Wells Fargo Bank ripoff dishonest and withheld information regarding an auto loan Novato California
Wells Fargo Bank of Novato California approved an auto loan for me in May 2005. I was told that (and signed) the agreement that an extra $900 was to be included in the loan to cover the transfer of title and a new registration. I was also told that "everything would be taken care of" and that I could get the keys to the vehicle that same day as long as I had full coverage insurance on the vehicle.
I went home with the vehicle and the keys in my hands. A few weeks later I had asked why I hadn't received the new registration and plates and also why they hadn't sent me all of the paperwork for the loan that I had signed that I was rightfully entitled to (that was also promised to be sent to me in the mail). The answer that I got was that the registration was processing through the DMV and that I would get it in the mail within 4 weeks. 4 weeks later, I didn't get anything in the mail regarding the vehicle.
I then called Wells Fargo back and asked what was going on. I got a laugh or "giggle", if you will, from the banker that I had received the auto loan from and was assured that he would "take care of it". At this point I was becoming frustrated for the registration and tabs on the license plate were about to expire the next month.
I then decided to call Wells Fargo again and speak to a branch manager. I was directed to the assistant manager. I told her of the person that I was originally working with at their branch and that nothing was being done and none of my questions were being answered. She then took the matter into her own hands and sent me the paperwork I was requesting months ago overnight rush. She also told me that to get my registration, all I had to do was take all the paperwork she sent me to the DMV, and that they would handle it. I received the paperwork the next morning as promised.
This past week I made an appointment with the DMV to get the registration. When I handed the lady at the desk my paperwork she looked at me funny saying "this is all financial paperwork, and you do NOT need this to get your registration". So, she looked up the VIN number on her database, and nothing was showing that I bought the vehicle in May this year. I was mad! I asked her whos name was showing on the vehicle and sure enough it was the seller's name still! She then told me to go back to talking to Wells Fargo and figure out what was going wrong with them.
I called Wells Fargo yet once again and talked the the head branch manager this time. I told him what I was told by his assistant manager and what I was told by the DMV personell. He said that his assistant manager was "wrong" and that he would investigate this ongoing problem and he would call back shortly. Well, he wasn't calling me back, and I even called them back to find out what was going on, but he was "too busy" to get to my call. I decided to take this another step further.
I got in touch with the seller (which is my supervisor at work) today and told him everything that was going on. He then called his leinholder on the car to find out if paperwork got messed up when sending the title to my bank (wells fargo). They looked up the backfiles on the information and told my supervisor that everything was sent to Wells Fargo back in May.
His Leinholder then decided to call Wells Fargo and ask them what was going on with the paperwork. Wells Fargo then told them that for some "unexplainable" reason, the vehicle was still titled to the seller!!! At this point, my supervisor and I were infuriated for I was paying for a car that technically wasn't mine and my supervisor was going to have to pay for the late registration fees because the tabs expired in August!
My supervisor and I needed to get to the bottom of this. We went to another Wells Fargo bank in the local area to see what we should do. We talked directly to a representative and told her the story about what was going on with the title and the registration. She personally called the Novato branch Wells Fargo and spoke to the head branch manager (the same gentleman that I spoke to earlier in the day and then was "too busy" to take my call). He claimed that they werent aware that there was a hold on the title because of a minor problem with the vehicle vessel/transfer form, yet the representative that we were speaking to in person told us that they should have been notified immediately to fix it.
The branch manager at the Novato branch continued on with the excuses. The representative then asked him on the phone what to do about all the late fees that were incurred during this time for the registration. Neither I nor my supervisor were going to pay for this because it was obviously Wells Fargo's problem because they had neglected our phone calls and requests for the past 4 months.
He threw out excuses for about 20 minutes on the phone and the representative talking to him gave him legal reasons why this was their fault and even had to get stern with him. Finally, he gave in and reassured us that it would be paid for, but not by his branch, but by the "loan officers responsible." We will see if that really happens or not.
Now, my supervisor has to take his time and go to the DMV and fill out a report proving that he no longer owns the vehicle and fax a copy of the late fees incurred for the registration (this is all on his DMV records since he is being considered as the lawful owner) to the Novato branch of Wells Fargo. He will then be "reimbursed" the money into his checking account. Now, I on the other hand, have to wait yet again, for the title paperwork to go through Wells Fargo and go through the DMV before I can make any actions to getting the registration and a copy of the title.
All in all, I have been VERY upset with this branch. I paid an extra $900 for all the title transfer and registration to be taken care of and none of this has happened. I am paying for a vehicle that technically "isn't mine" and is not registered any longer in the state of California. It will probably be sitting in the driveway for a while since it is going to take another 6 to 8 weeks for everything to go through to the DMV.
