Wells Fargo auto loan - mailing payment checks in plenty of time - unfairly being charged late fees - ongoing payment problems

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RE: Wells Fargo auto loan - mailing payment checks in plenty of time - unfairly being charged late fees - ongoing payment problems I have an auto loan with Wells Fargo, and I assure you it is not by choice. When I originally drove off the lot in my car I was banking with another lender, which was bought out by Wells Fargo. I have read about several incidents on Complaints.com that sound very similar to mine, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to share my experience.

I have been dealing with Wells Fargo for about two years, and in a mere two years this is what has happened:

First I would like to say I pay a with checks via mail and they, in my opinion, will purposely hold it until after the 15th (which is when it is due) so that they can try to charge me a late fee. Once they held onto a check 6 weeks after I mailed it before finally cashing it.

These "late fees" are never the same amount and it is funny how the representatives of Wells Fargo will find a way to come up with a reason why I owe them extra money. However, if I pay over the phone, Wells Fargo seems to have no record of it...and they still try to charge me late fees no matter how I approach them.

On one occasion I paid them on time as usual, and they called my house to tell me they never received my check and they were going to repossess my vehicle! Keep in mind this phone call was on the actual day my payment was due, so technically I wasn't even late yet. In hysteria I called back and talked to a new customer service representative who told me that my check "just posted". Ironic that in the five minutes my check conveniently posted, wouldn't you say?!?

Thirdly, my insurance lapsed for two months which is purely my fault. Wells calls me to tell me that they tacked on insurance to my loan which was another $140.00 a month, until I could show proof of Auto insurance.

When I purchased a new insurance policy I did show proof, ON FIVE OCCASIONS even having my mother and my insurance agent fax them the paperwork showing I was covered. For three months they told me they didn't receive it.

Then one day I talked to a woman who told me Wells Fargo had received a fax months ago describing my insurance coverage. She told me that they wouldn't refund me the extra money they had been charging me, nor would it go towards my principal. She stooped to playing dumb with me as to what the problem was! They OWE me $420.00 on over-charges, which they are trying to cover up.

As if that isn't enough, They started this new policy in which anyone who pays their payment via check will automatically be charged a $15.00 HANDLING FEE! I am automatically charged $15.00 just for paying on time. I choose to pay by check so I have a paper trail of proof, because with Wells Fargo you never know what you're going to get.

At this point I am contemplating going to court over this. I am also trying to re-finance my vehicle through another bank. It is sad, but I know they have stolen more from me than even I know! All this time I thought I was the only one who was being treated this way.

It is sad to see how some businesses work. The pill that is hardest to swallow, is that banking with Wells Fargo wasn't even my choice, and it seems that not a day goes by that I am not dealing with them in some negative aspect. These people are crooks plain and simple.

Erin Utter

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I am also a Wells Fargo customer, not for long though. I receive very rude phone calls from there so called Customer Service Department saying that my payment is late. My due date is the 2nd of the month. If they have not received it by the 3rd or 4th of the month they start calling. Sometimes they call several times a day. One call in particular that really made me mad is when their agent called I asked them why he was calling me. He said (verbatim) "If you would make your payment I wouldn't have to call." That is completely unprofessional and uncalled for. I said, Excuse me, you better look at my account before you talk to me that way. We have NEVER made a late payment in the 3 years since we have been with Wells Fargo our credit score is 798, we don't make late payments with anyone but if we are 2 days past the due date they call and treat us like we are trying to avoid paying them. I even tried to give them the conformation number, he wouldn't take it. The next day, same thing. One the 4th day I was nasty back and the lady finally said she would take my conformation number. Now you have to realize that I am still in the 10 grace period. They are harassing me and it is only the 8th of the month. What is wrong with this picture. I have NEVER had a bank treat us with this kind of hostility because there is absolutely no reason for any bank to be calling with you are not officially past the grace period be it 10 or 15 days.

They have lost us as a customer and I will be telling everyone I know how they treat there so called "Valued Customers".

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RIDICULOUS!!! To make a long story short I had purchased a vehicle a year ago not knowing that I would be financed through Wells Fargo. I have heard horror stories about them but have not had the pleasure of dealing with them. I typically make cash payments at my local branch and call in the receipt number. In February of this year I had gone in as usually to make a payment and then called in the recepit number. To my surprise a couple of weeks later I receive a call from Wells Fargo stating I did not make the last payment. I told them the payment was made at my local branch but not record was ever found nor could my local branch give me any information as to when I had made the payment. I live pretty much from paycheck to paycheck and could not afford to repay this payment that they claim was never made. THEREFORE at this time I have no choice but to voluntarily surrender my vehicle because Wells Fargo will not help me in any way and keep calling and harrassing me 15-20 times a day to collect on my payments. Thanks Wells Fargo for your outstanding customer hospitality!

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I MAILED MY PAYMENT IN JANUARY, THE CHECK CLEARED AND A FEW DAYS LATER I RECEIVED A CALL THEY NEVER RECEIVED MY PAYMENT. I FAXED THE COPY FROM THE BANK TO THE AUTO LOAN DEPARTMENT. I FEW DAYS LATER I RECEIVED A CALL THAT IT WENT TO MY CARD CARD AND THEY GAVE ME A NUMBER TO CALL TO HAVE THE MONEY RELEASED AND WAS ON HOLD FOR THIRTY MINUTES (MY LUNCH) AND FINALLY GOT THROUGH. TOLD THE PERSON MY NAME AND I DID NOT ANY ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND PLEASE RELEASE THE MONEY. AGAIN NEVER RESOLVED. ONE GIRL ALSO TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO WAY THAT THE MONEY COULD BE POSTED TO ANOTHER ACCOUNT BECAUSE THEY ONLY DO AUTO LOADS. I HAVE RECEIVED ABOUT 50 PHONE CALLS. I BELIEVE THAT THEY POSTED TO THE WRONG ACCOUNT OR BORROWED THE MONEY SO IT CAN'T BE FOUND. I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY TOLD ME. I PAID FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

THANKS.

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i would like to start by saying that i am a collections rep for wells fargo auto finance. there are some things that seem fishy to me about your complaint. first of all, mailing a check is just stupid in today's time. we have a website where you can make your payment--FOR FREE!! wow, who would ever think to do that?! if you mail your payments 10 days or less to the due date, it's your own fault that it's late, but the late fee won't be assessed until the 10th day and wells fargo doesn't go by the postage date, just as no one else does. second, i seriously doubt they held your payment for 6 weeks. that is absolutely ridiculous!! it could have possible been lost in a post office for a while and then found a sent. that has been known to happen at gmac auto finance when i worked there. the mail carrier found one and came forward with the information after a payment was found months later. third, the late fees are not always going to be the same if you don't owe the exact amount every month as they are based on the amount of your current payment. if you overpay on a payment one month, you owe less the next time, so your late fee will be less. they are a percentage of the amount due. fourth, we don't call people on their due date, you may have been mistaken of the date or perhaps your due date. we do call people 1 day past the due date because you are late if the payment is not there by the due date. late fees are assessed on the 10th day after, but the payment itself is late if you can't pay it by the due date. fifth, this one is your own fault...the cpi insurance added on. once we get notification of no insurance coverage or not full coverage, we add cpi (collateral protection insurance) to the account. 3 months before it's added, we send a notification letter to you. we send a total of 3 letters (once a month) before cpi is added. if you simply fax in the information to balboa (the insurance co.) that isn't good enough. you have to include your wells fargo account # on the top of the fax b/c balboa is a seperate company from wells fargo and without they can't credit your acct. this is leading me to the sixth issue i have with your complaint. they do credit your principal the overpayment amount because that is how the cpi premium is added to the account. you stated you had a lapse for 2 months, you wouldn't be credited for the time you had a lapse, but i am certain the remainder was credited to the principal. i've yet to come across an account where cpi was removed and not credited to the principal. seventh issue...there is no $15 check by phone fee...it was $8 and now it's $10.00. wells fargo, by the way doesn't charge that fee to everyone. there are 13 states that require us to charge a fee to do a check over the phone, your state is apparently one of them. it is a requirement by your state, you don't like it, that's not something that we can help. we HAVE to charge it due to the laws in your state. try going to court over all this, it's not factual. you can request a copy of your payment history and i'll bet you will see where your credit for the cpi was and you will also find many of the issues were your own fault. i'm not saying wells fargo is perfect, what finance company is? i have seen problems with others as well. they are all the same, they all work the same.

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Oh yes, all of this sounds very familiar. I am looking into refinancing my vehicle because of wells fargos barbaric ways. Supposively there is a 10 day grace period on payments yet they call me on the day my payment is due? They even call on christmas eve!!! I say a class action suit is needed. I have financed nearly 10 cars in my life and have never had to deal with ppl like this. Other finance companies don't want to take your vehicle and will work with u if u are in a jam, they show compassion and they understand that sometimes things happen. Wells fargo just waits so they can sink their teeth into u. Buyers beware.

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Please look up the Fair Debt Collection Act. WF continually breaks federal law and they have in your case.

Contact your state attorney general and file a complaint, give them all of the information that your have.

1. They are not allowed to threaten you

2. They are not allowed to hold checks

3. If you tell them that they can not call aa specific number then they can not.

Also contact an attorney. You asked them not to call at work they did until you got fired. This should be an actionable offense.

