Consumer complaint received 2021-01-10
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I booked the initial fees for a trip to XXXX XXXX through XXXX on my AMEX for {$1300.00} initial deposit plus {$240.00} Service Fee for a total of {$1500.00}. On XX/XX/XXXX, I paid the remaining balance of {$1300.00}. The total paid for this trip was {$2900.00}. This was for a trip originally scheduled for XX/XX/XXXX; however, due to Covid19, our flights were all cancelled and we rescheduled our trip to XX/XX/XXXX XXXXXX/XX/XXXX cancellation policy did not provide any terms for a pandemic. They have a no refund cancellation policy ( due to weather - see contract attached ) and the only credit policy they have in effect was for hurricanes, allowing traveler 's to use a credit through 1 year of the original booking date, which will be XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, as the pandemic was still a major concern, and XXXX had just published an increase of XXXX new cases and XXXX deaths in that week, we cancelled our XXXX trip as a result. XXXX refunded only the {$240.00} Service Fee. We have pleaded with XXXX  to either refund us in full or to extend our credit through at least XX/XX/XXXX, 1 year after the rescheduled trip. As the pandemic is still raging on, our trip members are not able and/or do not feel safe or comfortable traveling yet and certainly not by the XX/XX/XXXX deadline. 
XXXX has refused to refund us or extend our credit, refused to amend their cancellation policy for a pandemic vs a hurricane, and they have cut off all communication with us, despite continued attempts to resolve ( I've sent 6 unanswered emails through the Messages app of XXXX to XXXX since cancelling the XXXX trip in XXXX XXXX. I attempted to fight this through my credit card, AMEX, Dispute # XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX. However, XXXX informed AMEX of their cancellation policy and AMEX closed the disputed transactions indicating we were responsible for the fees - except for the transaction for the {$240.00} Service Fee - despite not receiving the services/using the rental. My trip members and I are owed {$2600.00} - we have several members who lost their jobs and incomes and are significantly impacted by this pandemic. It is extremely unfair business practice for XXXX to refuse us the refund given these extenuating circumstances or to even consider extending the credit availability. It's akin to stealing. We beg you to help us resolve this in our favor - we have nowhere else to turn. We have also sent letters from an attorney and filed a dispute via the XXXX  of XXXX, which have both also gone unanswered. XXXX requires us to go through the Mgmt company and will not get involved - so our complaints sit with XXXX, who refuses all responses and communication. 

Property ID of the rental property booked through XXXX is XXXX. 
Rental Agreement dated XX/XX/XXXX/Booking ID XXXX - please see the terms and conditions incorporated into this - specifically the cancellation policy. It specifically says that cancellations due to weather are not refunded, but the next paragraph speaks to cancellations more than 30 days from the travel date will be refunded less a {$350.00} cancellation fee. This was not even offered to us, despite our cancellation in XXXX being more than 30 days pre-trip date of XXXX XXXX. 
XXXX Compliant # XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation