Consumer complaint received 2020-06-14
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Sub-issue: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2020 I obtained an American Expressa Serve prepaid debit card and on to it I loaded {$500.00} from a XXXX XXXX in the XXXX, MI area. Sometime during my hours drive home to XXXX, MI the card was fraudulently used and the {$500.00} balance I uploaded to the card was stolen. This I learned upon registering the card online after failing to use it to successfully make a purchase. During the events of XX/XX/XXXX began what is now a 35 day long process upon which American Express Serve erected multiple barriers that prevented me effectively reporting and mitigating loss as is my responsibility as a card holder. I first attempted upon being unable to use the card to contact American Express Serve via phone to report on XX/XX/2020. To my shock, the number in the back of the card, customer support simply reported that American Express Serve has no information as to when Stimulus Checks would arrive XXXX the line disconnected entirely without offering any venues for support. Over the course of XX/XX/2020 17 calls were made to America Express Serve all resulting in immediate disconnection or transfer to a hold queue for approximately 1 hour before the calls were abruptly terminated. This continued throughout the day into the evening of all with American Express Serve repeatedly blocking attempts to make a timely report of fraudulent transaction on the card. Receiving no response from phone support. On XX/XX/2020, receiving no support from the vendor I turned to XXXX to publicly post about the lack of service in hopes that I would be guided to the appropriate support area. Here I received immediately feedback. Where I was told in no uncertain terms that while Members of Amex could be assisted. Serve customers should continue to reach out via phone to a number they was actively disconnecting customers seeking support. It was at this time that I Realized that Something was wrong here. It was as if American Express Serve was actively working not only to provide no support but specifically to delay fraud claims until they were in violation of terms of service and could then be blankety dismissed without consideration. That the hurdles were intentional. Thats is when I began taking detailed notes of every serve contact and redoubled my efforts to contact American Express Service in a timely manor to mitigate loss. The rapid nature of the response an then dismissal by American Express also gave me a bit of an idea as to how to get this done and the American Members we key in the next portion of this. While American Express Serve was actively working to not take this fraud claim I realized that if you begin Causing trouble where members can see of their service contact points were in some way disrupted someone eventually pushed you a little further along. Not completely to the goal of American Express Serve support be in the direction of AMERICAN EXPRESS FRAUD. Here I began, the evening of XX/XX/2020 to report to American Express Credit services, tying up representative until XXXX the morning of XX/XX/2020 when I was eventually pushed to American Express Fraud.  During this time I discovered another barrier and some time working in financial services was my guide. In order to further complicate the process American Express and American Express Serve have resticted American Express member services from being able to record and document serve contacts. I need to make it to Fraud for American Express member services. The are all of the same parent company. Fraud analysis are tasked with active mitigating further loss to the organization whenever possible. If I could make it to a fraud analysis, the very nature of their job would be to take action to stop further loss. Me guess was CORRECT! At XXXX, well within 24 hours of customer identification of fraud I was eventually, after an number of calls ( 36 calls ) moved to an American Express Member Services Level 2 fraud analyst. As tasks he canceled the Card,  placed a freeze on any future transactions from the merchant and, at my instruction to ensure that I was reporting I. A timely fashion took detailed notes as to the fraudulent transaction I the freeze itself as American Express Serve actively blocks member services representatives from assisting in Serve systems. He also gave me another piece of the puzzle that is American Express Serves intentional avoidance of fraud disputes. Becaue he was unable to record in system and had to do so I the freeze : 1 : I needed to speak to account protection Services for American Express serve and simply have them reference the report I the freeze as Id met my obligation. This, however did not happen and American Express Serves actions next move into what can only be identified as an active effort to delay dispute reporting In their systems. I was instructed to begin calling at the moment of the departments opening. If I could not get through the IVR, this representive terminated the card as he should have but doing so made it all but impossible to move through the phone tree to get to support. Being unable to move through Serve again due to additional barries being erected I returned to cause issues for Member Serives until I was dropped into an Account Protection Representatives lone on XXXX. Stunned that I was speaking to her, what next suprised me and I had basically identified this process as a shakedown the night prior. After multiple holds and refusals to take the fraud notice and refer to notes in the freeze Account Protection Serives LOCKED ME OUT OF THE ACCOUNT ENTIRELY for 13 days. During this time I have no access to the account all of Tims to report the frog were declined because the account was locked. 13 days later, XX/XX/XXXX to be specific I received an email informing me that my account was back to normal I am mediately reached out to account protective services again and filed my dispute as they would now take my dispute but there was a catch. They would not retroactively take it for the fifth at XXXX XXXX when he was placed. The dispute date was instead recorded from XX/XX/2020. The inability to contact support. Having to cobble together a system of throwing myself in front of American express member services representatives until someone help me out of pity. 13 days locked out of my account and then an additional 3 days before the dispute was it knowledge by account protective services places me outside of the terms and conditions upon which I have a green but no fault of my own. At every turn American Express serve actively work to prevent me from filing a dispute in a timely manner then refuses to acknowledge the only contact I didnt mean prior to XX/XX/XXXX. I have a green but no fault of my own. At every turn American Express serve actively work to prevent me from filing a dispute in a timely manner then refuses to acknowledge the only contact I didnt mean prior to XXXX XXXXProvided no notice as to current status of filing for 10 days and at XXXX XXXX on the 10th day upon which they were required to provide notice denied my claim based on a violation of the terms and soaps. I have not reported in a timely manner to American Express serve that they have been fraud on my account. I could not do so because American Express serve was actively blocking me from doing this. Provided no notice as to current status of filing for 10 days and at XXXX XXXX  on the 10th day upon which they were required to provide notice denied my claim based on a violation of terms inserts. I have not reported in a timely manner to American Express serve that they have been fraud on my account. I could not do so because American Express serve was actively blocking me from doing this. COVID-19 Made support difficult I entirely understand. How ever this combination this detailed, and coordinated effort if every turn to prevent timely reporting has resulted in my dispute been declined by American Express serve in me losing $ XXXX.made support difficult I entirely understand. How ever this combination this detailed, and coordinated effort of every turn to prevent timely reporting has resulted in my dispute been declined by American Express serve and losing {$500.00}. I can come to know other conclusion other than this is a coordinated effort to deny valid claim. Things get worse from here visiting days that I was initially quoted begin to move it stretched on for over 15 before my dispute was declined.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation