Consumer complaint received 2021-07-12
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NV
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest
Sub-issue: Problem with fees

Complaint:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What Happened? : As I reported to the CFPB, XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX ) : In XX/XX/XXXX, my American Express renewal fee was {$95.00}. 
In XXXX of XXXX, Amex discriminated against me by placing a preset limit of {$2000.00} on my account, which I rarely use, after my XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX bank account was defrauded/depleted through XXXX, and while XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX was defrauding me for erroneous insurance fees. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, my Amex renewal fee was {$95.00}. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, per Amexs predatory revenue creation attempts during the XXXX pandemic, my Amex renewal fee jumped to {$150.00} on my account with a preset limit of {$2000.00}, which I rarely use. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, I reported two unapproved transactions, XXXX, and XXXX XXXX, and Amex wanted me to obligate my time to resolve the grievances, while Amex charged me late fees on the unapproved transactions, rather than Amex acknowledge the fact that Amex increased my renewal fee for Amex to direct me to resolve my own grievances as if I were an Amex employee. 
XXXX resolved the unapproved transaction, whereas I had to report the Amex-XXXX grievance to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) ( XXXX ), XX/XX/XXXX, and I was awarded the sum of the unapproved transaction. 
In XX/XX/XXXX, Amex sent me a paper check for the remaining sum of the credit award, at which time I expressed to the Amex chat representative to return the stolen funds to my account, or close my account, and neither happened. 
XX/XX/XXXX, months after I directed the Amex chat representative to close my account, Amex charged me a renewal fee of {$150.00}. 
Amex continues charging me an inflated renewal fee on my account that I rarely used, and which carries Amexs discriminatory preset spending limit. 
I had to report Amex to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) over erroneous charges and interest fees. 
Amex returned the erroneous fees to my account. 
Amex removed the funds from my account to send me a paper check. 
I told Amex to return the stolen funds to the account or close the account. 
Amex failed to return the funds or close the account. 
Every time Amex creates one of these problems for me, Amex costs me more than the sum by obligating my time, as I stated to the Amex chat representative. 
Amex, close my account, because I have no need for overpriced Amex renewal fees on Amex preset spending limits. 
I will not be paying Amexs {$150.00} renewal fee or any associated late fees as my account was to have been closed in XX/XX/XXXX per my direction to the Amex chat representative. 

-- XX/XX/XXXX, peXXXX XXXX XXXX, the Amex representatives response to my XX/XX/XXXX CFPB complaint, It is against our policy and our culture to make credit decisions or service an account on a prohibited basis. The actions taken on your account were based on valid reasons and in accordance with our policies and procedures. 

In the statement, credit decisions, actions, and valid reasons refer to the Amexs discrimination of me as I reported to the CFPB, and as XXXX XXXX and Amex attempt to explain/validate Amexs discrimination and predatory revenue creation at my expense. 

We previously addressed your concerns In our prior response to the CFPB under reference number XXXX sent on XXXX XXXX, we explained that the annual membership would increase to {$150.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX. Additionally, we explained that you were credited {$120.00} for late fees and a billing dispute charge made to XXXX XXXX. Lastly, we explained that a decision was made to place a {$2000.00} global limit on the account. 

In the statement, XXXX XXXXXXXX claims, We previously addressed your concerns, and we explained that the annual membership would increase to {$150.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX, and I paid the fee despite Amexs discrimination and predatory revenue creation at my expense, we explained that you were credited {$120.00} for late fees and a billing dispute charge made to XXXX XXXX, but Amex took three months and only after I reported Amex to the CFPB ( XXXX ), XX/XX/XXXX, and we explained that a decision was made to place a {$2000.00} global limit, which was based on credit decisions, actions, and valid reasons referring to the Amexs discrimination of me as I reported to the CFPB. 

We billed the annual membership fee On XX/XX/XXXX we sent the enclosed billing statement with a New balance of {$150.00} that included your annual membership fee that was billed on XX/XX/XXXX due by XX/XX/XXXX. It is important to the that in the enclosed billing statement sent on XX/XX/XXXX we provided an important notice on page five that stated, the annual membership fee for your account is {$150.00}. When you receive the statement in which the annual fee is billed, you can avoid paying the annual fee by calling the customer care phone number on page three to cancel your account. 

In the statement, XXXX XXXX claims, XX/XX/XXXX we sent the enclosed billing statement, despite three months earlier, XX/XX/XXXX, my having directed the Amex chat representative to replace the stolen funds or close my account. 

Per XXXX XXXXXXXX response, It is important to the that in the enclosed billing statement sent on XX/XX/XXXX, it is important to note that this is not a complete sentence, and that XX/XX/XXXX occurred nearly two months after XX/XX/XXXX when I directed and the Amex chat representative failed to replace the stolen funds or close my account. 

