Melissa Angell

Review of WellsFargo Bank

I was at this location yesterday to send a wire. N...

I was at this location yesterday to send a wire. Not only was there a long wait, and not enough chairs in the sitting area, I did not have a positive customer experience.

When I get to sit down with someone to begin the wire transfer process, I'm informed about a wire transfer fee. I responded that I had sent a wire in excess of 2k about a month ago and was *not informed* regarding a fee at that time.

(Why am I sending another wire? It's for additional tax on stocks after sending my first wire to exercise some stock, and after I was provided the final calculation).

The woman simply looks up my account and turns the screen to face me, pointing out the fee I was previously charged that at no time in the previous transaction I was informed about. I ask if it's possible to waive the fee (my husband and I have been long-time customers with Wells Fargo (to my chagrin--I'd prefer Chase, especially after Wells Fargo's dreadful reputation regarding fraud over these past few years)). She says no. I responded calmly: well could you let me know how to close these accounts? She laughed in my face. Wow. Certainly a first for me, given that I was being completely calm through the whole process.

The funny thing is, while waiting in the Wells Fargo I had a text conversation with a friend about how belonging to a credit union for primary banking would be better. Additionally we (husband and I) are already customers with other banks so it wouldn't actually be that difficult to solely rely on other places. I responded: you (as representative of Wells Fargo) don't even have many locations in lower Manhattan, and you're surrounded by other banks. But sure, let's question whether I will change banks and go ahead and send this wire. By the end of the transaction she claimed to have left a note on my account for the wire fee to be waived, but could not guarantee that it would be. In all honesty, the $30 fee wasn't the problem: it was that it had not been disclosed the first time. Maybe Wells Fargo should start an employee reading club. I'd suggest they read: Regulation DD from the Federal Reserve.

Wells Fargo, this is not a good look. Not only are you absolutely *not* the big fish of banking in Lower Manhattan, you can't laugh in customer's faces because you don't take them seriously, not disclose fees at the time of transaction (when I had first gone to send a wire), and generally be unpleasant. What the heck? Your reputation is trash, you don't have strong presence and you carry on like this? I'm astounded. But, I guess it serves me right for using a bank like Wells Fargo.