Wells Fargo Bank WILL ripoff SCROOGE you Concord California

I have read many of your comments on Wells Fargo and I to am being a victum of this banking institution. All though I have not had a problem with my checking or savings account I am having a huge problem with their banking practices on their mortages.

I have never missed a payment, or been late, but have received late charges that vary from $24 to $30 for making my payments 3 days EARLY! When I called them about this their comment was, "Well it wasn't posted until the 10th." Since when should a customer be charged a late fee because they can not do their jobs in a timely manner? Many of you are correct, this is where they make their money!

When I got checking into my mortgage account I have found numerous errors made by Wells Fargo! They have wiped out two of my payments totally, didn't pay my hazzard insurance from my escrow but instead went out and bought a policy 3 times more expensive which I was never notified about. They quit sending your statement for months on end so you keep paying the same amount only to find out for some reason they raised your rate of payment and now you owe them a fortune.

I have tried many, many times to get Wells Fargo to look at my account and get it corrected and all I get from them are threats of forclosure. They refuse to acknowledge that they could of made a mistate. And heaven forbid if you try to find out who made the mistakes for all of a sudden no one knows anything about what is going on.

When I found out what they did with my hazzard insurance I cancelled their policy and went out and got my own which is one-third the cost of what they were charging. When you do this you or your insurance company has to send them the declaration page which was done by both of us. When they received this they went and paid the insurance again.

Don't they know the difference between a declaration page and a bill? Instead of waiting for the insurance company to refund the money they sent them they took it out of my next payment and now are charging me for not making the proper payment. Infact, they are stating I owe them twice the money and yet they could care less about the payments they took and did not give me credit for. Their mistakes have yet to be rectified! The more I try to straighten this mess out the more they sock me with fees!

I don't understand how they are able to get by with doing this sort of thing to people? Who are the proper authorities that should be stepping in to stop this? If anyone knows, please let me know for I don't want to lose my house because of their bad practices.

How in the world can a bank treat people in this manner I know its gotta be a practace that wells fargo treats people like less than human if we dont have large account balances WELL if they kept the bad fees out and the rude employees out some of us could be able to acumulate a balance
instead they rip us off then if we need to point this out the bank and its employees act as rude as possable ive posted several times on rip-offs seems the bank knows better than to respond to mine because i have the local law officers as wittnesses (i called for a civil standby) this has gone to point at 3 months we are so behind we will never be able to dig out ITS TIME TO PUT DIRT WHERE IT BELONGS ON WELLS FARGO AND THE RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES
We opened account and made a total of 3 transactions after that 2 direct deposits went in account and we were overdrawn im not a math wizz but HOW CAN THIS BE under $200.00 in funds withdrawn and $900.00 deposited we owed $1300.00
this is a practice of theft by a bank and rude employees treating us as criminals who is the real thief they say we suffered internet fraud however USA credit deposited under $1.00 in our account then started attempting to drain our account in banks defence it wasnt paid BUT every time it was attempted we got hit for NSF totaling $1300.00 a few of bank employees were great BUT ASHU the bank manager was the most ignorant illmanned excuse for a human ive seen in my life
and to think i could have been just another # if i hadnt looked up the credit co who began the fraud for wells fargo ive shown so many times they dont have right to do this we got refunded our overdraft but we didnt get the late fees for all the other bills we encured during this and we are nowoverdrawn $10.00 for an account we closed BEAR concord ca

In reading through these comments, I can't help but notice the insulting, arrogant and demeaning attitude of the bank employees, especially the one who mentions he's been in customer service for years and years. This is SO eloquent of the state of service to customers these days -- in so many big companies, it's more disservice than service -- and I see that these individuals have found their calling! They're nasty and insulting and EXACTLY where they should be at their place of employment -- a position where they can be rude and nasty to the public which indirectly pays their salaries! If we consumers weren't such sheep by and large, we'd take our business elsewhere and give them what they deserve!

I LEARNED THAT IF I WRITE A CHECK, I BETTER HAVE
SUFFICIENT FUNDS IN THE BANK TO BACK ME UP. WELLS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD BANK. THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AWESOME.

NO I AM NOT AN EMPLOYEE-- JUST A HOUSE WIFE THAT KNOWS HOW TO BALANCE A CHECK BOOK. I KNOW IF I WRITE A CHECK FOR 50.00 -I SHOULD HAVE THAT LEAST THAT MUCH IN THERE TO COVER IT. IT IS NOT THE BANKS FAULT THAT PEOPLE ARE LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.. I HAVE A NEW WORD NOT MENTIONED BY ANYONE "SAVINGS ACCOUNT"

Frann:

Thank you! I am the orginal consumer at the top of this page of complaints/rebuttals. (I have moved out of California, so that is why my state is different now.)

You addressed my orignal complaint, and very well. You also went the extra mile, and I and I am sure many others "thank you" for the information you have provided.

To all that have ASSUMED I have been unpolite to Wells Fargo Employees when I call or have visited the bank: I am NICE. Why do people assume I argue with the bank employees? Just because I have a complant that makes me a nasty person? I do not argue, nor am I mean! I have worked with the public for many years and I know that one catches more bees with honey. I also have acquired the appreciation of what it is like being on the "employee's" side. But, many that try to knock me down because of my complaint of the Wells Fargo have some lame assumption that all consumers are mean, yell...whatever. Not so.

SO, I still stand by my original complaint, and Frann, you said it also: "..the checks in question of not being encoded upon receiving them at the bank in the order they were received, but by the AMOUNT." Therefore: Wells Fargo "plays" with the order my checks when they come to them, and if WF didn't, I would not have had so many overdraft fees at one time, and all checks would have cleard except for ONE. No problem, I can admit that was MY mistake, and I'd have more money in MY pocket, not a Wells Fargo CEO.

I do not want to hear from WF that "we do this as a favor to you"....bullpucky! WF makes more money this way! I don't have a mortgage payment (thanks, house paid in full/cars paid in full.) I am tired of hearing how Wells Fargo is doing this as a favor to their customers. How about Wells Fargo giving the customers two choices: 1: WF takes your checks in order by AMOUNT, OR 2: WF stamps and dates the checks AS THEY COME IN, not by the higher amount first, and so on. I'll take the second choice, thank you. But, this practice will not stop as long as they can get away with it. Maybe a few more lawsuites. Meanwhile..bank somewhere else. :O)

By the way: Consumer Reports recently stated BANK OF AMERICA has the highest satisfaction rate amongst consumers for the large bank ratings.

In my opinion you didn't get a reply because no one cares about what you had to say for one. That is why you had to reply to another comment on your own... you must not have a life if this is all you have to read about....

Another reason is making an OFFER SUCH AS A BET
LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS IS "STUPID" AND ONE YOU WOULD HAVE "LOST"... SEEING THEY ARE IN A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT RIGHT NOW ABOUT THIS VERY THING!

FLOAT THAT!!!

I don't usually get invovled in such trivial comments such as yours, but you need a life if you cannot offer more constructive thinking and comments than this...

Also, if you get tired of reading what you deem
as "SILLY WAYS PEOPLE THINK A BANK SHOULD BE RAN"
why don't you just stop coming here and reading these comments.

This is not a Discussion Board" BTW, it is a RIP OFF REPORTING WEBSITE THAT IS USED FOR HONEST AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISIM OF DISHONEST WAYS CONSUMERS HAVE BEEN AND ARE TREATED.

As for people here going to another bank, for one how do you know they haven't and another what business is it of yours? That was not an actually question to you, so please, don't bother answering!

You need to find better reading if that is the only reason you come here because this is made for the Adult People that know what is really happening....

BTW, you are WRONG about Credits before Debits and it has been proven time and time again, over and over not just by the comments made here on this website, but I know it to be equally true with Wells Fargo Bank an a few others as well as I was just told this the other day after investigating them, PERIOD!

If you are not getting rebuttals, don't assume anything you have to say is held at such high esteem and is from what you may feel are GREAT verbage, but most likely from great antics (in case you don't know what that means, it a way of "drawing attention" that otherwise no one else is giving you ...) it is even more likely to be meant that you are being "IGNORED AND THAT WORD STEMING FROM IGNORANCE, WELL YOU FIGURE IT OUT"!!!

So, without further comments, since I dont' view this as using my time very constructively, none the less felt it necessary, I will close in hopes
that you will learn and be more compassionate to other peoples feelings and if you have further comments about any views you read here on Rip-Off
Alert, that you share them in more professional way and have better concepts to offer as this is what our website is all about.

I am sending this out to all those that have committed to this cause of INAPPROPRIATE BANKING AND OVERDRAFT FEES AND THE WAY CHECKS ARE ENCODED BY HIGHEST AMOUNTS FIRST AND SO FORTH.

I sent a very nice long letter to the FTC about how I was treated by my bank Wachovia National Bank (use to be Frist Union before merger) and on many other occasions. This response you are about to read is for you as consumers any where within the USA to be able to respond due to it having to deal with your banks in any area witin the USA.

Before you read the FTC RESPONSE, I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU "JUST ONE" OF MANY SUCH INCIDENTS LIKE THIS ONE THAT OCCURRED AND THIS PARTICULAR ONE WAS USED IN MY LETTER TO THE "FTC" FOR SUCH A RESPONSE IN HELPING ME AS PART OF THEIR GUIDING ME TO THE APPROPRIATE FEDERAL ENTITY DIVISION HANDLING THESE KINDS OF SITUATIONS.

I sent this Concern to my bank over their in- house website message center and then to the FTC as well.

On June 6, 2004 I wrote: I am in question of some of my unavailable funds charges looking at my stmt. I see where some of my charges (checks) could have gone through with a remaining balance using any one of either of the following scenario's (amt. of checks I gave as examples), the first one being the best for the best result in a lesser amount of unavailable fund charges.

I had the following check/charges come through of the following amounts that YOU the BANK PAID and all caused an unavailable funds fee of $30 dollars to be charged to my account making my account even less so other checks wouldn't be able to clear. These scenario's were put in the order of what could have made my account obtain an appropriate balance until my DIRECT DEPOSIT WENT IN to cover the two more checks that were out.

The reason I can say this is that the checks in question of not being encoded upon receiving them at the bank in the order they were receive was found out by asking for the Time and Date the checks were Stamped on the Back of My Checks by my Bank and the cleared Time and Date the Encoder actually cleared the check through my account. It was as though they had held my checks in a manner for one large encode and then placed them in ORDER BY AMOUNTS AND NOT DATES RECEIVED CAUSING AN OVERDRAFT IN MY ACCOUNT OF A VERY LARGE SUM OF MONEY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT COUNT MY DIRECT DEPOSIT IN-BETWEEN THE ENCODING OF THE CHECKS CAUSING A SEVERE OVER DRAFT.

Upon calling them on this and giving the scenario's such as I did, I was credited back the unavailable fund charges. However, look at the time I personally had to spend doing their job and my time is valuable also!!! I don't mind correcting a small problem, but this is getting very much out of hand. I know when most of my checks go through on a whole and account for them. However, when they are held at the bank and are put through before deposits are put through (which I have always heard Wachovia National Bank does) at the approprate time before other checks are that should have been processed after the deposit (as by the receiving date/time sgtamped) there would not have been an overdraft.

Encoders are paid a great deal by the amount of checks they process in a day during their time on duty and the faster you are the more you can get through and this being a factor ON YOUR PAYCHECK MAKES IT A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE OF GETTING EVERYTHING IN AND NOT PAYING MORE ATTENTION TO THE WAY IT IS PERFORMED CORRECTLY AND IF YOU DON'T KEEP UP WITH IT AND REALLY LOOK OVER THE SITUAION, WELL YOU SIMPLY JUST GET SCREWED!!!

BELOW IS THE FTC RESPONSE TO MY LETTER TO THEM. I HOPE YOU WILL FORWARD YOUR CONCERNS TO THIS COMPTROLLER AS BEING ENINDATED WITH MANY OF THESE CONCERNS WILL SURELY MAKE HE/SHE NOT ONLY AWARE OF THE SITUATION, BUT EAGER TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SITUATION AS THEY CANNOT HAVE THESE JUST SITTING ON HIS/HER DESK NOT BEING ACTED UPON....

May 07, 2004


Re: FTC Ref. No.

Dear:

The Federal Trade Commission does not have jurisdiction over banks or credit cards that are issued by banks. You should decide what kind of bank you were dealing with and file your complaint with the appropriate bank regulatory agency:

1. If the bank has the word National or the letters N.A. in its title, the complaint should be sent to Comptroller of the Currency, Customer Assistance Group, 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3710, Houston TX 77010, 1 (800) 613-6743.

2. A complaint about a state-chartered bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System should be sent to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Director, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20551, (202) 452-3693.

3. Complaints regarding state-chartered, federally insured banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System should be sent to the Office of Bank Customer Affairs, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Washington, D.C. 20429, 1 (800) 934-3342.

4. Complaints about federal-chartered savings banks should be sent to the Office of Thrift Supervision, Division of Consumer Affairs, Washington, DC 20552, 1 (800) 842-6929.

We regret that we are unable to be of direct assistance to you in this instance.
Sincerely yours,
Consumer Response Center

You need to remember that just because you got a Credit Card from your bank does not mean it is issued by your bank and funds covered by your bank. In other words you credit card, debit or otherwise is issued by another bank. That is the bank you also need to know whether they are of a National Bank or what ever to send your concern, complaint and so forth to. Concerning the overdraft charges and unfair lending and treatment of your bank would be sent by viewing what kind of bank (as the FTC suggested above) in sending your complaint.

I hope this helps you and you saved your letter to the FTC so all you have to do is copy it and send again to the appropriate person.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL WHOM SEND THEIR CONCERNS. I HOPE THIS STARTS GETTING SOME RESOLVE.

After getting royally jacked around on my previous car loan by Bank One, I became absolutely TERRIFIED of the "BIG BANKS". (Just to make the situation clear, I would be a couple of days late, and in that time, I got 10 calls a day) I became so afraid to even answer the phone, that I sold my car and pulled all of my money out of the bank that I'd had an account at since I was BORN. (A small local bank) ... Okay, let's fast forward a year ...

I decided to purchase another car and, living hundreds of miles from where I grew up, decided that I needed to have a checking account again. I went in to the local COUNTY bank (BFE of WI) to sit and TALK with someone. I explained my experience with Bank One and how I really didn't want to have any business with banks anymore.

Kathy at the bank sat down with me for a good hour. She went over all of the policies, practically treating me like a daughter, made sure I understood everything, etc. She even ordered me my first set of checks for free. That way, if I decided that I wanted to leave the bank, I wasn't out any money. Since then, I have learned to LOVE this place.

They will process checks IN THE ORDER THAT THEY COME IN. They even called me at work one day to let me know that when I check my account status over the phone (as I usually do to balance my checkbook) that it will be negative. She said that a check came in a lot sooner than I probably had thought it would, but since they knew that I had a paycheck depositing the next day that they weren't going to charge any OD fees. Granted, it would have been 1.00 or 2, but you see my point. I RARELY go negative. If I do, I expect to get an OD fee. But, generally speaking, most people know how many days, roughly it takes for a check to clear. So if It's Tuesday, and I need to get gas, and my paycheck doesn't come in until 7am on Thursday, I can write a check and be okay.

My point is simply this. I REFUSE to bank with people that just consider me a number. My local bank has gone out of their way to make people feel welcome, and that they aren't just there to steal our money. I recommend staying away from the huge banks. If you move, just close your account, get a statement showing that you were a good customer, and move on to the next local bank. I know that's probably not as easy for some, but it sure works wonders when the people at the bank know you by name and/or face.

I hope that everything works out for you with the "faceless giant".

Dear Dana,

I'm sorry to hear your having such a huge problem with your banking experience. I know how frustrating these things can be. However, one has to ask the age old question.... "If you don't have the money, why are you spending it?"

As it's been said before, all the materials are provided to you when you open the account. It's up to you to keep track of what is spent. When you get an overdraft fee, that fee is meant as a slap on the wrist. It's not something you can call customer service for or yell at overdraft collectors about. You know you made the mistake in spending too much money.

In regards to your first post Dana, in your starter's guide you will find the section about processed checks. Items are processed in the order they are received, unless multiple items are recieved. This has been covered a few times on here. What I'm failing to hear from you is, why even after the merger some two + years ago, your still a customer if you hate this bank soo much?

I'm curious as to what bank most of you've gone to since you all seem to dislike Wells Fargo bank and its employees. All I can tell you is maybe if you didn't harber such a negative attudide for Wells Fargo and it's employees, we'd all have been a little nicer to you in the end? You can blame the company all you want for your mistakes but in the end, they are still your mistakes.

Also, what's your new banks policy on overdrawn account's? Did you know that most banks will close your account within three weeks of it becoming overdrawn? They will also report you to chex systems (depending on the balance) and you won't be allowed to bank for five years on top of your outstanding balance being outsourced to an outside collections agency.

Thanks to all the other fellow WF employees who have stood by the company they work for...

I am a Banking Officer and Supervisor of a major Wells Fargo.

WF sets the rules on how checks are cleared, etc because it's THEIR COMPANY! If you don't like it, choose a different bank! I have to DAILY deal with customers making this same complaint, and guess what- they DON'T get their fees back a lot of the time, because if they bothered to BALANCE their checkbooks and write down WHEN THEY WRITE CHECKS AND FOR HOW MUCH, they would KNOW how much money to keep available in their account so ALL their checks would clear properly! It's not the BANK'S fault that you can't balance your checkbook!

Yes, WF clears the largest items first. You know why? Banking with WF is a PRIVLEDGE, not a RIGHT! The bank must protect ITSELF against losing money! WF is a FOR-PROFIT bank, not a NON-PROFIT bank!

ON TOP OF THAT, the overdraft feature HELPS the customer anyways! Think about it! It's $50+ dollars if it BOUNCES! And you're embarassed, and your rent doesn't get paid on time, etc. It's a FEATURE, not a BAD THING! The fees are basically "interest fees" for a short-term loan to cover your checks. Instead of calculating the ACTUAL interest, the bank flat-rates it! The actual interest would,in most cases, be MUCH MORE!!

You want a non-profit bank? Go to a credit union! And see how they DON'T cover your financial needs! You want a bank that has outlasted most other banks fo 150 years and takes care of its GOOD customers (who balance their checkbooks), choose WF.

I've said my piece.

I really hate you had to go through what you have to learn all this, but Thank You for being so considerate to take the time out to come here and type it and share with so many others as I am sure, as I certainly would, like to forget it and move on i.e. not the learning from it, but going through it all weighing so heavily on you mind, your heart and life....

That is exactly what I wanted to address here today is the fact that the Government and Banks and all these financial entities don't realize the great strain in places on all the people these different situations that occur have on us.
Just as they have their trials and troubles they know and realize how they feel, but for some reason they cannot realize the same for others and that is so much a shame.

I know they hear so much from so many and negative after negative is not a good thing, but it is all happening to so very many people in this day and time that these Financial Institutions should absolutely offer consolation and couseling once a week in the form of a meeting and allow customer reps. to air what they are hearing and the Institutions should take this information EXTREMELY SERIOUS!!!! and make the necessary changes needed to make things better and a difference. They seem to be waiting on the Government to make them such as the Fed. Trade Comm. and Laws instead of making a stand themselves and I've come to realize and know factually that it is all about money and it taking money to make these changes.

It seems they want some government backing all the time to make and pay for some of these changes to take the brunt of cost off of them. Well that is not RIGHT either. I mean who pays the government???!!! "US" and we end up being the ones to bankrole the Financial Inst. to make these changes. What happened to them being reponsible for running their company???!!!! It seems they are wanting from the government, which is US by the way, to do for them what they are NOT WILLING TO DO FOR US IN HELPING US FROM THE BEGINNING AND TAKING THESE IMPORTANT FACTS FROM REAL SITUATIONS AND MAKING THOSE CHANGES BEFORE CULPRITS SUCH AS YOURS RIP THEM OFF OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN TIME AND TIME AGAIN!

It seems to me every Fin. Inst. should take a stance on their own and I am sure some do, but so many undoubtedly are not and are causing a great deal of problems with the financial market
in todays times and it isn't all about, though it is a great deal of job loss, it is NOT all about that.... It is many things and RIP OFF and FRAUD IS A GREAT PART OF IT ALL AND SHOULD TAKE A FORE FRONT IN ALL THESE ISSUES. WHAT IS WORSE IS NOT HAVING THESE FINANCIAL INST. BELIEVING IN US AND TAKING A STAND TO HELP US AND MAKE LIFE A LITTLE BIT BETTER FOR US ALL WHERE WE CAN BE MORE RESPONSIBLE AND COME FORWARD FOR THE HELP. WE STAND BY AT TIMES DREADING, LITERALLY DREADING THE TIME WE HAVE TO CALL THEM BECAUSE WE ALL READY KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO BE SAID OR NOT DONE!!!!!

We should not feel this way. Long ago my mother told me how our Grandparents (their parents and parents parents) DID NOT TRUST BANKS SINCE THE DEPRESSION.... WELL I BELIEVE THE TIME HAS COME AND IT HAS BEEN A WHILE NOW THAT WE SHOULD FEEL THE SAME WAY IN THIS TIME AND DAY AND SHOULD MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR OUT MONEY AND IF WE ARE TO HAVING A CHECKING ACCOUNT THAT WE SHOULD JUST HAVE ENOUGH IN THERE TO PAY FOR THE BILLS WE RIGHT AND PAY CASH FOR EVERYTHING ELSE AND MAKE OTHER ARRANGEMENTS, SAFE ARRANGEMENTS WITHIN OUR OWN HOMES WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE WE ARE DOING SO AND KEEPING OUR OWN BANK. AFTER ALL, IF WE RECORD IT THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY OPROBLEM AND BEING IN OUR HOME IT SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER INSURANCE, BUT THAT WOULD BE BEST DISCUSSED WITH YOUR INSURANCE AGENT. HOWEVER, I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW PRIVATE YOU SHOULD KEEP THIS... LET THE BANKS START FEELING THE PINCH, HEAVY PINCH ON ACCOUNTS DROPPING FROM THEIR INSTITUATIONS AND SEE HOW FAST THEY OFFER ALL KINDS OF THINGS TO BRING YOU BACK. HOWEVER, THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD GO BACK.

TRUST IS A VERY VALUABLE COMMITTMENT AND SEEING HOW THINGS ARE RUN NOW DOESN'T TELL ME THAT SHOUDL THIS BE DONE AND THEY CHANGE THAT THEY CAN BE TRUSTED EVER AGAIN... YES, I KNOW THE FALL OUT IT COULD HAVE ON THE BANKS AND SUCH, BUT BIG BUSINESS AND ALL THIS OVERSEAS BUSINESS CAN KEEP THEM OPEN... MAYBE THEY'LL STOP AND THINK ABOUT WHO DOES RUN THIS COUNTRY WHEN ALL THE MILLIONS OF MIDDLE AND LOWER INCOME PEOPLE START DOING THINGS LIKE THIS... THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN THERE ARE OF RICH/WEALTHY PEOPLE... YOU CAN HAVE TAX EXEMPTED INVESTMENTS THROUGH ANY PUBLICK 401K PLAN AND LOOK AFTE ALL THAT OR HAVE A MEMBER, A TRUSTED MEMBER OF THE FAMILY LOOK OUT FOR YOUR INTEREST SHOULD YOU NOT BE ABLE TO FROM LACK OF EXPERIENCE AND/OR AGE, BE IT TOO YOUNG OR A SENIOR CITIZEN, BUT BEING SENIOR IN YOUR YEARS AND STILL HAVING YOUR MENTAL FACUTIES DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CANNOT VIEW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR MONEY OR HAVING IT EXPLAINED TO YOU AND EVEN SEEING THE STATEMENTYS AND KEEPING THEM YOURSELF IN A SAFE PLACE.

I want to tell you just how important it is should one start keeping money at their home to keep it absolutely secret at all cost and never disclose this to anyone under any cercumtances.

I have not done this as of yet, but I am concidering it very seriously, however I have no intention of keeping money at my home or in this fashion, but invest it where I can have an account with my investment company be it 401K or otherwise that I can draw off of should I need to. But that is everyones choice! I am having to do it this way, now that I have put this out over the air ways, but I have felt this way for a
long, long time now and felt I needed to say it..

It is your money and it is up to you to do with it what you want. This is just a suggestion. However, I couldn't help but hear the echo of my grandmother and great grandparents in my mind over and over never to trust a bank or anyone else for that matter with your money. Whether you do or how much you do again is your absolute choice. It is just something to think about and ponder upon and even concider.

My Best Wishes to You and all who read this and you be Blessed with good fortune in your life in the way you come to overcoming this particular situation!!!

