Complaint Review: Wells Fargo - Houston Texas

I have also had problems with overdraft fees because my online banking statement for my Wells Fargo checking account does not reflect the actual amount. Every night, I check the ending balance, in case I go over when using my debit card. Last night I checked and it said I had money and the balance was on the plus side. This morning, my balance was in the negative because a transaction went through yesterday, but did not appear on my online statement. If I had seen the negative balance last night I would have been able to deposit some money in the bank before 3 p.m. and it would have alright, but because the statement was not 'in real time' I was out an extra $33 dollars. I would say that this is sneaky, as well. When I have gone down to the branch location, all they say is 'You need to use the courtesy phone in the lobby and talk to a banker', yeah right, then get charged for that too. I did point out to the teller that there is a disparity between what I see on my computer screen and what they see on theirs. Yes, if I had kept accurate records I would not have been overdrawn, but even so, the fact that my statement did not reflect my actual balance at the time is what caused me to be charged an overdraft fee. It was also because I had used the card as a credit card and not as a debit card, and from now on I will only use the card at certain locations, where I do enter my pin and it is immediately withdrawn. I feel bad for other people that are not able to deposit money as quickly and get charged days and days of overdrafts. I have only been with WF for a year, and have only been overdrawn two or three times. The branch is very close to where I live and also has branches in other South Texas cities that I visit so it is convenient for me, but after my experiences and reading about others I will look into opening an account elsewhere. As far as checking your balance at the ATM, I have found that it is more accurate than online.

This bank is legal robbery. If the money isnt in the account the card should not authorize. A pop and a pack of smokes cost me like 75.00 dollars by the time they got down adding their charges. The bank operates because of the consumer so that means that the bank should have enough common courtousy to accomidate the customer who keeps the doors open. Their is no excuse for these banks that legally rob the consumer!!!!!

Kat, When using your debit card, INSIST on entering your PIN#. This is a true debit transaction and will be deducted from your account almost immediately, usually within 1-2 hours. If you just swipe your card, and DO NOT enter your PIN the transaction is treated as a CREDIT transaction and could take several days or even a week to post, depending on how frequent the merchant batches transactions for posting. Also, NEVER rely on the ATM for an accurate balance on your account. This is financial suicide! It is YOUR responsibility to keep an accurate transaction record.

There is nothing "sneaky" about a bank charging an overdraft fee on an overdrawn account. As a matter of fact, some would define making a purchase with an overdrawn account as "sneaky." From now on, write down the amount each time you utilize your debit card. Round it up to the next dollar to keep the math simple (i.e. $5.27 is simply $6.00). Subtract that amount from your balance. If you do this each and every time you use your debit card, and if you CEASE using your debit card when there is not enough money in your account to cover the purchase, you will never again have to complain about an overdraft fee which could have been prevented by simply being aware of your account balance. And to answer your first question, the "point" of having a check card is the same as having a check register--it is a convenience provided to you by the bank which, when used properly, will help you to manage your money. Misusing the card--or the register--will only cost you more money. But you already know that.