American Express Consumer Reviews - Page 6

My husband and I have been American Express customers for 4 years and have been very good customers at that, paying off our credit card in full every month. I checked our account a few weeks ago and thought that there was an error in the amount that we owe. I admit that I check our account religiously almost on a daily basis and make sure that all of our payments our made once I purchase an item. Because of this the amount that I thought we owed which is more around $200 didn't seem to match up with the $300 or so that they said we owed. Anyway I did a secure email through our online account and inquired about what we owed.

Throughout my email exchange 3 different customer representatives indicated that we made an overpayment of $1998.97 and that a check would be issued to us within 7-10 business days. Wth??? That really confused me because first if we did make an overpayment, why was I never informed? Not trusting the emails I had my husband call on the phone and verify that this was accurate (account under his name).

The customer representative on the phone verified that we made an overpayment and indeed a check would be mailed to us. 5 days later we did receive a check however I noticed on our account that a "Credit Balance Transfer" of $1998.97 was charged on our account and then eventually it showed up as an amount we needed to pay to American Express.

Feeling very confused at this point my husband contacted American Express on the phone and a supervisor indicated that yes they made a mistake and we need to return the money. My husband was not fully convinced and asked to have past payments on our account be investigated. The supervisor was not helpful at all and told my husband that we would need to go back and check the account payments ourselves. No sorry for the mistake we will help you, nothing at all considering they started all of this confusion!

So basically they are demanding we return the $1998.97 without any real explanation. It really infuriates me that they can hold so much weight on our credit history if we don't pay this amount on time while we investigate on our own. Our credit score is excellent in the high 700's and what b.s. to have to deal with this. American Express does not like customers who pay their credit card on time. Well, good riddance American Express and thanks for nothing!

We are not sure what American Express is up to, but we ARE sure that it is HIGHLY unethical and very poor business to treat customers this way! We have been customers in good standing since 1983!!! Got a phone call at 8:50 A.M. this morning from a customer service representative to say that they "periodically update their records" and needed our employment and salary information, AND...we must provide our income tax records so that they can verify our income with the IRS! This is what one gets for paying their balance in full each month!

My husband said he did not understand why this would be necessary since we have excellent credit and our account balance is always paid in full. She replied that yes, we do have good credit, however their account review showed that we'd been "late" twice in six months. We travel quite a bit, and her reference to "late" was simply that the account had been paid online 1 day after the closing date, due to our travel schedules!!!

The customer "service" (ha!) rep, emailed the form and then advised my husband that the "hold on our account" would be removed in approx 5 days or so once the IRS verified our tax data... WHAT?! A hold on our paid in full account in good standing? This is insanity and makes NO sense. My husband told them that this is a very poor way to treat good customers. It is apparent from others' complaints that AmEx is unethically raising interest rates on those who carry balances, while harassing those of us who pay the balance IN FULL because they are not making interest.

We do however pay multiple fees, and look forward to changing our auto-pay accounts and being able to disassociate ourselves with this company -- how disheartening that in tough economic times they would chose to try to increase their bottom line in such an underhanded manner; many people don't have jobs and those of us who are working to make a living certainly don't need this kind of stressful distraction & aggravation. Unbelievably poor way to do business American Express!

Let's call consumer agencies and our lawmakers about AmEx and every other company who chooses to behave so poorly. Once our economy improves, maybe they will all be out of business & replaced with ethical bank/credit card providers.

Till July 30, 2010 I've had an American Express Card for 8 years - paid on time and 50% of the time I paid above the minimum required. Of course my income has suffered like everyone else, but I still made my payments on time (using my savings account when short).

My card got suspended without notice to me. It arrived in the mail two days later... I called and was told they needed a financial statement. I asked why, was told just standard procedures. I reminded them that the standard procedure was never applied in 8 years. I was told do what they ask or they close the account in 5 days. After 5 phone calls to representatives, supervisors and even insisted on manager of a supervisor, I was told "Do what we ask or we close your account".

I am being kind here, you should have been on the phone to hear the tone of voice... When I spoke to the Manager, constantly reminding her that I want to resolve this situation before it gets worse, that I have and always had the intention of paying on time, doesn't a valued customer mean anything anymore? Her words "If you don't do as we ask, we don't want you as a valued customer". The account was closed and I received a letter that mentioned nothing about the reason being a new financial statement.

I wrote every name down, every call and sent a letter to Public Relations and other addresses I found. Nothing. I stopped making payments till I get an attorney involved. Just received a letter 9/7/2010 informing me that if I do not contact them in 14 days, that they do not have a choice but to REGRETTABLY send my account to collection. Yesterday I received a call from a collection agency. So what happened to the 14 days?

Action speaks louder than words... And the economy will recover and things will be fine again and American Express (if they are still around) will be begging for customers. I've decided to keep the money I was sending them every month for an attorney to investigate my rights... I hate bullies!!

Starting a company is hard work. We needed every bit of help we have received. I attended a Government business matching symposium one day in October of 2009, and American Express OPEN was a big sponsor of the event. I knew we would need business accounts and we had used them at our former corporate company, so I signed us up for an account.

It sat on my desk until about March 2010. We were coming up on a need to make a big purchase for the business and were still gathering our resources to pay for it. "Ah" I thought "I have the Amex card". I could use that for a 30 day window for the purchase. I knew it would be our first charge so I called ahead. "Will this amount be alright?" I asked. And then "Please make a journal entry on our account that I have called to ask this". You may wonder why I did this. It is a sure - or it should be - way to make a communication trail on your account.

Fast forward - we make our purchase and not 7 days later my account is frozen. I receive rude phone calls, and a letter. In talking to the agent I ask her why this has been done, "Isn't there a record of my conversation?" "No record". The agent tells me that such journaling is not required for such a conversation. I then asked "Is it still not required if the customer specifically requests that it be done?" No Answer.

My message to you business people out there. American Express claims to be open for businesses but they are not. They are CLOSED to businesses and are just like any other credit card company. Use this type of credit only when absolutely necessary. And if possible not at all. I am not a fan and will not use the Amex card. My company is not an Amex business customer any more. It reminds me of the scene in Pretty Woman when the store clerk would not serve her and she returns to say - "Remember me and how I was beneath you?" Mistake - big mistake.

I have had the AMEX Optima card for many years. Recently, like everyone else, my interest rate was risen by 50%. I just looked at the online statement today and realize the minimum payment for this month has also increased by 15%!

I called the representative and he explained to me why my minimum payment increased. He said that since my interest rate was increased, the minimum payment is based on the greater of 2% of the balance OR 1% of the balance + finance charges. Since my interest rate was jacked up, the second method created a greater payment.

He could tell that I felt defeated in my voice. I could tell he felt my pain. He said, "hold on a minute and let me see if I can do something." He came back to tell me that I have the lowest rate available, but to call back EVERY MONTH and ask for a lower rate and they may reprice it for me. He said every month I receive a statement to make the call. He seemed as if he was trying to suggest some relief may be on the way.

Everyone knows times are hard and increasing minimum payments and interest rates on consumers will definitely not help the economy improve as consumers are hit this new tax. Yes, finance charges and minimum payment increases are just like a rise in taxes. It takes money from you that you can't put back into the economy and since we will have less disposable income, that is less money to spend at the mall.

When Citi doubled my interest rates, I was mad. Now with the AMEX deal, I feel defeated. Now, I must work hard to pay down these debts and never again. It's almost laughable under the new laws, companies can't increase your interest rates. When you have folks with good credit sitting at 30% APR, how much higher would they want to take them?

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA -- I would like to share my terrible experience that I had with American Express so that it doesn't happen to any one else. I have been a card member with American Express for many years. I had always paid my bill on time, I had never been late and never even came close to my available credit limit. On August 04, 2009 my loyal dog of 11 years needed to see a specialist because she had been sick and her regular vet could not pin point what was wrong with her. I placed a call to American Express to see how much credit was available on my card. They said I had 7000.00 available for credit.

My dog was taken to the specialist and had to have immediate tests done. When my dog was out of surgery and was ready to be released to me I had to pay the bill. I gave them my American Express card and it was denied on the first swipe. I knew that it had to be a mistake because I had called earlier that day. I called American Express from the vet's office and was put on hold for 30 minutes, only to be told that my account was frozen and up for a review decrease. I had told the representative that I had not received a notice that my account was frozen and under review for a decrease.

The representatives name Watson, out of the Greensboro North Carolina, call center, was so very cold and callous and did not care at all about my situation. She refused to approve the charge in the amount of 1100. I explained to her that I only had my American Express Card with me and that I had no other form of payment. I asked to speak to a Team Leader only to be pushed off to a floor supervisor who would not budge on the approval. I was left stranded and abandoned by American Express.

My dog was diagnosed with cancer that day. Trying to deal with American Express on one of the darkest days of my life was a total nightmare. American Express is not there for you when you need them. They turn their backs on you when you need them.

I am furious! My husband and I have had a credit card through American Express for over 5 years. We have always been on time with our payments and have paid our balances on time. I had an unfortunate situation occur last month where I accidentally had my bank send a check to Comcast instead of American express. When I found out about this, I called American Express and spoke to a "nice" lady who indicated to me that she would take off all the late fees and charges. I was very happy to hear that and thrilled about their customer service.

When I received my statement for this month, it appeared that the fees and late charges were still there. I called back and spoke to a supervisor and also the gentleman who supervised him. Both were extremely rude to me and indicated that they had nothing in their records supporting my conversation. They basically called me a liar!!

When asked to pull up the recording of this conversation which blatantly supported my position, they said that they do not record all the customers conversations and that they rely on the accuracy of what their agents input into the system. So basically, if you call the customer service number and you are quoted something, don't count on that statement being correct!