I have been a WF customer for over decade. I am a recent (I feel so violated) victim of identity theft. The culprit(s) used my checking/routing information to make numerous online purchases. When I viewed my account I saw six purchases that someone else's name attached to the purchase.

In addition, I noticed five (electronic) checks had also been cashed. The number sequence exceeded what was issued from the bank. Upon contacting WF, I learned the following:
(1)Expect an extremely long wait. (2) Their customer service staff is not as informed as they should be, nor do they tell you what to do or expect. I'm not sure they know what to do.

I called five times in one day and I was told six different things. Although some agents were helpful (Otis Sanders - C.S. Line Op Manager and several others/Teresa), many others were rude and inexperienced, this includes supervisors. This bank is a perfect example of, "Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing."

HERE IS THE DEAL...

(1) The bank's computers are not smart enough to detect fraud if someone uses a ficticious name during an electronic purchase, so don't be surprised if "Jano Danno" pops up on your account(viewed online).

(2) Close your account NOT TO REFLECT LOSS / STOLEN because if you do...The debits/electronic purchases the culprits are making WILL transfer to the next account...That is IF you decide to reopen a new account at WFB. I did, the culprits were able to xfer one purchase from my old to new account. THIS IS BECAUSE A BANK EMPLOYEE MANUALLY TRANSFERRED THE PURCHASE...ARGGGH! However,the money was credited back into my account.

Continue to monitor your closed account. Although you closed your account, it may not be closed right away. Many of the companies refunded my money to the closed account number, THIS WILL REOPEN YOUR ACCOUNT TEMPORARILY.

(3) Expect to receive nasty grams from the bank if you did not close your account to reflect Loss/Stolen because the computer will think that YOU are continuing to make purchases on a closed account, if the culprits continue. Just call the bank and re-explain the siutuation.

(3) Place a Credit/Fraud Alert on your credit report via Equifax or another reputable company.

(4) FILE A POLICE REPORT. If the culprits decide to purchase a credit card or other major purchases,THEIR ISP(computer's address)NUMBER IS RECORDED. It really does'nt matter if they used a public place because you can still narrow down the times, dates and usually names.

(5) Most companies will not reveal the culprit(s) personal information unless the police demands the info.Don't be surprised if the police don't "follow" up with the info they receive from you.

(6) MAKE SURE YOU DEMAND A (Statement Regarding Unauth/Improper ACH Debit- OPR-1506 Form). Affidavits of Forgery ONLY PERTAIN TO NON ELECTRONIC PURCHASES.

(7) In addition, send your letters certified. I hope I helped someone out there. Thanks

Thank you Eline, and everyone else that "gets it". Right, Wells Fargo tampers with their customer's check order. It IS to the company's own benefit. It's NOT to the benefit of the consumer. There are banks out there that DO NOT tamper with the order of your checks that they receive. It is a shame when one has enough money to cover their checks written (in my case, I had a check for $4.95 written and sent out to a company that did not process it until six months later....ooops, I forgot about that check after six months...dummie me!) But then the "surprise" hit me: The $4.95 check I wrote that I forgot about six months earlier was finialy processed and came to Wells Fargo....that is when I found out (and finially noticed) about the order of the checks and how Wells Fargo has their racket set up. I could have had ALL MY CURRENT CHECKS covered but that ONE small one, with only ONE overdraft fee....but NO. I got hit with several overdraft fees. So, in reality, I did have all the monies I needed for my checks but ONE. That scheme of tampering with the order they process set me back, way back. To some people that are fortunate enough to have a wonderful, flowing account with money, they will not see that happen. But to others, that have kids to feed, clothe, whatever the situation, it's a heartbreak. There are other banks out there that do not tamper with the order of processing checks, call first and find out before you open an account. That is how easy it is, and I learned the hard way. And to the people that call us "stupid", well, I guess your memory of writting a small check six months back is better than mine. Good for you. Thank you to ALL that can figure out what I was saying in the first place.

What I would like to see, and this would seriously make companies train good employees with empathy: When a bank makes the mistake, they give the consumer a credit of the same amount that they would take when the consumer makes a mistake. Haha....but then I am dreaming!!!! And the CEO of that company would not get his annual bazillion dollar pay raise!!! The horror!

Thank you Eline, and everyone else that "gets it". Right, Wells Fargo tampers with their customer's check order. It IS to the company's own benefit. It's NOT to the benefit of the consumer. There are banks out there that DO NOT tamper with the order of your checks that they receive. It is a shame when one has enough money to cover their checks written (in my case, I had a check for $4.95 written and sent out to a company that did not process it until six months later....ooops, I forgot about that check after six months...dummie me!) But then the "surprise" hit me: The $4.95 check I wrote that I forgot about six months earlier was finialy processed and came to Wells Fargo....that is when I found out (and finially noticed) about the order of the checks and how Wells Fargo has their racket set up. I could have had ALL MY CURRENT CHECKS covered but that ONE small one, with only ONE overdraft fee....but NO. I got hit with several overdraft fees. So, in reality, I did have all the monies I needed for my checks but ONE. That scheme of tampering with the order they process set me back, way back. To some people that are fortunate enough to have a wonderful, flowing account with money, they will not see that happen. But to others, that have kids to feed, clothe, whatever the situation, it's a heartbreak. There are other banks out there that do not tamper with the order of processing checks, call first and find out before you open an account. That is how easy it is, and I learned the hard way. And to the people that call us "stupid", well, I guess your memory of writting a small check six months back is better than mine. Good for you. Thank you to ALL that can figure out what I was saying in the first place.

What I would like to see, and this would seriously make companies train good employees with empathy: When a bank makes the mistake, they give the consumer a credit of the same amount that they would take when the consumer makes a mistake. Haha....but then I am dreaming!!!! And the CEO of that company would not get his annual bazillion dollar pay raise!!! The horror!

In reference to the comment about it shouldn't matter which order if you had the money in your checking account in the first place....

Well, let me tell you something!!! IT IS NOT WELLS FARGO BANK'S PLACE TO MAKE THAT DICISION!!!
IT IS THEIR PLACE TO POST THE CHECKS AS THEY COME INTO THEIR FACILITY PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON. THEY ARE NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER FOR THE CONSUMER AND I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY THEY EVER WILL BE BY THE ACTIONS THEY TAKE SO FREELY WITH EVERYONE ELSES MONEY!!!!

So it is not your place to even suggest such a STUPID COMMENT SUCH AS THIS!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE TO ME YOU COULD BE THE UPPER PERSONNEL TRYING TO DEFEND WELLS FARGO WORKING FOR THEM AND PROFIT FROM ALL THE MONEY MADE BY THEM ACTING IN THIS MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER AS WELL FRAUDULENT IN MY BOOK SEEING THEY ARE STEPPING WAY OUT OF THE BOX AND LIMB MAKING THESE KINDS OF JUDGEMENT CALLS OVER OTHER PEOPLES MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS WITH SWITCHING THE ORDER IN WHICH THE PAPER DOCUTMENTS "THE CHECKS" COME INTO THEIR FACILITY!

I don't really care about the comment you made because it is so very stupid to have made.... I am speaking only of the person that wrote that particular statement as a REBUTTAL, I believe it was the first Rebuttal after the frist statement made above in the order I received same....

FED UP!!!

In reference to the comment about it shouldn't matter which order if you had the money in your checking account in the first place....

Well, let me tell you something!!! IT IS NOT WELLS FARGO BANK'S PLACE TO MAKE THAT DICISION!!!
IT IS THEIR PLACE TO POST THE CHECKS AS THEY COME INTO THEIR FACILITY PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON. THEY ARE NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER FOR THE CONSUMER AND I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY THEY EVER WILL BE BY THE ACTIONS THEY TAKE SO FREELY WITH EVERYONE ELSES MONEY!!!!

So it is not your place to even suggest such a STUPID COMMENT SUCH AS THIS!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE TO ME YOU COULD BE THE UPPER PERSONNEL TRYING TO DEFEND WELLS FARGO WORKING FOR THEM AND PROFIT FROM ALL THE MONEY MADE BY THEM ACTING IN THIS MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER AS WELL FRAUDULENT IN MY BOOK SEEING THEY ARE STEPPING WAY OUT OF THE BOX AND LIMB MAKING THESE KINDS OF JUDGEMENT CALLS OVER OTHER PEOPLES MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS WITH SWITCHING THE ORDER IN WHICH THE PAPER DOCUTMENTS "THE CHECKS" COME INTO THEIR FACILITY!

