Community | December 28, 2011 | 43 comments

Wells Fargo - YOU AGREE THAT YOU AND THE BANK ARE WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TRIAL BEFORE A JUDGE IN A PUBLIC COURT.

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MotherForTruth
Effective February 15, 2012
Important Change in Terms Notice
Dispute Resolution Program: Arbitration Agreement
This Addenda amends the Consumer Account Agreement ("Agreement"). All terms
defined in the Agreement will have the same meaning when used in this Addenda.
If there is a conflict between the addenda and the Agreement, this Addenda will
control. Except as expressly amended by this Addenda, the Agreement remains in full
force and effect.
Binding arbitration If you have a dispute with the Bank, and you are not able to resolve the dispute informally, you and the Bank agree that upon demand by either you or the Bank, the dispute will be resolved through the arbitration process as set forth in this part. A “dispute” is any unresolved disagreement between you and the Bank. It includes any disagreement relating in any way to services, accounts or matters; to your use of any of the Bank’s banking locations or facilities;
or to any means you may use to access your account(s). It includes claims based on broken promises or contracts, torts, or other wrongful actions. It also includes statutory, common law, and equitable claims.
“Disputes” include disagreements about the meaning, application or enforceability of this arbitration agreement. This arbitration agreement shall survive any termination of your account(s). YOU AGREE THAT YOU AND THE BANK ARE WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TRIAL BEFORE A JUDGE IN A PUBLIC COURT.
As the sole exception to this arbitration agreement, you and the Bank retain the right
to pursue in small claims court any dispute that is within that court’s jurisdiction. If either you or the Bank fail to submit to binding arbitration following lawful demand, the party so failing bears all costs and expenses incurred by the other in compelling arbitration.
Arbitration procedure; severability
You or the Bank may submit a dispute to binding arbitration at any time, regardless of
whether a lawsuit or other proceeding has been previously commenced.
NEITHER YOU NOR THE BANK SHALL BE ENTITLED TO JOIN OR CONSOLIDATE DISPUTES BY OR AGAINST OTHERS IN ANY ARBITRATION, OR TO INCLUDE IN ANY ARBITRATION ANY DISPUTE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OR MEMBER OF A CLASS, OR TO ACT IN ANY ARBITRATION IN THE INTEREST OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC OR IN A PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL CAPACITY. Each arbitration, including the selection of the arbitrator(s) shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA), or such other administrator as you and the Bank may mutually agree to (the AAA or such other mutually agreeable administrator to be referred to hereinafter as the “Arbitration Administrator”), according to the Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplemental Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (“AAA Rules”). To the extent that there is any variance between the AAA Rules and this Arbitration Agreement, this Arbitration Agreement shall control. Arbitrators must be members of the state bar where the arbitration is held, with expertise in the substantive
laws applicable to the subject matter of the dispute. No arbitrator or other party to an
arbitration proceeding may disclose the existence, content or results thereof, except for
disclosures of information by a party required in the ordinary course of its business or by applicable law or regulation. The parties agree that in this relationship: (1) The parties are participating in transactions involving interstate commerce; (2) The arbitrator shall decide any dispute regarding the enforceability of this arbitration agreement; and (3) This agreement and any resulting arbitration are governed by the provisions of the Federal Arbitration Act (Title 9 of the United States Code), and, to the extent any provision of that act is inapplicable, unenforceable or invalid, the laws of the state that govern the relationship between you and the Bank. If any of the provision of this arbitration agreement dealing with class action, class arbitration, private attorney general action, other representative action, joinder, or consolidation is found to be illegal or unenforceable, that invalid provision shall not be severable and this entire arbitration agreement shall be unenforceable.
Rights preserved This arbitration agreement does not prohibit you or the Bank from exercising any lawful rights or using other available remedies to preserve, or obtain possession of property;
exercise self-help remedies, including setoff rights; or obtain provisional or ancillary
remedies such as injunctive relief, attachment, garnishment or the appointment of a
receiver by a court of competent jurisdiction. All statutes of limitations applicable to any
dispute apply to any arbitration between you and the Bank. The provisions of this
arbitration agreement shall survive termination or amendment of the deposit relationship or any other relationship between you and the Bank.
Fees and expenses of arbitration Arbitration fees shall be determined by the rules or procedures of the arbitration administrator, unless limited by applicable law. Please check with the arbitration administrator to determine the fees applicable to any arbitration you may file. If the applicable law of the state in which you opened your account limits the amount of fees and
expenses to be paid by you, then no allocation of fees and expenses to you shall exceed this limitation. Unless inconsistent with applicable law, each of us shall bear the expense of our own attorney, expert and witness fees, regardless of which of us prevails in the arbitration.
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43 comments // Wells Fargo - YOU AGREE THAT YOU AND THE BANK ARE WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TRIAL BEFORE A JUDGE IN A PUBLIC COURT.

