Wachovia Thinks Its Computers Are Perfect
Terry writes:
I'm writing to tell you about the miserable service I've received from Wachovia Bank. On several occasions I've logged into my checking account to sent payments for various things. It seems that more often that not I end up hearing from these businesses wanted to know where the payments are. I know full well that I've sent them, and even having the confirmation codes to prove it. I log in to my account and can find no record whatsoever of these payments.
At this point of course I call customer service, which in my opinion would be better called customer dis-service. I explain the situation to them and the inevitable response I get from them is "We have no record of that transaction". "Well yes, that's EXACTLY the problem, now what are you going to do about it?" I say. Of course they reply that with no record there is nothing they can or are willing to do and suggest I resubmit the payment. They refuse to acknowledge that there might be a problem or that they might be responsible in some way.These people seem to think that their computers are infallible and that whatever the computer says must be true. They are not willing to consider anything else. I work with computers and I can tell you that they can and do make mistakes but these people don't want to see that there might be a problem with the system. They seem incapable of understanding that someone might have made a programming error that could result in this.
My credit is being damaged by Wachovia and my good standing with business I use is being ruined. Wachovia blames me and treats me like I'm some kind of mentally ill child. It's disgusting, demeaning and unbelievably insulting to be treated this way. I may not be able to resolve this with them, the black marks on my credit aren't going to go away by themselves, but I sure as all can close my accounts with them and make sure people hear about it.
Thank you,
Terry W.
Sounds like Terry is stuck in a tier 1 customer service heckhole. They can't fix his transactions because there's no record of them. If they can't see anything, then there's nothing for them to fix. And it seems there's also no escalation button for them to press. In the customer service flowchart it would say, "IF root of problem exists at level solvable only by people above my paygrade THEN press this button." If Terry still has his accounts open, he could give this Wachovia executive contact info a shot. Otherwise, Wachovia just lost another customer due to their rep's indifference and inability to handle issues not covered in the plastic three-ring binder.
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I have set up direct deposit with Wachovia and haven't had any problems with any of my payments going through. I write checks for things like car insurance and such that are only occasional bills.
Was this guy doing automatic bill pay? Why not just write them a check and mail it.
Had the very same problem with US Bank. It really wreaked havoc with my finances. And what does it matter to the bank? Not a thing. What I've done is set up on-line or auto-pay accounts with the companies I used to send checks to. They, at least, have a vested interest in getting that payment on time.
@public enemy #1: I think the point is that he's trying to use a service that he signed up for. I'm sure he'll probably switch back to writing checks or paying directly through the website of who he owes to.
Doesn't it say "Print this screen" or something similar when you get the confirmation in addition to sending you an email saying "This is to confirm payment blah blah blah..."?
If not, I'd suggest printing (or taking a screencap*) of their confirmation page and saving it until it clears on the other side.
* - Fireshot FTW.
I had this problem last year with one of the Midwests biggest credit unions. I sent an email and really chewed them out! Of coarse it helped that I have been a customer for 25 years. I received a letter of apology from the IT department and a $50.00 Costco gift card. It hasn't happened again. The reason confirmation numbers are issued is to provide a tool to trace fallen out transactions. I follow up every bill payment by checking my on line statement to confirm if in fact it has been made. My financial institution sends me emails and also a text page for every check cleared or electronic transaction including paycheck deposits. Go elsewhere while you still have credit.
One problem with sending in a check is that CC companies are reducing the 'grace period' you have in which to pay your bill. I just do it online, write down confirmation numbers, do screen caps, which are probably useless if they're going to claim I didn't pay, but if it posts on my bank account but not on my CC account, I at least have proof. That said, I do it way, way before the due date, so I have time to go after them if for some reason my payment isn't posted in a week. They even say, it posts that day or the next business day.
Also, I signed up for confirmation emails, so as soon as I make a payment it sends me an email confirming it. When it posts, it sends me an email. Maybe not effective if for some reason it doesn't post and you have to prove it has been posted, but the little things count. Even proving to CSR or someone who can do something about your situation that you're typically responsible and borderline obsessive compulsive about managing your money might lead them to give you the benefit of a doubt.
@public enemy #1: Personally, I like the "automatic" part of it.
My goal for 2008 however is to have all bills go through a points/rewards credit card that I pay off every month, if only for the chargeback/"instant refund" protection an automatic debit from your checking account cannot provide.
@MercuryPDX: Yeah, I set up my cable and phone through my Chase Freedom card, but my car payment is automatically deducted from my Wachovia checking account.
Wachovia sends me an email each time my car payment is sent to the credit union. Not sure if this guy received those or not.
A lot of places wont allow your bills to be charged to a credit card - the only bill I can do auto-pay with is my Cable (Cox) bill. Water, Gas, Electric, Mortgage, etc all wont let me put it on my CC. I'd love to put it on my AmEx Blue Cash card and get 1% back, but most places I've found will only let me EFT it out of my bank account.
ALWAYS print the ID screen, or jot down the Transaction ID on your bill or in a checkbook register.
At least on our banks system, that is the confirmation they received the information for processing. If our customers get an "error ID", the verbiage indicated that as well (invalid amount: i.e. 52>00 rather than 52.00, etc...)
I have more than a few customers that do not heed the error messages and take that ID as a valid acceptance of what they think they want.
@Hibbelton: If screenshots are valid in RIAA lawsuits, you should be able to point out to the bank that courts accept them as legally valid...
I've had similar problems with Citizens Bank. Transactions just disappear in the system. It's never been anything that affected me too much since I do not engage in online bill pay.
I found that when dealing with the bank it's better go actually go to a branch (preferably one you tend to use) and talk to a person face to face. I managed to get some overdraft charges refunded (even though it was 100% my fault for not keeping track and admitted to this fact) and they even gave me some hush hush tips about how the bank operates to avoid any more penalties.
I had this problem with a bank that got mrged out of existence. Since the money never left my account, I walked into the branch, and asked them to write a letter to those companies that did not recieve their payments...and they did!
All of those companies refunded my late fees.
1. Wachovia's Online BillPay is probably handled by CheckFree, a billpay partner and your transaction "technically" is handled there. There's a good chance that Wachovia is not receiving the transaction properly from Checkfree and you'll need some escalation to Tier-n support to get the "behind the scenes" company to work with the big W.
2. Be sure you are paying from an active account. I had billpay setup with several active accounts and then later closed one of them. When I setup a billpay, the system defauled to the (now) inactive account and I didn't realise it until my transaction suddenly vanished.
3. Are your payees setup for payment-by-cheque or payment-by-internal-money-moving? The former can take considerable time to setup and have the payment sent. The latter (used most often with big name accounts like credit cards, large utility companies, etc..) causes the funds to be withdrawn from your account and deposited at your payee's within a day.
@Buran: I "chargedback" a check one time. I wrote a gas card a check for say 150, and they ACH'd it for 750. Complained the one looked like a seven, and that's why they did it. Then they wanted me to get cancelled checks, bank statements, etc to prove they did that and it would take days to get my money back. Called the bank and said the phrase "Unauthorized Amount" - and it was fixed the next day. gas card company re-submitted the check with the right amount. Don't use that card anymore...
All banks think their computers are infallible.
My university offers now offers no option OTHER than to pay via online banking, if you're not using a student loan service. (they have told me they will no longer even take cash.)
Because I LIKE not knowing if 5 grand every 4 months is going to disappear.
Computers are perfect, it's the users that are fallible (I mean the CSRs and the people inputting the data).
I use Wachovia for bill pay (automatic bill pay and also for random bills as well) and I've never had any problems with it. I have one monthly bill that is sent out as an actual check the rest are more money transfers. I receive an e-mail that also confirms each bill pay (I receive 2 e-mails a month for each bill, the first that a bill pay is scheduled for x date in x amount, etc., the second that x bill has been paid) which I don't normally keep but maybe I will now so I have proof. There is also a section in bill pay that keeps track of scheduled upcoming payments which I also double check when its time to pay my bills to make sure everything is properly scheduled.
CREDIT UNION
...computer says no.
Little Britain ftw
@MercuryPDX: God creates dinosaurs.
God kills dinosaurs.
God creates Man.
Man creates dinosaurs.
Man kills God.
Woman inherits the Earth.
(Backs away from thead slowly)
Terry here,
I thought you'd all like to know the latest news.
I tried an email carpet bomb and scored a direct hit thanks to having my story up on Consumerist. Seems Wachovia is ready to help now, go figure. I got an email from them stating how sorry they are I've been put through this. Time will tell if they resolve anything but it's off to a nice start.
Thank you Consumerist. I'm sooo glad I found you.
I had a similar problem with Comcast. Went online, paid my bill, got a confirmation number AND a confirmation email. Payment never goes through. Call them up, they say wait a few days a see. Never posts. Get charged a late fee. They still have no answers. Now I'm very wary of paying online with them anymore, but since they charge you a ridiculous fee to pay over the phone, I'll have to stick with it for now.
Credit Union.
I use Wamu's bill pay service and it works fine. Granted I only use it for one payment, but in some cases there are no online methods to pay for some bills and checks are the only way.
With the automatic bill pay, you can pay those kind of bills without writing out a check and without paying postage. Almost like a set it and forget it type deal. All you have to do is make sure there is money there.
So in the end, it works if your bank works...
I used Wachovia Bill Pay for my Time Warner bill one time. The payment never reached them. Cable/Internet was shut off. I called Wachovia, told them what happened, gave them the confirmation number from the Bill Pay screen. They put a stop payment on the Bill Pay check. Was told that if TWC tries to charge the insufficient funds fee, call customer service back and Wachovia would either pay the fee for me or get TWC to drop the fee.
I paid the cable, told them what Wachovia said. They pushed my check thru the next day and then there was a $25 fee on my next bill. Wachovia took care of it for me. I don't use the Bill Pay anymore. The explanation I got from Wachovia was that they aren't still fully electronic, so there are still a handful of companies that they physically send the check to when you use Bill Pay.
I have never had an issue with Wachovia Bill Pay and I have been using it for 5 years. You might want to check and make sure that you are using the system correctly. As a developer I find that most errors occure between the screen and the keyboard. (That means you.)
I recommend using Citibank. I have never had one problem whatsoever.
My wife and i have several Wachovia Checking Accounts and have been very satisfied with their customer service over the years. I always thought that setting up the bill pay service never made any sense. I have all my bills set up thru their auto pay services. (ex: Comcast, T-Mobile, Electric, etc. withdraws amount on due date). That way you dont have to go thru an extra layer of payment with making sure wachovia gets the money there on the right day. I've been using this method for years and (luckily) haven't had any problems. Now you still have to check the bank entries to make sure there arent any mistakes (which i do weekly).
I can't figure this one out: I went to Wachovia to cash $1000 worth of checks against my mother's and my account, and then deposit the CASH into my personal account b/c my mortgage was going to be electronically withdrawn the next day, and I wanted the deposit to go in as cash. I was told by 3 different sources, that this was against their RULES! They had no problem cashing the checks, but they would NOT deposit the cash into my other account! What's up with this???
As a former employee who worked at Wachovia for 10 years...my advice is this, if you bank there...move your money to a smaller local bank. If you work in the low morale sales pressure wolrd of Wachovia dn its stupid mindless sales leaders and don't even mention the "service" leaders...find yourself a better job...its easy...that's why I left and so did 6 of my co-workers.
That sounds like the #1 customer service they like to talk so much about...but we cannot seem to find anyone who was actually surveyed by JD Power and ASSociates...must've interviewed the CEO and his fmaily?
ive never liked bill pay services, for this exact reason... or sometimes the lengthy 'processing time' where they take your money, but dont send something out for awhile. ive had friends miss payments dates because of that.
i would recommend having as much autobill to your credit cards and then pay that off electronically (without a bill pay service). i pay my rent check once a month, and my credit card bill once a month because everything goes to my CC.