Consumer complaint received 2021-06-28
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card

Complaint:
I pay for AMEX Platinum credit card which advertises to include Trip Cancellation and Interruption Insurance when booking flights through their service but this is not true. After 6hrs of phone calls and 9 different representatives I found out they only insure cancellations and interruption under 7 rare circumstance like a XXXX attack, but not if the airline cancels the flight, as in my case. This is clearly advertised as an insurance on cancellations but they will not honor this. 

XXXX I called AMEX to confirm my flights in XXXX to XXXX and ask about covid precautions, PCRs, etc. I was told that the airport, date and duration of my return flight had changed, but no one had informed me until then. My return flight went from a duration of 13hrs to 38hrs, including an overnight lay over I didn't plan, and I was then told I would have to pay if I wanted a better flight or fly from my original selection. I was also told I would have to pay for a bus to the new departure airport. I refused to agree to this as none of this was my fault nor was I informed and I was then transferred to the AMEX Platinum insurance dept, XXXX XXXX, as they said my card covers travel cancelations interruptions like this. An automated service said there would be a 5min wait and I was on hold for 35mins, then the phone was hung up on. When I called AMEX Travel back I was told this department closed at XXXXEST while I was on hold. I asked to speak with a supervisor who then told me the XXXX XXXX XXXX. isn't even open on the weekends. At the same time I was on the Online Chat service and I was told the Ins dept. was open until XXXX and was given a direct number to call that didn't work. 

I asked the supervisor I was speaking to on the phone to send me information to make a formal complaint as I was receiving 3 different stories form 4 different AMEX staff members and I was told there was no further person to contact and there was nothing more I could do. I spent 3 hours on the phone to be told there is no one working that could help me and I have to call the insurance dept. on Monday. 

XXXX - After a further 3 hrs of calls and holding today, XXXX informed me that they do not cover Trip Cancellation and Interruption, except in some very rare circumstances, Airline cancelation is not one of them. I told the representative that this is also not listed in section F of the contract under what is not covered. The XXXX Representatives agreed this is misleading advertised and acknowledged the exclusion was missing from the contract. They also admitted they receive this complaint regularly, they recorded the conversation so this can be confirmed. 

Bottom line, I pay hundreds of dollars for an AMEX Platinum service that is not provided as advertised. I spoke with 9 different people in total and was lied to on several occasions, hung up on 3 times and the worst part is I wouldnt even be aware of the flight change if I hadn't contact AMEX myself and would have had to sleep in an airport as nothing is available at this point in time.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief