Date Received: 2021-05-20
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 am the owner of XXXX XXXX, an event company that books tickets for Broadway shows, concerts, etc My business was shut down due to Corona. I had a large balance with American Express XXXX at the time, due to inventory purchases for future events. I knew most would be refunded as the events one by one began to get canceled. I tried negotiating with Amex based on this, requesting a credit on the estimated refunds, but they would not listen and they went ahead and filed a lawsuit. I ended up settling the account which started out as a balance as high as XXXX but then was lowered to about XXXX due to refunds. More refunds were anticipated over time. I finally settled with Amex for XXXX to be paid over a period of a few months. I asked at the time what would happen with additional refunds, AFTER I paid the agreed settlement, but they did not know exactly how they will go about that and informed me that they will look into it. In the meantime, I made payments towards the XXXX settlement, as agreed and I was getting thousands of dollars in refunds at the same time. Those refunds were NOT counted toward my settlement balance nor were they refunded to me. I would like those refunds to be made to ME directly, since the settlement was reached on XX/XX/21. And is currently PAID IN FULL. We called Amex numerous times to try and set up those refunds paid directly to me. They informed me that I should be receiving those back. So far, I have not received any refunds from Amex and at this point they are giving me the runaround. I have attached the settlements agreement and stipulation from American Express and the attorneys.
Company Response:
State: NJ
Zip: 08701
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-20
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-19
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Subissue: Problem with rewards from credit card
Consumer Complaint: The American Express portal showed me that I had 108,000+ Rewards Membership points available to use, obtained with my Amex Platinum credit card. Based on this information, I was led to believe that I was in position to transfer XXXX points to XXXX XXXX loyalty miles program, which would have allowed me to buy a flight at an advantageous rate. I thus canceled an existing reservation with another airline ( XXXX XXXX ) for a ticket worth {$700.00}, and proceeded to transfer the XXXX points to purchase the XXXX XXXX award flight. But when I tried transferring the points, at the very last page, when submitting, I was told that my account was under review and that the system would not let me use my points. I called American Express to solve the problem. They told me that the review could take up to 90 days. They also told me that I should not see my 108,000+ Rewards Membserhip points as being " Available '', and yet that's what the website displayed to me ( see attached screenshot ). Overall, this situation has led me to loose a {$700.00} flight, that I can not rebook at this rate. I had to go through the expensive process of buying XXXX XXXX XXXX miles for cash at a rate of 2 euros per 100 points. That is, I incurred an expense of about {$1000.00} to buy these points, while the Amex website misled me to believe there were available and made me cancel my other flight. One takeaway from this experience is that consumers should not trust American Express when their website claim that you have a certain amount of rewards point available. At any time, they can place a hold on your account, without notifying you, and without showing you anything on the portal, until you try to make a purchase.
Company Response:
State: MA
Zip: 02139
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-18
Issue: Getting a credit card
Subissue: Sent card you never applied for
Consumer Complaint: Very simple : I applied for the AMEX Gold card and was somehow approved for AMEX Platinum. I brought up as much with customer care, who seem XXXX on either having me keep a card I didn't want or having me cancel and reapply for Gold which of course would have my credit hard pulled again. They insist that they can do nothing more, which I am certain isn't true, and refuse to do anything more about it besides a 6-8 week investigation. During which, I am stuck with a card I never asked for and a credit ding with no new card. They have made no meaningful effort to correct this issue.
Company Response:
State: CO
Zip: 804XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-19
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-18
Issue: Getting a credit card
Subissue: Application denied
Consumer Complaint: i have applied with AmericaxExpress i was denied because of a XXXX in XXXX they denied me based on past history from 13 years ago, when the US was going thru a crisis meltdown their explanation " Cancelled your previous accounts ' File # XXXX I find this Income Discrimanation to hold something against me from XXXX it violates XXXX laws and the credit reporting that now it has passed the limit, but not to give me a card they are red lining me XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: WI
Zip: 530XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-18
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Subissue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Consumer Complaint: I applied for an AmEx Gold Card, partly because there was a promotional offer to earn 75k points after spending {$4000.00}, and I had a big purchase to make which would help me reach that goal quickly. I also read that AmEx has an " Instant '' card feature, whereby you could get your card number immediately upon approval to use right away : the website says " Instant Card Number is available for all American Express Consumer Credit and Charge Cards. '' [ https : //www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/features-benefits/digital-wallets/instant-approval-credit-card/ ] However, the language is confusing : while it says something about " eligible '' customers, it does not define eligibility in any meaningful way : only saying that it must " authenticate '' users. Because I have a strong credit score and history, I did not expect this to be a problem. However, after applying, I did not receive this feature, and chatted using their customer service chat. I got a lot of confusing corporate-speak, essentially telling me that I did not read the terms. I explained that I did, and that I felt as though this process were misleading : again, there is no detail on what makes someone eligible or not. More importantly, there is no way to opt-out of the application if one is not determined to be eligible. For a significant card benefit, I would think that I should have the right to cancel my application if I am determined not to receive this benefit. I was not able to make an informed decision about whether I actually wanted to proceed with my application. Instead, it just approved me for a card with different terms than I wanted. I was also concerned that I had now just had an inquiry on my credit report, which would " count against '' me. I asked to have this reversed and was told I had to call tomorrow during limited business hours. Online chat could not help me and there was no way to send an email or message. This is just ridiculous! If I could apply for a credit card and receive support online, why should I have to call the next day? I have spent over an hour now on this process, ultimately ending up without the card and now with my credit score negatively impacted -- and I'll now have to spend more time fixing this. I'm sure this is all above board legally, but I find it disingenuous and misleading. I should have known better.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 90029
