Wells Fargo Bank System

What a friggin joke this outfit is.

I wanted to exchange 5 $20 bills for a nice clean C-note to put in a card as a present and stopped at the 37th Street branch here in Rochester. I waited in a line for over 40 minutes while ONE teller worked one of 5 windows. The other windows were not in use. When I finally got there I was asked how they could help and I said I just wanted to make this exchange for a present tonight. The dude asked if I was a member. No, I told him. Then he went on to say they cannot change anything larger than a 20 for non-members. “You’re kidding, right” I asked and he flatly said no.

When we bought our new vehicle this fall we started at Wells Fargo since we WERE members, however their interest rates were not what we could find elsewhere…. Affinity Plus to be exact…. so everything was moved to Affinity since the whole system is better that WF. We were told at Affinity that they transferred accounts from WF at a very fast rate each week, and now I can see why. Especially with empty WF building or two here in town.

2 frigging days before Christmas and needing a simple exchange of currency. 2 minutes tops. Gotta be a member. No benevolence there. I hope they go teats up. They deserve it.

I stopped at the HyVee store right across the lot and they had a C-note to exchaange and were happy to do it.

Wells fargo is the worst bank ever. I have had a account there for a private savings for many many years. Probably 18 to 20. I just deposited a union issued 5k check on December 5th. They still haven’t put it in my account because of fraudulent red flags. They told me its the other bank holding them up, I called the union fund and they said no, they reported to wf on the 7th the check was legit. Now it’s the 23rd and I have yet to see the deposit in my savings.
I called and told them the moment it goes in I will be draining my account and closing up shop.

Wells is the worst bank in the US by far. Swapped out of there when I got married. So much fraud and crappy employees.

We still bank there but I DREAD going into the location near me.

I know I am in the minority and that is ok, but I dont expect customer service at banks….especially if I am not a customer.

DaveB wrote:

I know I am in the minority and that is ok, but I dont expect customer service at banks….especially if I am not a customer.

I’d say you are in the Minority. If you don’t expect customer service at a bank where you give your money, where do you expect customer service ? As far as being a non customer goes, I would understand if someone was trying to cash a large check or wanted coins counted, but a simple exchange of 5 20’s for a nice 100.00 bill. If you can’t do that at the holiday times, you don’t deserve anyone’s business.

Received a check from a customer that banked at W/F. Even though it was a wells Fargo account and their customer wrote the check, they were going to charge me $5.00 to cash it if done in person. If I deposit to my bank and they do the electronic transfer to my account in 3-5 business day – N/C. HHHHmmm???? Just told them if that how they treat people even though its on one of their accounts, I would never do business with them again – and I havent.

On a positive note, while waiting a fella comes in guiding his Father who is wearing a Korean War Vets cap. On my way out I stopped and wished the old timer a Merry Christmas and told him thanks for his serve. He took my hand and shook it then stood up an saluted me of all things. His son came out and thanked me at the car. That made my day, in spite of WF..

FYI: We went through the issue of a parent having dementia last year, and hiring a lawyer to take care of money issues with their estate, so if the one with dementia was in long term care the other parent wasn’t left with nothing. One of the things we were told is close any bank account with either Wells Fargo, or Huntington Bank. Both of these banks will try their best not release funds after someone dies and has gone through probate. My in-laws had accounts in both. My mom also has an account with Wells Fargo. Something to watch for if you have elderly parents.

I work at a community bank here in the cities and can definitely attest to the customer service difference at one of the big banks to a local community bank/credit union.

Shameless plug – if anyone is actually interested in switching, I’d be happy to help anyone out.

They are terrible. During Covid W/F high graded what businesses would get PPP money. It ran out before many small businesses could get anything. On round two of PPP loans I went to a community bank I wasn’t even a member of and they processed the loan for me immediately. I was so glad to take all my business out of W/F.

Jimmy, are you qualified to join Mayo Credit Union? They’ve been the best bank to work with and the lowest rates we have found. They even beat the lowest rates we find on loans, just need to show proof.

I have no idea how Wells Fargo has checking/savings customers. I can’t think of a single benefit to it. I’m sure it’s not the .05% interest rate, if you keep enough in it to avoid the monthly fees

mojogunter wrote:

FYI: We went through the issue of a parent having dementia last year, and hiring a lawyer to take care of money issues with their estate, so if the one with dementia was in long term care the other parent wasn’t left with nothing. One of the things we were told is close any bank account with either Wells Fargo, or Huntington Bank. Both of these banks will try their best not release funds after someone dies and has gone through probate. My in-laws had accounts in both. My mom also has an account with Wells Fargo. Something to watch for if you have elderly parents.

Oh boy now you got me started.
Long story.
My sister passed away in August 2023 in AZ. She banked at Hells Fargo. I was AZ in late September to get things cleared up, find a lawyer, start Probate, realtor for her property, banking stuff, SSec, go through her house,etc.
Anyway I take Death certificates for her and her SO(he passed in 2022) to WF. Can’t close accounts because SO’s daughter is on the savings and checking accounts. I agree to that but want to pay the mortgage balance (small balance). WF, sorry you can’t pay the loan off. I want to know why. You just can’t. WTF!!
Lawyer calls them for me still a no go. I go back to WI. Call and furnish documents they want twice.
Anyway get an offer on the house in Nov. 2023. They won’t furnish payoff amount to title company for 10 freaking days! Closing moved back 3 times! Anyway close last day of November. I go back in December 2023. Take everything they should need to a WF Branch. Close her lock box but still can’t get escrow $$$. They keep the mortgage escrow account balance instead of taking it off the mortgage balance. WTH is up with that! Anyway I have to supply the same documents 6 MORE times and at least 15 phone calls to 4 different people who are supposedly going to “help me out”.
What BS. Finally got the escrow money in June 2024!!! They kept it for over 8 months.
My AZ attorney calls them Hells Fargo but he said Bank of America is worse to deal with!
I wish someone would blow up their corporate headquarters.

Skeeter, I feel your pain. On the business side, I’ve built a lot of homes with people that had W/F. Somewhere, seems that they grew into an entity with no common sense. No clue how they stay in business. Last place on earth I would apply for a loan from

DaveB wrote:

I know I am in the minority and that is ok, but I dont expect customer service at banks….especially if I am not a customer.

X2

munchy wrote:

Jimmy, are you qualified to join Mayo Credit Union? They’ve been the best bank to work with and the lowest rates we have found. They even beat the lowest rates we find on loans, just need to show proof.

We may have been but had several recommendations for Affinty Plus and stopped there. Everything was smooth sailing as far as transfers went and the loan process for the new vehicle took about 15 minutes. We’re very happy there.

Both of us had accounts with WF until they began pulling some stunts that didn’t agree with me so I pulled all mine about five years ago, went to another bank, but we now have things combined again at Affinity.

We had a change of X-Mas plans with one part of the family and it has to be tonight and I wanted to get the C-note for a stocking stuffer for one of my daughters. I had no idea that a day before Christmas Eve a bank would have such an asinine attutude and maybe be happy to make a simple currency exchange. Its not like I walked in with a wheelbarrow full of pesos. When a service counter of a grocery store offers more, and friendlier by a long shot, customer service than a bank, then that bank needs to go.

tomr wrote:

especially if I am not a customer.

Its guaranteed currency. The bank should have to honor that. If I was trying to cash a check to get the currency, I would understand. A simple exchange of currency that’s guaranteed should not be under any membership requirements. Its no different than using a $50 to pay for $23.76 of gasoline. You get change without having to belong to some ignorant membership. Unless of course someone is ignorant enough to pay fees to belong to such a boys club.

DaveB wrote:

I know I am in the minority and that is ok, but I dont expect customer service at banks….especially if I am not a customer.

I’m with ya here. The bank is making no money by changing bills for you, and they have a risk of you exchanging counterfeit money. Not saying that’s what you’re doing but they have nothing to gain and everything to lose by helping you here.

Its not news that any credit union and or small bank has much better customer service than one of the big national banks. I thought that was common knowledge. That isn’t limited to just banks either. That’s pretty much any business.

DaveB wrote:

I know I am in the minority and that is ok, but I dont expect customer service at banks….especially if I am not a customer.

I expect service anywhere they are in the customer service business.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Its guaranteed currency. The bank should have to honor that. If I was trying to cash a check to get the currency, I would understand. A simple exchange of currency that’s guaranteed should not be under any membership requirements. Its no different than using a $50 to pay for $23.76 of gasoline. You get change without having to belong to some ignorant membership. Unless of course someone is ignorant enough to pay fees to belong to such a boys club.

I think Wells Fargo is a terrible bank but now you’re being kind of ridiculous. It’s not guaranteed, you could be exchanging counterfeit money and if you aren’t a customer there is no account to tie the transaction to. And why should they have to do anything for a non-member at all? They’re paying the person to work there, they pay for the location, etc and you are taking their time. I know I can use their ATM, because they’ll charge me $3, but I wouldn’t expect them to do anything else for free let alone believe they should have to.

Dutchboy wrote:

I expect service anywhere they are in the customer service business.

they are in the banking business, and if you aren’t a banking customer, I don’t expect them to providing banking services to you

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Its no different than using a $50 to pay for $23.76 of gasoline.

Couldn’t disagree more. It is very different. In the gas example, you are buying something from them and they are making their margin on the product and providing change after you PAID.

In the banking example, they are not making anything off of the transaction. In fact, I’d argue you are costing them by tying up a teller for a period of time when that teller could be serving a paying customer.

Gitchi Gummi wrote:

The bank is making no money by changing bills for you, and they have a risk of you exchanging counterfeit money.

Sorry, but that risk exists with every single bill passed thru the drive ups, over the counter, whatever or however they receive and deal with currency.

Just my opinion here…. the currency is guaranteed by the Federal Reserve Bank. Simple exchanges by any bank below that should be required without fee or membership. I can fully understand if people were to expect an exchange that dealt with a thousand bucks, but we’re talking taking 5 twenties and handing over a single 100. Fifteen seconds. That include wiping the pen to check for counterfeit possibilities. What’s done is done. In my eyes the bank is a tribe of A Holes and will get what is deserved down the road. I just wonder how many other people have walked in those doors thinking this won’t take long only to leave feeling like they’ve been pushed into a puddle of feces. I’ll never set foot in there again. And I now know there are quite a few who at least share that sentiment and that should worry that bank at every level.

There have been enough stories and warnings about Wells Fargo that my take is when you get took by them it’s on you. Much like if you overdose on Fentynal, you can only be warned so many times.

MX I would have just put an attorney after them. I don’t have the time or ambition to deal with assholes.

I’m in the minority also been with this bank since it was Northwest so maybe 1980 was my first account and never had any issues. Fraud stuff happen and they had the money back in my account the next day. I know there are pains with most banks I just haven’t had any yet with Wells. I’m sure most have stories of other banks too. I’ve had issues with credit unions in the past.