Contract with AMH that I never authorized.
Complaint
Beverly Burnett
Country: United States
$49.50 has been taken out of my Wells Fargo mortgage account with Wells Fargo since Nov 2012. Didn't realize it until I got a "thank you for renewing your protection plan" letter from AMH in August 2013. I never authorized it. Evidently, it is automatically renewed unless you cancel it. Following are my phone calls/letters trying to recover the approx $495 from the $49.50 payment for 10 mos.
Talked to Marilyn Pillow in Customer Service at Wells Fargo. She told me that sometimes they offer services and if it is not declined, it's automatic. Have written letters to all Wells Fargo corporate officers I can find the names of and also to the Resolution Dept (was told they would be the ones to handle this complaint.) During a call from Resolution Dept. at Wells Fargo, I was told that Wells Fargo could do nothing about a refund and I would have to take it up with AMH.
Talked with Annette Bromley, Retention Dept, at AMH. She told me that I would have gotten a call from an AMS representative. If any interest was shown, they would send me a contract AND UNLESS IT WAS DECLINED, it would be automatic. (Wells Fargo would have given my name to AMS.)
Obviously, I'm pretty disgusted with this whole thing. I believe it a very bad business practice and, if it is not, should be against the law. I'll also write letters to the AHS officers.
Talked to Marilyn Pillow in Customer Service at Wells Fargo. She told me that sometimes they offer services and if it is not declined, it's automatic. Have written letters to all Wells Fargo corporate officers I can find the names of and also to the Resolution Dept (was told they would be the ones to handle this complaint.) During a call from Resolution Dept. at Wells Fargo, I was told that Wells Fargo could do nothing about a refund and I would have to take it up with AMH.
Talked with Annette Bromley, Retention Dept, at AMH. She told me that I would have gotten a call from an AMS representative. If any interest was shown, they would send me a contract AND UNLESS IT WAS DECLINED, it would be automatic. (Wells Fargo would have given my name to AMS.)
Obviously, I'm pretty disgusted with this whole thing. I believe it a very bad business practice and, if it is not, should be against the law. I'll also write letters to the AHS officers.
Comments
Some sort of credit or mortgage insurance, which charges run through an existing account without authorization?
Are you dealing with a fraudulent marketer working with Wells Fargo customers data, that they obtained from Wells Fargo?
There is a long history of major banks selling their customer information to "marketing partners", often for "insurance", which is then handed over to telemarketers who in some cases have engaged in fraudulent marketing, signing up, or "cramming", "customers" without authorization, after which monthly charges start showing up against bank customer accounts. The charges are often designed to be small enough on a monthly basis, and with vague descriptions, so that consumers don't notice.
Here's some background:
https://complaintwire.org/complaint/eJIBAAAAAAA/smart-step-insurance
Discover, Chase, Citi have all been caught in this practice. BofA has had multiple lawsuits over it, and Wells Fargo has complaints going back several years. Some of the worst of it tapered off after the banking mess, but complaints have started to show up again, against several large banks.
With these "comarketing" arrangements, the contracts often call for the bank and its customer service employees, who normally would handle an unauthorized charge through a fraud dispute, to instead divert the customer back to the original marketer, who then tries to resell the victim, or stonewall on refunds. The banks basically violate FRB Reg. E dispute regulations.
File a complaint through the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (www.occ.gov) against Wells Fargo.
In addition, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (www.consumerfinance.gov), and the FTC (www.ftc.gov).
Also, contact your state Attorney General or Insurance Commissioner for assistance.
There are also attorneys who take these "cramming" cases. You can find a consumer attorney in your state through www.naca.net
I'm a journalist with a group called The Capitol Forum. I'm trying to get in contact with the original poster or any one else who may have had any similar experience with American Home Shield and Wells Fargo. Please shoot me an e-mail at cwinters@thecapitolforum.com or give me a call at 202-813-1274 as soon as you can.