The only way to get them to treat their consumers ethically is to hit them where it hurts and that is in the pocket book.

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Like ERIN U, I have had NOTHING but problems with Wells Fargo. I am currently waiting for them to come pick up the vehicle, as they have me so upside down on the note I cannot sell it or trade it in. Here is a timeline of the issues with Wells Fargo:

March 2006- Arranged a loan with Wells Fargo to purchase 2000 Range Rover for my (then) fiancee. The individual selling the car WORKED for Wells Fargo, and suggested we get financing there. They gave a loan amount of $21,000.00 at 17% interest. (I only recently found out the actual blue book on the vehicle in March 2007 was $15,000.00. Seems odd they approved a loan for so much more, hmmmm?) Went in to sign paperwork and was advised AFTER SIGNING EVERYTHING that I needed to put $1,000.00 down payment. I advised my loan officer I did not have $1,000.00, and if my fiancee wanted vehicle, he would have to make the down. The L/O (Terrence) said no problem, he would hold the paperwork for 72 hours and if no down payment was deposited, the deal would not be processed. (LIE NUMBER 1)

24 hours passed, and I called Terrance to tell him that we were not going with Wells Fargo (WF from here on), but another lender who had a better interest rate and lower down. I followed this up with an email stating same, with a read receipt notification. Guess what? 3 days later I receive a call from the branch manager demanding I bring in the $1,000.00. It seems Terrance took it upon himself to submit the prior owners loan payoff and to complete the loan. He did this about 30 minutes AFTER talking to me, and AFTER opening my email. I advised the Manager that was not my issue, that I had documentation showing I had, in fact, canceled the loan. They proceeded to manipulate in such a way that I was STUCK with their loan.

May 2006- My (then) fiancee called WF and changed the mailing address for statements and phone number of record to his address and phone number, without my knowledge or consent. WF took a COMPLETE STRANGERS WORD that he was my "husband" and changed account information, without EVER contacting me.

September 2006- I received call from constable. They were repoing the vehicle. It seems my fiancee had not made a SINGLE PAYMENT. WF had been sending statements, and calling my fiancees house. They never once called me on my cell, or at work. Just the "new" number he had given them. Now I admit, this is partially my fault for not following thru and checking with my fiancee EACH MONTH to make sure payments were made, But if WF had not changed my info, I would have known ALOT sooner that he was blowing payment off. I also found out the vehicle was not insured. I IMMEDIATELY brought payments current, via Western Union and got insurance on vehicle off of my existing auto policy. I also took the vehicle back from fiancee and dumped him. I notified WF that the information they had on file was innacurate, and asked how they obtained it. They advised me "My husband" had called in and given it to them. When I told them I HAD NO HUSBAND, they apologized for the "CLERICAL ERROR".

October 2006- received letter from WF stating insurance being put in place by them, as vehicle was uninsured. I called, faxed AND overnighted them documentation showing vehicle was infact insured with State Farm, and had been since September 9th. It took 2 months to get this resolved, and they tacked their additional insurance of $190.00 to my payment until January 2007. In October I also began making my payments via check by phone.

January 2007- I made my payment by phone one day late. This apparently confused the drones at WF, because they began calling me about my "missed payment" that day, AFTER I made the payment. When I game them the conformation number of my payment, they still "could not find it in the system. I had to get proof from my CU that funds had been electronically deducted and fax to them. This took 3 days to clear up.

February 2007- My payment was not due until the 15th. On the 3rd, the calls began, about my "late payment". They called my cell, my work, my home and to my parents house.

(Strange, since they went 5 months without notifying me at all, now harassing me before payment even due???)

I advised them I COULD NOT RECEIVE CALLS AT WORK, and followed this up with a certified letter stating same. I also advised them they were not to call my parents house, as my mom was a cancer patient, and did not need their harassment. FInally, I advised them that my payment was not due until the 15th, so they did not need to say I had a late payment, when in fact my payment was not even due. They continued to call my workplace on a DAILY basis, multiple times a day, and to call my parents house. Once payment was made (and had CLEARED my bank) they still continued to call, saying payment had not been made.

March 2007- same as Feb. Payment not due till 15th, calls came in about it ALL MONTH LONG, even after payment was made by phone. My employer told them direct on numerous occasions that I could not receive calls at work. Still, the calls rolled in. One WF employee actually told me "if you just PAYOFF your note you won't have to deal with us anymore." {Payoff on the car was about 15,000.00 at this point.} My employer advised me he was logging calls in my HR file, and that I needed to get a handle on situation, because it was making a problem in the workplace and tying up his phone, and that the calls were distracting me from my tasks.

