Date Received: 2023-12-23
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
Consumer Complaint: I originally made the complaint and AMEX reached out but we were unable to connect consistently, and they 'closed " the case.. so to retell the story : I received gift cards to for the holidays, I can not use the cards anywhere, I have tried online multiple times, as well as in brick and mortar stores, they simply do not work. If you go on the AMEX gift card website, it says that there are funds in the card but they are consistently declined, everywhere. I called AMEX customer service and they can not offer me any type of resolution. They do not tell me where I can and can not use the cards ( their website falsely advertising that they can be used online and in person wherever AMEX is accepted ) They can not transfer balances for the unusable cards to a new physical card or somehow to my AMEX account, and they can not offer me a refund. It seems like they have designed their systems to skim a few dollars from the american consumer. They hold our legal tender hostage and tell us that there is nothing they can do about it. They have falsely advertised their products to be used anywhere AmericanExpress cards are used, which again, is completely false! I can not reach a resolution with AMEX customer service. I am happy to submit gift card numbers, serial numbers, original tracking numbers as well. please help! this isn't fair, and it's the holiday season, when we needed to use them. We paid a lot of money for this. Whatever you need please email me and i will submit all necessary documentation
Company Response:
State: CT
Zip: 06830
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-23
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
Consumer Complaint: This is a secondary complaint for the balance of another gift card I received from my work at the beginning of XXXX. Since having been activated on XX/XX/XXXX, the card has worked a total of two times, permitting for less than 20 % of the balance to be used over the course of almost a year. After attempting transactions multiple times over the course of several months, the card was finally successfully used for a single transaction in-person at XXXX on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX and a second time at XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. Besides these two successful transactions, I have attempted to use the card multiple times without success - I had a XXXX pickup transaction that was initially processed successfully, the item arrived at the store for pickup, and the card then retroactively declined when I arrived to pickup. This resulted in me having to pay with an actual credit card for a charge I had not planned for based on the initial approval. I have had customer service agents attempt to manually process the card after initial declines at the terminal, only for the card to still get declined. I have been unable to replicate successful transactions in-person at XXXX, or XXXX, despite the card having worked once at each store. The card is virtually useless online, and get 's rejected summarily by every website I have attempted to use it on. It is, furthermore, stressfully unreliable for in-person transactions. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to why transactions are declined, and customer service agents are unable to provide any actual reason beyond " safety '' for the inability to use the card for any sort of transaction. The inability to process transactions seemingly violates everything that is advertised - forget about adding them to digital wallets ( doesn't work ), forget about using them for online transactions ( also doesn't work ), and forget about using them for in-person shopping ( basically doesn't work ). I am holding out hope for a similar resolution to my first complaint so I can end this saga, and promptly reject them as gifts moving forward. Personally, I am an avid proponent of American Express and they're many credit card offerings. I'm not sure where the ball is being dropped on these gift cards, but it's extremely disappointing.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 92802
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-24
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
Consumer Complaint: XX/XX/2023 I called American Express XXXX times. Each time was after a failed transaction at a different merchant who said that they accepted American Express payments. The card was declined after each merchant attempted to swipe the card at least twice. The places I went to were a XXXX gas station, a local tobacco shop, a XXXX XXXX restaurant, and a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX restaurant. Each American Express representative that I spoke with stated that the payment was declined for my own protection and to go somewhere else and try using the card. I did. This did not work any of the times. They mentioned to try at a XXXX or XXXX. XX/XX/2023 I went to XXXX and tried to purchase a pack of gum for {$4.00}. My gift card balance is currently {$200.00}. The transaction was declined. I called customer service while walking through XXXX with my family and they said to wait XXXX minutes and to try again. Again, they said the reason for the decline was for my own protection against fraud. I waited at least XXXX minutes and tried to make a {$39.00} purchase. The transaction was declined again. I went to an XXXX who also accepts American Express and tried paying for my familys dinner. The price was {$45.00}. This transaction was declined. I called customer service and they said the transaction was declined for my own protection and to try at another merchant. Finally I called customer service and they gave me the same reasoning. This gift card is virtually worthless and useless and American Express refuses to do anything to help me use the funds that were gifted to me.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 92630
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-24
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-23
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Subissue: Problem with rewards from credit card
Consumer Complaint: I paid {$650.00} fee for a premium American Express credit card with many perks linked to XXXX. I received the initial reward linked to my XXXX account after staging 6 nights. I have not received any other points ( around XXXX ), since then. I did not receive Platinum Status nor the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX credits within 60 days of opening the account. I have tried 8 times to relink the correct account. This also included a 3-way call between an AMEX representative XXXX myself, and a XXXX representative to confirm my XXXX account number, name, address, phone number, and email all matched. Amex has tried to link the account to XXXX 8 times. Each time XXXX declined the link. Each time I have to call both companies and waste 30 mins of my day for something that could be manually done. I called XXXX today and they could not find a reason there is an issue linking. They referred me back to Amex. Amex, confirmed all of my info matched resent the request to link and escalated to someone else. The same thing that has been done several times before.
