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Business Profile

Investment Security

Wells Fargo Advisors

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Investment Security.

Important information

  • Customer Complaint:
    BBB has received consumer complaints about Wells Fargo Advisors which allege difficulty using the company's services, difficulty accessing money and transferring funds to outside accounts, and poor customer service.  

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Wells Fargo Advisors's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Wells Fargo Advisors has 380 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 155 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 30 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/20/2023

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I received 2022 ****R from wells fargo advisors from a closed *** that needs to be amended. WFA has the distribution code as a 1 which it needs to be corrected to G. This error has triggered an IRS tax bill in the amount of $44k. I reached out to wells fargo advisors, purchase ** office where my accounts were once held on Thursday, 2/16/23. ********************/branch liaison answered the phone, I thoroughly explained my concerns and what I needed assistance with. She was quick to dismiss my concerns and spoke very loudly over me. Jelmena did some research, called me back about 30 minutes later. When ******* called me back she stated that this was not going to be a quick fix and would need to pass me off to one of her client associates. As per ******* she was way too busy to work on my issue, she also refused to provide me with her work email address. Later on I emailed the branch manager ************************* and left her a vociemail, it's now Monday 2/20, I have not heard back from anyone. I called their executive office to escalate my request, worked with client facing they had me on the phone for over an hour. They confirmed I would receive the *** ********* reflecting the *** ********* On Saturday I received an email from wells fargo advisors with the incorrect *** *********. I cannot explain the my level of frustration with this firm!!! All the time I have wasted for a simple request and not a single one of their employees has had the courtesy to get back to me. I need a copy of the closed *** ********* immediately, along with an amended **** r.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/11/2023

      Enterprise ****************************
      PO Box ****
      ***********, ** *****





      May 11, 2023



      *********************** & ***************************
      **************************************************************




      Subject: Were responding to your concerns
      Case number: *****************, ***************** & *****************
      Account number ending in: ****
      **********************, case number: ********
      Client name: *********************** ***

      Dear *********************** & ***************************:

      Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. Weve completed our research and are ready to
      share our findings.

      Our records indicate that you both expressed your dissatisfaction beginning February 16, 2023, with the inability
      to amend the distribution coding on the 2022 tax document (1099-R) for Gregs Wells Fargo Advisors (***)
      Individual Retirement Account ***** ending ****. It is our understanding that this dissatisfaction was expressed
      in various phone calls and emails to the *** branch, the ************************* (***), and also with the
      Better Business Bureau (BBB). ***s intent is to provide hassle-free service to all customers with the most
      professional, courteous, and efficient financial services and we apologize that your experience has fallen short of
      your expectations.

      We verified that ****** emailed Financial Advisory Branch Manager, *************************, on February 16, 2023, and
      expressed dissatisfaction with the level of customer service received from the branch to amend the distribution
      coding on the 2022 form 1099-R. We confirmed that ****** explained that the distribution was processed to
      ******* ***** from Gregs account in January 2022 incorrectly, which resulted in an ************************
      (IRS) tax bill for $44,000.00. Our records confirmed that ******* email stated this was due to an error made by
      their *** Financial Advisor (FA), ***************************** office. In addition, ****** expressed these same concerns in the
      BBB case #******** that we received dated February 21, 2023.

      Our research confirmed that ****** expressed dissatisfaction in the February 27, 2023 email communication to
      the *** representative that we sent the incorrect *** ********** and this was not the statement for ************

      Investment products and services are offered
      Investment and Insurance Products are:
      through Wells Fargo Advisors, a trade name used
      Not Insured by the **** or *****************************
      by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member
      Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or ******** Affiliate
      SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank
      Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested
      affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

      We may collect personal data as part of the complaint resolution process. For the categories of personal data that Wells Fargo may collect and how we use it, see the Wells Fargo
      California Consumer Privacy Act Notice at Collection at ********************************************************************************************************. See additional Wells Fargo privacy notices at
      ******************************************************************************.

      2021 Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC. All rights reserved.
      ECMO BT173_Res_M_E_122021
      ending **** that was requested. We apologize for the confusion with this and the frustration this may have
      caused while you attempted to resolve this issue and have included a copy of ***** January 2022 *** *** **************

      We reviewed Gregs *** account activity, and confirmed the January 26, 2022, electronic transfer to a *******
      ***** bank account for $123, ******, with the residual electronic transfer for $38.90 on January 31, 2022. ** our
      attempt to determine if this was rolled over at the contra firm (******* *****) to a qualified account within the
      allowable IRS timeframe, or if ******* office processed the external distribution request incorrectly, we would
      require documentation on this matter to warrant a corrected 1099-R.

      We confirmed that **** spoke to *** representative, ****************, on March 3, 2023, and that ****** explained that
      the letter of acceptance from the receiving firm would be required to code this distribution as a rollover to a
      Qualified Retirement Plan (QRP). Our records indicate that ****** sent **** an email explaining this and provided
      Securities Operations Representatives email address, ****************************************** to forward this
      documentation to correct the 1099-R.

      Additionally, since the branch no longer has access to your closed *** *** account, we suggest that you call the
      *** *** at **************. They are available Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Central Time and
      can provide additional assistance if needed.

      How to contact **

      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact **. If you have questions, please contact
      me at ****************************. Were ready to help you Monday through Friday from
      8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.

      Sincerely,

      ******************
      Executive Office Case Specialist
      Enterprise ****************************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/15/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Our organization has had an investment account with ********************************************* for about 15 years. I am the Treasurer and am on the account signature card. The account number is *********. We no longer want them to handle our account and want it moved to another company. They said because of an admin hold on our account they had to get it temporarily lifted before we can transfer the funds. Three times now, by three different advisors Ive been told the best and easiest way to do this is to have the account hold temporarily lifted by an admin support team and then move the funds. But nothing ever gets done on their side so our money continues to sit in limbo. *** asked to speak to this admin support team and was told that is not possible. We hope you can help with this matter.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/20/2023

      Please see the attached Bank response.     

      Business Response

      Date: 05/12/2023

      Dear ******************************:
      Thank you for your patience while we completed a secondary review into your concerns regarding the transfer of the account ending in **** and the inability to speak with our back-office support team. Weve completed our research and are ready to share our findings.
      We confirmed after a secondary review the account was correctly transferred per instructions. We confirmed authorized instructions were received on March 14, 2023, to complete an Automated Customer Account Transfer (ACAT) for the account ending in ****. The transfer was completed on March 17, for $9,406.96 net amount to the ************************** account ending in ****. A residual balance of $162.85 was transferred on March 27. The account ending in **** now has a zero balance. As previously stated, please understand Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA) back-office representatives do not communicate directly with clients because those representatives are not client facing and the Financial Advisors (FA) would be able to answer all questions regarding the account and status of action items.
      We apologize for any frustration and inconvenience this matter may have caused. Should you have any questions about this process or your account, please contact our Wells Fargo Advisors Solutions representatives at **************. They are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
      How to contact **
      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact **. If you have questions, please contact ** at ****************************. Were ready to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.
      Sincerely,
      ****************
      Executive Office Case Specialist
      Enterprise ****************************

      Customer Answer

      Date: 05/23/2023

      The issue was finally resolved to our satisfaction.  I checked my phone history and had mistakenly blocked calls from Wells Fargo so did not receive a notification from them until now.  Thank you.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/10/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Filed paperwork to withdraw funds from our Well Fargo Brokerage Account on January 27, 2023. At the time, we were told the maximum wait for funds was ten business days, but normally funds transferred much faster. We contacted the bank employee on Wednesday 2/08 and Thursday 2/09 to receive a date of when fund will be transferred. Our calls were not returned until today 2/10. Today, we were told that wells fargo will not transfer the funds for 24 days, because of demand.
      This delay is damaging because we have arranged to meet a financial obligation on Feb 21st and now lack the necessary funds. We question whether Wells Fargo can ethically and legally withhold our funds beyond 10 days. They appear to be in violation of their stated policies to their customers.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/24/2023

      **** ** ***** *
      ****** *****
      **** ******* ******
      ********** ** **********
      ******** ***** ********** ** **** ********
      **** ******* *****************
      ******* ****** ****** *** ****
      ****** ******** ******* **** ** * ********
      Dear **** ** *****:
      Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. We’ve completed our research and are ready to share our findings.
      First and foremost, please allow us to apologize regarding the difficulty you have experienced while trying to obtain your funds, the delay in receiving the funds and the overall poor customer service you feel you have received throughout the process.
      Please be advised that from our research we can confirm per your conversation with Financial Advisor Navjit Singh on February 15, 2023, your liquidation and disbursement request was successfully submitted to your Annuity Carrier on January 23, 2023, per your original request. Please know that your Advisors office spoke with your Annuity Carrier American International Group (***) on February 10, 2023, and *** stated that updated forms were needed in order to complete your request.
      Please note that your Financial Advisors office was also informed from *** on February 10, 2023, that due to heavy backlog; the liquidation and disbursement of funds could take up to 23 days to complete. However, your Advisor’s office was successful in requesting that your liquidation request be expedited with ***, and effective February 17, 2023, $230,537.46 was successfully transferred fromWe sincerely regret the frustration, inconvenience, and overall poor service you have experienced while trying to resolve this issue. We also highly value your feedback, as we use your feedback as our primary tool in improving our products and services. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to our Investment Contact Center at *************, ****************, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Central Time.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/24/2023

      Complaint: ********



      I am rejecting this response because:

      Wells Fargo mentions only that we contacted the business twice, this does not reflect that there were phone messages left asking for information about the funds and we received no reply.  We were originally told ten business days and never received any notification that additional time would be required.  Why wasn't the financial manager aware of delays and providing us with updates?

      On the 10th, which was fifteen business days after submitting the forms, we were told that WE had filled out the wrong forms.  We filled out the forms given to us by the advisor and he reviewed them while we were at the bank.  Now the claim is the original paperwork was correct.  Why were we told the paperwork was incorrect?  Why did the advisor refuse to accept any responsibility for providing the correct forms and have clarity about the amount or action to be taken?

      Lastly,  it is not a feeling about receiving poor service.  Wells Fargo provided poor service and terrible communication.  





      Sincerely,



      **** * ****** *****

      Business Response

      Date: 04/28/2023

      Please see the attached Bank response. Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. We’ve completed our research and are ready to share our findings.  We received your follow-up complaint from the Better Business Bureau on April 24, 2023, regarding your dissatisfaction with our original response to your complaint related to the services provided by your Financial Advisors office. Including the lack of communication, returned phone calls and the incorrect timeframe provided in order to complete your liquidation and distribution request.   Please be advised that from our phone call on April 25, 2023, we were able to confirm that the reason your request wasn’t processed in the original 10 business day period as you were advised, was due to your ******* ******* ******** ************* ***** (***) not providing your Advisors office with their new updated liquidation and distribution forms.   Per our original letter sent on April 24, 2023, your Advisors office spoke with *** on February 10, 2023, and they were successful in submitting to *** the updated liquidation and distribution forms, and on February 17, 2023, your funds in the amount of $230,537.46, were transferred into your account ending in 4263.   We sincerely regret that your Advisors office did not return your phone calls in a timely manner, causing a delay to the entire process. Please know that we have reached out to the appropriate departments in attempts for coaching opportunities in order to rectify this for future customer service interactions. We always value your feedback, as we use your feedback in order to enhance our customer service interactions with our clients. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to our Investment Contact Center at *************, (**************), Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Central Time.  How to contact us  We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact us. If you have questions, please contact us at *************** **** *******. We’re ready to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls. 

       

       

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/04/2023

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Wells Fargo Advisors allowed over $55,000.00 to be stolen from my two accounts !
      Wells Fargo Advisors has been playing games with me for along time

      Business Response

      Date: 03/02/2023

      Please see the attached Bank response. 

      ********** ********** ********** ******
      ** *** ****
      ***** ****** ** *****
      Investment and Insurance Products are:
      • Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency
      • Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate
      • Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested
      Investment products and services are offered
      through Wells Fargo Advisors, a trade name used
      by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member
      SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank
      affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.
      We may collect personal data as part of the complaint resolution process. For the categories of personal data that Wells Fargo may collect and how we use it, see the Wells Fargo
      California Consumer Privacy Act Notice at Collection at **********************************************************************. See additional Wells Fargo privacy notices at
      *********************************************
      * **** ***** ***** ********* **** *** ****** *********
      ***** ********************
      March 1, 2023
      **** ******
      **** ****** ****
      ****** ******* ** **********
      Subject: We’re responding to your concerns
      Case number: *****************
      Account numbers ending in: 6*** *** ****
      ****** ******** ******* **** ******* *********
      **** **** *******
      Thank you for your patience as we reviewed the comments in your complaint to the Better Business Bureau dated
      February 4, 2023. Specifically, you stated that Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA) allowed over $55,000.00 to be stolen
      from two accounts. You also stated that WFA has been playing games with you for a long time. We’ve completed
      our research and are ready to share our findings.
      Please understand that protecting our customer accounts is a responsibility we take very seriously. We
      continuously work to enhance our security, including creating awareness of potential fraud schemes and
      implementing security measures to address evolving online threats. This includes steps to help detect and prevent
      fraudulent and unauthorized account activity. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, it may still occur.
      We sent you a letter on February 17, 2023, to address your concerns expressed during your phone conversation
      with our Client Contact Center on January 4, 2023, regarding this matter. Specifically, you stated that your ex-
      girlfriend and their son depleted both your Transfer on Death (TOD) brokerage account ending in **** and your
      Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ending in **** while you were in the military during the period of
      October 2007 through April 2015.
      As stated in our previous letter dated February 17, 2023, after a thorough review of your WFA accounts, we
      learned that account activities for both your IRA ending in **** and TOD account ending in **** occurred during
      the periods of November 1, 2007, through December 31, 2012. Those activities include trade purchases and sales,
      IRA Distributions, deposits, and withdrawals consisting of both checks and Automated Clearing House (ACH).
      Currently, we do not have enough information to support that these transactions were fraudulent.
      Please know that we attempted to contact you to discuss this matter, but we were unable to connect with you. To
      do a further review, please provide more information regarding your claim.
      How to contact us
      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact us. If you have questions about this letter, please contact
      me at ************** **** *******. We’re ready to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
      Eastern Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.
      Sincerely,
      ****** **
      Executive Office Case Specialist
      Enterprise Complaints Management Office

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/27/2023

      Type:Order Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      February 6, 2022 ******************** died from diabetes and heart attack. Do you need another death certificate for ******? I do believe I sent you one last week with a letter. Donalds fax is ************ I had to send it. My death claim is for ***********. We do not want a rollover. I just need the monies to live on. I bank at harvesters credit union in *******. ******* death has hit me hard emotionally and physically. I need your help now please no rollovers check only to me in my name. This Wells Fargo refuses to help and rude to please help me get whats mine as far as ******* death claim. Should you need anything else? Please contact me.

      Business Response

      Date: 06/03/2022

      Dear ***************************** ****:
      Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. This letter is in response to your complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau. I am responding to your inquiry on behalf of Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (collectively Wells Fargo). Weve completed our research and are ready to share our findings.
      Were sorry to hear about the passing of ************************. We understand this can be a difficult time, and were here to help. Our research indicates that WestRock (formerly Rock-************* was a participant in the Rock-************ 401(k) ****************** Plan (the Plan), which was previously record kept by Wells Fargo Institutional Retirement and Trust (IRT). At the direction of the Plan Sponsor (WestRock), the Plan left Wells Fargo IRT and transferred to Empower on December 31, 2015. If you need further information regarding the balance thereafter, please contact the Plan Sponsor or Empower. The phone number provided for Empower at the time of transition is **************.
      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact us. If you have questions, please contact us at ***************************. Were ready to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/16/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      ResolvedMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I am the Executor for my deceased mother trust accounts. On 5/23/22 called Wells Fargo (WF) to inform them of death of my mother, ***************************, was told to send in death certificate, affidavit of domicile and cert of trust done on 7/20/22, no reponse called WF Estate ********* on 9/19/22 and was given a acct # and to send in Letter of Authorization (***). 10/13 Rec'd email funds can be added to acct called Estate proc said acct was set up wrong had to sent in another ***, done on 11/16. 11/28 rec'd email funds can be added to new acct called had to send in another ***. 12/23 Called again was now told a verbal password was set up for this account (1st time I was informed re: PW) WF request to have this removed was done on 12/28 I called Estate proc was told that acct was set up wrong (again), at this time I'm so frustrated I'm yelling at this woman who said she will have a supervisor call me. 2 days later supervisor (***) called left message w/ his phone #, I called him back, have to set up another account (I have 3 accts now) 1/6 sent in signature page for this new acct and another ***. 1/7 *** hadn't rec'd these. 1/10 called and was told that the wrong format (SSN v EIN) was entered on signature page and WF sent a request to have this changed to EIN # would take 24 hrs. 1/13 called *** format wasn't changed he would check and call back (no call back). 1/14 Rec'd email that I would have to send in another *** and to change format to EIN, however there is no area on the *** to enter a EIN number. I've been given the run around so often with Wells Fargo Advisors and am so frustrated after 6 months of endless phone calls I need some help to get the money from my deceased mother's account into an account to pay the beneficiaries. Thank you.

      Business Response

      Date: 04/24/2023

      Dear *****************************:
      Were sorry to hear about the passing of ******************************. We realize this can be a difficult time and would like to extend our sincerest condolences. Thank you for contacting us with your concerns regarding the difficulty to process the estate claim for the trust account of ****************************. Weve completed our research and are ready to share our findings. Please note, we made attempts to contact you via phone on April 14, 2023 and April 17, 2023 to discuss this matter, but they were unsuccessful.
      Please allow us to apologize for any frustration or inconvenience this matter may have caused. Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA) strives to provide our clients with the most outstanding customer service, and we regret that, in this instance, you received less than our best.
      Please be advised, upon the death of a client, their account must be handled in accordance with state laws, industry rules and Firm policies and procedures. While each situation is unique, there are certain procedures that must be handled uniformly. During our review, we learned that the Letters of Administration court appointment received on October 25, 2022, confirms your authority over the Estate of the decedent; however, it does not confirm who the successor trustee of the trust account is. Kindly note, the executor of the Estate does not direct the assets from the trust account but rather the assets are directed by the successor trustee named when the trust was created.
      We verified we need an updated Trustee Certification of Investment Powers (****) form or a Legal Opinion from an attorney who is familiar with the trust to confirm who the successor trustee of the trust brokerage account is. Once we receive the **** or Legal Opinion confirming the successor trustee, we will need a signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) from the successor trustee with transfer instructions to be delivered to a trust account that isin the same named titled trust, has the same under agreement date and under a tax identification number either internally or externally. To submit the previous mentioned documents or if you have questions regarding the estate process, please contact our Estates Processing team via fax at **************, via email at *************************************************** or by phone at **************, Monday through Friday from
      7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 04/25/2023

      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      *****************************
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/04/2023

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I began the process of trying to gain access to funds in a brokerage account that was a part of my mothers estate in 2012. I went through the probate courts and obtained & submitted all of the necessary documents to do so. Wells Fargo made the process so complicated that I ultimately gave up out of total frustration. My husband and I began the process again in 2021 and spoke to countless people in ****** **********, submitted documents over and over at their request, were told repeatedly that they had everything needed, were told a manger would followup with us on multiple occasions and just flat out strung us along. They charged an annual fee on this account even though its status had been changed to deceased in 2012 with no trades taking place and should therefore not have been charged. Getting nowhere, we searched for an agency with the power to do something about our issues and discovered *****. Once a complaint had been filed WF suddenly was reaching out to us and working to distribute the funds. After over a year they suddenly realized that our document from probate had expired in 2014 which, had they actually been processing this request and reviewing the documents provided, they would have noticed. In the end we lost over $1,000 due to their delays while the markets declined and were only able to get one annual fee refunded. We were never given an explanation as to why this process took over a year tom complete. I also requested mediation through ***** & Wells Fargo never replied to the request. The amount of money we stand to get back does not warrant the cost of arbitration. Although, I do not anticipate recovering any of the aforementioned funds, I still wanted to share my grievances with the BBB.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/02/2023

      Please see the attached Bank response. 


      Thank you for being our customer. You should know that ***** ******** recently emailed the Better Business
      Bureau, on January 4, 2023, regarding the account ending in ****. We don’t have permission to share information
      about the account with them, so we’re responding directly to you about their concerns.

