AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY

2019-10-14

Flushing, NY

Getting a credit card

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Delay in processing application
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-14

Newnan, GA

Fees or interest

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Unexpected increase in interest rate
Complaint: American Express increased the minimum payment percentage without notifying me or my consent from 1 % to 2 % of the cards balance. My first payment made for the 2 % minimum was XX/XX/XXXX. I called them about the situation, they stated that they sent an email notifying all cardholders of this increase in minimum payments. However, I have no email from them. I asked them to resend the email that originally sent. They stated that the marketing department is over that issue and there is no way to get in touch with them. After a few minutes of nagging, I convinced the customer service representative to contact a manager about the situation. He did so and said that they will resend the email if the notification. This call took place late XXXX. I still havent received the email of the notification for increasing the minimum payment.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-14

NJ

Fees or interest

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Problem with fees
Complaint: American Express set my due date as XX/XX/2019 which is XXXX XXXX bank holiday so banks are closed. I could not set my online bill payment for that date so payment would be XX/XX/2019. They advised on XX/XX/2019 that I would need to make a phone payment on XX/XX/2019 in order to avoid a late fee and negative credit reporting. They should honor the next business day as the payment so I didn't have to pay a phone pay fee to avoid a late charge.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-14

Fontana, CA

Problem with a purchase shown on your statement

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-14

Torrance, CA

Unexpected or other fees

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose prepaid card

Complaint: I obtained prepaid reloadable American express card in XXXX. Card XXXX XXXX XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX they approved unauthorized car rental charge of {$2900.00}, while rental was paid in advance, car was on their location and they also took a deposit on a rental. Besides, rental company never returned 2 large moving boxes with documents and over XXXX worth of items. When I called American express they couldn't explain why they allowed charge.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-14

Springdale, OR

Problem when making payments

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Problem during payment process
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-14

Omaha, NE

Problem with a purchase or transfer

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose prepaid card

Card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase or transfer
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-13

White Hall, PA

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-13

East Millstone, NJ

Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-13

Nyc, NY

Problem when making payments

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Problem during payment process
Complaint: I used the Amex website to pay my bill. It resulted in double payment. I called up and they refunded the extra payment. However, this caused an insufficient balance in my bank that bounced two payments. The fees were {$34.00} each total {$68.00} I contacted Amex and they said it was my fault that the duplicate was made. And that since my bank XXXX is the one that charged the fees they are not responsible. I argued that it was their website that caused the duplicate payment and that it was their double collection that caused my XXXX bank insufficiency. It doesn't matter that the fees are charged by XXXX but it does matter that they caused it. They also argue that when I called at the time in a panic to get them to reverse the extra withdrawal that I said it was an overpayment. This is not an admission of any kind but an effort to get the refund as quickly as possible not knowing what the issue was. This is pretty sleazy on their end.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-12

Foothill Ranch, CA

Problem with a purchase shown on your statement

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Complaint: XX/XX/2019 I was in the middle of booking with Delta Airlines for a trip for my girlfriend and me. I successfully applied for an American Express Delta Sky Miles Credit Card. I was advised the card would be available for use immediately ( id est for the flight booking I was processing ). Unfortunately after entering the card it did not go through. I thought, maybe it needs a little time. I tried again and it did not go through. I checked my online account from AMEX which I had just established, and noticed to pending charges for {$460.00}. I called the company and explained that I did not get any booking confirmation. I was told to call Delta. Delta had no record of me booking a flight -- they only saw that a charge was attempted and declined because of an " Invalid CID '' error message. I called AMEX and they explained there was no problem with the CID and if I wanted to get the pending charges removed I would need Delta to call their Authorizations Department. I then called Delta and tried to book over the phone ... same error message. So I then asked the very helpful Delta Rep if she would remain on the line while I got the Authorizations Department. She did. I quickly got AMEX Authorizations on the phone -- a gentleman whose name I don't recall. He was apologetic and quickly got the information he needed from Delta to reverse what was now FOUR pending charges for {$460.00}. He then said the card would work. I asked him to please stay on the line while I try it to make sure. He instead hung up. The card did not go through. I called Authorization Department back and XXXX answered. I told him what had happened and he said " no Mr. { last name } that's not possible. '' I said, " I was sitting on the call, with my end on mute. I know that's what happened, so you're wrong. '' He said : " No Mr. { last name }, you're wrong. '' Verbatim. After more discussion I was advised to use the Delta app to purchase and use " American Express Checkout '' to pay. This I believe is their online version of paypal sort of. It did not go through. They proceeded to put me on hold for 15 minutes and then hung up on me. I gave up trying to book the flight that day. It had been 2 hours and 45 minutes of being told to call different departments. Monday XX/XX/XXXX I received a voicemail from the American Express Fraud Department. Apparently because of all the activity my account was flagged. Having not even received the physical card, I waited until Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX to call them back. Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX They cleared my account and said I was good to go and that in fact the card could now be used. I should have known better. That afternoon, I went online to book my Delta Flight and noticed the price had increased much to my dismay to {$500.00}. I called AMEX and asked if they would cover the minimal difference of {$50.00}. They would not ; no real surprise there. In any event I went to book and once again the card did not go through. I attempted their recommendation of using " American Express Checkout '' on the pay screen. I attempted to do but learned I was locked out of my online account and was told by the AMEX representative I would have to wait for my physical card to be received in the mail to unlock my account. Thursday XX/XX/XXXX My card arrived. I activated it and went to book my flights. Much to my dismay it was now {$630.00} and some change. I called AMEX and explained this was ( in my opinion ) their fault and asked them to issue me a {$200.00} statement credit. They declined saying there was nothing that could be done on their end. I had moved past the period of being upset. I was simply exasperated. As a last ditch effort, I called Delta and explained the scenario and how the flight price increased. Because of the notes taken on the account by the first representative with Delta and perhaps because they could tell how depressed I was about the whole situation. Delta came through and got me on the flight with the original booking cost. Good job Delta. Because my girlfriend had a different mailing address, I needed to make two payments of {$230.00} ( one for each of us ) which I did. The flight was booked. The day was saved ; not at all by anything AMEX did, but because of Delta and my communication with them. Friday XX/XX/XXXX I probably should have left it alone, but when I went online to set up my AMEX app, I noticed a pending charge of {$500.00} from American Express ( the Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX declined charge ). I called American Express and said hey, that's eating up my credit, it didn't go through, would you kindly remove it. And they said, a pending charge will fall off your account in 7-10 business days. I did not want to wait, as it was a Friday, so I knew what I had to do. Once again I got Delta on the line. I called AMEX Authorizations. I spoke with XXXX. I got him up to speed and told him that I needed the {$500.00} charge removed, that I had successfully booked a flight and that both {$230.00} charges were accurate and one for {$10.00} but that ONLY the {$500.00} needed to be removed. I told him that I had Delta on the line. He said it would not be possible for him to do anything on a conference call and that Delta must call American Express directly to inform them that it was not a charge. I refused to accept that and said I would hang up and they could do the transaction. I then " hung up. '' In reality I muted myself from the call. I did this so that I would have a clear understanding in case there were any mishaps. XXXX asked XXXX from Delta about an approval code for the XX/XX/XXXX transaction. He wouldn't give her a dollar amount. She said, she didn't get an approval code because it didn't get approved -- solid logic. He then pressed and pressed for an approval code which was associated with my already booked flight ( one of the two tickets ). XXXX had the amount at {$660.00} because it did not take into account the credit I was given by Delta to drop the price by {$200.00}. XXXX did not understand this and I probably should have interjected but then after some conversation, ultimately XXXX said he had what he needed and he had corrected the charge and they hung up thereby disconnecting the call. I immediately logged into my account and noticed my available credit had increased by {$230.00}. XXXX had canceled one of the authorized ticket purchases, possibly canceling one of my boarding passes and potentially ruining my vacation. Luckily I caught it, I thought. I called American Express Authorizations immediately. XXXX answered ( because you'd never get the same person twice ) and I explained to him what XXXX had done and the negative affect it would have on me. I told him at this stage, I expected that {$500.00} amount to be removed immediately, without hesitation or delay. The frustration was clear in my voice. He said he wouldn't be able to do that without Delta Airlines calling him. I said that was unacceptable and that this was American Express 's screw up and they needed to fix it and by fix it I simply needed them to remove the correct pending charge and ensure that I have a flight for me and my girlfriend on XX/XX/XXXX. I could tell XXXX didn't know what to do. He asked if he could put me on hold. He then came back and explained he was trying to get Delta on the line. He was trying to be helpful and I acknowledge that. He said the wait time was too long and asked if I " wanted to call them '' myself and then call Authorizations back. I told him no I did not want to do that at all. I want the enormous screw up to be fixed and also perhaps the last three hours of my life back. I informed XXXX that I would be inclined to make this exact report on the CFPB website if it couldn't be resolved because I felt a certain responsibility so this type of experience could be mitigated in the future. I then spoke with a supervisor to see if perhaps it could be resolved. XXXX ( spelling may be incorrect ) got on the line and proceeded to insinuate it was a Delta Airlines screw up and that XXXX canceled based on the approval code Delta gave him. I was livid. A blatant lie as I was on the call and heard the conversation and once again American Express was passing the blame to Delta rather than taking responsibility. When I told XXXX that she was incorrect and I was listening to the conversation she backtracked but ultimately told me that she would continue to attempt to get Delta on the phone and that maybe I should try the same thing. I called Delta and requested a call back and received it about 25 minutes later. This new Delta reps name was XXXX ... while explaining to her what happened and how my flight might be canceled she said that Delta wouldn't be notified of any cancellation " for a couple days '' and as far as she could see it was confirmed but that if they got a notification from American Express to cancel the charge I might lose the seat in one or two days. Around that time I saw an Unknown Number on call waiting and figured it was AMEX. It was XXXX with AMEX and she wanted to talk to me before being merged in. The gist of it was that there was no way for them to recover my booking in the event they had erroneously cancelled it and that I should re-book with Delta " to be safe. '' I was incredulous but suggested we take care of the {$500.00} ( one problem at a time I thought ) and so we merged calls. We got on the phone with a supervisor from Delta named XXXX and after some wait time the correct amount {$500.00} was reversed. The time on phone was 3 hours and 30 minutes at this point. And then we turned our attention to the fact that one of my tickets was likely voided at this point. XXXX and XXXX confirmed based on the approval code given that the reversed authorization was in fact tied to my girlfriend 's ticket. At the composition of this complaint I am forced to wait and see if in fact I will need to re-book my girlfriend 's flight, as there is no way for Delta to book a ticket twice for the same passenger on the same flight. American Express Card Services and their Authorizations Department have been nothing but trouble from the beginning. They have been unhelpful, rude, fraudulent, dishonest, and have failed to take responsibility. Had I not spent countless hours on the phone, who knows what I may have been responsible to pay.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Las Vegas, NV

Written notification about debt

Debt collection: Credit card debt

Didn't receive enough information to verify debt
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-11

San Antonio, TX

Took or threatened to take negative or legal action

Debt collection: Credit card debt

Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Complaint: I asked for the documentation from the start of the alleged debt and the company has refused to provide it
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Ashville, OH

Communication tactics

Debt collection: Credit card debt

Frequent or repeated calls
Complaint: This company keeps calling saying they are with American Express and looking for XXXX. I have no idea who XXXX is and have told them numerous times.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Blackbird, DE

Getting a credit card

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Card opened as result of identity theft or fraud
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-11

NY

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Account information incorrect
Complaint: American Express is reporting wrong amount information to my credit file XXXX XXXX XXXX ACCOUNT XXXX : XXXX. I would like for American Express remove wrong amount information to my credit file as soon as possible.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Pasadena, TX

Problem with a purchase shown on your statement

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-11

MI

Communication tactics

Debt collection: Credit card debt

Frequent or repeated calls
Complaint: Frequently calling me across multiple different numbers, I have answered and on multiple occasions told them that due to currently loosing hours and eventually my long term job. Just today I have received multiple calls typically one after another between my cellphone and house phone. They will Call my cellphone and immediately call my house phone directly after and typically total up to 8-10 calls a day between the two devices.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Morral, OH

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Information is missing that should be on the report
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

Kansas City, MO

Closing your account

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Company closed your account
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-11

FL

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Information belongs to someone else
Complaint: I was looking at my credit for the first first time in 5 years and I found fraudulent AMEX accounts on my credit report. I am a victim of identity theft.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-10

Franklin Lks, NJ

Took or threatened to take negative or legal action

Debt collection: Credit card debt

Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Complaint: XX/XX/XXXX XXXX Dispute Department Please be advised of the following facts. First, since XXXX I have possessed an account with American Express. Throughout that entire time I maintained my account in 100 % good standing. In XX/XX/XXXX I was involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in a serious XXXX XXXX XXXX. Due to this injury there have been numerous negative consequences to my life. Among these has been a severe hit to my income stream and my ability to service debt. When I was able to resume some level of function I contacted American Express advising them of my situation. At that time they promised to work with me in an effort to resolve the matter without damaging or destroying my credit in the process. Last month I received a written letter from American Express telling me that they had turned the matter over to a collection company by the name of XXXX XXXX. Since then I have received threatening correspondence from XXXX. Likewise, I see that my FICO score has been severely and negatively impacted by all three credit reporting agencies. According to the CCPA of XXXX as well as the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and subsequent legislation, consumers suffering serious medical injuries, such as those I suffered, are supposed to be provided with certain reasonable protections, among these being some level of protection from unfair, damaging practices by creditors. Indeed, I have come to learn that in seeking to ease the burden of physically XXXX consumers these mechanisms were put in place specifically to avoid the sort of misery I am now being subject to by American Express and XXXX XXXX. By taking the aggressive and negative steps these people have taken against me they are making a painful, horrible situation far worse. I understand the need of such companies to protect their interests. I sincerely hope that your agency may perhaps offer some fragment of assistance in helping to protect mine.
Company Response: Closed with non-monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-10

Arvada, CO

Fees or interest

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Problem with fees
Complaint: I inquired about the latest possible date to cancel my American Express Platinum card to avoid being assessed the {$550.00} annual fee. I was originally told that I could cancel the card up to 30 days past the anniversary date of the card. I wanted to use the airport lounge access that comes with the card on an outgoing flight of a trip that was going to occur around the 30 day mark, so I called once again On XX/XX/XXXX to verify what the exact cut-off date was. On this call I was notified that the annual fee would be prorated and returned at any time that I cancelled during the year term. I decided to keep the card for the 2 week duration of my trip to take advantage of the airport lounge access and cancel the card upon my return. When I called to cancel the card, I was told that I was given incorrect information. The customer service department said they would review the call and correct the problem if they could verify that I was given the false information. When they got back to me, they told me that they had no record of the call on the XXXX, only the previous call when the 30 day time frame was given. Further more, they told me that there is no way that a call would be missing from their computer logs. I offered to send them the record from my cell phone or from my cell phone provider that showed the call date, time, and duration. I was told that they would not accept this as evidence that the call took place, and reiterated that there was no way possible that the call could have happened and not been in their system, essentially accusing me of lying about the call. I have attached the screen shot from my phone that shows the record of both calls. I am absolutely astonished that they have handled this is such an unprofessional manner, as they have always provided good service outside of this event.
Company Response: Closed with monetary relief

Timely Response

2019-10-10

Magnolia, TX

Incorrect information on your report

Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports: Credit reporting

Information belongs to someone else
Complaint: American Express has posted business credit information on my personal credit report. Furthermore, American Express reports this account as charged off after entering into a repayment agreement. This account is being paid as agreed by the superceding agreement, and should not be posted as a personal debt.
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response

2019-10-10

Succasunna, NJ

Problem with a purchase shown on your statement

Credit card or prepaid card: General-purpose credit card or charge card

Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company Response: Closed with explanation

Timely Response