Consumer complaint received 2020-08-13
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Payday loan, title loan, or personal loan
Sub-product: Personal line of credit
Issue: Problem when making payments

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX To American Express and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau : At age XXXX, I have just been discharged from XXXX and, since COVID-19 came to California earlier this year, have suffered two separate XXXX XXXX and XXXX different hospitalizations. I am a respected commercial hospitality broker whose hospitality industry also has been destroyed since COVID-19 came to California. 

Last month, in XX/XX/XXXX, I made the following three different payments to American Express, documented by my following XXXX XXXX online statement : ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ XX/XX/XXXX AMEX XXXX ACH PMT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$300.00} XX/XX/XXXX AMERICAN EXPRESS ACH PMT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$440.00} XX/XX/XXXX AMERICAN EXPRESS ACH PMT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX {$500.00} ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Then on XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to use my AMEX card ending in XXXX and also my AMEX card ending in XXXX at XXXX XXXX Cleaners in XXXX XXXX and was shocked to learn that both of these cards were declined, particularly since I had made three different payments on these cards in early XXXX XXXX as noted above XXXX Initially, the Cleaners didn't even want to accept AMEX due to AMEX Merchant high charges but kindly agreed to accept AMEX since I had been a longtime patron. 
After paying with a VISA and leaving the Cleaners, I immediately telephoned AMEX XXXX XXXX ) and spoke with a series of AMEX phone reps. In a hot car, I spent almost XXXX hours on my phone speaking with AMEX reps and receiving the following case numbers : XXXX and XXXX. 

My XX/XX/XXXX, notes also confirm receipt of the following AMEX ID : XXXX. 

Also on XX/XX/XXXX, after being disconnected, I reached AMEX at XXXX and spoke with AMEX XXXX XXXX who confirmed that my balance for card ending in XXXX was {$91.00} -- more than enough to pay for my XXXX XXXX 's Cleaning invoice that AMEX had just declined. 

At XXXX on the same XX/XX/XXXX, I was placed on an AMEX XXXX call with XXXX XXXX XXXX yet another AMEX rep. To my amazement, XXXX XXXX reported that AMEX was declining my AMEX credit cards due to AMEX not having received the latest XX/XX/XXXX payment for my entirely separate AMEX personal loan. I then was told that my recent AMEX credit card payments would be applied to my separate AMEX person loan but only if I immediately first authorized an ADDITIONAL AMEX payment of {$300.00}. Because XXXX said that my credit card payments would not be refunded and not honored by AMEX, I felt as a financially-abused elder hostage,  unfairly blackmailed and held captive by AMEX bait and switch/extortion tactics. I finally agreed to authorize the ADDITIONALLY DEMANDED AMEX PAYMENT of {$300.00} to be added to the already paid credit card total of {$940.00} so that the XX/XX/XXXX AMEX personal loan payment of {$1200.00} would become current. I was told that all credit card payments, including the {$300.00}, would be transferred to AMEX personal loan department to pay the {$1200.00} XXXX personal loan payment. 

Next, I was transferred to AMEX personal loan department XXXX XXXX ) where I was supplied the following AMEX confirmation number # XXXX with the added confirmation that it would take one week, until the following Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, for AMEX to post my personal loan as current. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, after returning to my car parked in front of XXXX XXXX 's Cleaners, I first telephoned AMEX at XXXX but did not finish until after XXXX. Because AMEX previously had allowed me COVID-19 payment deferrals on my credit cards and personal loan, I was stunned by AMEX unexpected, high-handed, extraordinarily convoluted financial abuse of a long, loyal and elder female client. I sincerely did not know that paying AMEX XXXX cards would then force me to lose those credit card payments due to an entirely separate AMEX personal loan on a COVID-19 payment deferral plan. I believe that I was an unsuspecting victim of extortion and/or blackmail by AMEX. 

I submitted my dispute to AMEX on XX/XX/XXXX and received AMEX Ref # XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation