Consumer complaint received 2025-02-05 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Can't stop withdrawals from your account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I have been a loyal Wells Fargo customer for over 25 years, beginning with a personal banking account while in law school and later entrusting the bank with my business accounts. Given this longstanding relationship, I expected a higher standard of service and accountability, especially when dealing with unauthorized transactions and disputed charges. Unfortunately, my recent experience has been deeply frustrating and financially damaging. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Wells Fargo to request stop payment orders on disputed charges from five merchants : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX These requests were for two separate business accounts, and I clearly explained to the agenton a recorded linethat the charges were unauthorized, that I had already communicated with the merchants regarding the disputes, and that I needed the bank to stop any further withdrawals. The claim numbers assigned to these requests were : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX While three of the stop payment orders were processed successfully, two were not. Despite my explicit request, these merchants continued withdrawing funds from my accounts. When I realized this, I called Wells Fargo again. Unfortunately, the agent I spoke with was unprofessional and seemed distractedhe repeatedly called me " XXXX '' ( which is not my name ) and referenced transactions from XX/XX/XXXX, which had nothing to do with my case. Without explanation, he abruptly transferred me to another agent, forcing me to start the process over again after already spending over 30 minutes on the phone. 

The next agent showed no concern for the inconvenience I had already endured. Nevertheless, I proceeded to re-file stop orders for the two remaining merchants and requested a refund for the unauthorized withdrawals, resulting in two new claim numbers : XXXX XXXX At this point, I had zero confidence that my requests would be handled correctly. To ensure action was taken, I went into my local Wells Fargo branch and met with a business banker. She was the only Wells Fargo representative who demonstrated professionalism and a willingness to help. She personally called on my behalf and filed the stop payment orders for a third time. This process took another 40 minutes, and I was again told it would take 10 business days for the claims to be processed and for my funds to be refunded. I was given the same claim numbers : XXXX XXXX As of today, XX/XX/XXXX, only one of the disputed charges has been refunded. When I called Wells Fargo for an update, I was told that a letter had been sent to mebut I never received any such letter. I asked why there was no record of this correspondence in my online banking messages, but the agent simply repeated that a letter had been mailed. 

Adding to my frustration, between the XX/XX/XXXX stop payment request and the XX/XX/XXXX re-submission, several additional unauthorized charges were deducted from my account. Oddly, one charge of {$190.00} from XXXX XXXX was refunded, but five others were notincluding more than {$1700.00} from XXXX. When I asked why some charges were refunded while others were not, the agent provided no clear answer and instead told me to " talk to the merchant. '' This entire experience has had a severe financial impact on my business. Because of these unauthorized withdrawals and Wells Fargo 's failure to act promptly, my business was unable to make critical payments, resulting in the termination of our company health insurance plan. The financial strain and uncertainty caused by the banks failure to execute basic stop payment requests have been immensely damaging. 

Beyond the monetary loss, the treatment I received from Wells Fargo 's customer service was appalling. With the exception of the in-branch banker, every phone representative I spoke with was dismissive, unhelpful, and outright rude. Instead of working to resolve the issue, they were defensive and seemed more concerned with shifting blame than assisting a long-time customer. At one point, an agent even suggested that the merchants might attempt to withdraw funds under different names, as if that somehow absolved the bank of responsibility. When I asked whether that wouldn't constitute fraud, I was met with silence and evasion.After 25+ years of banking with Wells Fargo , I am deeply disappointed by how this situation has been handled. The bank 's failure to act competently and in good faith has caused me financial and operational harm. I expect an immediate resolution and a full refund of my disputed funds.

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