Wells Fargo & Company Auto Loans Consumer Reviews

SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA -- For nearly three years I have been making timely payments to Wells Fargo Dealer Services without any delinquencies. I make my payment through my bank electronically every month and also receive a paper form bill through the mail. My last bill received reflected two months in arrears. Alarmed I checked my bank account and noticed two unsuccessful payment attempts due to incorrect information used. My bank claimed a misinformation error created the situation. With the monies for my payments still in my account and anxious to bring my account current I called Wells Fargo customer direct to make sure this discrepancy was corrected.

After several attempts to get hold of a representative only to be put on hold and then having my call dropped my wife made an attempt and was successful in speaking with a representative. Her experience was dealing with a rude, condescending and belligerent representative who denied electronic payment and gave two options of payment through a cashier's check or going to a bill paying facility to pay the balance. My wife wanted to make three months of payments and was told she could only make two monthly payments and not three as requested.

When my wife questioned their policy they told her she was not on the account and I had to call. I called in and after a few attempts I was connected to an irate, disheveled and rude rep. I opted to send a cashier's check for two payments which was my max allowed according to the representative. The cashier's check was mailed to them on Dec. 3rd and my account was brought up to date on Dec. 6th via electronic payment which was verified by a representative that day as received.

I explained the reason for late payment and never questioned the late fees but the representative replied with an ignorant answer. Anyway relieved that I squared away my account and would not have to deal with rude and unprofessional reps anymore I was at ease. I received a bill this week not reflecting the payments which was understandable considering the timeline and a due date of 12/23/2011. I had no concerns.

I woke up Thursday morning to realize my vehicle was gone. Thinking it was stolen I called the cops and they informed me it was repossessed to my amazement. I called Wells Fargo and inquired how this could have happened and got a repeated response of “You broke your contract” no matter what I asked. And even when he acknowledged payment he still ranted in a degrading manner. Finally he gave different # to call and after going through three delusional reps I finally got to a representative who informed me that my payment by mail is in processing and may take a day and I would receive a call back which never happened.

Today I spent an hour on the phone going around in circles only to find out that because they repossessed my vehicle my cashier's check would have to be sent to a new address because my status had changed??? After a time on the phone with no explanation why I was not informed of a repo in any form of communication and my bill never reflected such intentions and a date of 12/23/2011 for payment due even though I fulfilled my financial obligation already.

I was told I would receive a call before 6 PM this evening to sort the issue out. Obviously this never happened and I still don't have my car or will they tell me where it is. I am in shock and devastated by this ordeal and lack of urgency by these people. They got my money and still took my car and showed no remorse instead were cocky, ignorant and totally unprofessional. Need some advice here. I don't know where to turn.

SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA -- On June 12, 2010, I had the unfortunate experience to deal with your Collections Dept. Why? Because in November, 2009, the vehicle which we purchased through (name deleted) dealership (a large, reputable auto dealership) with your assistance in November 2008 was totaled while parked in front of our home. Once it was determined that the vehicle was a total loss, Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) was given a portion of what was owed on the car by the counterparty's insurance company. We still owed over $3,000.00 which we have been paying monthly.

However, because Wachovia/Wells Fargo did not (and has not) corrected this within their records, we were charged for insurance (which has now been turned over to your collections dept.) I have communicated in writing and by telephone more times than I want to admit, and spoke with numerous people last week. After over twenty minutes on the phone last week – being blind transferred and having to explain over and over again (as I have for months), I admittedly became upset and advised the final person I spoke with to not call me until they got it together. (This is not my error).

Today, your collections dept. called me and again, I am sick of this, so I didn't have a very polite disposition – esp. when the representative told me this was my account – my responsibility and I owed over $2,000.00 on the car. (She mentioned I was in arrears over $500.) I demanded to speak with her supervisor, and I regret it. This man was a useless bully who told me I could call him back on Monday, or deal with it on my own – then, told me “I told you seven times...” this “prize” you have working for you was the most rude, belligerent, ridiculous excuse for an employee, and I would be ashamed to work for him or with him. (name deleted) was his name.

I would like to file a formal complaint against this man, and insist that the harassment of my family ceases immediately. My conversation with him left me tearful – I cannot believe based on an error you made – you would allow your employees to speak with me in such a manner. This is not my fault – this is yours. WFDS is the organization that is charging me for insurance erroneously, and I plead that this is corrected. My family has worked hard to maintain a decent credit score after years of hardship, and for an error on your part to affect this is criminal.

I have already contacted the BBB, The NYS Insurance Dept., my local senator, will not speak with your collections dept. again, for fear of being harassed further, am copying and the Auto dealership (so they know what their customers are in for). I trust, in good faith that this will be corrected. Thank you.

Please, this is a chance to make a real difference with regard to the way Wells Fargo Auto Finance does business. I spoke with a Wells Fargo Rep this morning, and tried to make arrangements to bring my account current (I am behind a payment, like millions of Americans, I had lost my job, and only just recently got a new one). I informed her that I could make the current past due payment on Monday, and she flatly refused to accept any payment.

After having spoken to 3 different reps at the company, the best they would do is say that they won't accept the past due payment in full on Monday, and wished me good luck (I do have audio recording of this conversation). Following the conversation, I contacted the Consumer Affairs reporter at one of the local network affiliates here in Columbus Ohio, explained the situation, and played him the audio from the call.

After explaining to him what had transpired, and pointing out that Wells Fargo Bank had already received $25,000,000,000.00 (that is $25 Billion) in bailout money from taxpayers, and explaining the lending practices, interest rates, etc. He has expressed a strong interest in doing a story on them.

I will be meeting with him next Wednesday to discuss what they are doing, and he thinks that they can be brought under fire for what they are doing. He feels that an expose on their practices can have a serious impact on what they are doing, and that the story of what they are doing does have a potential for full network coverage, if enough examples can be provided for what they are doing, it would be a great help.

Even if this doesn't stop them, in our local market, which is very substantial, it will put pressure on dealerships to stop using Wells Fargo Auto Finance, as well as other predatory lenders, as a source of financing, at least in the local market in Central Ohio. This is a large market, and if the only way to hit a company like this is in the pocket, this should do it.

I am asking for your stories regarding Wells Fargo Auto Finance in particular since they are tied with 2 other banks that have received more Federal Tax Dollars for "Bailout" than anyone else, and are engaging in the exact same practices that have helped lead to the current financial problems here in America. This is a real chance to change them. Please, send your stories to **. I will review and submit them to the reporter during our meeting next week, and will send out responses to all with regard to the story and its progression.

I will be posting this to every board I can find, and should you stumble across one that does not have it, feel free to post it there until May 5th (I need time to get everything together before my meeting). Thank you.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA -- I called Customer Service asking for payment deferment for the payment was due on June 17, 2012. On June 11th Customer Service informed me that they cannot trigger the deferment until the day after due day, in this case on June 18th 2012. They directed me not to pay anything on the account and call back on the 18th of June.

When I called Monday morning on the 18th the call was immediately forwarded to the Collection Department. The agent there was the most disgustingly, rude and nasty person, giving me her name as “**”. She immediately proceeded to collect and used her nasty tone of voice and language using the situation (me being the delinquent client) totally in disadvantage. She talked to me as a “delinquent filth”. I asked her to switch me to her supervisor - when she hung up the phone with me.

I don't think that a financial institution with the stature Wells Fargo bears, have the rights to force its customers into delinquency in order to exercise whatever collection proceedings they feel like doing. Do Not Get (Work With) Wells Fargo Auto Loan!!! Wells Fargo Auto Loan Department has the worst and nastiest policies in the US financial market. Don't give them your business!

Because Wells Fargo already had my home mortgage account and a motor home loan, they seemed like an obvious choice when I needed to be a co-borrower for my son's auto loan. Little did I know the string of nightmares that this would set off!

About the same time the loan was processed and the account opened for my son's car, my motor home was damaged beyond repair and was to be paid off by insurance. A claim check was sent to Wells Fargo for the balance of the motor home account, but they paid off the wrong loan!!! Instead of paying off the load for the motor home (in my and my husband's names), my son's auto loan was paid off (in my and my son's names).

And what happens next? Lots of finger pointing. The insurance company blamed Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo blamed the insurance company. In the meantime, I have one account that should have been paid off (and I was told was paid off) that I quit making payments on. I had another account that I sent payments to that were refunded. YIKES.

After two months of phone calls and a run-in with the president's office (because I threatened to sue), I thought all was finally taken care of. Finance charges and overdraft fees were reversed, accounts were reinstated, payments were made to correct accounts, etc. etc. I made up the two back payments that were returned to me, as well as returned the title that was sent to me by mistake. I receive a letter in the mail from the Office of the President, and I felt like there was finally closure.

But then today happened (two and a half months after the closure). I had planned all along to refinance the auto loan because I still have a bitter taste in my mouth over all the problems and the complete lack of customer support I experienced from Wells Fargo during the whole process. I have NEVER been late on a payment of any kind in my ENTIRE life, so I thought the best thing I could do was to take my business elsewhere. So I went to my local credit union, and then the credit check came. I discovered that Wells Fargo actually reported me to the credit bureaus as being late on my payments for those two payments that they refunded to me in error.

I am so disgusted with this company. It is a shame that there is no recourse for a conglomerate such as this. I'm lucky that my credit union will still refinance my auto loan even with this error in reporting. My next goal is to refinance my mortgage. Then my business with Wells Fargo will truly be separated.

DENVER, COLORADO -- My wife and I went to our local Wells Fargo mortgage center in Colorado to ask about refinancing our two auto loans that are currently with a credit union. We pay 7.5% interest and have credit scores just below 700. We sat with an account manager for Wells Fargo, who had all our financial info and credit scores and the first offer was to give us two lines of credit, one for each vehicle at 160% of their book value which would be significant cash out to our pockets. We were told that they could offer interest rates around 3.8%

So, quite excited, we went home and did our math, but when we came back to go over the figures, we were told the interest would be an undetermined percent between 12 and 20% and of course the application and refi fees. When we explained that was a ridiculous offer, the account manager then, already having all our financial information, noticed we had some equity in our home and proceeded to push very hard for a debt consolidation consisting of our two credit card debts and the two autos. My continued comments that I do not want to place unsecured debt against our house had absolutely no effect in their strategy to lock us in a loan with them.

As a last ditch effort, we were offered two credit card accounts with a combined 9k limit at 18%. When I asked why in the heck we would even consider more credit when we came in to refi two autoloans, the response was “this would help our credit scores.” It's baloney like this that the public needs to realize.

Wells Fargo's only goal was to get us to take out cash and credit to get us further in debt and at a much higher interest rate then that which we already have. This is so typical of lending institutions when you're not independently wealthy. You're just another victim if you believe the rubbish and misleading advice they give you. John Stumpf, CEO of Wells Fargo could make the decision to offer competitive rates to help people refi to lower rates which would save consumer funds, increase savings, and that would promote spending too.

Bottom Line: Wells Fargo has predatory like lending practices and should have to pay the government back since they can't account for billions of dollars they accepted from taxpayers. They are part of the problem and until their greed can be suppressed, our citizens will continue to suffer.

I think it's a shame how these big companies try to strong arm people into what they want them to do. I had a Dodge truck for 4 years and was almost done with the payments when my job suddenly closed down and I had to start drawing unemployment. I let them know that my unemployment check wouldn't be in my account until 4 days after my due date of my car payment, do you know that they told me that I couldn't keep my car because I was drawing unemployment? I didn't take them seriously and sent them the check anyway, do you know they would not cash that check.

So my husband said "How much you want to make a bet that they are holding on to the check so that they can say you didn't pay them or that they didn't receive payment so that they can repossess your car and still try and cash your check." And darn sure he was right, they held that check for over a week and took my car.

When I called to ask why they took my car they said that unemployment was not a form of payment that they accept and the only way I can get the car back is if I paid the car off. I was given only 2 weeks to do it. My husband is the head of the loan and I'm second and even though he makes good money they said that, that wasn't good enough we both have to be working to continue to make payments and drive one of their cars. I never heard of that before because money is money and that shouldn't have stopped me from keeping my car. But that's their way of robbing the people blind so they can resell the car and still come after us for the balance.