{PLEASE NOTE: every time we spoke with WF they said it was not logged in the system, but they would make a note and remove the number. THIS NEVER HAPPENED. I was receiving upward of 6 calls a day from them at work AND at my parents house. They NEVER called my home number OR my cell. They only called the numbers they were advised NOT TO CALL}

April 2007- Same as March, but even more calls at work. It almost seemed as if once they were told by my employer I could not receive calls, they did it just to cause problems. AGAIn, let me stress, payment was not yet due. After payment made BY PHONE, same problems. My supervisor AGAIN advised WF not to call me during business hours on office number, because they were putting my job in jeapordy.

May 2007- more calls. I WAS FIRED due to the "dissruption" the calls made in the workplace and to my tasks. I made my May payment early, and advised them that I was no longer employed, due to their harassment. Their response? They would remove the work number from their system. {Yeah- I had heard that before!)

June 2007- I used my last of my savings to make June payment, and while on the phone spoke to a rep about my situation, and being out of work. They told me since I was such a good customer they could take the July and August payment and roll them to the end of the note, giving me time to find a job and get back on my feet. I agreed to this, and it was "logged in the system" that I would not have a payment due for July 2007 or August 2007, and would resume making payments September 2007 in regular payment amount of $548.94.

August 2007- I took car to carmax and was told the most they could give me for the vehicle was $12,000.00, which was the Kelly Blue book. (The car is in EXACT same condition as it was when WF made the loan. And there are exactly 1000 more miles on it.) So even if sold to a private party, I realize I am screwed, payoff on it is now at $17,000.00)

September 2007- (this is a doozy, everyone better sit down!) I am not in town and I get a call from my roommate. On Saturday, September 8th I received an envelope from WF. It was postmarked September 5th. But the letter inside was dated AUGUST 23. (This was an intentional delayed mailing, as you will see from the body of the letter.) The leter stated that I was seriously delinquent, and that if I did not bring my account current within TEN DAYS from THE DATE OF THE LETTER, they would call my note. They also stated in the letter that I could call them at number listed below. ODD-THERE WAS NO NUMBER LISTED. I called and made payment by phone on Monday, May 10th, in the amount of $1,742.83. (REMEMBER- I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE 2 months GRATIS, rolled to end of note, then a REGULAR payment in September.) I confirmed with the rep (Ms. Nelson) that that would bring me current and I would be ok. I mentioned the letter, and the inconsistency with the postmark and the date of letter, and was told "not to worry about it, I had made payment current". When I asked why I was being forced to pay for July and August when I had been advised they would be rolled to the back end of my note, I was told "WF reps have no right to make an arrangement like that, and it never happened."

Imagine her shock yesterday morning when my roommate was awakened by a loud pounding at the door. It was a tow truck. WF had sent them to repo the vehicle. She advised him that I had made payment by phone, and he WAS NOT taking the truck. She immediately called me, and I relayed the payment conf. number, whom I had spoken with, etc. and she gave him the info. He said ok, left.

Thirty minutes later he was back. It seems WF said they were RETURNING MY PAYMENT, AND WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANOTHER until after they had posession of the vehicle. My roommate immediately called me again.

I called WF and was told first that I had made no payment, then that yes, payment had been made, but they were not accepting it. (Not accepting it 3 days AFTER I made payment and funds had been drawn from my dads checking account????? WHAT??????) Apparently, they are going to reverse the electronic draw (We'll see!) I was told I had to surrender vehicle before they would even discuss the account with me. They would not even give me a verbal payoff, as "this is the 5th time they have had to begin reposession against me" (LIE LIE LIE--- other than the ONE time in September of 2006 my payments were always made monthly.) After they have posession of the vehicle, they would give me information as to how I could reclaim it within 10 days. I advised them I was not even in town, that I was in CA on a temporary job. Their Response??? Too Bad.

My Roommate advised the tow truck guy he could come back at 10:00 AM on the 13th to get the vehicle, as there was another vehicle parked behind it. He said he couldn't come back, and he would move the blocking vehilce if he had to. She told him it was not my vehicle or her vehicle and could not be moved. Tow truck driver agreed to come back.

She is now waiting for them to come get the truck. I don't care at this point. I can't sell it, as I owe $6,000.00 more on the note than what the value is. They can have it. It has been nothing but a headache from day one. I was conned by the staff at the WF auto finance office in Arlington Texas. They made a loan that was for way more than the vehicle was worth, due to the fact their employee was the seller. THey physically inspected the vehicle, knew of the problems it had, and processed the loan even after I had cancelled the deal. Now I am stuck, having spent thousands of dollars on payments FOR NOTHING.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE DEALING WITH WELLS FARGO. THEY ARE HORRIBLE, AND WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE YOUR LIFE A LIVING NIGHTMARE.