      ***** indicated your dissatisfaction due to delays in processing your claim on assets with the ******* **********
      department via Automated Customer Account Transfer Service (ACATS) to another firm. The process started
      with a successful probate on August 23, 2012, but stalled shortly afterwards, stating you felt overwhelmed and
      didn’t want to deal with it at that time, but you restarted your claim 9 years later, by contacting ****** **********
      who provided an email listing the documents required. It was shared it has taken approximately 24 calls to/from
      Wells Fargo ****** ********** team citing challenges from not being able to speak to the same representative
      that was familiar on what needed to be corrected or clarify what was missing amassing more delays.

      We researched your concerns, reviewed the case, and confirmed we sent an email on June 3, 2022, explaining that
      ******* rejected your ACAT transfer request, due to the debit balance in the account, they needed a margin
      agreement on file. Unfortunately, certain required documentation expired due to the passage of time, and you
      painstakingly worked with ******* ********** to correct errant submissions or omissions requiring corrections
      that added to the delays.

      We credited $175 for the 2022 Annual fee, on November 28, 2022, and Operations approved the claim, then
      initiated the ACATS which posted on December 16, 2022, providing a full payout of shares in kind and not a dollar
      value as alleged. We recognize that business decisions, such as our fee policy, impact our clients and we regularly

      Investment products and services are offered
      Investment and Insurance Products are:
      through Wells Fargo Advisors, a trade name used
      • Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency
      by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member
      • Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate
      SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank
      • Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested
      affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

      We may collect personal data as part of the complaint resolution process. For the categories of personal data that Wells Fargo may collect and how we use it, see the Wells Fargo
      California Consumer Privacy Act Notice at Collection at *********************************************************************** See additional Wells Fargo privacy notices at
      *********************************************

      * **** ***** ***** ********* **** *** ****** *********
      ***** ********************
      evaluate the fee schedule to ensure that we are fair and competitive. We declined voluntary mediation with
      Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (*****) since our previous response letter, sent on December 12, 2022,
      provided our resolution explaining the enduring attempts to satisfy regulators and process your estates claim.

      We apologize for how complicated this process can be and we appreciate your feedback, it is an effective way to
      improve future client experiences. Feel free to contact Wells Fargo ****** ********** at ************** for
      questions or assistance on your claim.


      How to contact us

      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact us. If you have questions, please contact
      me a* *************** **** *******. We’re ready to help you Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00
      p.m. Mountain Time. Please note that I am unable to process requests or provide advice. We accept
      telecommunications relay service calls.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/07/2023

      Complaint: ********



      I am rejecting this response because:



      The response from Wells Fargo is identical to the response given to my ***** complaint. They did nothing but restate my complaints while providing no answers. They stated that they refunded one annual fee (which was only because I caught it) but ignored the issue that this account should not have accrued ANY annual fees from the time that they were notified of my mother's passing in 2012 and its status became inactive/deceased. They offered no explanation as to why they even attempted to transfer the funds on 6/22 only to realize months later that our probate document had expired. They make it sound as thought this is what delayed this process but fail to point out that this happened almost a year into the process****** ********** is what they do so that this was missed at the beginning of this process speaks greatly to their ineptitude. The constant requesting of the same documents repeatedly over the course of 1+ years was not addressed either which is no surprise. Wells Fargo, in my opinion intentionally delayed this entire process and had I not opened a case with *****, I would likely still be getting the runaround from them. Lastly, their comment that they denied mediation with ***** is false as per *****, they never replied to the request for mediation. If the amount that I stood to recover from years of annual fees were larger, I would be pursuing arbitration but it would not cover the costs involved.

      As someone who once was a customer having had a mortgage and vehicle loan with Wells Fargo, I will never do business with this institution again. They are crooks and the multiple lawsuits against them resulting in millions of dollars in judgements against them is proof of that.



      Sincerely,



      ****** ********
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/22/2022

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Trying to get information on my financials and am getting a run around. They keep transferring me to different people an no one is helping me. I have a disability and it is hard for me to communicate and I feel I am getting discriminated against. I just want someone to call me and to help me. She wants to transfer funds from one account to another institution

