Consumer complaint received 2018-07-20
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: GA
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:
I have multiple, recurring issues with AmEx that suggest a pervasive pattern of fraud or misconduct that surely impacts many consumers. In XX/XX/XXXX, I  donated points to a charity. It took 20 HOURS of contacts over four+ months before the checks were finally sent to the charity. Last month, I donated points again -- - three sets on the same date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) ; the charity received the check for the first donation but is still waiting for the other two checks. 

Last XXXX, I purchased an item on XXXX. I refused delivery when it arrived missing pieces. The Seller agreed to provide a full refund. AmEx credited the full amount. However, six months later, it charged my account claiming the Seller had challenged by dispute and billed me again. To my knowledge, I am still due a refund of that subsequent charge. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, I purchased a guitar for {$1600.00}. The guitar started twanging so I returned it. I did not hear from the Seller for two weeks, so I filed a dispute and received a credit for the full {$1600.00}. However, every month since then, I have been recharged {$1600.00}, and I have to spend hours redisputing the charge. To date, the amount has been charged three times and credited three times. Last week, my payment-due increased dramatically. I scoured my XXXX statement but could not find how the amount was calculated. I charged {$3300.00} and received credits of {$2400.00} I do have a pay-over-time balance, so my payment due included {$360.00} in interest plus 1 % of that PIT balance. AmEx is demanding {$5000.00} plus the {$360.00}, which is exactly {$1600.00} more than my actual charges of {$3300.00}. I spent -- - literally -- - four hours chatting with AmEx. Fortunately, I copied and pasted some of the conversations, because some of them got deleted when I got booted and had to re-log onto AmEx 's chat.

I don't know what scams these are, but AmEx refused to address the {$1600.00} charge. Its rep said over and over that I needed a " new reason '' to dispute the charge other than that I bought a defective item, returned it to the seller with his agreement, and am still charged. He also insisted that AmEx is " just the mediator '' in disputes but that I have no recourse at all if the seller challenges my dispute. The seller, on the other hand, emailed that AmEx had withdrawn the full {$1600.00} PLUS fees from his account back in XX/XX/XXXX. He did not challenge my dispute at all! 

This is too pervasive to be unique to me ... and it crosses several categories of possible consumer fraud. How many points are donated to charities but AmEx never delivers those checks??? How many consumers are charged again and again for items such as the {$1600.00} charge? And when the statement clearly fails to substantiate the additional charge, what recourse do consumers have to defend against abuses such s this?

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief