Wells Fargo Auto Due to their repeated mistakes my car was repossessed and I had to pay Walnut Creek California

On October 8, 2007 my son called to tell me my Jeep was being repossessed! I had no idea why, I was 8 days past due on my September payment only. I called the number for payments and they transferred me to their "redemption center". I was told I was 98 days past due. I assured them I wasn't, that I had made the past 3 months payments but of course it was up to me to prove to them I had.

This same thing happened to me in June, 2007 except the repossession part. I was accused of not paying 3 months worth of payments the previous 6 months.

Since I was several thousand miles away from home and in a different time zone, this added to my anxiety in trying to get my payment history together and fax it to the redemption dept. Fortunately I had my computer with me so I could access my payment history and my bank account so I could fax the information to them with the help of the motel office and their resources.

After several phone calls and voice mails to Cynthia, the one I was working with, she verified she had received my fax of payments. That happened in the evening so I had to wait an anxious Monday night for the next day.

Since the redemption center for WA state I'm assuming, is in Arizona, it is 3 hours behind where I was and they aren't in that particular office until 0900, I felt like my day was dragging along. I left several voice mails for Cynthia and finally got her on the phone. I verbally gave her the confirmation numbers that went with the payments to "help" them track down the payments faster. Since this miscrediting of payments happened before I was a little more educated as to what to do. Cynthia said she would have to give the information to her supervisor and would let me know.

That seemed to take forever and after several more phone calls from my end she verified that my payments were made and had been credited to another account, the same account they had been credited to several months ago. She stated they didn't know how that was happening or why but my account was now almost up to date except for the September payment. I told her I would pay that payment on Friday. She then told me they wouldn't release my vehicle until my account was paid up. I told her it wasn't my fault that they repossessed my car, it never should have happened. She told me her supervisor said since I ignored their attempts at contacting me they couldn't release my car until I was current. I know they attempted to contact me maybe 3 times because someone would leave a voice mail to call them but since I knew I was current I didn't respond back.

The other unanswered calls that were 800 or 866 numbers didn't leave messages and I don't answer calls I don't know the numbers of, so I don't know how many attempts they made....but still it was not my fault!!

Cynthia also said she had to do a financial report on me to make sure I can make the payments. I had to send her a 30 day bank deposit acct, a current car insurance confirmation and a notarized letter stating my son could pick the car up in my abscence. Once again having to access my computer and go to the motel office to print out this info and then drive around looking for a lawyer's office or bank or someone who was a Notary added to my stress level. By this time it is 1630 where I was and businesses were closing for the evening. I did find a lawyer's office still open and fortunatley the receptionist is a notary.

That being done I had to go back to the motel office and once again ask them to allow me to print off the documents needed and use their fax machine. So that was the end to Tuesday night and another stressful one. I was flying out Wednesday a.m. back to where I am currently in a travel nurse assignment so that added to my stress level. I phoned Cynthia between flights and only got voice mail.

While waiting for my final flight I was able to reach Cynthia and she again asked me for more personal information regarding my account. She told me I would have to send my payment Western Union Quick Collect as soon as I could do it and they would send the paper work to the towing company to release the car.

I asked her what it was costing me per day to have my car sitting at the impound lot and she told me it was $340.00 for the initial tow plus $12.00/day and the day started on Oct. 8. I couldn't believe I had to pay for the tow as well since IT WASN'T MY FAULT!!! I was frantically adding up the cost of the Sept. payment PLUS interest plus the tow plus the 5 days of impound costs. That only increased my anxiety level more.

By Thursday night when I had to be back at work I tried hard to concentrate on my work and prayed time would fly by to get home to be able to access my bank account and see if I could pay everything to get my car back. I barely had enough to pay everything. I got online to Western Union and did the quick collect thing which of course cost $44.00, called Cynthia to make sure she could access my account which took several minutes and then I had to wait for her to get a letter faxed to the towing company allowing my son to pick my car up.

In the mean time I called the towing company and found out I had to make an appt to have it picked up and they didn't have any appts available that day, Friday, so it would have to wait until Monday which would cost me an additional $24.00. The owner of the company said if there was a cancellation he could get my son in on Friday but only if there was a cancellation. I had called the Spokane office but my car was in the tri-cities so fortunately the company owner called his local person and my son was able to set up an appt for the same day. The towing company personnel were kind, understanding and sympathetic which helped immensley with the level of stress I had already.

So after spending $1038.09 and a weeks worth of daily increased stress because a company can't keep their accounts straight, my son has my car back.

This isn't only the second time something has happened to my account. I have been with Wells Fargo for 3 1/2 years and it has been agonizing almost since the first car payment. I have done their automatic payments which wouldn't sometimes come out for 3 weeks after the payment date, I have done the coupon book which never seemed to make it to the right dept. on time, I have sent bank money orders, as well as certified mail I could track to know when they did receive it because they wouldn't credit it for 10 days or more after receipt! I have done numerous Western Union Quick Collects which are not always tracked because of some "malfunction" with Wells Fargo's system.

So you ask why don't I refinance with someone else? I'm lazy about contractural stuff, but this has certainly motivated me to look into some other company.

Debbie
Albany, New York
U.S.A.

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