Complaint Rating:

My son has a car loan through Wells Fargo Auto Finance. I co-signed the loan because my son is a college student without established credit. Either he or I have always made timely payments on his car loan. His payments are due on the 27th of the month. Back in March (2007) we received a phone call stating that the February payment was never received. I checked my records, along with my bank statement, and noted that I had, indeed, made the payment. I called Wells Fargo back (back, meaning I called their 1-800 number which connects me to a "call center." There are several call centers in the U.S. and customers have no control over which call center they will be connected to.) Thus began the four month run-around from which there seems to be no escape. Since that day in March, I have faxed information 4 times, and have spoken with Wells Fargo about 100 times. Twice I faxed copies of my electronic banking statements, showing the deduction from my account. A supervisor I spoke with, told me that I could have easily just generated those copies fraudulently, so told me to fax a copy of the bank statement sent in the mail. He wasn't very nice. (Couldn't I have fraudulently created that copy, as well?) So, I faxed a copy of the bank statement. Again, there was no resolution from that communication. Then, I went into my bank and asked if there was something I could fax that would prove that the payment had been made. The bank manager did his own research and came up with a trace number - generated by Wells Fargo - that was attached to the payment. The bank manager told me that trace number was for this specific purpose, to trace a payment in the event it went missing. I called Wells Fargo and gave the collection department (call center) the trace number. They entered it into the "notes" on my account in the computer. Apparently that wasn't what they needed. Next, I spoke with a woman from one of the call centers that told me to get a letter from my bank stating that the payment had been debited from my account. Again, one of the bank managers typed up the letter while I sat at her desk. She included her name and direct number so Wells Fargo could contact her with any questions. The next day I faxed this woman this information. I called her to make sure she had received it (she actually gave me her extension number). She did, indeed, receive the fax and said she would personally follow up on my account - that the file was on her desk. She told me to give it 10 - 14 days (keep in mind I had been told this three other times - its been 3 months at this point). Now, I have been trying to get a hold of her for the past 3 weeks, but every time I call the phone number she has given me, I don't have an opportunity to enter an extension number - I just get a "call center" . This morning I asked if I could get transferred to her extension. I was told that because the "automatic dialer" is turned on, there is no way to transfer me to her desk. I asked when I would be able to call her extension and the person I spoke with said that the automatic dialer was on a schedule and she wasn't sure when it would be turned off. I have no idea which calling center this woman works at, and no one ever seems to know who she is. Each time I am told that the information has been sent to their research department, and it is out of the hands of the "call center." I have spoken to supervisors, who have no authority to do anything. Just this morning, I was told - by yet another supervisor - that they would personally call the research department to try to resolve the issue - that this has gone on long enough. I asked if I could call and speak with the research department myself and I was told that that was not possible. I asked the "supervisor" to give them my number so they could call me back and update me. She said she would. Do you think they will call me back? Of course they won't. I have been told to keep calling the call centers and that anyone I spoke with would be able to update me on the status of my account. That is a bunch of crap! What a goofball operation! Nobody knows anything, and the department that is responsible for resolving the missing payment issue is off limits, apparently. I get called constantly, by their "automatic dialer." Because, according to Wells Fargo, I am one month behind, I keep getting late charges tacked onto my account. I have done everything they have asked me to do, and I am extremely frustrated. Any suggestions?

Shawn Scheel.