It is also important to note that the previous paragraph states that the annual membership would increase to {$150.00} as of XX/XX/XXXX, three months into the Covid-19 pandemic, which, as stated, I paid despite Amexs discrimination and predatory revenue creation at my expense, yet somehow the XX/XX/XXXX statement was intended to help me understand that the XX/XX/XXXX Amex chat representative failed to replace the stolen funds or close my account per my direction, yet I can avoid paying the annual fee by calling the customer care phone number, which, if Amex recalls my previous call to Amex, XX/XX/XXXX, regarding my XXXX XXXX dispute, the customer care telephone representative assured me that the matter would be handled, yet Amex failed to resolve both the XXXX and XXXX disputes, which left me to file my CFPB complaint ( XXXX ), XX/XX/XXXX, and only then did Amex resolve the XXXX dispute, which should have been handled immediately, but instead Amex took from XXXX XXXX for Amex to pose as if Amex was doing me a favor by misusing my uncompensated time for three months, and reimbursing me {$120.00} for the disputed XXXX XXXX transaction and Amexs erroneous late fees. 

We were unable to locate a prior cancellation request On XX/XX/XXXX we chatted with you about your account showing a XX/XX/XXXX removal of credit balance. We explained that a {$23.00} credit balance had remained on the account for three consecutive months and the system automatically clears the credit balance by creating a request to have a check sent to you, resulting in a zero balance. The chat ended and you did not request cancellation of the account. We are sorry to hear you want to close your account but understand your request and want to comply. We located XXXX Membership Rewards ( MR ) points attached to your account. To cancel the account please call the number on the back of your Card. 

In the statement, XXXX XXXX  cites the XX/XX/XXXX Amex chat without supplying transcripts, We were unable to locate a prior cancellation request, that is because I did not make a request for cancellation, I ordered the account closed via the Amex chat representative, XX/XX/XXXX, and I involved the Federal government in the grievance via the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( XXXX ), XX/XX/XXXX, to help Amex understand that Amex failed to take my direction to close the account while Amex and Amexs XXXX intend to predatorily generate revenue from me while tampering with my account over a mere {$23.00} credit balance. 

Note, the {$23.00} credit balance was the remaining balance from the XXXX grievance which took Amex XXXX XXXX to resolve, so it took Amex three months to resolve the XXXX grievance, and three more months for Amexs system to automatically clear the credit balance, but the system could not automatically resolve the XXXX or XXXX grievances, or automatically resolve my grievance with Amex as I directed the Amex chat representative on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Per XXXX XXXXXXXX  response, We are sorry to hear you want to close your account, but I already closed my account and destroyed my card, XX/XX/XXXX, and Amex refuses to accept that the customer is always right, which is why I reported Amex to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect myself from Amexs discrimination, predatory revenue creation, continued harassment, continued misuse of my uncompensated time, and continued failures at my expense, and likely the expense of others in need of protection from American Express and similar predatory financial institutions. 

Per XXXX XXXX response, We located XXXX Membership Rewards ( MR ) points, which is irrelevant as Amex and XXXX system have completely betrayed my trust and faith in Amex, and I have no intention of involving myself with Amex ever again. 

Per my XX/XX/XXXX feedback I supplied to the CFPB : Per XXXX XXXX  fraudulent response : The chat ended and you did not request cancellation of the account. 
No, the Amex chat began with me directing the Amex chat representative to return the stolen funds to my account, or close my account. 
The Amex chat ended when I hung up on the Amex chat representative misusing my uncompensated time in their failure to take simple and immediate direction. 
Amex can not explain, Im not calling phone numbers, Im not repeating myself again. 
Stop misusing my uncompensated time in XXXX failure to take simple and immediate direction, and close the account per the XX/XX/XXXX Amex chat. 

I was an American Express customer since XXXX. 

I already stated to the CFPB that I will not pay the renewal fee, or late fees, or make phone calls to Amex, etc misuse of my funds or uncompensated time. 

Amex failed to close my account as directed, Amex charged the renewal fee despite my stating that I would not pay the fee, Amex intends to charge late fees on the renewal fee knowing that will not pay the fees, the CFPB is aware of this dispute between myself and Amex, everything that has transpired since XX/XX/XXXX is Amexs continued harassment of me, and the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX failure to protect me from American Express. 

XXXX XXXX  attempt to explain/validate discrimination and predatory revenue creation exemplifies predatory revenue creation where XXXX XXXX are compensated for disrupting and misusing my uncompensated time reporting XXXX discrimination and predatory revenue creation, continued harassment, and continued failures. 

Charge off the account, send the account to collections, file a lawsuit, whatever it takes to stop Amex, et al, failures and harassment of me, so that I may report the predatory revenue creation and harassment of relative persons, collectors, agencies, et al to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Listen to the customer the first time, close the account, normalize annual fees to pre-pandemic, stop discrimination and predatory revenue creation at customer expense. Is it so hard to understand? 

What would be a fair resolution to this issue? : Compensation for damages and exponential mental anguish. 

-- Guide yourselves accordingly. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX Email : XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation