurring charge, in which the bank approved and was on my account pending, and I thought I had like {$4.00} in my account and was denied for a {$3.00} purchase. Come to find out the charge was pending for XXXX on an account that had XXXX in the checking and negative XXXX dollar in my overdraft account. Mind you this charge was pending and had n't posted to my account but still prevented me from making my purchase of {$3.00}. I had called in and was confronted ( over the phone ) by someone who was n't very helpful in answering my questions regarding " other '' recurring charges that were denied but for some reason this one for XXXX was approved. She just didnt know how to answer this concern but to keep repeating the same thing : " its at the banks discretion to either pay or approve the recurring charges once they are presented to the bank because they could have been processed at a previous time. '' And when asked when this one was processed she responded this morning only. I asked her then why did another recurring charge this week get declined, and I said XXXX but was mistaken for the actual amount of XXXX. But it still showed a point. And as well as a recurring charge for my cell bill which was charged like clockwork every month was declined, to which she responded about the banks discretion again. I have recurring charges being charged every month, cell, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX. All of which has been declined previously because of no money in my account as well as the one in question numerous times. So why is this one and not the others special? The reply of the banks discretion again. Someone slap the record player the record is scratched and it keeps repeating. I finally had enough of the repeating of the same thing and I hung up. 
Another issue which I read is pending against them, about them opening accounts without my approval. When I got the account I wanted only a Checking account, and was explained that it was a package deal and that all checking accounts come with a savings account. Now I know why.