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-18
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Subissue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms
Consumer Complaint: I opened a Hilton Honors credit card XX/XX/2021 with the promotional offer of 80,000 bonus points with {$1000.00} spent within 3 months. When I logged into their website a few hours later after having been approved for the card they advertised to me the same card with a promotional offer of 100,000 bonus points with {$1000.00} spent within 3 months. ( This is a difference of {$80.00}. ) I inquired why there would be such a glaring difference and if I could have have the promotion being offered to me today. They said it could not be done. I suspect this is a form of digital redlining and would like this sales practice to be investigated. ( I would also like the more favorable promotion valued at a difference of {$80.00}. )
Company Response:
State: MN
Zip: 55104
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-17
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 made a purchase at XXXX. I returned the item and XXXX XXXX XXXX received the money on XX/XX/XXXX and they are holding the money. XXXX XXXX is saying XXXX is holding my money but after checking with XXXX they said that wasn't true. They will not release my funds.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 903XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-17
Issue: Communication tactics
Subissue: You told them to stop contacting you, but they keep trying
Consumer Complaint: At one point I had 2 credit cards with American Express, all in good standing for a long history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic I fell behind on my debts, and was enrolled in various good faith programs offered by AMEX to offer amnesty. Once I fell further behind and was unable to maintain regular scheduled payments, both accounts fell delinquent. AMEX would call both my phone numbers on file multiple times a day, even outside the protected hours. Repeated attempts to contact anyone inside their organization goes unanswered to call centers around the world. My calls get dropped and I have all my conversations recorded on my end of what is actually being said. Supervisors are never available, and nobody takes ownership of their numerous Federal Trade Commission violations. Now they send threatening letters from attorneys demanding collection, and negative consequences associated. Currently I have a CEASE & DESIST on my file against American Express to stop them from repeatedly contacting me. Even with this, they still have attempted to contact me. They even called my father-in-law, a non-blood relative whom is NOT named anywhere on my file with them in regards to debts owed.
Company Response:
State: NJ
Zip: 08753
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-17
Issue: Communication tactics
Subissue: Frequent or repeated calls
Consumer Complaint: Receiving SPOOFED PHONE CALLS phone calls from an American Express offshore debt collector, XXXX XXXX XXXX. They are calling multiple times per day. I have attempted to speak with them and settle with them and have told them they can call me within the limits of what the law allows. However, they are calling me multiple times per day, harrassing me, even after I speak with them. They are masking/hiding their true numbers intentionally, calling from spoofed numbers appearing to be in my area or in a nearby city. I have spoken to them multiple times telling them I have lost my employment due to COVID and they are welcome to call me each day if they want to, but they are calling, 3, 4, 6 or more times per day, attempting to offer settlements and are changing their phone numbers repeatedly so that it appears I am getting calls from what I think may be job recruiters, etc. They become angry when I ask for an offer to settle in writing and one representative told me that they are not based in the United States and are not subject to the laws of the United States. The callers are in and from XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: ME
Zip: 041XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2021-05-17
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Subissue: Problem with customer service
Consumer Complaint: American Express, with whom I've been a customer for more than ten years, will not stop sending me nuisance emails about my card balance. According to the website, the customer can opt in, or opt out of emails which alert the customer when the balance is " nearing the limit. '' Unfortunately, AMEX sends these emails at every transaction starting when the balance is not even really close to the limit. But here is where things turn worse : a customer representative incorrectly and perhaps dishonestly said that AMEX is required by law to send these emails. No such law exists, and no such law was ever applied to me in the past ten years by AMEX. This is a new technical quirk for which AMEX refuses to take responsibility. And it gets worse : the email which AMEX sends carries a feedback link to respond to the company. That link is permanently broken. Also bad, AMEX generates these emails citing balances and charges that are entirely incorrect. A recent email alerted me to the problem that I was over my limit. I was never once over my limit, not even for 5 minutes. But you can see how these emails, given their frequency, can become alarming. The AMEX interface online makes it clear these emails can be turned off. But turning them off does not turn them off. They are unwanted, unnecessary communications and I want them to stop. I also want AMEX to not lie outright to me, citing legalese that does not exist. To be honest, I suspect that AMEX does this because I currently enjoy a 0.00 % promotional interest rate, and penalizing me with multiple emails starting when my balance is only 65-70 % of my credit limit is a way to suppress spending, or, to induce me to not carry a balance.
Company Response:
State: OR
Zip: 97219
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2021-05-17
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A