Chexsystems and Wells Fargo...Bite me

The BBQ Pit
1

Ever heard of a piece of shit company called Chexsystems? If you haven’t, allow me to introduce them.

Ok, until recently, I chose to bank with Wells Fargo. One day, I ordered checks from them. They sent me a email telling me that I couldn’t order checks at this time because the address I wanted the checks sent to did not match the address they had on file. Fair enough, I’m all for security in banking although it was interesting that I get monthly statements every month but they can’t figure out where to send my checks to. Regardless, I went online, filled out the change of address, waited a few days for the change to process, and re-ordered my checks. Fast forward to 3 weeks later, haven’t seen any checks. I call to inquire why and am informed that they were sent to my former address!! Now these douchebags tell me that they made a mistake and have to put a hard hold on my account because there is a box of checks floating around out there somewhere just waiting to be abused. The only remedy they can think of… I will have to open a new account. This is a major inconvenience because I am leaving in a few days to go out of town on business but ok, I figure when I get home from my trip, I will change my account. They assure me that nothing will go though my account in the meantime. I don’t deposit any money before I leave because I may not be able to get it out on the road. Besides, nothing will clear because these assholes said so.

So while I am gone, they let an auto bill-pay to my ISP go through. Now, I am across the country with no checks and no ATM card, virtually friggin cut off from my bank, yet they let this pass through. It overdraws my account, they add a surcharge, which overdraws it more and adds another surcharge. I get back three weeks later to find out my account is overdrawn by 150 bucks. And then 2 days later,I find out that they have closed my account, but failed to mention that they reported me to a little known service called Chexsystems.

Steaming mad, I utter “Fuck Wells Fargo, I’m going to a competitor”. I go to another bank to open an account only to be told that I have a mark on Chexsystems and therefore not only can I not open an account at this bank, I can’t open an account at ANY bank for three years. I call my WF bank manager who tells me that it sounds like Wells made a mistake but only “corporate” can remove me from Chexsystems. Corporate tells me it looks like Wells made a mistake but only the bank manager can remove me. He refuses and they refuse. I got transferred 11 times at corporate, disconnected twice, and found many seemingly sympathetic people who did absolutely nothing to help.

Now my only option to cash my paycheck is to go to a check cashing place. Guess who is investing in check cashing places these days?..yep, the major banks. Another interesting little irony, it turns out that Chexsystems owns the company that I ordered my checks from, starting this whole fiasco.

Now, I had been a customer for over 7 years, never had an overdrawn account, never bounced a check, didn’t even make a mistake (other than try to order checks), but I am banned from 99% of all of the banks for up to 3 years! I am not alone. Many good folks have been reported to chexsystems due to a mistake by the bank. I had never heard of these chexsystem pricks, neither had my friends, maybe you haven’t. But they are out there and their not so secret goal is to remove people who don’t keep big balances in the bank, from the system. The bank pays them to provide this service because small customers are a nuisance, plain and simple. Think I am making this up? Want to learn more? click here or read this.

These people are fucking with ordinary peoples lives (5 million of them!!) and if you are not making your bank drool with your balance, you could be next.

2

musicguy, you probably didn’t post this looking for advice, but does your employer have a credit union you can join? Or, if not, is there a small local bank who might take your word over Chexsystems, particularly a bank that doesn’t have to answer to a corporate office and thus might be more flexible?

And make sure to tell all your friends about Wells Fargo’s [not-so-]great customer service, and let your bank manager and any high-up officials you can get letters sent to at Corporate know that you’re doing it.

3

Most (all?) states have offices dealing with regulation of banks. Copy them on all corespondence. I have found that you will usually get someones attention if you are reporting them to their regulators.

I have used this technique on telephone companies, Insurance companies, and banks.

It works.

4

Thanks for the advice folks. Any additional advice is greatly appreciated.

5

musicguy, your bank manager at WF was less than truthful with you. He/she is the person that can remove you from ChexSystem. Make an appointment with that branch manager, and insist that they pull your records. Firmly, but politely point out that it was the bank’s error, not yours.

Insist that the bank manager remove you from ChexSystems. Only the reporting bank can get your name removed from the CS databanks. They should also reverse the charges for the overdrafts, if it was the bank’s mistake.

If you don’t stand up for yourself now, you face five years of being a second-class citizen. Banned from nearly every banking institution in the US. Cashing your checks at those loathsome “Check-into-Cash” places…that the major banks own.