Company Response:
State: IN
Zip: 47130
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-23
Issue: Problem when making payments
Subissue: Problem during payment process
Consumer Complaint: My payment of XXXX for XXXX 2023, was received on XXXX XXXX, 2023. On XX/XX/XXXX, I had received a new bill for XXXX with a paymen due date of XXXX XXXX, 2023, Since I had made a payment on and received on XXXX XXXX, 2023, how is it possible that i received another bill with a due date of XXXX. It would appear that american express has figured out a way to get double payments for the same month.
Company Response:
State: IL
Zip: 604XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-23
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
Consumer Complaint: Purchased a {$500.00} American Express gift card for someone but after XXXX purchase they were unable to make any additional purchases online due to transactions constantly being declined. Contacted Amex and they said it was a security measure and it was the vendor 's fault. The vendor says that it's a problem with Amex. I ended up giving the person cash and now I'm stuck with a {$500.00} card that I can't use online. Balance is there if you check their website but the card is constantly declined regardless of the vendor. American Express advertises these cards as usable anywhere that accepts American Express but that is clearly not true.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 11237
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-22
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online
Consumer Complaint: I received a {$200.00} American Express gift card from my employer for the holidays. I attempted to use this gift card to make a purchase on Wednesday XX/XX/XXXX on XXXX. My payment method was declined multiple times. I contacted American Express the same day and they informed me there were security restrictions on the card and that they would remove them and I would be able to make a purchase within the next 24hrs. I waited 24hrs and then attempted to make the same purchase on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX, and I was denied again. I called American Express again and they informed me that I could not use my gift card on XXXX and I would need to use it at a different retailer. On XX/XX/XXXX, I attempted to use the card at a different retailer ( XXXX ) and the card was then declined multiple times there as well. I called American Express yet again and they informed me that I couldn't use the card at XXXX either. At this point American Express is refusing to issue me a new card and it will not work at ANY RETAILER. American Express essentially stole {$200.00} from the person that purchased the gift card for me, as this gift card is completely unusable. American Express should not be discriminating as to what retailers I can and can not use the card at.
Company Response:
State: NY
Zip: 10128
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-22
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Subissue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Consumer Complaint: I was charge for a subscription and american express and they refuse to resolve a charge XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: 77022
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-22
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Subissue: Card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase or transfer
Consumer Complaint: I spoke to AMEX at the XXXX number on XXXX and on XXXX at XXXX XXXX and they confirmed on both calls that the two American Express eGift cards totalling {$550.00} were loaded. I told the person on both calls I had been trying for 2 years to use these cards online ( because they were online egift card gifts not physical cards ) and the person said that the company who purchased them would need to call and verify. My HR manager did call and spoke to someone at AMEX and confirmed the cards were active. AMEX told my HR Manger that some online stores do not accept the egift card and to keep trying other merchants. I have tried XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX and XXXX online and all were declined. I would just like to be able to use these gifts at merchants i buy from and I haven't been able to. I have copies of the American Express eGift Cards that show the card number, expiration date and CVV number along with the email from my HR Manager that tried to help as well but got no where with AMEX.
Company Response:
State: AZ
Zip: 85306
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-12-22
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Subissue: Other problem
Consumer Complaint: My card was used to purchase an XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX via XXXX XXXX. The trip was to take place XX/XX/XXXX. The card was initially charged for the deposit upon booking. The final charge set to be charged XX/XX/XXXX. The card was used for other expenses however paid in full well over 30 days prior to XX/XX/XXXX. An email was received from XXXX vacations at XXXX XXXX stating the transaction was declined. An email from AMEX at XXXX was received stating there was a credit limit change to the account. After calling twice to attempt to get this resolved or questions answers, it was told by a service representative that the charge was declined and at that time a review of the account which the decision to lower the credit limit, AFTER the transaction was declined. The service representative could not provide much more information other than the scripted file an appeal after 5 days upon request to speak with a supervisor, it was met with I am just as capable and declined to be transferred. After requesting again, I was placed on hold only to be told minutes later that no one was able to talk and that I would receive a call back the same business day. No call back was received. Our XXXX wedding anniversary trip has now been cancelled. The emotional toll this situation has cause, less than 30 days before the trip is to take place. The lack of customer service, knowledgeable assistance and support was and still deplorable. The way that AmEx is conducting business by declining transactions and lowering credit limits within a few minutes timeframe is XXXX.
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 49428
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-12-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A