Wachovia Bank Anyone else ever get ripped off by a Wachovia/Wells Fargo ATM ? North Hollywood California

Well it took about a month..but it seems the provision as been released and I was refunded the NSF fee. I will give credit where it is due..but I must say for someone like me living paycheck to paycheck it was quite stressful not knowing from day to day if the bank was going to take back the funds. And if they had..I can't even imagine the number of overdraft fees that would have compounded on top of it..scary thought..it could have set me back for months of hardship. And it would have taken small claims court to get the money back..if possible..I mean how do I defend myself against a machine if the machine tells the bank it gave me cash..and it never did?? It would have been a long drawn out nightmare.

But..it seems to be under control now. Was there a lesson learned??? YES !

I will NEVER trust a machine again. I do need to access cash and I am trying to limit the use of my debit card. So I will go INTO a branch when it is open..and have a live person (bank teller) hand me the cash and a receipt. Other then keeping my cash under the mattress..which these days with what the banks are doing may be the safest bet..I see no other alternative.

Well it has been 12 days since the ATM ripped me off. As it stands now the $300.00 still is "provisional" according to my online statement. But it is still there and all the previous over drafts caused by the malfunction ($245.00) have been refunded.

However, just like I explained to them on the phone was going to happen..my ATT bill was listed yesterday as NSF. I had paid that bill before they arbitrarily took back the provision, and the funds were available. I can assume they will make good for this as  promised over the phone call, but I tried to reach them and I get a recording (from disputes) that the lines are so tied up they can't speak to me now..and it automatically hangs up on me. I will be calling back of course and post the results.

I also wonder that if ATT charges me any fees for the OD..that is not a fault of my own..but the fault of the ATM malfunction and the bank arbitrarily (or calculated, I do not know for sure, nor will they explain) will be refunded by the bank..or do I just chock it up as a lesson to not only trust online banking..not only not trust the bank..but not trust ATM machines?

I should be done with this bank (account $0.00 and closed) within a week or two. I hope this matter is settled by then. I don't need any more delay in escaping this bank and this matter has potential to prolong it..as well as a small claims court suit, the last thing I want to deal with now..

Today I wake up to a $35.00 NSF fee from the AT&T bill..just like I told them what was going to happen. The bank did refund $250.00 in OD fees as per their agreement to me..but now NSF's are coming in.

I also have to wonder if the phone company will fee me for this..or disconnect me. I work full time and spend 2 hours a day at least in LA traffic, I don't have time to deal with this..but must make time somehow.
I called ATT when I got home..their office is closed..so great, I will get up an hour early before work and call them to tell them why this happened (bank ATM ripoff error).

I also called the dispute dept of the bank again to see about refunding the NSF fee that is a direct result of the ATM malfunction. After all the buttons and messages and waiting..it ened with a message "due to heavy volume, the bank can't take your call..please call back later..and it "auto" hung up on me. Well I am used to the humans there doing it..why not their machines?

I will post back any updates and how this pans out. All I can say it's a giant hassle. Do I have any solutions to prevent this from happeneing again? Yes. Done with this bank. If I need a cash withdrawel from my credit union I will go to a bank teller and get cash in hand..banks as well as their electronic systems can not be trusted. So now not only am I afraid to use my debit card..I am afriad of the ATMs. This is crazy..I never heard of fearing a bank or ATMs before experiencing this bank.

Ronny... You say the following regarding your recent contact with the bank:

''So in other words not only was I ripped off..and denied access to my cash last weekend and all of this weekend..but now innuendos that I am a bank robber.''

I don't think that's the case, and I'll tell you why; you know as well as I do that jobs are going into the toilet at near light speed nowadays and new ones are becoming rare beasts. No one wants to step on toes of overstep boundaries, lest they find themselves on the dole in short order. It actually smells more like ''C.Y.A.'' all the way

You have to remember too, that banks, as with many institutions, employ an internal hierarchical ''pecking order''. It exists in most workplaces, in fact. You have your place, you better learn it, play well with others and color inside the lines... What that boils down to, is that every man on the totem pole has only so much authority to do so much. The lower the grunt, the less power... In this case, your initial contact at the bank isn't going to *commit* to agreeing with a customer which would likely get them into hot water with the brass. Especially this day in age when digital audio records can be easily pulled and used against the employee... see my first point.

Long story short here, it looks like they may be trying to cover their a*s and present a neutral front, but just may not be doing a very good job of it.

What may tie into this, as far as the ATM goes, is your contact simply can't speak for another department or their access to any info. To do so would be strictly against policy. That'd actually make sense. Plus, you have no idea how many other people may have been caught in that momentary glitch. I rather doubt it would have just been you who experienced frustration with that glitch... There could be thousands of people affected, in which case, their ATM/IT department has a hell of a lot of data to sift through. It's not going to be an overnight miracle, even if they pull employees in for an "all hands" marathon, it's going to take some time.

Personally, I'd be inclined to selectively ignore any perceived ''sleights'', especially since you seem to be catching more flies with honey and things are at least happening, seemingly in your favor, no less. Aside from that, it'd make any victory rather bittersweet if it was revealed that you WERE, in fact, just being oversensitive. Just let it slide until everything comes out in the wash, and THEN if you're certain you got dissed, then deal with it after the monetary aspect.

You don't want to be in a position as if you said you wanted a Hyundai Pony, were given a classic Ferrari 308 GTI and then complained because it didn't have chrome rims, right?

As for the ATM itself, as far as I understand your laws, your bank is obligated to report any findings, be they for or against the bank, honestly. To not do so, again, as far as I understand it, would invite a ''3rd party'' investigation/audit from the Feds.

I don't know of a single financial institution that gets happy that the Feds are crawling through their records and data stacks. It's a huge headache for them and tends to make them... edgy. So, it's really in their best interests to be honest about a screw up on their end.

At least now that you're getting some traction, you seem a bit more relaxed....

So..this morning (Monday, Aug.10th) I call the bank 7:30am my time. I was very polite on the phone and stated my case again. The employee told me to hold on while she talks to someone from the "ATM dept.", or something like that. 10 minutes later she gets back and tells me they will issue another "provisional refund" of the $300.00 in 24-48 hours. I told her this was unacceptable as I have auto debits coming in and they need to be paid. Her response was "well I told you how it is and that's that". So I replied "why should I go through this and be denied my money because of the banks ATM machine being defective". Her response was "that has yet to be proven"..

So in other words not only was I ripped off..and denied access to my cash last weekend and all of this weekend..but now innuendos that I am a bank robber. I hope her comment was recorded (the bank claims these conversations are recorded..but if it works against them I won't be surprised if they don't bring them to court) since I can use that if this ends up in court. Then I asked her "what safeguards does this bank use to protect the customers from ATM malfunctions ripping them off?"..at that point she hung up on me.

I waited around 10 minutes, gained composure and called back again. Got a different woman this time. I stated my case exactly the same again..she put me on hold...got back in 10 minutes and said "we are going to give you the provisional refund immediately" She then went on to tell me her supervisor stated it was up to her to decide whether to do that or not, and I guess she decided it was the right thing to do. She then said "is there anything else I can help you with today". I said no but "thank you so much for helping me".

So the end result so far is good. I am still dumbfounded that it has been 10 days and they still can't fix this..I am not thrilled with this "provisional refund" as they seem to take it back and give it arbitrarily, and then according to the second employee it is their individual decision whether or not to give the refund..so that is not really a very consistent operating platform..but seems to be their policy..strange..but it will get me though to payday..I can eat..my bills will be paid (other then my rent which was 10 days late due to this) and I have gas money to get to work.

Will update again when either they arbitrarily take back the refund..or figure out that they are mistaking and put the funds back without provision, and apologize...

enough people have done that...this has been the problem all along with myself..and what others have done to me. It is silliness. I actually agree with most of what you say in your last post.

Kindly understand I do not make a habit of posting while I am drunk..I did it once and apologized even though I did not direct my vulgarity or goofiness in my stupor to anyone personally or specifically..but you know d**n well I have been personally and specifically called names, insulted, belittled and a host of other wonderful experiences here, I remind you and others again, I did apologize...which is more then anyone who attacked me with names and innuendos and personal insults as ever had the decency to do..as of yet, or if ever..some people are just too bitter to ever apologize..so be it, I lose no sleep over it.

First this...

"IF, and that's a big IF, you can establish that their machine was faulty or that some other INCORRECTNESS exists, you are entitled to a complete refund of any and all OD/NSF-including fees assessed to you by any payees from your account.

I can never establish if their machine is faulty..how would I do that?? I am not qualified to inspect the workings of that machine or go through the banks ATM records...the machine did not dispense the cash or a receipt..the bank processed it anyhow and they know from the transaction where and when this happened and which machine..why they stall to resolve this is beyond me..and I am angry about that. There is some news today and I will post that next separately from this response..but according to the bank..correct..they will refund THEIR OD/NSF fees..but what about any that occur from the people who were supposed to get paid (payees)? They charge fees too..reconnection fees. NSF fees...as per my conversation on the phone with the bank this morning..the call is recorded (by them) and I could not get the bank employee to verbally state I would get those fees back when this dispute is settled..and I tried, trust me. She only agreed verbally to recovering the banks OD/NSF. Perhaps legally she can not speak about it..perhaps she is hiding something..but it doesn't give me a good feeling about this. But read my update which I am writing next..an interesting story what I went through this morning on the phone.

I do not have to respond any further as I admit I jumped to conclusions about you and was wrong...you seem to be on the right side here...perhaps not to the level of wanting to participate in the lawsuits as you hold the customers totally responsible..and perhaps rightly so, we will see..but you were sincere and that is what I appreciate so I have no reasons to call you names, and again apologize if in past responses I misjudged you. Thanks.

""Does anyone think I am entitled to any compensation for this? I know I can't sue for the stress this is causing..but the financial hardship and hunger and the time I have to put in dealing with the bank and the phone company and the rent a car place..why do I need go to through all this because of a defective ATM?..doesn't this bank have a quicker way to verify what happened to me? I feel like they want to believe I somehow stole the money yet I feel this is a form of theft they are doing if you ask me..it is taking too long for them to fix the problem on their end, lord knows they would never extend me the courtesy..not to mention fee the life blood out of me.""

IF, and that's a big IF, you can establish that their machine was faulty or that some other INCORRECTNESS exists, you are entitled to a complete refund of any and all OD/NSF-including fees assessed to you by any payees from your account.

I posted some advice to you over a week ago and it appears you haven't heeded it.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FUNDS RONNY. STOP any and all automatic debits from your account!!! I can't stress this enough for you. This COMPOUNDS the issue when something "bad" happens-as in your situation. The "march-of-the-fees" gets rolling with not only your bank assessing fees but the designated payees for any "auto bill pay" you have set up.

I'm not gonna repost my advice here because you'll most likely call me a "bank defender," "moron" or your latest "assholesses" (your drunken spelling.) You can review some of your other rants an you'll find my "ways to avoid OD/NSF fees."

I voluntarily counsel folks with credit issues and one of the FIRST THINGS I have them do is STOP ANY AND ALL AUTOMATIC DEBITS from their account.

I understand living pay check to pay check and having credit problems-been there, done that, and LEARNED how to avoid such problems back in the late '70's. If you STOP the autodebits, at least YOU will control when someone gets paid or not, and you won't be hit with OD/NSF fees as you do it.

IF it's not too late, STOP ALL AUTODEBITS NOW. Go back to mailing checks.

Good luck.

""Does anyone think I am entitled to any compensation for this? I know I can't sue for the stress this is causing..but the financial hardship and hunger and the time I have to put in dealing with the bank and the phone company and the rent a car place..why do I need go to through all this because of a defective ATM?..doesn't this bank have a quicker way to verify what happened to me? I feel like they want to believe I somehow stole the money yet I feel this is a form of theft they are doing if you ask me..it is taking too long for them to fix the problem on their end, lord knows they would never extend me the courtesy..not to mention fee the life blood out of me.""

IF, and that's a big IF, you can establish that their machine was faulty or that some other INCORRECTNESS exists, you are entitled to a complete refund of any and all OD/NSF-including fees assessed to you by any payees from your account.

I posted some advice to you over a week ago and it appears you haven't heeded it.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FUNDS RONNY. STOP any and all automatic debits from your account!!! I can't stress this enough for you. This COMPOUNDS the issue when something "bad" happens-as in your situation. The "march-of-the-fees" gets rolling with not only your bank assessing fees but the designated payees for any "auto bill pay" you have set up.

I'm not gonna repost my advice here because you'll most likely call me a "bank defender," "moron" or your latest "assholesses" (your drunken spelling.) You can review some of your other rants an you'll find my "ways to avoid OD/NSF fees."

I voluntarily counsel folks with credit issues and one of the FIRST THINGS I have them do is STOP ANY AND ALL AUTOMATIC DEBITS from their account.

I understand living pay check to pay check and having credit problems-been there, done that, and LEARNED how to avoid such problems back in the late '70's. If you STOP the autodebits, at least YOU will control when someone gets paid or not, and you won't be hit with OD/NSF fees as you do it.

IF it's not too late, STOP ALL AUTODEBITS NOW. Go back to mailing checks.

Good luck.

""Does anyone think I am entitled to any compensation for this? I know I can't sue for the stress this is causing..but the financial hardship and hunger and the time I have to put in dealing with the bank and the phone company and the rent a car place..why do I need go to through all this because of a defective ATM?..doesn't this bank have a quicker way to verify what happened to me? I feel like they want to believe I somehow stole the money yet I feel this is a form of theft they are doing if you ask me..it is taking too long for them to fix the problem on their end, lord knows they would never extend me the courtesy..not to mention fee the life blood out of me.""

IF, and that's a big IF, you can establish that their machine was faulty or that some other INCORRECTNESS exists, you are entitled to a complete refund of any and all OD/NSF-including fees assessed to you by any payees from your account.

I posted some advice to you over a week ago and it appears you haven't heeded it.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FUNDS RONNY. STOP any and all automatic debits from your account!!! I can't stress this enough for you. This COMPOUNDS the issue when something "bad" happens-as in your situation. The "march-of-the-fees" gets rolling with not only your bank assessing fees but the designated payees for any "auto bill pay" you have set up.

I'm not gonna repost my advice here because you'll most likely call me a "bank defender," "moron" or your latest "assholesses" (your drunken spelling.) You can review some of your other rants an you'll find my "ways to avoid OD/NSF fees."

I voluntarily counsel folks with credit issues and one of the FIRST THINGS I have them do is STOP ANY AND ALL AUTOMATIC DEBITS from their account.

I understand living pay check to pay check and having credit problems-been there, done that, and LEARNED how to avoid such problems back in the late '70's. If you STOP the autodebits, at least YOU will control when someone gets paid or not, and you won't be hit with OD/NSF fees as you do it.

IF it's not too late, STOP ALL AUTODEBITS NOW. Go back to mailing checks.

Good luck.

""Does anyone think I am entitled to any compensation for this? I know I can't sue for the stress this is causing..but the financial hardship and hunger and the time I have to put in dealing with the bank and the phone company and the rent a car place..why do I need go to through all this because of a defective ATM?..doesn't this bank have a quicker way to verify what happened to me? I feel like they want to believe I somehow stole the money yet I feel this is a form of theft they are doing if you ask me..it is taking too long for them to fix the problem on their end, lord knows they would never extend me the courtesy..not to mention fee the life blood out of me.""