The agents at American express well say anything to make you happy and later will not note it on the account. Thereafter, the supervisors will back their agents and will do nothing to investigate the incident. I found this encounter with American Express very disturbing. It's the principle of being lied to that bothers me the most, not so much the fact that they failed to take the fee off.

I'm planning to file a claim with the Better Business Bureau and possibly a formal federal legal action. I'm curious if there is anyone out there who experienced the same type of incident? If so, please contact me. I am willing to take all the steps necessary to make sure this does not happen again to anyone!

We need your help exposing AMEX for their terrible customer service and lack of loyalty to their customers. Thank you in advance for reading this email. We have been a member of Platinum American Express since 2000. We have used our cards, which we pay a fee of $400+ each for the privilege of spending money with them, for our corporations, our personal expenses, and travel. Over the years we have probably spent over $700,000 with American Express! We ALWAYS paid the balance off when due and at times it meant a $50,000 monthly payment.

During the last 6 months, we have used our American Express cards less and less. One reason is that we had some charge problems using the card in Mexico that went largely unresolved for all parties because no one in
India (which is where their call center is for this "American" company) could comprehend the intricacies of our problem because it was quite simply a matter best dealt with by an American. Even someone from Mexico would have understood it better.

Secondly, we were using other cards that gave us the mileage points we needed for an airline. The problem is that because we have NOT been using our cards very much, they have cut us off at $500! Now that we need it... we got cut off at $500 for no reason. We have no payment due until July 2nd and our balance is only $443.27. We have carried balances in the 10s of thousands in the past and now we can only have $500 which is less than our annual fee we've paid this "American" company. What if we were out with clients wining/dining and our card was declined? That would be so embarrassing.

So we called and complained. Who did we get? Some smug kid in India who put us on hold for 20 minutes and told us that "the computer says you have not used your card much in the last 6 months, so your balance and available credit is $500."How does this make sense when they advertise themselves as a no spending limit card? AND WE ARE PLATINUM CARDHOLDERS TO BOOT!

We must unite and find a way to expose American express before this happens to others. This is my story... My payment have been late several times and I run a high balance but I pay every month. Often I pay twice a month but I did not realize that you must pay between the 16th and the 6th until finally a customer service representative explained it to me.

My daughters won the national forensic competition and will travel to the states for the nationals. We live on a U.S. island in the middle of the pacific. I called customer service and informed them that I planned to pay down my limit so that I could use my card for my travels. I gave them my travel dates and they assured me that I would not have any problems with my card. Yesterday I was informed that my credit limit has been reduced and I have only $109 available credit.

My wife and daughters leave in one week and I leave in two weeks. Plans have been made. I have contacted people in the states, my car has been reserved, and they took my family's money knowing what our plans were. I have two daughters who won competitions and it is my responsibility to pick one up in Omaha, and the other in San Antonio. They knew exactly what I was planning and they just took away my credit line. How cruel is that? They smiled in my face while choosing which knife they would use.

It took me months to plan this trip. And now after the fact, I understand why many businesses do not accept Amex. And the first thing I thought of was to sue which brought me to this site. I had no idea what a monster we are dealing with until I read all of the negative reviews. We must warn people before this happens to others and we must unite and figure out a way to get some justice out of this. This is just wrong!

HONOLULU, HAWAII -- I'm another one of the many that has been carelessly mistreated by American Express. I have had my card since 6/2004, have always paid more than the minimum due (which THEY determined) and never late. In 10/08, a few months after I applied for an American Express Costco card, which they also approved, they reduced my credit limit from $16,600 to $6,000 citing several FALSE excuses. Only one of their excuses was true - other credit card balances. They also increased my interest rate by 3% at the same time. Shortly after that, they sent me a notice regarding my AMEX Costco card - the credit limit was reduced and the interest also increased.

Ironically, I have always promoted AMEX to all my friends & family, raving about how they had the lowest interest rate, not anymore! I have never been so insulted by a credit card company before AMEX. I used to have a credit score of 830, not anymore, thanks to their unfair credit practices. They screwed my credit score but good! (It's comforting to know that I'm not alone.) I continued to pay more than my minimum payment due each month. Six months later, I received another notice that they had once again reduced my credit limit, to $4,800 this time - less than $200 more than my balance.

In these bad economic times you'd think they would appreciate consistent paying customers like us but I guess they're just so full of themselves. I just read today on the reuters.com website that the CEO, Kenneth Chenault stated, in response to the new credit card laws, "will reduce the flow of credit... We will be hurt less than our competitors because 80 percent of our revenues are generated from fees".

That explains their callous, arrogant, unacceptable credit practices. It seems they have to screw every cardholder they can before the new law becomes effective. Well America, let's learn from our appalling experience and stop using our American Express credit card so we can pay it off! Let's remember this when the economy is once again flourishing and we'll see how many customers they'll have then! I'm sticking with the other credit card companies who appreciated me and have been increasing my credit limit while AMEX is THE ONLY ONE decreasing it! Wouldn't it be great if there was a class action lawsuit against their despicable practices?