Consumer complaint received 2026-01-13 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Can't close your account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
I have an account with Wells Fargo for a Choice Privileges Mastercard. However, as confirmed by Wells Fargo, I never received the physical card through the mail as I was expecting. I attempted to request a replacement card through my online account many times. Every time, I was told the request is denied for security reasons and that I must call in.

I called the provided phone number and followed the prompts of the robot. The robot looped me back to the same online replacement request process, which failed again. I attempted this twice, the second time trying a different option with the phone robot but it failed both times.

I called again, this time after looking up Wells Fargo 's general customer service number in the hope of talking to a real human. I correctly followed all the robot prompts to speak with someone about my credit card account. When a human finally answered, the human took all my details and asked me several questions for about 15 minutes, then in the end said she didn't handle this issue and needed to transfer me somewhere else.

I was then transferred to a hold line. I waited on hold and nobody ever picked up nor was any update announced regarding wait times or place in line. I finally hung up after waiting on hold for half an hour. Before I was transferred, I asked the human to give me the direct phone number for where she was transferring me so I could call back if I was disconnected. I called this direct phone number, which was answered by another robot. At that point I gave up. 

Basically I spent hours in total trying to get a replacement card from Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo did not do it. I've been in good standing with Wells Fargo for many years and still am as far as I know. I am not sure what the security concern is because the account has a {$0.00} balance and is not being used because I don't have the card. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I requested in writing through a CFPB complaint ( XXXX ) for Wells Fargo to close the credit card account. On XX/XX/XXXX, Wells Fargo responded that the account remained open and a replacement card remained unissued. Wells Fargo 's advice was to call their phone system, the same phone system that I had tried to call twice previously without success and which prompted the complaint in the first place. In other words, Wells Fargo did nothing to assist me. In its response, Wells Fargo confirmed that I did call in to try to cancel the card, yet Wells Fargo still chose not to close the account even after my followup written request.

Wells Fargo intentionally makes it difficult to close an account by offering no option to do so through its website or through secure messaging. An account can be opened on the website but an account can not be closed on the website. Wells Fargo also confirmed and apologized for its extended phone hold times for closing credit card accounts. While I appreciate the apology, the extended time was very extended when I called and as a rational human being at some point one must hang up. Wells Fargo does offer support chat. On XX/XX/XXXX, I also attempted to close my account through this support chat. Unfotunately, the support chat is a completely automated A.I.-driven system that was unable to provide any assistance other than display a phone number, similar to the CFPB complaint response Wells Fargo issued previously.

The credit card agreement states, " We may close your Account at any time and for any reason. You may also close the Account at any time. '' Therefore, Wells Fargo 's refusal to close my account upon my repeated and confirmed request is a violation of the agreement and the law. The agreement does not specify that I am expected to remain on hold for indefinite extended periods, or that I am expected to go through endless interacting loops with automated systems. A business standard written request should be sufficient, although I did unsuccessfully attempt to cancel the card through the phone and chat methods as well before resorting to these written requests. Wells Fargo also reserves the right to cancel an account at any time for any reason, which they often do to the surprise of customers, but in my case when I am specifically and repeatedly asking for an account to be closed Wells Fargo just won't do it. Wells Fargo has confirmed the account has a {$0.00} balance and the associated card was not activated, so nothing is preventing its closure other than Wells Fargo 's arbitrary refusal. Therefore I am filing a second CFPB complaint again requesting closure of the account.

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