  • TheAmbivalante
  • Mark701
    • +5
      Mark701  
    • I've always questioned the legality of clauses like this. A court trial is a guaranteed right in the Constitution. How is it possible for corporations to make you give it up?

      Second, why should ANY US Citizen be required to give up a Constitutional right in order to transact business with such a fundamental financial tool like a credit card? Credit cards are required to avoid a hit on your credit rating (personal experience with this) they are required if you want to stay at a hotel/motel, rent a car and for a host of other things. If, for all practical purposes I NEED a credit card to transact business then, by default, requiring me to give up my right to trial is not voluntary, but forced.

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
    • +1
      MotherForTruth  
    • Mark701:

      People are not even asked to give up their Constitutional Rights, all rights are taken without the consent. In regards to this post Wells Fargo sent this agreement to checking account existing customers! this is not a credit card agreement, and there is no signature of agreement required. Wells Fargo pushed these demands to it's customers.

    • 5 months ago
  • good_stuff
    • +1
      good_stuff  
    • Mark701:

      This stuff happens in all parts of our society, including by the government which is supposed to be by and for us... I'm sure Well's Fargo doesn't have that in thier motto...

      Did you know that driving is not a right, and can be taken away for basically anything the government chooses? I would argue that the ability to drive (especially in places without decent public transit) is much more necisssary than credit. How are you supposed to get food without the ability to drive? Unfortunately this isn't a right, but a privledge. It can therefore be taken away after an illegal search and siezure and the government doesn't even need to prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.

    • 5 months ago
  • good_stuff
    • +1
      good_stuff  
    • Yeah, they put these clauses in everything nowadays. If you do go to an abitrator, make sure that you are paying at least 1/2 of the bill so he'll side with you over the bank.

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • NEVERSCARED
    • +2
      NEVERSCARED  
    • Black water had this wording in their contracts also, meaning that This arbitration agreement, shields them from courts and judges, they hire there own arbitrator and 90% of the time the company wins. Now is that not a sweet deal?

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • arihian
    • +1
      arihian [removed]  
    • CYBER SECURITY OF BIO WIRELESS 2 WAY OPERATOR EYE EAR AND NEURO DEVICES Intellectual Property, Privacy and Identity Authentication can be compromised by 2way operator eye, ear and neuro implants. We need to protect the country, the people who run it, businesses and civilians to be free and unmolested. All age groups should be protected from unlicensed, non consensual 2way operators who access these devices with a frequency/signal code and communicate with children especially. They should be prosecuted. All government officials and servants should undergo regular xray and drug testing to prove they are free and unmolested and uncohersed in their decision making

    • 5 months ago
  • Madsprxy
    • +1
      Madsprxy  
    • It's not just wells Fargo! I've found the same wording in rent contracts and most recently in a contract to buy a house from the builder that ran the homeowner's assoc. It's nearly always the case if you live under home assoc. Rules. Beware. The judges, lawyers, builders, management, etc. see us as their meal ticket and they have no problem watching you fight until you are broke & broken.

    • 5 months ago
  • jpvt
    • +1
      jpvt  
    • I remember having to sign something like this with my wife at her OBGYN during her first pregnancy. That way if they fucked up delivering the baby we couldn't sue them into oblivion. I didn't like it then, but I understood...

      This I don't understand. This is basically them saying "If we fuck you over (and we probably will otherwise why would we have you agree to this) you agree that you will only be able to do next to nothing about it." I have a small account with very little money in it at Wells Fargo. My first reaction was to actually shut it down, but now I've decided to keep it open. They'll lose money simply maintaining the account!

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • LivingPong
    • +1
      LivingPong  
    • Image
    • If you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of this bank, they know how much finance is at your disposal and can simply destroy you in a long and drawn out process. Building base capital, otherwise know as liquidating your assets.

      You have until February 15 to get the hell out of dodge. Don't be surprised if some problem with your account is mysteriously discovered after that date, so make sure you have all your paperwork in order and verified. I'd advise organising a class action very promptly, as this is an attempt to rewrite law without any legal precedent. Though it is no doubt an ambush, hoping to create a legal precedent at your expense, and they will probably be holding a card up their sleeve, they may have in fact bitten off more than they can chew.

      I'd expect some hope is placed upon the idea that the government and it's justice system would not like to see the collapse of another financial body and therefore the cat is already in the bag. A metaphorical cat, in this case a rather angry group of customers have the ability to spontaneously burn with fire, and that kind of fire can not be extinguished by placing said cat into bag.

      Don't forget 1000000 million points of ID and a Justice of the Peace when you try and close your account.

    • 5 months ago
  • Ambill94
  • artemis6
  • MotherForTruth
  • hammywill
  • MotherForTruth
  • hammywill
  • thinkingfree
  • MotherForTruth
  • Lisayou
  • amo42
    • +2
      amo42  
    • Just closed on a house loan. The amount of paperwork is unbelievable about 10 times what it was a few years ago. you need to use a lawyer that you select for the closing. Someone who is looking out for your interests not the banks.

    • 5 months ago
  • cherry5000
  • MotherForTruth
  • Incredulous
    • +3
      Incredulous  
    • I read this on my credit card agreement years ago....closed all but one of my accounts that I keep for travel. Kind of losing track of the number of ways the banking industry uses our government to wrap that rope a little tighter around the consumer's neck....at some point, perhaps, we will stop consuming like lemmings marching off a cliff....

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • nikonwilly
    • +2
      nikonwilly  
    • MotherForTruth:

      It has to be the pure ignorance of the majority. I know many people that would not be able to read the above article and comprehend it's meaning....most would get to the second sentence and give up. There are so many ignorant and unfortunately, stupid people that are not capable of understanding much beyond their television shows. Even when explained in very dumb downed terms they simply don't care or feel it doesn't effect them. It's sad for sure, but it's becoming very scary to have a huge percent of the population who simply don't care what's done to them.You also have many who don't believe what has been going on,,,they trust the media and their Government 100%.

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
  • Ambill94
  • artemis6
  • budsnews
  • artemis6
    • +2
      artemis6  
    • But One , of the many reasons i have NEVER banked with wells fargo ... No ONE , repeat NO ONE NEEDS a BANK . They are parasites of humanity with no real existence without US . There are credit unions and pre paid cash cards if you do not wish to carry cash . Ditch 'em . If we do it together we can see some REAL entertainment , as we watch them squirm . We will have to pull their hooks out of our government though . If they are weakened by abandonment , this may yet be possible .

    • 5 months ago
  • Vic_Romano
    • +2
      Vic_Romano  
    • Arbitration clauses are nothing new in the world of big banking. I challenge you to find a credit card that doesn't have one; and even if you can get around it, you still are under the laws (or lack thereof) of South Dakota.

    • 5 months ago
  • fiberbundle
    • +1
      fiberbundle  
    • Arbitration, per se is not a horrible atrocity. Wells Fargo probably won't give you the choice to do business with them unless you agree to arbitrate. Many entities take the same approach in choosing whether or not to contract business. The source of the negativity here is not that no one trusts arbitration; its that many people no longer trust Wells Fargo. I hope they have made appropriate adjustments to their goodwill account.

    • 5 months ago
  • KB723
  • remanns
  • remanns
  • MotherForTruth
  • artemis6
  • MotherForTruth
  • remanns
    • 0
      remanns  
    • MotherForTruth:

      hmmmmm,....I sort of think this may be some sort of preemptive litigation maneuver, to forestall some lawsuit with a current customer(s) they anticipate in the relatively NEAR future ; you would probably have to get THAT thrown out of court before you could FURTHER litigate. I don't think it would really hold up against a current business partner "just about" to file suit )

      just a guess

    • 5 months ago
  • MotherForTruth
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