I don't want any other person to even consider getting an auto loan through them. They do not care for their customers and only care that they are getting their money regardless of whether or not they do it legally.
Natalie
fairfield, California
U.S.A.
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5 Updates & Rebuttals
Natalie
fairfield,California,
U.S.A.
ok...and again we go
#6Author of original report
Thu, October 06, 2005
ok...and again we go!!!! My supervisor and I called Wells Fargo last week to check on the progress of the paperwork. We were told that the paperwork, along with the transmittal, was sent overnight express on the 21st of Septemeber, and expected to arrive on Friday the 22nd. The lady representing Wells Fargo gave us the DHL tracking number because I wanted to be assured that this problem with the title/registration was going to be taken care of. My supervisor and I looked it up online and right there it said that the package was sent, recieved, and signed off. So, we called the DMV location where this was sent. I was told that they would have to look it up in their system and call me back. About 1/2 hour later I was called back by the person that signed it off. She explained to me that there was a lot of paperwork in the offices and that she could not find what was sent to them from Wells Fargo. She told me to call Wells Fargo again and request that another transmittal be sent to the DMV location.
I called Wells Fargo again and asked the that the transmittal be re-sent, for one was not recieved with the paperwork that was sent on the 21st of September. She looked up the loan on her computer and told me that she could not help me. She said that only the original sender could "re-send" the paperwork and that he was not in that day. I couldn't believe it!!! I told her that this was an emergency and needed to be taken care of right away. She told me to call again in the morning the next day, and ask this certain gentleman to re-send the transmittal. I told her how important that this was...this is now the 3rd month of paying for the vehicle and not being able to drive it. She told me that she would send the information with a note to the gentleman so that he could take care of it first thing in the morning.
Well, I figured I would give them a few days to let the DMV process the new paperwork. My supervisor and I called the DMV this afternoon and asked about the status. The DMV personell told us that nothing had changed and that they had recieved no new paperwork, meaning that Alan Vong was still the "owner" on the title and that the fees were rising from the original $1,246!!! The DMV also mentioned that there was a hold on everything by "another party" for a reason that he couldn't tell us on the phone. I was not amused at this point. The DMV recommended that we call the bank and see what the hold was all about. I called Wells Fargo yet again, and spoke with a woman who told me that there was no hold on the paperwork and that the last notes she had was that the transmittal and paperwork were sent out on the 21st of September. She also mentioned that there was nothing that the bank could do and that "it is out of the bank's hands now."
Yet again I am stuck with a vehicle payment on a vehicle that I cannot drive. My husband and I are in a bind over this whole ordeal because he still has to find a ride from somebody to get to work. Oh, and as a little side note: the supervisor of Wells Fargo, at the branch where all the paperwork mishaps began, sent me a card saying sorry and a $5 giftcard to Blockbuster and a $5 giftcard to Starbucks. It was nice of him to send these, but this does not make up for the trouble my husband, my supervisor, and I have been through. The paperwork is STILL not taken care of, and we are still making payments (close to $300) every month for a vehicle we don't even tecnically OWN, let alone DRIVE!!! This is going to be taken to a higher level above Wells Fargo.
Natalie
fairfield,California,
U.S.A.
ok...and again we go
#6Author of original report
Thu, October 06, 2005
ok...and again we go!!!! My supervisor and I called Wells Fargo last week to check on the progress of the paperwork. We were told that the paperwork, along with the transmittal, was sent overnight express on the 21st of Septemeber, and expected to arrive on Friday the 22nd. The lady representing Wells Fargo gave us the DHL tracking number because I wanted to be assured that this problem with the title/registration was going to be taken care of. My supervisor and I looked it up online and right there it said that the package was sent, recieved, and signed off. So, we called the DMV location where this was sent. I was told that they would have to look it up in their system and call me back. About 1/2 hour later I was called back by the person that signed it off. She explained to me that there was a lot of paperwork in the offices and that she could not find what was sent to them from Wells Fargo. She told me to call Wells Fargo again and request that another transmittal be sent to the DMV location.
I called Wells Fargo again and asked the that the transmittal be re-sent, for one was not recieved with the paperwork that was sent on the 21st of September. She looked up the loan on her computer and told me that she could not help me. She said that only the original sender could "re-send" the paperwork and that he was not in that day. I couldn't believe it!!! I told her that this was an emergency and needed to be taken care of right away. She told me to call again in the morning the next day, and ask this certain gentleman to re-send the transmittal. I told her how important that this was...this is now the 3rd month of paying for the vehicle and not being able to drive it. She told me that she would send the information with a note to the gentleman so that he could take care of it first thing in the morning.
Well, I figured I would give them a few days to let the DMV process the new paperwork. My supervisor and I called the DMV this afternoon and asked about the status. The DMV personell told us that nothing had changed and that they had recieved no new paperwork, meaning that Alan Vong was still the "owner" on the title and that the fees were rising from the original $1,246!!! The DMV also mentioned that there was a hold on everything by "another party" for a reason that he couldn't tell us on the phone. I was not amused at this point. The DMV recommended that we call the bank and see what the hold was all about. I called Wells Fargo yet again, and spoke with a woman who told me that there was no hold on the paperwork and that the last notes she had was that the transmittal and paperwork were sent out on the 21st of September. She also mentioned that there was nothing that the bank could do and that "it is out of the bank's hands now."
Yet again I am stuck with a vehicle payment on a vehicle that I cannot drive. My husband and I are in a bind over this whole ordeal because he still has to find a ride from somebody to get to work. Oh, and as a little side note: the supervisor of Wells Fargo, at the branch where all the paperwork mishaps began, sent me a card saying sorry and a $5 giftcard to Blockbuster and a $5 giftcard to Starbucks. It was nice of him to send these, but this does not make up for the trouble my husband, my supervisor, and I have been through. The paperwork is STILL not taken care of, and we are still making payments (close to $300) every month for a vehicle we don't even tecnically OWN, let alone DRIVE!!! This is going to be taken to a higher level above Wells Fargo.
Natalie
fairfield,California,
U.S.A.
NEW UPDATE!!!!!!!!
#6Author of original report
Fri, September 16, 2005
ok....here we go again! I went to the local DMV last week with my supervisor (seller of the vehicle) and tried to track down the information with the title and the registration. We were told the same thing as usual by the DMV personell "the vehicle is registered to Alan and their has been nothing sent to us regarding Natalie as the owner." Boy were we mad!!! We stepped outside to call the Wells Fargo Novato Branch head manager and ask him what was going on with everything. What he decided this time was that I should say that I lost the title! He wanted to put that responsibility on ME, even though THEY are the ones that messed the title up in the first place! I could not believe what I was hearing...so, we went back into the DMV to get a copy of all the fees that have been incurred (especially seeing as how the car is now over a month overdue on registration). You would NOT believe what the total was: $1,246.00!!! As I looked closer, I realized that included in that was the $900 that I had financed into my loan!
So, on we went into Wells Fargo in Fairfield. They recognized us since we had gone in there a few times now, and sat down with a banker and explained to him the situation. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! He got another banker and they got on the phone to file a complaint with the Executive Office of Wells Fargo. They explained our situation to the best of their knowledge and a report was taken. My supervisor and I were instructed to call them back today and give them a run-down of the whole story. So, this afternoon I got on the phone and called them up. First of all, they had nothing logged showing that the Fairfield branch ever filed a complaint!!! I spoke to the 1st person and gave her the jist of the complaint, and she decided it was way too serious, and connected me to her supervisor. I then spoke to him for about a half an hour, and he then told me to call their Collateral Department, and that the problem would be fixed right away. So, then on to person number 3... I talked to him for a few, and he pretty much just said that he would get the paperwork to the DMV (the same darn thing we heard a few weeks ago from the Novato Branch) and that they would cover the fees that were included in my loan, but not the late fees!!! The whole fact that the title has not been taken care of expediently is the reason WHY I NOW HAVE LATE FEES!!! So, now I am going to be stuck paying the $149 worth of registration and another $197 for the late fees!
I cannot believe what a mess this has made my life. My husband and I work separate shifts and that is the whole reason why we bought the vehicle in the first place! Now we are stuck borrowing a vehicle from a friend (that will be back in town in 12 days) and the Celica is just sitting in the driveway...yet again. If we had the money, we would have taken them to court months ago, when all this came up. I hope that nobody gets suckered into this...if you PAY for a vehicle, dont you think that you should have the RIGHT to DRIVE it?!?!?!? I will keep you all updated and see where this goes....
Natalie
fairfield,California,
U.S.A.
The Vehicle Was....
#6Author of original report
Fri, September 02, 2005
The vehicle that the loan was for was a 2002 toyota celica. You are right, that price was WAY too steep!!! One other thing that should have been a red flag.
Robert
Wallingford,Connecticut,
U.S.A.
What type of vehicle?
#6Consumer Comment
Fri, September 02, 2005
900 dollars seems pretty steep for a title transfer and new registration.
Just curious.