      Business Response

      Date: 04/24/2023

      Dear ****** ** *******:
      Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. We’ve completed our research and are ready to share our findings.
      On April 12, 2023, Wells Fargo Advisors received notice of a complaint filed on your behalf through the Better Business Bureau. The complaint was regarding difficulties you experienced while trying to attain financial information concerning your account with Wells Fargo Advisors and wanting to transfer funds to another financial institution. Concerns of being transferred multiple times and discrimination were also expressed.
      We apologize if at times it is necessary to transfer you to a department that is more capable of servicing your specific need.
      Our research indicates contact with your Financial Advisor’s office occurred on Dec 8, and 19, 2022, January 5, 23, and on February 14, 2022, you were contacted by your Financial Advisor (FA), **** *******, and discussed your future goals, expectations, and needs for your account. You agreed to sell a portion of the assets and a $5,000.00 distribution was processed on February 16, 2023, to United Federal Credit Union. **** also provided his office phone number and requested that you contact his office directly in the future to avoid any further confusion.
      On April 18, and 21, 2023, Wells Fargo’s Enterprise Complaints Management Office attempted to contact you to discuss your disability needs and ways that we might be able to accommodate them. We have been unable to reach you at the phone number ###-###-#### where we were informed by automated message that the phone number had been disconnected. We have also been unable to contact you on the number ###-###-#### where we were able to leave a message. Without a greater understanding of your situation, we are unable to pursue this goal further. Please contact your Financial Advisor **** ******* at ###-###-#### or ###-###-#### to correct your phone number or let us know how we can make accessing your account less difficult.
      We do not show evidence of discrimination was exhibited in the servicing of your account by the Investment Contact Center or by your Financial Advisor’s office. If you have additional information or evidence to provide, please contact us.
    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/20/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Wells Fargo Advisors handles my Grandmother's investments. She is 83, ill, and has significant cognitive decline. I am her Grandson and Power of Attorney (and Trustee of her Trustee) and in charge of handling all of her affairs on her behalf because is in capable of doing so. I had no issues with WFA until Nov 1 22 when I requested that an amount of shares where sold from one of her investment accounts (which we had done earlier in the summer) and disbursed to her checking account. These fund replenish her balance and allow me to pay bills and handle unforeseen health and household expenses. I was told this would occur and it did not. Days later the WF Advisor called my sister (not a POA) and he finally executed the trade after she told him to do what I requested. The fund where then not disbursed to her checking account. WFA has been totally unresponsive until Dec 16 22 when I was given a call saying the only way to disburse the funds to her account was to prove I had bills to pay or she couldn't have her funds (funds I intended to be available for general use as daily needs require). We are now 8 weeks into a stalemate with no useful dialogue, no reasonable resolution (I do not need to be under the gun of paying a bill before it is late), and WFA refusing to execute requests by the legal POA in charge of handling my Grandmothers life issues. They also called the police and had City PD and County Adult Services to open investigations into me that were not opened because both entities determined the household is in order and I have the legal documentation to act on her behalf because she can not. I want this terrible business to disburse her funds to her and I want some sort of remedy that they have to no longer interfere in my legal responsibilities to care for and pay my Grandmothers bills.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/05/2023

      ******* ** ****

      ****** *****

      **** ********* ******

      ******** ** *****

      Subject: We're responding to your concerns Case number: ***************** Account number ending in: **** 

      Client name: ******* ***********

      Better Business Bureau: Agency Case Number ******** 

      Dear ****** *****:

      ********** ********** ********** ******

      ** *** ****

      ***** ****** ** *****

      Thank
      you for your patience while we looked into your concerns. We've
      completed our research and are ready to share our findings.

      Please
      be advised that we received your concerns regarding the difficulty
      you've experienced while trying to transact in ******* ***********
      account as Power of Attorney (POA) and the overall poor service you feel
      you have received while trying to resolve this matter.

      Please
      note that from our research we can confirm that due to the unusual
      activity in the account, the account is currently being reviewed by our
      back office. To assist with this review and better facilitate your
      ability to transact in the account, we recommend providing invoices for
      the client's care to ensure that the client's needs are being met.

      We
      sincerely regret the frustration, inconvenience, and overall poor
      service you feel you have experienced throughout this process. We also
      highly value your feedback, as we use your feedback as our primary tool
      in improving our products and services. If you have additional
      questions, please reach out to your Financial Advisors office at ************** ** ************, and they will be able to further assist
      you.

      We appreciate your time and effort youtook to contact us. If you have
      questions, please contact us at *************** ********* *******.
      We're ready to help you Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
      p.m. Central Time. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.

      Sincerely,

      ***** **

      Executive Office Case Specialist

      ********** ********** ********** ****** *** ****** ******** ******

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:12/19/2022

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      AnsweredMore info

      Complaint statuses

      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      ********* ******** ****** was a Minnesota resident, died in Ramsey County, Minnesota, on March 2, 2020, was a widow, had no issue, left a will (9/2/2016) and a codicil (1/31/2020,) and designated ******** ** ******, one of her two stepsons, as her personal representative. Covid related court limitations and complications in identifying and providing notice to potential heirs delayed the filing of the probate action until Fall 2020. After a formal probate hearing in the Probate Division of the Second District Court on May 4, 2021, ******** ** ****** was appointed the personal representative of the ** ** ****** estate on August 24, 2021. Contact was made by ******** ****** with Wells Fargo Advisors about his status as personal representative of the ** ** ****** estate in September, 2021. Through neglect, uncooperativeness, unnecessary back office delays, and bureaucratic bungling, after 33 months, ********* ******** ****** estate assets, IRA Custodian Account *********, in the hands of Wells Fargo Advisors subject to “transfer on death” provisions have not yet been paid out despite requests by ******** ******, a designated beneficiary, and requests by ***** ** ******* **., the other designated beneficiary. For some reason that never has been explained to the satisfaction of ******** ** ******, Wells Fargo Advisors decided, without any prior consultation or agreement by ***** ** ******* ***, or ******** ** ******, to establish separate Wells Fargo accounts for them, delaying the distribution process, and then further delayed the process by requiring from ***** ** ******* ***, and ******** ** ****** in late November 2022 to submit not one, but two, separate agreements with respect to those accounts. No explanation for the delay in disbursing Account ********* has been provided by Wells Fargo Advisors.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/10/2023

      ********** ********** ********** ******
      ** *** ****
      ***** ****** ** *****

      January 10, 2023

      ******** ******
      **** ******* ****** *****
      ********** ** **********

      Subject: We’re responding to your concerns
      Case numbers: 0***************** *****************
      Account number ending in: ****
      Better Business Bureau case number: ********
      Client name: ********* ** ******

      Dear ******** ******:

      Thank you for your patience while we looked into your concerns expressed to the Better Business Bureau. We’ve
      completed our research and are ready to share our findings regarding the experience endured and amount of time
      it is taking to complete the estate process of the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and transfer the assets to
      the beneficiaries. You also want an explanation why a new IRA had to be opened.

      We apologize for any frustration and inconvenience you may have experienced. After further review, we
      determined the delay was due to issues with the required estate documents and the annuity held in the IRA had to
      be liquidated and proceeds posted before the process could be completed. Our records indicate the annuity
      proceeds, and all documents were received in good order completing the estate process. We confirmed that on
      December 21, 2022, your portion of the IRA was transferred to your Beneficiary IRA, ending in ****.

      Pertaining to why the new IRA had to be opened. We reviewed these concerns with the branch, and it was
      determined that the original Inherited IRA accounts that had been set up for the beneficiaries could not be utilized
      as no signed account documentation was received and booked; therefore, the accounts were closed, and new
      Inherited IRA accounts had to be set up to receive the funds from the deceased IRA. If you have any additional
      questions, please contact Financial Advisor **** ***** directly at ************* 

      Investment products and services are offered
      Investment and Insurance Products are:
      through Wells Fargo Advisors, a trade name used
      • Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency
      by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member
      • Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate
      SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank
      • Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested
      affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

      We
      may collect personal data as part of the complaint resolution process.
      For the categories of personal data that Wells Fargo may collect and how
      we use it, see the Wells Fargo
      California Consumer Privacy Act
      Notice at Collection at ***********************************************************************
      See additional Wells Fargo privacy notices at
      *********************************************

      * **** ***** ***** ********* **** *** ****** *********
      ***** ********************

      How to contact us

      We appreciate your time and effort you took to contact us. If you have questions, you can contact me at
      *************** **** *******, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Time. However, please
      note I am unable to provide advice or process requests. We accept telecommunications relay service calls.

      Sincerely,

      *** **
      Executive Office Case Specialist
      ********** ********** ********** ******

      cc: Better Business Bureau

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