6

I must echo truthbot. Stake your claim IMMEDIATELY with the branch manager, and don’t back down until the situation is rectified.

7

I work for Wells Fargo (wholesale, not retail). If you can’t get relief from your branch manager (be polite, but be firm) send me an email and I’ll do what I can to help you climb the chain until you get the help you deserve (assuming your side is the correct side).

8

Some options: sue them for libel, and/or restraint of trade. Or print out a flyer describing your situation, and hand it out to WF customers.

9

have to agree here, i had someone talk to someone really high up at Wells and they said the same thing about the branch manager

BTW she really thought everyone’s advice was really good (nothing like introducing someone to the TM with a thread from the pit)

10

I know this is too late now, but just for future reference:
Buy your checks from a place like :
http://www.checksinthemail.com or http://www.current.com
The checks are much cheaper and look like the exact same ones from the bank. When I opened up my account, the checks were going to be: $25.00 or something insane like that. I got them via the mail for $6.00 bucks.

There are a lot of places that print up cheap flimsy checks, but those two places do an excellent job.

11

I hate Wells Fargo. I hate Wells Fargo. I hate Wells Fargo. Not original enough vitriol for you? How about this: I HATE WELLS FARGO.

I have both heard about from numerous other parties and experienced myself (had a mortgage there once) absoulute, utter, unadulterated crap stemming from Wells Fargo people and policies and procedures; it can’t be pure coincidence anymore.

I won’t go into the details of my story here, but will offer advice to anyone who cares to listen:
Go bank at a credit union
Refinance your mortgage with a smaller institution
Buy your checks at one of those deals mentioned above.

I’ve done all of the above after learning some little lesson or other, usually the hard way. Oh, and did I mention that I hate Wells Fargo?

12

My Wells Fargo check story.

It’s not nearly as bad as the OP’s, but still…

I have always ordered my checks from a company like those cited by Bad News Baboon. Never had any problem. But I had sort of outgrown the pattern I was using, and I couldn’t find another one I really liked, so I figured what the heck, I’ll just order through my bank (Wells).

They spelled my name wrong! Over ten years I’ve been banking with these people, ordering my checks from external companies with no problem, and the first time I try to order checks directly from Wells, they can’t even get my name right. :rolleyes:

I thought about writing a bunch of checks and then claiming it wasn’t me – that’s not the way my name is spelled on my account, bozos (or any other records, for that matter). But for now I’m just crossing out the incorrect letters and replacing them.

Moral: If you must bank at Wells, DO NOT order checks from them.

And good luck musicguy. I hope the great suggestions in this thread will help you resolve your situation.

13

SEND CERTIFIED LETTERS WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED

Whenever you have difficulty with a company or government bureaucracy, send them certified letters. Explain in polite detail what happened and ask them to investigate further and respond to you in writing.

Certified letters don’t cost much, but they establish a clear paper trail. If you should ever need to sue or involve a government agency, your certified letters provide rock hard evidence. Judges love certified letters because an independent agency (the US Post Office) verifies that the correspondence was received or refused.

Businesses and government agencies take certified letters seriously and often give them priority attention because they know they are being tracked and it could haunt them later.

14

wells fargo is the bane of the banking experience.

apparently, the balance i get from the atm is not necessarily accurate. neither is the balance that the teller gives me. nor the balance that the bank manager gives me. and if i base my spending on any of these balances, i am liable to overdraft and get hit by huge fees which put me even further into overdraft and thus incur new fees. and this, according to the bank, is my fault.

i understand the need for the customer to keep track of his or her finances. but when i accidently went over one time, and came into the bank to clear it up, paying the fees and putting enough money into my account to bring it current and buy groceries, i damn well expect the balance the bank gives me to be accurate.

instead, i got screwed out of something like $400 and reported to chexsystems. luckily, i was already pissed off and had opened a new account with bank of america (the institution with which i had done business with no problems from the time i was 12 until i moved next to a wells fargo at 20 and thought i’d change banks for “convenience”.)

fuckers.

15

Just wondering, abuse angel, why is the balance you get from the ATM or teller not accurate? Is it because of checks you’ve written that haven’t been deposited yet? If so, there’s not much the bank can do about that–all they can give is the balance in your account for the checks they know about.

I get balances from ATMs and tellers all the time, and I’ve just learned to never give them a second glance. I always assume that my checkbook balance is more up to date than the bank’s. As long as the balance they give me is more than the balance I have recorded in my checkbook, I figure all is well and good.

I have also decided that Overdraft Protection is worth whatever you have to do to get it. I can’t count the number of times this has saved me from overdraft charges.

16

I too am a victim of chexsystems. It was sort of my fault though for the cardinal rule I broke “thou shalt not co-sign on a bank account for slacker boyfriend”

Yeah, it was at B of A, who in my opinion, are even WORSE than the evil Wells. Shit, B of A will charge you for driving by their bank and glancing inside. “OH! She’s a customer! Better charge her for that drive by!” I’ll show 'em a drive by…

Anyways, slacker boyfriend overdraws the account. So Miss. Account lady calls me and tells me that the account has been overdrawn for like, 3 days. I apologize profusely and go into the bank the next day and deposit enough money to bring the balance up. TOO LATE! They had already closed the account and reported both my evil X and myself to chexsystems, thus making me a leper to all banks and creditors. So I was sentenced to three years of getting 10% of my paycheck taken out every time I had to cash it at Western Union (not to mention feeling ghetto as all hell)

So my B of A lady tells me when I go in there to explain that they had ruined my life and they all need to go to hell, that they cannot remove me from chexsystems. That no one could, I was stuck. Kinda reminds me of the time I got into it with a credit card company who told me I had to contact securities about something but that securities DIDN’T HAVE A PHONE.

I managed to open an account in a small bank that spits on chexsystems and that doesn’t believe that one mistake should give you a 3 year sentence. Even criminals get more of a break then that with the 3 strikes rule.

The moral of this story boys and girls is this: follow these commadments and protect yourself from evil chexsystems trolls:

  1. Thou shalt not co-sign ANYTHING for slacker boyfriends.
  2. Thou shalt not bank with Bank of America nor Wells Fargo.
  3. Thou shalt not believe anything anyone from the above mentioned banks tells them unless they have spoken to no less than 3 people from that bank.
  4. Thou shall pray every night for the death and destruction of chexsystems.
17

as far as i could figure, the balance was incorrect because after they gave it to me, they charged me more fees, which i had no idea about. they were literally charging me fees for my fees, on top of doing silly things like rearranging the order of my transactions. one night i went to bed with my online statement showing that an amount had been deposited and then a check had cleared. by morning it read that the check had bounced and then money had been deposited. but i hadn’t printed the sheet out, so i never could prove it.

trust me, i am aware of when banking problems are my fault and when they are not. i am currently without an account because i messed up and overdrew my bank of america account by more than i’ve been able to repay so far. i know that that was my fault. but wells fargo seriously screwed me over.

18

lez, b of a closed the account after only a few days??? they left my account open for almost a month when i was overdrawn by nearly $200, and they’ve assured me that i get my account back when i pay up. and this is after giving me a new account despite the fact that my ex overdrew our old b of a account (after i left and before i closed it – the first thing that bastard did when i left was empty the bank accounts), which i didn’t even know about until i went in to open the new one (did that make sense? ie, he overdrew, i didn’t know and took my name off the account. when i opened a new one several months later, they asked me to pay the overdraft and then gave me a new account.)

19

Nope, the lady called me and said that it had been 3 days. I went in the next day, and they had closed the account. I think it was because it had never been overdrawn, if he didn’t have enough money in the account to pay a check, they just bounced it, then they charged the fee, so there would be enough money in the account to pay the fee without resulting in an overdraft. But I guess this particular check was only short like, 5 bucks, so they bounced it then charged 25 bucks which overdrew the account. But I went in there the DAY AFTER SHE CALLED and it was too late. They closed the account and reported my ass. I can’t believe your B of A is so lenient with overdraft things, maybe they were trying to make an example out of me or something, who knows. It seemed a bit rash to me.

20

Get away from writing checks altogether. I cannot recommend highly enough a bill paying company like Paytrust. I am NEVER late for a payment, if I get a bill due in two weeks I can “pay” the bill online immediately, but not have it “sent” until a date I specified. I write exactly ONE check each month for rent. If I have not paid a bill that looks like it is scheduled I get a friendly email reminder. No stamps, no making sure the stupid bill has the address sticking out the little window. I have almost instant check balancing. I could go on and and on. I do pay a monthly fee, but i think it is well well worth it.