Consumer complaint received 2019-01-21
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
XXXX : Amex admitted that it LIED to me TWICE in a letter it sent me re : my orig CFPB complaint. 

XX/XX/XXXX : American Express has refused to honor the bonus promotion of XXXX XXXX miles when I opened a new XXXX  Gold Amex card in XX/XX/XXXX pursuant to an AMEX solicitation to apply! I met the terms of the offer -- spend {$2000.00} within the first 3 mos for XXXX miles. By mid-XX/XX/XXXX, I spent $ 2500+. Thus, AMEX was supposed to credit my XXXX  acct with XXXX miles. It never happened. Amex refuses to acknowledge this solicitation for my application w/o which I would NEVER have applied. 

On or around XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : I chatted online w/ Amex to inquire re : the status. See attached screenshot. Amex claimed to have opened a case to investigate the terms of the promotion and needed to be reviewed and it should take no longer than 6-8wk. Amex NEVER got back to me. I never received my XXXX bonus miles. AMEX now ADMITS that it LIED when it said it would investigate. AMEX has done NOTHING to compensate me for its LIES and BROKEN  PROMISES On or around XX/XX/XXXX : I called Amex to close my account now that I was being charged {$95.00} for the annual fee. I inquired about the XXXX bonus miles. Amex confirmed that I met the terms for the promotion. XXXX XXXX Case ID Dispute XXXX. He put notes on acct. XXXX stated that he's also including {$95.00} annual fee in the dispute to be waived. I asked to change the card to one w/o an nonannual fee, but XXXX said that bonus miles might not be credited. I disagreed since I met the terms of the promotion a year ago and the fact that it hasn't been appropriately and timely credited shouldn't force me to keep my acct open now. But AMEX advised that I have to keep the card as XXXX Gold if I want to get the XXXX miles. 

My concern was that if I don't close the card within 30d of the annual fee charge, Amex won't ever credit it. XXXX assured me that it would be credited when the XXXX bonus miles are credited. I asked When should miles post? He said 6-8wk, but I should see it in less than month. 

XX/XX/XXXX : AMEX admits it LIED re : 1 ) the XXXX bonus, 2 ) that it would investigate in XX/XX/XXXX, 3 )  that it would investigate in XX/XX/XXXX, and now 4 ) my prediction is true : AMEX TRICKED me into keeping my acct open for this ALLEGED INVESTIGATION THAT IT NEVER DID and charged me a PRORATED annual fee WHEN I STOPPED USING THE CARD in XX/XX/XXXX and ONLY KEPT IT OPEN b/c AMEX PROMISED IT WOULD INVESTIGATE the bonus promotion. I have indisputable proof of AMEX 's promises that it can not deny! 

AMEX and its employees are DISHONEST, UNETHICAL, and LACK INTEGRITY. I will NOT PAY this fee which ONLY resulted b/c AMEX TRICKED me into keeping my acct open for an investigation it said it would conduct only to find that Amex NEVER did any investigation over a one-yr period. I foolishly TRUSTED AMEX but I won't be fooled again.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation