BANK ORDEAL

I usually love Thursdays, but not today.

Because today I had an intense one-hour phone ordeal with Wells Fargo Bank about some unauthorized charges to my bank account. Namely Bill Pay, which I never ordered and never used.

Apparently they have been getting the money for a very long time. The online banking doesn't even specify Bill Pay in the transaction description and I always assumed it was some sort of account fee or something of the sort. Recently I started asking questions and of course no one gives me any real answers. I did however receive a credit for some $50, but the reference they used was “customer satisfaction credit.” What is that? And they issued the credit after they told me repeatedly that they could only issue me credit for two months of charges (which would be approximately $14). When I asked the customer service representative about the nature of the credit, she had no clue – so now Wells Fargo is researching it…

Let’s face it – if the bank is willing to give me a credit for $50, I daresay they probably owe me more than that.

So today I called again - at least they should tell me when my account was first charged for Bill Pay; online I can only go back three months. I was transferred to some sort of supervisor who fired the following: "So Gloria tells me that all of a sudden you decided to take an active interest in your account." Unbelievable. The conversation deteriorated considerably after that – actually on his part, since I was speechless (no exaggeration). Finally, he decided that he did not like the tone of the conversation (maybe he referred to his own tone, since when I did recover enough to be able to articulate a word here and there, he kept interrupting me) – he turned to me and announced he was hanging up. And so he did.

I took names down (maybe I am becoming American - all that's missing is the lawsuit), and I will write a letter. I doubt I will ever see the money back, but it is deplorable that as a customer I was not able to receive any answers from the very department that is supposed to help me with any issues I may have. I mean, what is this? Wells Fargo Bank has been my bank for quite a long time. I’ve had several accounts with them and I’ve used several of their services. I suppose this means nothing to them. I doubt it means anything to any bank – that is even sadder.

After that supervisor hung up on me, I called again and I asked to speak to someone who also handles complaints directed at their customer service performance. The person who helped me then was very professional and polite, and she gave me another reference number, this time for the research into the situation that had just happened. At that point, I was exhausted, drained, and incredibly numb. I just wanted to get off the phone. And it dawned on me that she was the 5th person I spoke with today at Wells Fargo. In one hour. Five people, all told the same story, and most of them responding in the same way – complete disregard.

In the end, keeping money in the mattress might be easier on my health.