I don't really care about the comment you made because it is so very stupid to have made.... I am speaking only of the person that wrote that particular statement as a REBUTTAL, I believe it was the first Rebuttal after the frist statement made above in the order I received same....

FED UP!!!

In reference to the comment about it shouldn't matter which order if you had the money in your checking account in the first place....

Well, let me tell you something!!! IT IS NOT WELLS FARGO BANK'S PLACE TO MAKE THAT DICISION!!!
IT IS THEIR PLACE TO POST THE CHECKS AS THEY COME INTO THEIR FACILITY PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON. THEY ARE NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER FOR THE CONSUMER AND I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY THEY EVER WILL BE BY THE ACTIONS THEY TAKE SO FREELY WITH EVERYONE ELSES MONEY!!!!

So it is not your place to even suggest such a STUPID COMMENT SUCH AS THIS!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE TO ME YOU COULD BE THE UPPER PERSONNEL TRYING TO DEFEND WELLS FARGO WORKING FOR THEM AND PROFIT FROM ALL THE MONEY MADE BY THEM ACTING IN THIS MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER AS WELL FRAUDULENT IN MY BOOK SEEING THEY ARE STEPPING WAY OUT OF THE BOX AND LIMB MAKING THESE KINDS OF JUDGEMENT CALLS OVER OTHER PEOPLES MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS WITH SWITCHING THE ORDER IN WHICH THE PAPER DOCUTMENTS "THE CHECKS" COME INTO THEIR FACILITY!

I don't really care about the comment you made because it is so very stupid to have made.... I am speaking only of the person that wrote that particular statement as a REBUTTAL, I believe it was the first Rebuttal after the frist statement made above in the order I received same....

FED UP!!!

In reference to the comment about it shouldn't matter which order if you had the money in your checking account in the first place....

Well, let me tell you something!!! IT IS NOT WELLS FARGO BANK'S PLACE TO MAKE THAT DICISION!!!
IT IS THEIR PLACE TO POST THE CHECKS AS THEY COME INTO THEIR FACILITY PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS WHAT THEY NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON. THEY ARE NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER FOR THE CONSUMER AND I DOUBT VERY SERIOUSLY THEY EVER WILL BE BY THE ACTIONS THEY TAKE SO FREELY WITH EVERYONE ELSES MONEY!!!!

So it is not your place to even suggest such a STUPID COMMENT SUCH AS THIS!!!!! SOUNDS LIKE TO ME YOU COULD BE THE UPPER PERSONNEL TRYING TO DEFEND WELLS FARGO WORKING FOR THEM AND PROFIT FROM ALL THE MONEY MADE BY THEM ACTING IN THIS MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER AS WELL FRAUDULENT IN MY BOOK SEEING THEY ARE STEPPING WAY OUT OF THE BOX AND LIMB MAKING THESE KINDS OF JUDGEMENT CALLS OVER OTHER PEOPLES MONEY IN THEIR ACCOUNTS WITH SWITCHING THE ORDER IN WHICH THE PAPER DOCUTMENTS "THE CHECKS" COME INTO THEIR FACILITY!

I don't really care about the comment you made because it is so very stupid to have made.... I am speaking only of the person that wrote that particular statement as a REBUTTAL, I believe it was the first Rebuttal after the frist statement made above in the order I received same....

FED UP!!!

The response from banks that they process checks from highest to lowest is not the case. True, by paying the largest check first they may be clearing the most important check first. However, the real reason banks do this is to beef up their fee income. They will never tell you this, of couse, but that is the real reason.

With most banks, 40% to 60% of their revenues come from fees. Two of the biggest money makers for banks are NSF/overdraft fees and markups on check orders. This is why when several checks are presented for payment on the same processing day they clear the largest one first, so that all of the rest of them bounce and they collect more in NSF/overdraft fees.

As for Jennifer, the Wells Fargo employee ... the statement "But after 10 years of working in customer relations, it is apparent that 90% of Wells Fargo customers cannot add, subtract, or balance a checkbook" doesn't do the bank's image or you any good; all it does is to further erode customers' confidence in banks and make them distrust them more.

However, having said all of that, the point is still that you should always keep track of what you have in your account; NEVER spend money according to what the bank says you have, because there are many transactions that the bank may not know about (checks, electronic debits, etc.). Also remember that if you have written everything down all transactions in your register (checks, check card debits, electronic transactions) and have made no addition/subtraction errors and still have a positive balance, then you would have enough money to cover ALL transactions, regardless of what day or in what order they are paid.

Another thing to always remember is that if someone gives you a check and you deposit it into your account, there MAY be a hold on that check until it clears, so don't count on being able to spend those funds right away.

This is not meant to put you down; it is only meant to help.

Here's my story: I have a checking account through Wells Fargo, and also had a car loan through them. We have since paid off the car, but prior to paying it off Wells Fargo took an unauthorized payment directly out of my checking account to go towards the car loan. This car payment was less than 10 days late and I was expecting to be paid in the next two days, so I had to put off paying it until my paycheck came. So, I never authorized payment towards the car loan, but they took the money directly out of my account anyway. Because of them doing this I bounced about 5 small checks for which I had money to cover until they wiped out my account with this car payment. I went into the bank and spoke with someone about removing the overdraft charges that accrued because of these bounced checks, because it was their fault the checks bounced in the first place! I was told by the "customer service" person that it was not the bank's fault that I "couldn't balance my checkbook". He was very rude and condescending and very loud. He caused me extreme embarassment as we were right in the lobby of the bank. In my opinion, he should have been fired on the spot. Now I am kicking myself because I know they shouldn't have gotten away with it. I spoke to someone else at the same bank a couple of weeks later and they still never reversed these charges, but offered me "overdraft protection". Then he told me I was not eligible for the overdraft protection because I had "bounced checks" within the last year. All the bounced checks were because of them taking out the unauthorized payment!! How ridiculous! By the way, J. from Minneapolis, I have a sneaking suspicion that you are this rude and insensitive jerk I spoke to at the bank the first time I went in. What makes you so high and mighty anyway?

No rebuttals?!?!?! HA!!

I guess all the typing I did the last time I wrote was well worth it!

I hope the information helped some people understand how banking "really" works.

From all of the comments from earlier and later postings, all I can tell is that people seem to be living in their own little worlds...conjuring up silly ideas of how they think that the bank "should" and "does" work.

Another little piece...Wells Fargo follows strict laws set forth by our Federal, State and Local Governments. If they didn't, they could be sued royally...trust me when I say this- Wells Fargo has invested a LOT of time and money into lawyers and other important people to make sure that they are following the appropriate laws accordingly. They are going to cover their a**es to make d**n sure that no "Average Joe" on the street is going to ride in and "sue them into bankruptcy".

*sigh*

Honestly, I feel bad that there are people out there who feel that it is all the banks fault...never owning up to any of it being their fault. Like I said, WF (AND OTHER BANKS)do make mistakes, and will happily refund you of any fees. But, you also need to make sure to correctly balance your checkbook, and know that you need to keep money in your account to cover ALL of the checks and purchases that you have made.

ADVICE: keep all of your deposit receipts, transaction receipts from stores, and use duplicate checks. That way, if you ever have a problem that you think is bank error, you have records and can dispute the charges more easily.

MORE ADVICE: When complaining and asking for a refund or fee reversal, if you want to recieve good customer service...be a courteous customer. Do not yell, swear, attack or be demanding at the person you are talking to about your problem. Remain calm, collected and educated (ask questions...get clarifying details...rephrase and repeat what you heard back to the other person, to ensure full understanding). If you do this, 9 times out of 10 you will get what you wanted, and you will remain a top customer of the bank!

Thanks...you know what I am saying. And to that underaged monkey from Minnesota.....get a tan.

Let's see....Wells Fargo just made TWO MISTAKES on my account in ONE month. I do not see that I get a $30. credit for THEIR mistake. For one, they have not credited my account with the meesley $2.00 "direct deposit" credit for two months now; AND some Wells Fargo monkey key'd in the WRONG amount I had deposited. OH, it's OKAY for WELLS FARGO to make a mistake...but all hell breaks loose if the average JOE customer makes one. HELLO...WELLS FARGO....YOU OWE ME $60.00 FOR YOUR MISTAKES ON MY ACCOUNT. Or is it $90.00 you own me, that adds up to three mistakes.

Please, if you are like the average moron from Minnesota above, don't respond. You look stupid, and you don't have all the answers. Get a job with Wells Fargo. (Oh, you are already employed by W.F., no wonder). Again, thanks Sarah, for having a brain. Not many others "get" what I am saying.

Dana from Concord, soon to relocate out of this sorry state. RETIREMENT AT THE AGE OF 45 IS GRAND! SEE YOU IN EUROPE. PISS OFF WELLS FARGO.

Sarah- what the hell are you smoking? are you one of those crazy hippie loving, love everyone people?! Your response was a little...well odd.

umm..regarding your statement about we are all guilty of not adhering to rules, laws blah blah blah...yada yada yada...should you be criticized yada yada yada.....

well I tell ya what..I am not of legal drinking age..yet I drink every weekend with my friends. I am obviously not obeying the law, yet I am still criticized for drinking by cops. now...have they stopped to understand "my plight... (to unwind and have fun with my friends) and help the situation... (by getting me another drink), instead of pouring oil into an open flame...(hassling me for drinking)??? hell no...

so...I really don't have pity on you or anyone else with the whole "i don't have enough money crap"

Yes, I understand that it is hard just to get by these days. With mortgage/rent payments, car payments, bills, bills, and more bills, its a struggle. The truth is, americans have been taught to overextend their financial capabilities. With so many credit card offers, loans, "interest free financing" the average american consumer is drowning in debt. Consumers are not taught the fundamentals of money, how to budget, and how money actually works.

There are many available resources to get help. You should consider checking in to them.

My moto...I have said it before and I will say it again..."you can't spend money that you don't have!!!!" meaning...if you have overextended yourself...you should make some changes in your life. If that means getting rid of the brand new set of wheels you just got, so be it.

Quit blaming the banks.

Yes, I know that the banks do make mistakes sometimes. But I am willing to bet, 99% of the time it was the customers error.

As for the way checks clear through the accounts...PUUHHLEASE!

I don't know what the whole case with WF was before with the largest checks going thru first, but apparently I heard somewhere that Wells Fargo won that case. Obviously the judge felt that the evidence for the claims were not strong enough to find wells fargo in error.

Second note to that, (yes I work at WF) and I can tell you that they do not process the checks in highest to lowest dollar amount!!!

Exhibit A: You write a check to your credit card company in the amount of $100.00 which is sent to California. (you live in Wisconsin). You write another check, the same day for $1200.00 to WF for your mortgage payment. You run to the bank to pay it, before 3:00 pm because you need it credited that day or it will be late. Which one clears first?

Answer: the $1200.00 check..why? Because its the largest? NOPE! Because it is a WF check, and It is paying a wells fargo mortgage-it will process thru the clearing house faster, and because it was credited before 3:00 (same day business). Wells Fargo has absolutely, NO IDEA you wrote the other check for $100.00 before the check for 1200.00.

Exhibit B: You wrote 4 checks today; The check numbers and amounts are listed respectively: #1344, $100.00; #1345, $4.37; #1346, 20.00; #1347, 237.63.

Check number #1344 was for paying "Joe" back at work for the tickets to the game he bought you. Joe takes it and puts the check in his pocket, goes home and forgets about the check for a week, before he takes it to his bank to cash it.
Check number #1345 was for lunch at McDonalds. Yummy...
Check #1346 was for putting gas in the ol' mini van before heading home from work.
Check #1347 was for your car payment, which is due in 4 days, so you will have to send it express mail the following day.

In which order do the checks clear???
Is it check #1347 because its the largest? NOPE TRY AGAIN!
ok...so check number 1344?? No, remember I said Joe forgot about it for a week...
The answer: Check # 1345, and 1346 will clear first. Probably even together the same day!! Aint that funny!

Alright...so I could give a hundred and one more scenarios but dammit I am sick of typing.

Bottom line: There are so many variables that contribute to when checks are going to clear! There is absolutely no possible way for you, me, bob, joe, tom, susie, Fred and even psychic sylvia browne to tell. With that said, Wells Fargo cannot predict when all of your checks will be clearing, and when they will be arriving for clearing at the check processing hub. How could they possibly know? Do you personally call Wells Fargo to let them know that you have written a check to someone and the amount that it is??

So you say...AHA! They know when I use my debit card!! Hehehehe...I will show her!!
Well...a little FYI...debits from a check card are temporarily "held" in your account until the merchant (aka store you are paying) submits the final "paperwork" to debit your account. They have a specified period of time in which they can debit your account. Legally, they have to debit payment within, I think 7 days. It might be as long as 2 weeks. So they may not collect payment for several days after the purchase. It also depends on which day, (sunday doesn't count as a business day so it will go through on monday night - WF's system is updated at midnight each business day) Also, what time..before 3:00pm: cleared that night, after 3:00pm: cleared the following night.

Also, most checks have a time frame in which you can cash a check. Standard PERSONAL checks are 6 months. A lot of COMMERCIAL (business and payroll) checks have a shorter time period, and government checks are valid for a year!!!!! Whoever you send a check to, they can collect the funds for that check at any time, within the specified time frame.

So, as I said before, many variables affect when a check clears your account. It is impossible for ANYONE to tell when they will clear.

Wells Fargo, ALWAYS applies Credits to your account before DEBITS, and I have 100% Proof on that statment. If anyone would like to place a one million dollar bet with me, right now, I would see to that and also raise it.

If you know that you wrote too many checks and don't have enought to cover them all, just get to the bank BEFORE 3:00 (or cut off time) and you will have no problems. (Its called playing the float BTW).

If anyone has anymore questions, or wants to refute what I have said, please do and I will "try" to get back to you.

I have read all of the comments because I too have been a victim of the unjust banking practices of Wells Fargo Bank and I did not know just how much it affects others.

I always believed that I was not the only one, but to read the comments of others for both sides was truly great to see.

In a perfect world, having funds in the bank to cover all of your checks is ideal. Even in a not so perfect world it would be ideal, but the fact of the matter is that if everyone paid their bills on time, have enough money in the bank or did not need to borrow money, then banks would not have a leg to stand on.

People that struggle with paying the bills or occasionally find themselves short are perhaps in a majority class. If we weren't then you wouldn't see the flooding of offers for folks with bad credit, or equity loans which feed on folks livelihood by taking their biggest investment and making it easier to perhaps lose one day. THIS IS BIGGGGGGGGG BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!

As I agree with Dana, all we want it for the checks to be cover for the amount of funds that we do have in the bank. We will still be fined but at least we are not left to sink further and further in the hole. After all, if we are continuously beseiged by all these fines and high interest, the earnest consumer that is struggling in this terrible economy may just have a chance to come up out of it. But they don't want us to because they will no longer profit in a BIG way.

So stop telling us to "learn how to balance our checkbooks." We know that we are not right, but this is a common thing and it must be addressed and corrected to make things better for our communities as a whole.

Last thing, I am sure that for those who don't agree with this, you are guilty of something in your life where you don't strickly adhere to the rules, laws, policies, etc. or because of conditions make it harder for you to do right all the time. Yet still, you recognize it and strive to correct this in your life. Should you be critized with no attempt to try and understand your plight and help the situation instead of pouring oil on an open flame?

Bottom Line: Wells Fargo has a choice in the way they structure their check processing procedure 1) to be more profitable for them or 2) more consumer friendly and more community conscious. It's time to empower, not devour.

Look you guys....I will admit...I work for Wells Fargo Bank. And there are times that the bank makes mistakes. But after 10 years of working in customer relations, it is apparent that 90% of Wells Fargo customers cannot add, subtract, or balance a checkbook. They have become complacent with ATM Debit cards and carbon-copy checks. When was the last time ANY of you wrote in your debit-card purchases IN your register, then deleted the amount from your balance??? If you cannot be responsible for your own account, then maybe you shouldn't have one. So quit crying...why not just ASK Wells Fargo for a booklet on all their policies and procedures, bone up on them and make yourself more aware.

Sandy...

I am totally aware of the fact that writing more checks than there is money in the account will cause an overdraft. WHAT I was trying to say, is: YES, okay, say you are short, and that causes an overdraft, FINE. BUT with the larger check first, and so on and so on: Let's say there is enough money to cover six out of seven checks, find and dandy...but the way Wells Fargo does it, by the time they cover the first two or three checks and charge the $30. overdraft fees on all smaller check, then there IS NOT enough money for the following checks when there was in the first place. See what I am saying?

Let's say I am at a bank that does NOT auto take the largest check, then the difference can be quite significant!!!! ONLY ONE check overdraft.

THAT IS WHAY I AM TRYING TO SAY. That's all. IT's a racket, and there are MANY banks out there that don't do like Wells Fargo does....

I know, I called a list of banks, months ago when I first posted the original complaint. SO, thanks for your words of wisdom, Sandy.

I already got called moron from BOB of Concord, or is that Bob of Colorado...he cannot seem to make up his mind. (PS, BOB spends his every wakeing moment at the computer calling others names also, quite pathetic.) I just don't think BOB quite got what I was pointing out. I have moved on. We can drop this from here on out.

First of all Most banks will cask the largest check first. They do this because They believe the highest amount check could be your mortgage or rent. They do not scan your account to see how bad they can screw you. Also most banks charge way more than $18 for a NSF. most banks charge between $25 and $30 for this. I am not agreeing with the banks that this is right. Just letting you know that it is the way it is. And to agree with some of the previous responses. You are the one who wrote out the checks in the first place. It is you responsibility to make sure the money was there.

I have worked in the 'collections' industry for close to 10 years and I happen to be, and always will be a manager that understands and trains my employees to understand that 'bad things happen to good people', and try to work dilligently with people that are having financial difficulties to see what we can do to keep them as customers.

I currently work for a bank and have a department of close to 50 employees that handle collection calls daily and I sometimes get the escalated calls from unhappy customers.

I understand the frustration of financial struggles, but my suggestion is this, before signing any application for a credit card, and/or checking account, take time to read ALL the information provided by the bank.

I can almost guarantee that all the fees and interest that is and could be charged is despribed in the paperwork and/or disclosures.

Also, watch and FULLY understand what you actually sign-up for, if you don't understand, ask questions until you do...This might help lessen the frustration when things like this happen.

Good luck!

I have worked in the 'collections' industry for close to 10 years and I happen to be, and always will be a manager that understands and trains my employees to understand that 'bad things happen to good people', and try to work dilligently with people that are having financial difficulties to see what we can do to keep them as customers.

I currently work for a bank and have a department of close to 50 employees that handle collection calls daily and I sometimes get the escalated calls from unhappy customers.

I understand the frustration of financial struggles, but my suggestion is this, before signing any application for a credit card, and/or checking account, take time to read ALL the information provided by the bank.

I can almost guarantee that all the fees and interest that is and could be charged is despribed in the paperwork and/or disclosures.

Also, watch and FULLY understand what you actually sign-up for, if you don't understand, ask questions until you do...This might help lessen the frustration when things like this happen.

Good luck!

I have worked in the 'collections' industry for close to 10 years and I happen to be, and always will be a manager that understands and trains my employees to understand that 'bad things happen to good people', and try to work dilligently with people that are having financial difficulties to see what we can do to keep them as customers.

I currently work for a bank and have a department of close to 50 employees that handle collection calls daily and I sometimes get the escalated calls from unhappy customers.

I understand the frustration of financial struggles, but my suggestion is this, before signing any application for a credit card, and/or checking account, take time to read ALL the information provided by the bank.

I can almost guarantee that all the fees and interest that is and could be charged is despribed in the paperwork and/or disclosures.

Also, watch and FULLY understand what you actually sign-up for, if you don't understand, ask questions until you do...This might help lessen the frustration when things like this happen.

Good luck!

I have worked in the 'collections' industry for close to 10 years and I happen to be, and always will be a manager that understands and trains my employees to understand that 'bad things happen to good people', and try to work dilligently with people that are having financial difficulties to see what we can do to keep them as customers.

I currently work for a bank and have a department of close to 50 employees that handle collection calls daily and I sometimes get the escalated calls from unhappy customers.

I understand the frustration of financial struggles, but my suggestion is this, before signing any application for a credit card, and/or checking account, take time to read ALL the information provided by the bank.

I can almost guarantee that all the fees and interest that is and could be charged is despribed in the paperwork and/or disclosures.

Also, watch and FULLY understand what you actually sign-up for, if you don't understand, ask questions until you do...This might help lessen the frustration when things like this happen.

Good luck!

Dana I realize youR point and it is very well taken. So you will know there are other's with similar problem's with Wells Fargo, you should know that in my case I had a Free Credit Profile charge me $79.95 for a credit report when I had cancelled the FREE TRIAL within 10 days. I did not use it, however I was charged all the same. Where this is linked is they use Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo encoded the wrong Credit Card number for the charges, putting in my husbands card number instead of mine.

So when I called to receive a refund, after sending my banking statement to them showing my account was charged as they requested, I get this " We don't show where you were charged" comment. After a month of calling from not being recontacted when I first started out with this dilemma, I was getting the run around from the FCProfile supervisor all because of it being a Wells Fargo Mistake.

It was only when I contacted the Representative at Wells Fargo handling the Free Credit Profile account and suggesting if there could have been an encoding problem was when the charge was found. Like you said, apology only, no letter.

Wouldn't it be great if we could charge for their mistakes plus interest for tying up our money for so long. But know this. Charlotte, North Carolina being the 3rd largest banking industry, Wells Fargo is not the only one that performs these kind of unfair practices.

Yes, many of the banks here use Wells Fargo (I call them a clearing house)for handling their checks, but there are banks that handle their own as well.

I work in the banking industry and Fees, Overdraft Charges, and Charges for the Overdraft Charges are a real abuse of the system of Federal Regulations and a common place for these type of banking practices.

I believe the Feds need to be more consumer activist and help the economy by knocking off or down some of these fees. I know for a fact that banks sit around thinking of what they can charge fees for and at times some banks have paid out rewards/bonus' for those who come up with these charges.

It is a shame that when you have an occassional or otherwise overdraft in your account and the bank takes it upon themselves to pay the overdraft to not only charge you a fee for the overdraft, but because you are over drawn they charge you a fee on the overdraft too. So, in other words if you have a check for $100 bucks to come in and you have only $95 bucks in your account and they pay the check, you not only owe them the $5 buck difference, but you pay $30 bucks for the overdraft fee (not NSF, they are different) the bank charges you $30 bucks more on the first $30 because it is not covered either. Boy, now that is the way to make money. So I do have EMPATHY for you and many Americans like you that are hard on their luck and in bad times as they are and live as they have to live from not having a job or having to take one for less money and many other situations that cause people not to be able to make ends meet and find themselves in this dilemma as well as struggling.

And Bob, get a life. Have more understanding instead of being like a vulture hanging out here finding fault with others. Your life must be very boring to have to hang here for jollies.

All the people I know that would come here is to HELP others either in ways of WARNING CONSUMERS OF RIP-OFFS, HELP WITH ANY SUGGESTION AND CHECKING OUT ANY COMPANIES THEY MAY BE HAVING PROBLEMS DEALING WITH TO HELP THE CAUSE.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY THAT CAN BE GOOD AND HELPFUL OR BENEFICIAL TO OTHERS, THEN JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!!

I BELIEVE YOU DO WORK FOR WELLS FARGO OR A BANK LIKE THEM AND YOU MUST BE A "SUIT" TRAVELING AROUND SINCE YOU CANNOT MAKE UP YOUR MIND WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED HALF THE TIME. DANA, I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK IN FINDING ANOTHER BANK WITH MORE COMPASSION AND LESS "GREED", IF NOT, TRY A CREDIT UNION.

Bob...

I see you have been on the website Complaint Station, referring to people as "morons", and to "grow pubic hair". Your way of dealing with complaints against Wells Fargo is not very intelligent, nor do you have anything to say, but just call people names. These are legit consumer complaints. I take it you work for Wells Fargo? Is it the one in Calfiornia, or Colorado? You have changed your place of residence.

Bob, if you DO work for Wells Fargo, the BEST way to be is to have some EMPATHY. Wells Fargo Bank DOES make mistakes; but all they have to do is send out a letter of apology; I have not received money for THEIR MISTAKES.(I use the phrase Wells Fargo mistake in plural form.) Also, do not "assume" anyone with a complaint with their bank can't handle their checking account.

Aside from your name calling, Bob, it's so nice to know your are "perfect." I see Wells Fargo really lives up to it's reputation with people like you working there.

Go ahead, have the last word, Bob, as I have had enough of you and Wells Fargo Bank.

