Why I will NEVER do business with WELLS FARGO again!

Apparently I’m laundering money…or something, according to Wells Fargo. Yes, me, I’m out there up to no good, you know, working hard, making money, paying off my debts. It’s all totally legal and they closed my credit card account due to “suspicious activity.”

I can’t tell you how mad I was am at them! I WILL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH WELLS FARGO AGAIN!


FIRST INCIDENT
I had paid off my credit card and my brother asked me to get him some concert tickets which he gave me the money for. It had to be done online with a card, so I figured I would get the rewards points and use the WF card. No brainer right? Got the tickets purchased, done.

During this time I also paid WF the amount of the tickets so they would be covered. This charge didn’t go through for a few days and since my account was “overpaid” it sent a GIANT RED FLAG to WF’s Fraud Department.

They blocked my card and I had to call them. The only thing their brilliant rep told me was to not overpay my account again. Ok, no big deal. It was an accident, I guess, if you could say that. Even though I had a charge going through, they don’t like that. -- Don’t overpay your account.


SECOND INCIDENT
Again my card was blocked, only a few weeks later and I had to call WF to find out why. This time a different rep told me that a lot of people launder money by overpaying their accounts. Also, that I was making so many payments and charging things, ie. make a payment of $200 and then charge $200. Um, yeah, I used it like a debit card…for the points. Whatever.

He told me that if this happened again, WF would close my account without notice. Fine, whatever. The information received from both of the reps was different.


THE CLOSURE
Within a month I was at the grocery store and used tried to use my WF card but it didn’t go through. I was puzzled. Swiped the card again…same thing. What the?! Alright, paid another way.

When I got to my car I called WF and apparently my account had been closed that very day. The Fraud rep told me something I had not heard from the other two reps I spoke to, which I did let him know.

He did confirm that people launder money by overpaying accounts and what I was told is true. However, the reason the account was closed, according to him, is that I was using more than my available credit during one billing cycle.

In other words, if you have a credit card with a $1,000 limit, THIS IS ALL YOU CAN USE IN ONE BILLING CYCLE. No, you cannot charge $1,000 on Monday, pay it off Tuesday, charge $1,000 on Wednesday to turn around and pay it off on Thursday. You would be using more than what they “allow” you to use in one month….even if you pay it off!!

The rep told me you cannot, “boost your credit limit,” by paying an extra amount than what is owed.

I told the WF rep that I was not told this by the other two reps, which he apologized for, but really it does me no good when the account has been closed.

He also said he would appeal this closure due to being told incomplete information and see if anything could be done… he would let me know the answer in a few days. When he told me, IF ANYTHING, WF would ask me to re-apply for a new card, I made sure to let him know I would NOT be doing business with WF again if my card was not re-opened.

Never heard from him again.

The thing that makes me really mad is that I was a WF customer from 1996-2009 and THEY closed my account due to their lack of their representatives efficiency. This will also reflect on my credit report and could possibly / likely lower my score and affect my open account with AMEX. I sure hope it doesn’t!

The icing on this cake is….I was going to get a $100 Wells Fargo Cash Reward on the next statement. Now, I can’t.

Leftovers

My BF made a frozen pizza for lunch today (which by the way was free after rebate!) which sounds great, but is a problem...or used to be! The reason it used to be and isn't anymore is that frozen pizza, once it has been cooked, isn't good when reheated. It's gross!

Anyhow, today I thought, I'm not letting this pizza go to waste...again. So, I turned the oven on broil, microwaved it for a minute and then stuck it in the oven. It came out crispy and yummy!

Consumed leftovers & saved money = happy me.

Updated sidebar

Today I paid WF $250 and my car $180 so updated the sidebar. It's gratifying to see the numbers get smaller and smaller each payday.

I'll be so ecstatic when they are ALL paid off!!

April Budget

UPDATE: I decided showing my budget on Excel this way is just too much work.


This month I'm not putting money aside for my car payment because I get paid May 1st which is three days before my next payment.

My paycheck was about $750 so you would think I have money left over, but actually I went shopping for things to sell on ebay. I have some paying back to myself to do!

Loaning money

Have you ever loaned money to someone and they say, "I'll pay you back next week when I get paid."? I've loaned money out many times over the years, to family, and it always seems that they don't pay me when they say they will.

Suddenly, when "next week" comes and they get paid, they realize that other bills need to be paid and use their paycheck for the bills instead. As if they need my money more than I do. Or, because I had the ability to loan it, I really don't "need" it. That's a bunch of B.S.!!

I'm so upset that this has happened once again. I realize it is my fault for loaning the money in the first place, but there is so much more to the reason she (in this case) needs the money, which is why I did it.

We're not talking thousands of dollars or anything, but just $200, for three different things. Anyhow, it's my money and I want it back!! Her payday has come and gone. Then comes the attempted guilt trip of, "I'm going to sell (fill in the blank) so I can pay you, does that make you happy?!?!" Um, no, but that's just not my problem. You borrowed and owe me. Period.

I just wish people would learn to manage their money and not come to me for my hard earned cash.

~Still trying to get out of debt.

On track

Although I didn't post my budget this month, I've stayed pretty well on track. Today is payday and I know where every dollar is going. Rent, car payment, car insurance, food, WF and the gym. I am leaving a small amount available as cash.

Being focused on getting out of debt has really made me change the way I shop. I'm still shopping for things to sell on ebay, but not nearly as much as I used to. I need to get my inventory organized.

I've also increased my hours at work so my last two paychecks have been bigger!!!

Capital One 1 and dentist are done!!!!!!!

My latest update is that Capital One 1 is paid off as well as my dentist! I made the last payment a few days ago on both. It's possible that Capital One will charge me a bit of interest for this month, but if they do it won't be much.

The bad news is that since I went shopping for (needed) clothes on my WF card, I have to get that one down now...again.

I've been crazy busy so didn't make time to blog in the last week. We had a friend visiting us for several days which was fun.

Ebay has been terrible this month, I hope it picks up.

Library Book

I just got home from the library with the book entitled "The 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires" by Brian Tracy among other books. It bothers me that people write in books and I've been going through it erasing lots of pencil marks, writing and underlining.

Why are people so disrespectful? It's not much different than writing on a wall in an elevator, bathroom stall, spray paint graffiti, etc. Sure, only the people that get this book will see it, but still... if you want to write in a book, go to the book store and buy your own to mark up!

•••UPDATE••• I just finished reading this book, it was a short read with good info. There are a few things I want to quote from the book as follows:

• Every time you practice self-discipline, your self-esteem goes up. You like and respect yourself even more.

• You are like a chameleon in that you take on the attitudes, behaviors, values, and beliefs of the people with whom you associate most of the time. If you want to be a successful person, associate with positive people. Associate with people who are optimistic and happy and who have goals and who are moving forward in their lives. At the same time, get away from negative, critical, complaining people.

• Unsuccessful people are indecisive. They know that they should do or stop doing certain things, but they do not have the character or the willpower to make firm decisions. As a result, they drift through life, never happy, fulfilled, or successful. They never become wealthy or achieve financial independence. They settle for far less than is possible for them.

So close!

I can't believe that my Capital One 1 balance is $182! I'll have it paid off so soon!

My slip up

It has been a while since I posted but my time has been occupied with family as a result of a recent death.

My spending got a little out of control when my mom decided to help me out and go "shopping" for me along with other things. She went out and found a lot of things that I might like to wear to the funeral ... and more. I ended up spending on my WF card. Bad. I know. But honestly, even though I may say I don't "need" anything, I really do. My clothes are looking old and ratty. The t-shirt I'm wearing today is about five years old and has holes visible to me around the waistband.

I bought some badly needed jeans as the ones I wear all the time look trashy at the ankles. When I spent the last $130, I told her, "NO MORE SHOPPING!" I love her and am grateful that she took the time, she really knows what looks good on me, but seriously. No more!

I spent about $350 but it sure was nice to have proper attire for the funeral and to spend time with family who I see once every couple of years, wearing clothes that were in decent shape.

So...with that being said, my new plan is to pay off Capital One 1 and then back to WF. My March budget should be posted within a few days. It's already on paper.