Oh Dear Wells Fargo

September 4, 2009

Mr. John Stumpf
President and CEO
Wells Fargo & Company
PO Box 63750
San Francisco, CA 94163

Dear Mr. Stumpf:

This letter is written with great frustration and disappointment. My husband and I bought our first home together this summer and have had our mortgage with Wells Fargo for two months. In those two months there have been many bank errors, including switching our payment from monthly to bi-weekly, withdrawing an extra $1000 for principal in August, and withdrawing an extra $3300 for principal in September, all of which were not authorized by me or my husband. I have had to call customer service on numerous occasions to correct these errors. Imagine if I didn’t have access to online banking and wasn’t able to see that $4600 had come out of my account rather than the normal mortgage amount. By the time a statement would have been received it’s inconceivable the number overdrafts we would have incurred. I realize the bank would have reimbursed those, but I am concerned that our money would be handled in this flippant manner, especially in these difficult economic times. Perhaps it is difficult for someone who makes nearly $900,000 a year to relate, however these are huge amounts of money to my family. In times when people have to worry about losing jobs or paying bills, we don’t also want to have to worry about whether we will have four times the amount of our mortgage taken from our bank each month.

Aside from the money, it’s also about the time. I’ve spent hours on the phone. Thankfully I’ve spoken with pleasant customer service representatives, Jen and Elisha, but I’ve had to use my work time to call. Imagine if I was not permitted to use the phone at work. How would I ever get these issues resolved? While the representatives have been kind, I have received different information and answers with each call. Anything from “it had to have been my husband or myself that authorized these things” (well, that’s nice, but it wasn’t,) to “I can be refunded in a day,” to “I won’t be refunded for 4-5 days.” Why do I have to speak to a supervisor in order to expedite the situation? Why am I told one thing by one person and something different by another person. I would think a financial institution of your size and reputation would be able to turn around money in an hour’s time, especially when it is your error and affects a customer’s money that they simply don’t have available to be withdrawn from their checking account.

When I called in August to get the first errors fixed I was told I could rest assured that this would not happen again in September. Not only did it happen again, but this time rather than and extra $1000 it was an extra $3000. I’ve now been told I can once again be certain that this won’t happen in October. How am I to really trust this?

It’s also about the stress. This is our first home together. It should be a place of comfort, new memories. A place we lay our heads to dream, share family meals. It should not be a source of stress and anxiety. We are on a budget. I am proud of the way we have prepared for this investment in our lives. That budget does not allow for $4000+ to be taken from our account in two months. I do not want to hold my breath with anxiety each time I check my account on the first of each month. I realize errors happen, mistakes are made. A bank with millions of customers is bound to have errors. What can be done, though, to remedy those mistakes? If DirecTV makes an error they offer a free month of service. If a product is faulty you can return it and get your money back. If I make a late payment I am penalized with a fee. What will be done to correct these mistakes made by Wells Fargo? What compensation may I expect for my time, my stress, my money-things much bigger than a satellite channel or a spot remover that doesn’t work?

Just twenty years ago when my father moved to town he walked into a bank and asked to speak to the president. He wanted to meet the person who would be in charge of his money, the person who would be looking out for his financial well being. Again, I recognize that may be impossible with a bank this size. I did not choose Wells Fargo, my mortgage was purchased by you. Does that mean it is unreasonable to think that I can expect the same kind of care and personal service that my dad once expected from his bank? I may be overly optimistic to think you will even receive or read this letter, which is why I am sending it to the President and CEO of Wells Fargo, the EVP of Home and Consumer Finance and the President of my local branch in hopes that someone will respond. I don’t believe it’s too much to expect, however, to be assured that my finances are secure at your institution, that you will do everything in your power to take care of me, your customer. Your values are, after all, to “satisfy all of our customers' financial needs, help them succeed financially, be the premier provider of financial services in every one of our markets, and be known as one of America's great companies.” I anticipate your response with great expectation.

Thank you,