Dana - So instead of just admitting "I was stupid and overdrew my account and maybe I'll do better next time", you actually took the time to see if you could get anyone to admit that they are "ripping you off" when in fact you are the one wasting everyone's time. Fat chance. The fact that the excuse for the way checks are processed was brought up in court is indicative that the court must have thought this made sense. Otherwise, WF would have lost and you would not be writing your original complaint. No, everyone does not have a mortgage payment or a rent payment or a car payment, but I would bet most people do! Besides, its damned if you do and damned if you don't. Processing checks under the current system causes people like you to complain about excessive fees. If WF bounced the mortgage check but not the rest, people like you would complain that the bank purposely bounced the mortgage check so it could collect late fees and extra interest on the mortgage payment. The "bottom line" is you need to learn how to balance a check book. I am sure that if you never overdrew your account and the bank never charged you any fees for doing so (making your account less profitable), that they would not care in the least. I have had a bank account for 15 years at a couple different banks and haven't been dinged yet. Something you should strive for.

I am cutting and pasting this for your info, from a search done under "Predatory Lending" on the internet:

CRL, 53 Other Groups Call on Fed to Curb Banks' Abusive Fee-Based Overdraft Programs
January 28, 2003

Consumer Warning Issued on Abusive Fee-Based Overdraft Programs

DURHAM, NC. - Calling fee-based overdraft programs now being used by 1,000 banks and other financial institutions "a hidden and unfair tax on the most vulnerable depositors," 54 national advocacy groups - including the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), National Community Reinvestment Coalition, National Consumer Law Center and ACORN - are calling on the Federal Reserve Board to implement minimum disclosure and consumer protections for fee-based overdraft charges and "free checking" accounts.

The Center for Responsible Lending also issued a consumer warning alerting consumers to the differences between abusive fee-based overdraft programs and legitimate overdraft protection.
"We urge the Federal Reserve Board to recognize these fee-based overdraft programs for what they are - predatory consumer lending," said the 54-group letter. "We are concerned that banks may be steering low and moderate income customers to this high-cost credit, rather than to the much more affordable credit alternatives offered to wealthier customers."

Groups call for Truth in Lending regulation on overdraft charges

More than 1,000 banks and other financial institutions now offer programs that charge fees to cover check or ATM overdrafts, but they are not required to disclose their true cost as loans to consumers. The new programs pay overdrafted checks and charge a flat fee (typically $20 to $35) for each overdraft, equivalent to 1,000 percent interest or more on an annualized basis, instead of the annual 6 to 18 percent interest typically charged by banks on lines of credit to more established customers.

"It's very simple: these are very high-cost loans, and should be disclosed as loans," said CRL spokesman Eric Stein. "If you have $80 in the bank and go to an ATM asking for $100, many banks will give you the $100 without mentioning that you're overdrafting your account. By the time you pay the $21 overdraft fee and re-pay the $20 balance a week later, you've paid a 5,475 rate of interest, and this fact was never disclosed."

Stein added: "We've asked the Fed to revise its regulations to require financial institutions to treat fee-based overdrafts as loans under the Truth in Lending Act - then at least consumers would know what they're signing up for."

"Outdated" Fed regulations hide consumer costs.

Banks induce consumers to open accounts with these high-cost fee-based overdraft programs through offering "free" checking, but the advocacy groups questioned how "free" the service is.

"These are linked services," said the CRL's Stein. "By marketing with the promise of 'free checking,' banks can find customers most likely to be susceptible to overdrafting their account, without being required to disclose the fee-based overdrafts as loans. These lenders take advantage of an inadvertent loophole in the Fed's regulations, since a checking account can be called 'free' so long as there is no minimum balance, even though the account may be structured with the purpose of repeatedly charging large fees."

The letter also requests the Fed to clamp down on banks that intentionally put accounts into overdraft by paying larger checks first. "Banks say overdraft protections aren't loans, but a consumer convenience," said Stein. "If it were, the banks would pay smaller checks first, and then pay a small number of larger checks as an overdraft - this would save consumers money. But they don't, and consumers are caught paying overdraft fees for many more checks."

"We often hear about the policy advantages of serving the unbanked in our society," Stein said. "But abusive bounced-check and 'free checking' programs aren't providing real banking services for low-income consumers - they're taking advantage of their lack of sophistication to drive up banks' fee income."

CONTACT: Christine Kraly, for the Center, 703/276-3258 or ckraly@hastingsgroup.com.

Hi Dana--

I've posted this to other Wells Fargo posts, but in case you aren't aware: There is a big class action suit against Wells Fargo in the State of California on behalf of over 15 thousand customers.

I am not sure of the details of the case, but you can be sure that a complaint against that bank now will get more attention because of the class action lawsuit. Regulators also base their fines on the number of complaints and how pervasive the problems are, so it's good if they know of your experience.

I don't know if it'll get you a refund, but maybe it will give you a warm glow to know that your complaint might cost WF more money coughed up to the regulators on behalf of all California customers.

Good luck!

Hi Dana--

I've posted this to other Wells Fargo posts, but in case you aren't aware: There is a big class action suit against Wells Fargo in the State of California on behalf of over 15 thousand customers.

I am not sure of the details of the case, but you can be sure that a complaint against that bank now will get more attention because of the class action lawsuit. Regulators also base their fines on the number of complaints and how pervasive the problems are, so it's good if they know of your experience.

I don't know if it'll get you a refund, but maybe it will give you a warm glow to know that your complaint might cost WF more money coughed up to the regulators on behalf of all California customers.

Good luck!

Hi Dana--

I've posted this to other Wells Fargo posts, but in case you aren't aware: There is a big class action suit against Wells Fargo in the State of California on behalf of over 15 thousand customers.

I am not sure of the details of the case, but you can be sure that a complaint against that bank now will get more attention because of the class action lawsuit. Regulators also base their fines on the number of complaints and how pervasive the problems are, so it's good if they know of your experience.

I don't know if it'll get you a refund, but maybe it will give you a warm glow to know that your complaint might cost WF more money coughed up to the regulators on behalf of all California customers.

Good luck!

I need to add this information: I decided to call my local Wells Fargo branch, and inquired about the policy that Wells Fargo manipulates the order of customer's checks, largest first, and so on and so on; His reply: "I didn't know about that, let me ask my supervisor" The young man came back to the phone after a minute or two, and said "My supervisor has been working here for 25 years, and she said she was unaware of Wells Fargo doing that".

Okay......hummm....so I called the WF 800 number, and asked the same question. The answer? "I didn't know that we do that, let me take a look"...and then I received a $2.00 charge for a ONE TIME CALL for getting no answer to my question, other than Wells Fargo employees either a) are trained to lie, or b) are not trained at all and after looking at hundreds and hundreds of accounts for their customers, no wait, that does not make sense. How can it be? Am I to presume they just don't know of this policy? Employees have not caught on? WOW. Not even an employee of 25 years has figured it out by now. How she must be GREATFUL for my INFORMATIVE CALL!

By the way, it's an old Wells Fargo answer (from the rebuttal) "we do this so that IF you have a large check coming in first, that gets covered, because it must be a more important payment". That was used in court. Yes, WF has been taken to court over this. And no, not everyone has a mortgage payment. Something tells me Wells Fargo makes a lot more money with the dinging of small checks, cha ching cha ching cha ching goes the service fees, more than they "save" people from bouncing mortgage checks. It's all to make more money for WF. Let's face it, if Wells Fargo would just process the checks in the order in which they are received and not MANIPULATE the order, Wells Fargo would be makeing a lot less money. Bottom line.

I work for Wells Fargo, though not in the Banking Division. Wells Fargo has glossy outside view of its archaic systems and is extremely inflexible. I get free checking from them but choose to bank at my local credit union.

I can't believe you would actually take the time to post this moronic commentary. First, if you had good funds in the account, it would not matter what order they were posted in. They would all clear just the same.

Second, largest items are posted first because they are typically the more important ones, like rent or mortgage or car payment.

Given the amount of good funds in the account, if you had the choice of bouncing 5 small items (to gas station, mall, etc.) or the rent check, which would you choose?

Third, Just because you write checks in chronological order does not necessarily mean they all arrive at the bank in that order. Write a check to the local grocery and your credit card company in New Jersey on the same day and see which one hits the account first, no matter what the check number says. Don't blame everyone else for what ails you.