WellsFargo Internet Banking?
John
I know Wells Fargo has online banking through Quicken and Microsoft Money, but
how well does online banking and bill-paying through the web site work? It
would seem nice to be able to use any computer to access your accounts and pay
bills and not have to load Quicken or Money. Does it give you a running
balance of your accounts reflecting outstanding checks and pending
bill-payments etc.? Having to download the info into a spreadsheet or other
software would be defeating the purpose.
--
Email is travellor at usa.net, but I will check back to read posts here often,
so don't bother sending me a duplicate copy.
Izya Yagolnitser
I use Wells Fargo Online and Bill Pay (I think this is how "they" call it) and am
pleased with it. There is room for improvement, for instance they could give you a
Payee name when your check goes through, not just say check #1234, but this is
asking too much since I get it for free. Overall they've been reliable, easy to
use, and more convenient then doing everything on paper. I like (recommend) it.
E. L. Oliver
In article <6bm4vr$q...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>, "John"
<do_NOT_send_em@il_if_you_posted_your_response_to_newsgroup.com> wrote:
>I know Wells Fargo has online banking through Quicken and Microsoft Money, but
>how well does online banking and bill-paying through the web site work? It
>would seem nice to be able to use any computer to access your accounts and pay
>bills and not have to load Quicken or Money. Does it give you a running
>balance of your accounts reflecting outstanding checks and pending
>bill-payments etc.? Having to download the info into a spreadsheet or other
>software would be defeating the purpose.
I would based on my personal 90 days of hell with Wells Fargo suggest
Citibank, BofA or someother bank. In 90 days they managed to issue me 4 ATM
cards, each of the first three allegedly being lost or stolen according to
their computer. Right... They printed information on letterhead to me
signed by people who had left the bank with 800 numbers that were not in
their directories and which required PINs not provided to me to access. The
littany of F*ck ups by WF continued. My name was misspelled despite the
fact that I entered it myself online... and on and on and on...My motto for
WF is "Nowhere Notime Banking" as opposed to their slogan "Anywhere Anytime
(except when we don't let you call us, don't accept your pin, lock you out
of your account..... etc etc etc) Banking"
As far as I know Wells experienced its first increase in deposits in nearly
2 years this past month or so which should give you an idea of what a
disaster the bank has become since the first interstate deal...
Check out the San Francisco chronicle site and search for WF you will see
Newspaper written editorials and customer complaints.
My suggestion if available to you is Citibank. I switched to them in
California after the WF debacle. They have been flawless although I'm
somewhat nonplussed by their new (April 19, 1998) account policies. You can
use Quicken or their custom software for free.
Other alternatives are things like Security First Network Bank,
www.sfnb.com, although I found their internet software frustrating to use
if you didn't access it on a very regular basis because there were too many
similarly named buttons that did different things...
-Erik
--
Erik Oliver
eol...@concentric.net
n8 Af-fleck
i've been using it for awhile and it's great. It shows all your checks,
withdrawals transfers, etc.etc... it shows which checks have been cashed, it
allows you to transfer funds between accounts (including a visa if you have
a wellsfargo one)... I am just a student, so I don't have anything in the
way of bills yet, but they do have a bill paying option... I'm not sure if
its free, but i remember a few "free" offers. It's also nice for me because
since I move around a lot, I can just change my address over the net in a
minute.
Anyways, I like it.. works great. (sometimes it's a bit slow though)
nate.
John wrote in message <6bm4vr$q...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>...
>I know Wells Fargo has online banking through Quicken and Microsoft Money,
but
>how well does online banking and bill-paying through the web site work? It
>would seem nice to be able to use any computer to access your accounts and
pay
>bills and not have to load Quicken or Money. Does it give you a running
>balance of your accounts reflecting outstanding checks and pending
>bill-payments etc.? Having to download the info into a spreadsheet or
other
>software would be defeating the purpose.
>
Robin
On the other hand, I've banked with Wells Fargo for over ten years. I
currently have five accounts with them (personal and business checking,
money markets) and only twice did I experience a problem, but they were
both fairly minor and quickly resolved. Also, the mini-branches and
ATM's that are now in supermarkets and other shopping establishments, such
as a Super-K mart are extremely convenient - one less stop to make, and it
offers me greater personal safety than going to an outside ATM after dark.
I recommend this bank. I sympathize with the problems you've had, and
fully understand your frustration since I've experienced it myself all too
often with organizations other than WFB.
>
> >I know Wells Fargo has online banking through Quicken and Microsoft
Money, but
> >how well does online banking and bill-paying through the web site work? It
> >would seem nice to be able to use any computer to access your accounts
and pay
> >bills and not have to load Quicken or Money. Does it give you a running
> >balance of your accounts reflecting outstanding checks and pending
> >bill-payments etc.? Having to download the info into a spreadsheet or other
> >software would be defeating the purpose.
>
Matt Ackeret
>In article <6bm4vr$q...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>, "John"
><do_NOT_send_em@il_if_you_posted_your_response_to_newsgroup.com> wrote:
>>how well does online banking and bill-paying through the web site work? It
>>would seem nice to be able to use any computer to access your accounts and pay
>>bills and not have to load Quicken or Money. Does it give you a running
>>balance of your accounts reflecting outstanding checks and pending
>>bill-payments etc.? Having to download the info into a spreadsheet or other
>>software would be defeating the purpose.
I'm using Wells Fargo online banking, and I think it's great.
I pay my bills online and transfer money between accounts.
If you have a minimum balance in all of your wells fargo accounts (I believe
it's $5000, make sure) bill paying online is completely free. So not only
do I save money, I save time. (I refused to use Bill Pay when it cost money
because I only have a few bills a month and it was a LOT more than the
stamps required to pay the old fashioned way.)
--
mat...@area.com
Steve Lamb
nos...@deleteyou.net in
<<nospam-0902...@pool015-max8.ds12-ca-us.dialup.earthlink.net>>
wrote:
>ATM's that are now in supermarkets and other shopping establishments, such
>as a Super-K mart are extremely convenient - one less stop to make, and it
They would be if Wells Fargo hadn't closed branches in the process.
Often times I need cash after midnight. Quite difficult to find ATMs now
where one can grab cash after midnight because most are inside businesses
which close early in the evening.
--
Steve C. Lamb | Opinions expressed by me are not my
http://www.calweb.com/~morpheus | employer's. They hired me for my
CC: from news not wanted or appreciated| skills and labor, not my opinions!
---------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
Candice Chamberlain
For those of us who require having our checks returned to us for income tax
purposes, Wells Fargo charges $1.50 per month for this service, which used to
be (and IMHO, still should be) free.
Not to mention the fact that their online banking facility does not take into
account the return of same check documents which may be needed to facilitate
income tax returns.
-Candi Chamberlain
cauce....@vo.cnchost.com
On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 08:29:50 +0000, in ba.general, Candice Chamberlain
<haun...@ix.netcom.com> shaped the electrons to say:
>For those of us who require having our checks returned to us for income tax
>purposes, Wells Fargo charges $1.50 per month for this service, which used to
>be (and IMHO, still should be) free.
IMHO there is nothing wrong with their offering 2 different checking plans, one
that costs $1.50 more per month where you get your returned checks and one that
is $1.50 less if you just want the photocopy pages.
It takes labor to file those checks into separate files every day then place
those checks in with your statement once a month. In the automated system each
check is electronically "filed" and then all checks are stored (co-mingled)
rather than separated for each account, a process that is far less labor
intensive. People who want the labor intensive service can still get it, for a
fee. and those who don't want to pay for or get that service also have an
option.
Secondly, are you SURE you need the canceled checks for the IRS? I believe that
they take the photocopies as "proof" in all but the most unlikely cases. In
that event can't you then order the actual check from the bank for a modest ($15
or $20?) fee? I would rather save the $1.50 a month and pay the $20 once every
30 years when it is required to prove to an IRS auditor that a certain expense
was paid to a certain party.
>Not to mention the fact that their online banking facility does not take into
>account the return of same check documents which may be needed to facilitate
>income tax returns.
Again, I believe that if you can prove that a certain amount of your money was
taken out of your account by your bank and paid by that bank to another party,
that is acceptable proof to the IRS that you have a legitimate business expense.
How do you suppose the IRS verified business expenses before checking accounts?
It's legit to buy misc office supplies (like used filing cabinets or desks) at
garage sales. If you keep a ledger of these expenses that details the location,
date and price paid, that's proof. You don't need a canceled check, you don't
need a receipt. That's how ALL bookkeeping was done before the days of checks
and cash register receipts, and it's still valid.
All email sent to the address used for this post is deleted unread
(although headers may be used in my spam filters). To reach my real
email box, send to personal@ at the above domain.
cauce....@vo.cnchost.com
On Fri, 13 Feb 1998 02:39:26 GMT, in ba.general, unid...@mindspring.com shaped
the electrons to say:
>On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 23:17:41 GMT, cauce....@vo.cnchost.com wrote:
>>It takes labor to file those checks into separate files every day then place
>>those checks in with your statement once a month. In the automated system each
>>check is electronically "filed" and then all checks are stored (co-mingled)
>>rather than separated for each account, a process that is far less labor
>>intensive. People who want the labor intensive service can still get it, for a
>>fee. and those who don't want to pay for or get that service also have an
>>option.
>
>What are you basing these comments on? the sorting of the checks was fully
>automated and that in fact they are NOT co-mingled as you indicate!
When I worked in a bank as a teen, the sorting was not automated, I know, I did
it. My understanding is that today, when you opt for the photocopy method, your
checks are never sorted (physically) out from the other checks. The
photocopying happens earlier in the processing (during the receiving banks proof
run), when it gets to the check sorting phase all the non-sorted checks are
shunted off into a stack co-mingled together. That's why the fee to retrieve
one is so high, they have to run the whole days's stack into a machine to sort
out the one check you need.
>>Secondly, are you SURE you need the canceled checks for the IRS? I believe that
>>they take the photocopies as "proof" in all but the most unlikely cases. In
>>that event can't you then order the actual check from the bank for a modest ($15
>>or $20?) fee? I would rather save the $1.50 a month and pay the $20 once every
>>30 years when it is required to prove to an IRS auditor that a certain expense
>>was paid to a certain party.
>You limit your comments to IRS requirements for the canceled checks and
That was the focus of the post I was replying to (which you snipped out of my
reply):
>>On Thu, 12 Feb 1998 08:29:50 +0000, in ba.general, Candice Chamberlain
>><haun...@ix.netcom.com> shaped the electrons to say:
>>>account the return of same check documents which may be needed to facilitate
>>>income tax returns.
>don't acknowledge that there are other reasons to need the actual canceled
>check or to be able to produce an acceptable photo copy of a check on short
>notice? Isn't the IRS going to be out of the picture very soon?
A photocopy of the check provided by a third party (the bank) should be accepted
as proof in all but the most infrequent cases.
>>How do you suppose the IRS verified business expenses before checking accounts?
>>It's legit to buy misc office supplies (like used filing cabinets or desks) at
>>garage sales. If you keep a ledger of these expenses that details the location,
>>date and price paid, that's proof. You don't need a canceled check, you don't
>>need a receipt. That's how ALL bookkeeping was done before the days of checks
>>and cash register receipts, and it's still valid.
>I think you may have your chronology confused in the above statement -
>checking accounts pre-date the establishment of both the IRS as well as the
>requirement to establish proof of an expenditure by showing the canceled
>check. Checks and checking accounts were around a long time before the
>idea of an income tax ever saw the light of day!
They were not the most common method of accounting for expenses when IRS returns
were first established for businesses. Most businesses kept a daily ledger,
recording income and expenses (both of which were cash transactions). IRS
returns were prepared from the information contained in the ledger. The entries
in the ledger were considered proof of the proper business transactions for many
years before checking accounts became popularly used for most business expenses.
Garry W
unid...@mindspring.com wrote:
>.... Checks and checking accounts were around a long time before the
>idea of an income tax ever saw the light of day!
Let's see. I believe the first U.S. income tax occurred during the Civil War.
The oldest *check* I've ever seen was from the 1880's. (It was framed and on
a wall. *Nice* penmanship.)
Would any financial historian care to comment here on unidextr's interesting
assertion?
garry
Steve Lamb
gne...@ithaca.com in <<34e6ee17.69208031@nntp-server>> wrote:
>Let's see. I believe the first U.S. income tax occurred during the Civil War.
I dunno about income tax but the IRS was 1914. Since this was about the
IRS and not income tax in general....
>The oldest *check* I've ever seen was from the 1880's. (It was framed and on
>a wall. *Nice* penmanship.)
...it would seem his assertation that checking was around before the IRS
is true. Now, in widespread use, that is another matter.
yankee
Garry W wrote:
>
> unid...@mindspring.com wrote:
> >.... Checks and checking accounts were around a long time before the
> >idea of an income tax ever saw the light of day!
>
> a wall. *Nice* penmanship.)
>
> assertion?
>
> garry
That must have been a local or state income tax. Federal income tax
wasn't until this century. Until they passed the 16th amendmant, the
Federal Income tax was Unconstitutional.
Garry W
yankee <yan...@yankee.com> wrote:
>Garry W wrote:
>> Let's see. I believe the first U.S. income tax occurred during the Civil War.
>
>wasn't until this century. Until they passed the 16th amendmant, the
>Federal Income tax was Unconstitutional.
To quote somebody in Dejanews quoting the Encyclopedia Britannica:
... In the United States an income tax was first tried
during the Civil War. Although it had already expired, it was held to
be constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1881. Another income tax
imposed in 1894 was, however, declared unconstitutional by the court.
In 1913 the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, and the
personal income tax was made permanent.
garry
David Zeit
Steve Lamb wrote:
>
> nos...@deleteyou.net in
> <<nospam-0902...@pool015-max8.ds12-ca-us.dialup.earthlink.net>>
> wrote:
>
> >ATM's that are now in supermarkets and other shopping establishments, such
> >as a Super-K mart are extremely convenient - one less stop to make, and it
>
> They would be if Wells Fargo hadn't closed branches in the process.
> Often times I need cash after midnight. Quite difficult to find ATMs now
> where one can grab cash after midnight because most are inside businesses
> which close early in the evening.
>
> Steve C. Lamb | Opinions expressed by me are not my
> http://www.calweb.com/~morpheus | employer's. They hired me for my
> CC: from news not wanted or appreciated| skills and labor, not my opinions!
> ---------------------------------------+-------------------------------------
Fargone!!! They are in the process of closing most branches which
eliminates the drive up window and requires some people to drive 40
miles round trip to visit a safety deposit box. We are now forced to
drive to a safeway store and fight for a parking place with those
shopping for groceries and we have to dodge shopping carts in the lot.
Safeways aren't open 24 hours a day which cuts down on ATM access. Wells
Fargo has really lost customers & deposits since it brought its "To Hell
with our Customers" act to Oregon. They made one mistake after another
in the transfer process. They promised more customer convenience, not
less. We thought the branches in Safeways were to be in addition to the
branches. In my neighborhood they have closed 2 branches. They offer NO
special discounts for seniors. If you write them a letter they respond
with, "Customer comments are always welcomed." I don't plan on being a
customer of Wells Fargo very much longer. Either they are ignorant on
the matter of customer service or they just don't care. Hey! This is
Oregon. I got gas at Unocal today at the mini serv <we have no self serv
in OR.> and like always they washed the windows. Oregonians have a
saying. Oregon.....things look different here. And they do. And that's
something the suits at Wells Fargo need to realize before many Oregnians
take their accts. to branchs which still know the meaning of customer
service & Wells Fargo becomes Wells Fargone from Oregon.
David Zeit
Candice Chamberlain wrote:
>
> For those of us who require having our checks returned to us for income tax
> purposes, Wells Fargo charges $1.50 per month for this service, which used to
> be (and IMHO, still should be) free.
> income tax returns.
Absolutely, and it sucks! And that's one of many reasons we are now
looking for a customer service oriented bank.
David Zeit
For years First National Bank Of Oregon charged 0 to return checks. Then
they became 1st Interstate Bank and still no charge to return checks.
Then Wells Fargo came to Oregon and all of a sudden it's a buck fifty a
month. Wells Fargo is just seeking ways to nickle & dime their
customers. Maybe they should be a cable company!