Wells Fargo, also known as Wells Fargo Bank N.A. or Wells Fargo & Company, is a financial services company which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for phone harassment and annoying robocalls. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
Who is Wells Fargo?
Wells Fargo offers consumer credit through a variety of retailers and banks. Wells Fargo’s in-house collections and billing departments have received a number of consumer complaints alleging financial crimes. If you have been contacted by Wells Fargo or Wells Fargo Bank N.A., make sure you know your rights before responding.
According to their website, Wells Fargo was founded in 1852 in San Francisco by Henry Wells and William Fargo, to take advantage of the gold rush boom. Banking wasn’t their only interest; in 1858 they helped found the Overland Mail Company and later took over the Pony Express. In 1866, Wells Fargo bought all the major stagecoach lines, covering over 3,000 miles of territory. The company logo that graced the carriages is still used by Wells Fargo today.
Wells Fargo feels that “Customers can be better served when they have a relationship with a trusted provider that knows them well, provides reliable guidance, and can serve their full range of financial needs.”
Wells Fargo allows prospective consumers to “find a card that suits their needs,” by classifying their cards under categories such as “Cash Back, Build Credit, Rewards, No Annual Fee, and Balance Transfer.” This system allows customers to immediately apply for the card which will fulfill their expectations.
For businesses, Wells Fargo provides “customized financial services that offer convenience, value and flexibility. Their Business Choice Checking is their most popular account, touted as a “flexible and convenient way to help manage your growing business.” As an extra bonus, businesses can customize their credit cards to include their company logo.
Unfortunately, Wells Fargo cannot be discussed without addressing its significant history of misconduct. According to CNN’s April 24, 2018 article titled Wells Fargo’s 20 Month Nightmare, the first scandal broke on September 8, 2016, when it was revealed employees had created millions of unauthorized accounts without client knowledge. 5,300 employees were fired as a result, and the bank was fined $185 million. Within weeks, Wells Fargo also stood accused of illegally repossessing cars, and paid $28 million to settle this matter. In March 2017, the bank promised to pay a $110 million settlement for a class action lawsuit related to the scandal, but the amount was raised to $142 million merely a month later. As 2017 continued, allegations regarding more fraudulent practices surfaced, including an accusation that Wells Fargo modified mortgage agreements without client authorization, deliberately misled customers, and overcharged them for car insurance. Next, Wells Fargo was accused of overcharging businesses to use their checking account services. Topping off a horrible year, in August 2017 a million more fraudulent accounts were discovered.
How Many Complaints are there against Wells Fargo?
Since July 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has logged over 29,761 complaints against Wells Fargo ranging from complaints about fraudulent activity to not agreeing with fees and issues with marketing. The BBB’s profile page for Wells Fargo lists 3,722 complaints closed in the past three years, with 1,062 closed in the past 12 months. Most of these complaints were about products aner service, but also included complaints about billing and collection issues. Of the 406 customer reviews, 391are negative. Justia lists at least 28 cases of civil litigation that name Wells Fargo as a defendant.
How Much Will It Cost Me To File A Lawsuit Against Wells Fargo?
Absolutely NOTHING. Here are some Sample Cases filed in Federal Court
In September of 2017, Lemberg Law filed a lawsuit against Wells Fargo Auto Finance in the Eastern Division of the Central District of California alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Defendant was placing calls to Plaintiff’s cell phone using an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS). Plaintiff subsequently spoke to a live representative and requested that the phone calls cease and Wells Fargo Auto Finance communicate with her by mail only. Defendant refused to stop the harassment and continued placing calls to her cell phone, now without her consent. Plaintiff was pleased when the case settled in May of 2018, receiving a five figure cash reward.
In a similar case, Lemberg Law filed a lawsuit against Wells Fargo Bank, NA in the US District Court of New Jersey in January 2017. In this instance, Plaintiff was receiving numerous harassing calls regarding a debt, placed by an ATDS device to his cell phone. The twist in this case was the Plaintiff only had a landline when he opened his account with Wells Fargo, and never updated his records to include his cell phone number. Therefore, the defendant was never given permission to call his cell phone, yet placed over a hundred calls to that number. Case settled within eight months and Plaintiff received an undisclosed reward.
Contact Information
Wells Fargo 101 North Phillips Avenue Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104 Telephone: (866) 670-1561
Wells Fargo Calling You?
Understanding Your TCPA Rights
The federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a law that prohibits telemarketers, banks, debt collectors, and other companies from using an autodialer or robocalls to call you either at home, or on your cell phone without your consent.
The rules of the TCPA and of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), administered by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), control telephonic collection practices. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enforces the rules and regulations of both Acts.
These laws also provide individuals with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For instance, the TCPA provides monetary compensation to consumers who can prove harassment. In the case of willful harassment, this compensation can be increased three times. As a result, entities can be fined up to $500 if case harassment is proved. In case willful violation is proved, this compensation can be up to $1500.
Here are some numbers Wells Fargo May be using to call you 877-647-8552
Ready to Stop the Calls from Wells Fargo? Your phone harassment checklist:
These robocalls are prohibited:
Calls made without your prior written consent to the business
Calls to a residential line listed on the “Do-Not-Call Registry”
Calls by telemarketers and debt collectors between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Calls that do not provide the name of the caller, identify the business behind the call and provide a contact phone number or address
Calls that do not provide an automatic opt-out mechanism
Calls that violate the law, such as making misrepresentations or threats
To spot potential Wells Fargo robocalls, listen for signs like these:
A silent pause between when you answer the call and when the caller begins to speak
An audible click just after you answer the call
A prerecorded message instead of a live person on the other end
A hang-up after you answer
To prepare for a TCPA lawsuit, there are certain steps you can take to strengthen your case:
For each suspected robocall, make a note of the date and time of the call, the caller’s name, and their contact information.
Describe the contents of any prerecorded message, or of the conversation you had if you spoke to a live representative.
Save copies of any relevant cell phone call logs, voicemails, text messages, and cell phone bills.
Keep a copy of any letter or online contact you send to the caller that asks them to stop calling.
If you’ve been harassed by debt collectors and even one of these has happened to you, we can help. We will fight for your rights. We can make them STOP!✋
The Lemberg Law legal team is committed to holding debt collectors accountable, so complete our form for a FREE case evaluation, or call 844-685-9200NOW
What Our Clients are Saying
“Lemberg Law has been great in handling my harassment case . They got the robocalls to stop when I was unable to get my number taken off the company’s list on my own. I highly recommend this law firm to anyone having an issue with pushy bill collectors harassing you”
“Was getting harassed by phone calls. Looked for an attorney that could help online and found Lemberg Law. They took care of everything and kept in contact with me just the right amount. Never expected anything would come of it but they did all the work and it relieved a lot of stress in my life!”
“Lemberg Law was a great choice. They really helped me with my situation. They were very professional and answered any questions I had and responded to my calls and emails. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to others.”
Can You Help Me Stop Wells Fargo Harassment?
Chances are we can. Call us to today and we’ll tell you how we can help.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
I have been getting calls from Wells Fargo for months and they will not stop calling no matter how many times I ask them to take me off their list. I came across your page on a phone number search in Google and had no idea I had any recourse. If you can help, let me know…
Wells Fargo, also known as Wells Fargo Bank N.A. or Wells Fargo & Company, is a financial services company which receives a lot of consumer complaints to our law firm for phone harassment and annoying robocalls. Find out who they are, why they might be calling, and how you can stop them.
I have been getting calls from Wells Fargo for months and they will not stop calling no matter how many times I ask them to take me off their list. I came across your page on a phone number search in Google and had no idea I had any recourse. If you can help, let me know…