We thought about getting a lawyer (liar) but all they would do is tell you that the banks can't repossess your car like that, take your money then tell you at the last minute that "Technically the banks can do it". In the meantime you're duped by the car dealer (Wells Fargo Dealer Services) and the lawyer (Liar) is taking your money smiling in your face the whole time. Just to tell you there's nothing you can do because "Technically they can do what they want". So either way you look at it you're still out of luck. I will never buy a car from any dealer if Wells Fargo is the loaners.

First of all, there should be a specific individual that handles my loan and someone that I can deal with directly. There is no one like this. Each time I call, even if I happen to be returning a call from someone leaving a name, I am forced to talk with whomever answers their phone and they immediately ask for SS number to pull the account. Also, any calls come from offices all over the country.

Second of all, I happen to be a co-signer on a loan, which turned out to be a bad gamble, but when I stated my dilemma and that I was experiencing financial hardship, they turn out to be useless and unwilling to help. I was told that I could be set up on a 2 month paying delay and was never told that there would a waiting period to get approved for this. I was given this option by a person on the phone because I needed a little time to get my finances together and was told a person can opt to do this only once per year.

This would simply mean that my interest would still be added on and the payment would be extend the loan further. Then, the next call that I received stated that they would be unable to approve me for this because it was considered to be a long term issue since my son is sick and unable to pay the loan at this time and is not collecting any form of disability. What does this have to do with me, I asked.

Thirdly, their people are sometimes rude and too direct and never seem to be willing to listen, let alone care about what the person (I) am dealing with. I have never struggled with my finances like I am now, nor have I ever had to deal with a poorly run company like this before. Even from the very beginning, there were a few hick-ups and I should have been forewarned. I will never deals with Wells Fargo Auto loan division again!!

The most complex (and now the "rudest") company I've ever dealt with. Occasionally, I have been a couple of days late with payments on my car loan. Every time I've been late, Wells Fargo has hounds me, calling on my cell phone upwards of 10-12 times a day (at least). When I choose to deal with them, they are arrogant and when I tell them I already spoke to a previous representative they get snippy with me.

Nothing is more annoying than these cold calling representatives acting like macho collection agency STALKERS!! They call at all times of the day from many different parts of the country. They don't swear at you but they try to make you feel like feces when you're a few days late!! They ask you why you're late as if they really care or if it's their own personal business. We are in a bad economy where people are charging off accounts in droves. Why do you think sometimes we are late?!?!

I guess that's why they like charging those outrageous 20% late fees. I guess they can't afford competent professional help. A little sensitivity training wouldn't hurt either. I'd love to see how they would feel if I called them a hundred times a day and badgered them. I think every consumer who ever had to deal with these people should sit back and call them all day and see how they'd like it!! The way these people act sometimes can bring a consumer (or two) to tears!!

SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA -- I bought a car for my daughter last April. Wachovia was the original loan company, but Wells Fargo ended up taking over the loan and since then we have had nothing but trouble. My daughter lost her job and started collecting unemployment which was less than her normal pay. She fell behind a bit on her car payments, and the harassment started. As of right now, she is only a month past due, with a payment in the mail as we speak. The collections department over at Wells Fargo has done nothing but call me at home and at work, harassing me about the payments, even though my daughter made it clean not to call me at work.

My daughter sends what she can, but they are not understanding of the situation and the economy. They demand they get their full payment within the week or "further actions will be taken." They have also told us our less than minimum payments are "unacceptable", yet they have no problem cashing them...

We are doing what we can to get this caught up, with no help from them whatsoever. We have asked for a deferment on the bill - DENIED. We asked if they could refinance the vehicle to help us lower our payments - DENIED. Of course they wouldn't want to lose the 10.25% rate they have on us! I have never dealt with a loan company that is this cold, rude, and unwilling to help. I definitely give them an F for customer service. I strongly advise anyone in the loan market to AVOID dealing with Wells Fargo.