Consumer complaint received 2025-08-31 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Date : XX/XX/XXXX Subject : CFPB Complaint Unauthorized {$10000.00} Charge by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX To Whom It May Concern : I am submitting this formal complaint against XXXX  and Wells Fargo Bank , N.A . regarding an unauthorized charge in the amount of {$10000.00}, which was posted on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Despite my prompt reporting of the dispute, supported by documentary evidence, Wells Fargo failed to conduct a proper investigation, refused to issue provisional credit, and denied the dispute citing only vague merchant policy. This conduct constitutes clear violations of the Fair Credit Billing Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1666 ), Regulation E ( 12 CFR 1005.11 ), and Wells Fargos own Zero Liability/Fraud Protection policy . 




Background On XX/XX/XXXX, my son, rented a XXXX XXXX XXXX from XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
At the time, he was XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX  own rental policy prohibits luxury/exotic rentals to drivers under age XXXX. Renting to him constituted a breach of contract and negligent assignment. 
The vehicle was immediately discovered to be infested with live roaches, rendering it unsafe and unfit for use. 
My son reported the infestation to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and was instructed to retain the vehicle, document the infestation, and was assured that a full refund would be issued. 
Cleaning expenses were incurred and receipts were provided to XXXX and Wells Fargo XXXX 

Timeline of Events XX/XX/XXXX : Attempted vehicle return in XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  refused to accept the return. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Multiple follow-ups with XXXX  No resolution provided. 
XX/XX/XXXX : After escalation to XXXX XXXX ( XXXX executive office ) , my son was instructed to return the vehicle at a designated location. She assured him billing would be corrected and that a refund of {$3800.00} would be processed. 
Billing outcome : XXXX initially charged {$3800.00}, then reversed the transaction as expected. However, on XX/XX/XXXX, my Wells Fargo account was charged {$10000.00} without authorization or notice. 
Additionally, XXXX wrongfully attributed two traffic citations ( XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) to my son, despite GPS/location data proving he was in XXXX. Wells Fargo reversed those charges after acknowledging the misattribution, confirming a pattern of billing errors by XXXX XXXX 
XXXX/ XX/XX/XXXX A police report was initiated with the XXXX XXXX XXXX Police Department regarding the fraudulent charge, and reference # XXXX was provided for tracking purposes. The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX advised that, because the incident originated in XXXX XXXX, the matter would need to be reported to and addressed there. Subsequently, contact was made with the XXXX XXXX Police Department, which advised that the issue is classified as a civil matter, and should be addressed in court. 
XX/XX/XXXX several contact was made between myself and Wells Fargo ; notably, between 06/14/205 06/19/2025 I was told by one of Wells Fargos representatives that the car rental agency were at liberty to bill/ and continue to bill for charges since the credit card was provided to them at the time of service. While Wells Fargos represent provided inaccurate information, this further supports the lack of care that was likely attributed and/or evident during the investigation of my case.

Evidence Submitted to Wells Fargo Rental agreement Photographs of the vehicle infestation Documentation of attempted return ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and actual return ( XX/XX/XXXX ) {$4800.00} authorization slip reflecting a planned refund ( found on rental agreement ) Location data verifying Florida presence during GA citations ( location evidence on the pictures ) Copies of the fraudulent GA traffic billing attached Wells Fargos Failure to Comply Refused to issue provisional credit during dispute investigation.

Cited vague merchant policy as the sole reason for denial.

Violation of FCBA ( 15 U.S.C. 1666 ) failure to investigate billing error in good faith.

Violation of Regulation E ( 12 CFR 1005.11 ) failure to follow error resolution procedures. 
Violation of Wells Fargos stated Zero Liability/Fraud Protection policy .

Wells Fargos action demonstrates clear negligence in the handling of this matter. The bank has extensive record of restricting my credit card usage and initiating fraud alerts for relatively insignificant transactions sometimes for amounts under {$13.00}, by contacting me via text and telephone to verify activity. Yet, despite this established practice, Wells Fargo failed miserably to apply the same protective measures when a single charge exceeding {$10000.00} was presented. This charge is not only grossly inconsistent with my historical spending patterns, but also unprecedented in over 15 years of banking with Wells Fargo. By failing to properly investigate or restrict such an extraordinary transaction, while simultaneously over-scrutinizing nominal charges, Wells Fargo acted with unreasonable inconsistency and a lack of due diligence. Such conduct constitutes negligence in the banks fraud detection obligations and a breach of its duty to exercise reasonable care in protecting its customers and its own institution from fraudulent activity.

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