IF, and that's a big IF, you can establish that their machine was faulty or that some other INCORRECTNESS exists, you are entitled to a complete refund of any and all OD/NSF-including fees assessed to you by any payees from your account.

I posted some advice to you over a week ago and it appears you haven't heeded it.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FUNDS RONNY. STOP any and all automatic debits from your account!!! I can't stress this enough for you. This COMPOUNDS the issue when something "bad" happens-as in your situation. The "march-of-the-fees" gets rolling with not only your bank assessing fees but the designated payees for any "auto bill pay" you have set up.

I'm not gonna repost my advice here because you'll most likely call me a "bank defender," "moron" or your latest "assholesses" (your drunken spelling.) You can review some of your other rants an you'll find my "ways to avoid OD/NSF fees."

I voluntarily counsel folks with credit issues and one of the FIRST THINGS I have them do is STOP ANY AND ALL AUTOMATIC DEBITS from their account.

I understand living pay check to pay check and having credit problems-been there, done that, and LEARNED how to avoid such problems back in the late '70's. If you STOP the autodebits, at least YOU will control when someone gets paid or not, and you won't be hit with OD/NSF fees as you do it.

IF it's not too late, STOP ALL AUTODEBITS NOW. Go back to mailing checks.

Good luck.

Last week they gave me the money back. On Friday night I could not use the card and found out they took the money back. I called the bank again and they told me to call back Monday.

So now not only was I left another weekend with no access to my funds..but the re-sequencing scam has started and now the fees are up to $245.00..not to mention the $300.00 I never received. Whats even worse is I know my phone bill payment is coming in..that may get cut off if goes NSF, then there is a reconnect charge. As well my autopay for my long term rental car will go in Monday..lord knows the fees they will charge for NSF. And all this was supposed to be settled in 2-3 days? This bank is inept.

So now I may have to deal with the phone company and rental car place..I need gas money to get to work as well, the car is about dry.

Does anyone think I am entitled to any compensation for this? I know I can't sue for the stress this is causing..but the financial hardship and hunger and the time I have to put in dealing with the bank and the phone company and the rent a car place..why do I need go to through all this because of a defective ATM?..doesn't this bank have a quicker way to verify what happened to me? I feel like they want to believe I somehow stole the money yet I feel this is a form of theft they are doing if you ask me..it is taking too long for them to fix the problem on their end, lord knows they would never extend me the courtesy..not to mention fee the life blood out of me.

Everything you stated makes sense.

But when the screen on the ATM clearly states "welcome to Wachovia" using the Wachovia logo..and charge no fees (as opposed to being charged when using a "non-Wachovia" ATM), I didn't expect I was going to get told by Wells Fargo that the ATM was not a Wahovia so they could not look into it for me, even disregarding the fact that THEIR machine was the one that was defective and caused the issue...or maybe not?? Either way it seems like some people feel Wachovia is doing something "special" for me by "looking into it"...No..they should have been able to get this straightened out much quicker and I should not have been denied access to my money for 3 days because of something messing up on their end.

All I did was go to make a cash withdrawal from one of their ATMs to save a few bucks in fees if using the ATM at 7/11 much closer to my home..and I lose access to my money..it just never seems to end with this bank..and the Wells Fargo takeover does not seem to be helping any...if anything Wachovia will drag Wells Fargo down with them, or so it seems.

But it sounds like the right steps are being taken. The only comment I have for you is this:

The fact that Wachovia and Wells are together is correct. But they will likely continue to function as separate entities for quite a long time depending on the decision of the Wells Fargo Management team. What's a long time you may be asking? It could be years, a decade, or maybe never. Sometimes, the cultures are so different that merging the companies completely together is counter to best practices. As such, they will have separate systems, separate administrative policies, and other things that keep them as individual businesses. The fact that one buys the other matters little in the problem your having, except it would be nice that they knew their ATM was functioning at optimum.