Consumer complaint received 2018-08-05
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card
Sub-issue: Credit card company won't increase or decrease your credit limit

Complaint:
MY FIRST COMPLAINT IS ABOUT THE AMERICAN EXPRESS CHARGE CARD THAT I HAVE. I WAS TOLD THAT I DO NOT HAVE A FIXED LIMIT BUT EVERY TIME THEY REPORT MY BALANCE, THEY DO NOT REPORT THE TOTAL BALANCE THAT I HAVE PAID OFF. I PAY THEM EVERY MONTH IN FULL. THERE IS NO WAY I CAN NOT PAY AND STILL HAVE THE ACCOUNT. WHY THEN IS IT THAT EVERY MONTH THEY FAIL TO REPORT TO CREDIT BUREAU THAT THE ACCOUNT WAS IN GOOD STANDING AND FULLY PAID OUT? THEY KEEP REPORTING LIKE I OWE THEM. AS AT TODAY I HAVE PAID EVERYTHING IN FULL, WHY DO I NOT GET CREDIT FOR MY PAYMENTS. XXXX  AND OTHERS CONTINUE TO REPORT THE TOTAL AS PART OF MY BALANCE, MAKING MY BALANCE TO JUMP UP AND THEN MY TOTAL UTILIZATION SKYROCKETS PUTTING ME AT A VERY LOW LEVEL IN CREDIT WORTHINESS AND AS A RISK. I HAVE HAD THE AMEX ACCOUNT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND HAVE BEEN PAYING IT CONTINUOUSLY THEY NEED TO REPORT THAT. THEY NEED TO STOP MAKING IT LOOK LIKE I DO NOT PAY BILLS, EVER! THEY NEED TO REPORT MY ACCOUNT ACCURATELY. THEY ALSO CLAIMED RECENTLY THAT BASED ON XXXX   REPORT MY ACCOUNT WILL BE DOWNGRADED. THIS REPORT BY XXXX  WAS INACCURATE AND I HAVE MADE A COMPLAINT SEPARATELY ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THIS INACCURATE REPORTING TO SEE THAT THEY CAN AMEND IT, BUT THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. THE HARMFUL EFFECT OF THIS ACTION WAS THAT AMEX NOW USED THAT INCORRECT REPORT TO DOWNGRADE MY AMEX CHARGE CARD WHICH I VEHEMENTLY DISPUTED, BUT AMEX AND XXXX  HAVE REFUSED TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER ON THIS MATTER AND CORRECT THE WRONGFUL INFORMATION WHICH WAS BASED ON A DELINQUENCY BY A MERCHANT- XXXX XXXX XXXX. THIS ERROR HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM MY CREDIT REPORT, BUT AMEX CONTINUES TO USE THIS INFORMATION TO DOWNGRADE MY ACCOUNT PRIVILEGES. IN ONE INSTANCE IN XXXX, I REQUESTED TO PAY A BALANCE OF ABOUT {$200.00} THE NEXT WEEK AND I ASKED IF THIS WAS OKAY, THE AGENT TOLD ME BECAUSE OF MY EXCELLENT PAYMENT HISTORY THAT IT IS FINE, TO MY SHOCK, WITHIN A FEW DAYS, IN FACT RIGHT BEFORE I PAID THAT BALANCE, THEY HAVE ADDED THAT I MISSED A PAYMENT AND THAT I WAS NOT FULFILLING MY DEBT OBLIGATION AND SO MUCH MORE, AND SENT OUT THIS INFORMATION AS IF THEY DID NOT SEE THAT I ASKED THEM IF IT WAS OKAY OR NOT AND THAT I COULD PAY IT ANYHOW, AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS FINE BY THEIR STAFF MEMBER. THE QUESTION IS, DID THIS STAFF MISREPRESENTED THE INFORMATION? DID HE LIE TO ME? DID HE DO WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO BUT THE INTERNAL REPORTING SYSTEM WAS NOT EFFICIENT? THIS IS IRRESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES AND SHOULD STOP. THEY NEED TO TREAT CUSTOMERS WHO ARE IN GOOD STANDING WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. 

MY SECOND COMPLAINT IS THAT AMEX HAS REFUSED TO INCREASE MY CREDIT LIMIT DESPITE MY EXCELLENT PAYMENT HISTORY EVEN IN MY CREDIT REPORT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF GOOD USE OF THE CHARGE CARD AND OTHER CARDS BUT THEY HAVE NOT DONE SO. 
INSTEAD, THEY DECREASED MY LIMIT ON THE CHARGE CARD LAST MONTH FOR A FLIMSY EXCUSE WHICH I DETAILED ABOVE.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief