Complaint Review: US Direct Express

I'm so glad I found this site!

On Feb 3, 2012 I withdrew $500 from a Wells Fargo ATM using my Direct Express card...the bank charges a $3.00 fee, so the total was $503.00.

Feb 8, 2012 I checked my account and saw that the $503 was deducted twice!
The transactions were at 5:34pm and 2 milliseconds...and 5:34pm and 6 milliseconds...only 4 milliseconds apart, which is not humanly possible!  Since the bank charges a $3.00 fee for each "separate" transaction, I would have had to complete the first transaction, re-insert my card, enter the PIN, select the amount, retrieve my cash, my card and my receipt...all within 4 milliseconds!

I immediately contacted Direct Express, and had the same difficulty as everyone else getting through to an actual person, and in hindsight, a computer program could have done her job more thoroughly, professionally and politely.  I was treated as though I were trying to scam them, and it basically took 45 minutes of questioning for her to finally give me a claim number, tell me that paperwork would be mailed out for me to sign and return, and that the process could take up to 45 days.

The following day I went to the Wells Fargo where I used the ATM and the branch manager did some checking and verified that only one transaction occurred.  Then she called Direct Express to try to help expedite the process and was told there was nothing that could be done.

It took about 8 days to receive the paperwork, which I filled out and returned the next day, and now 7 days later they claim they still don't have it.

So today I tried to call Comerica Bank to speak with a supervisor and file a complaint about Direct Express, and after being politely placed on hold, guess where I was transferred???...you got it...right back to Direct Express, and NOT to a supervisor.

Well, that call didn't go so well...the CSR told me that they were waiting for Wells Fargo to refund my money.....and when I told her that Wells Fargo had already conducted an investigation and that only one transaction occurred, she rudely told me that Wells Fargo didn't investigate "good enough"....really?...LOL!

So I called the branch manager at Wells Fargo and she made some calls and verified again that only one transaction occurred, so I said maybe I have to wait for them (Direct Express) to receive the paperwork, and she told me something interesting.......IT IS A FEDERAL BANKING LAW THAT AS SOON AS A DISPUTE IS FILED, EVEN IF ONLY BY PHONE....THAT DISPUTE MUST IMMEDIATELY BE INVESTIGATED.......she also stated that their investigations department had not received any notification of my dispute...she then advised me that since Comerica is located in Texas I should file a complaint with the State of Texas Banking Commission, and I advise all of you to do the same...maybe someone will take notice and finally do something about this company and their fraudulent banking practices.

And, SHAME ON THE US GOVERNMENT & THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FOR ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN TO SO MANY PEOPLE WHO BARELY HAVE ENOUGH AS IT IS!  (You know they've had complaints and nothing is being done about it!)

EMAIL YOUR DIRECT EXPRESS COMPLAINTS TO:    consumer.complaints@dob.texas.gov