Consumer complaint received 2018-05-07
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Problem with rewards from credit card

Complaint:
Amex is holding my XXXX of MR points due to a review. Getting details on the review have been very difficult to get and the story does appear to be changing. It started on XX/XX/XXXX when I was unable to redeem MR points when I was given a message that the redemption will not go though because the account is under review. I called Amex and two agents including a supervisor reviewed my account and could not understand why my account was in review. They tried to release it because they felt the account should not be blocked but could not. They said the review would take 4-6 weeks. They then suggested sending a ticket to the clerical team to have the hold released in a few days. The clerical team did contact me and state both her review of my account and her supervisor 's review found nothing wrong and they would attempt to release the hold but later found out the supervisor did not have the authority to do so. She then stated the review would in effect for 90 days from the XX/XX/XXXX and gave me XX/XX/XXXX as the day the hold would be released. She also stated the reason my account was put in review was because a secondary card holder on my personal card opened a business card in their own name as a primary. When asked what is wrong with that and why that initiates a review, XXXX the clerical agent who contacted me ) did not know what was wrong with that and said it made no sense to her. I did try to call back to membership rewards on XX/XX/XXXX since their supervisor had originally given a shorter time frame for the review on XXXX. They said the hold was still in place and said confirmed the XX/XX/XXXX completion date if not sooner. They also refused to provide anything in writing which stated how long amex will take to complete a spend review. After reading a 6-8 weeks in this forum I decided to call back on XX/XX/XXXX to check if the review was over since 8 weeks had passed. On the XXXX call I was told 90 days from XX/XX/XXXX and that the secondary card holder is now under review as well which was news to me. They could not explain why a secondary card holder of my personal card opening a different card, a business one in their own name, initiated a review of my account on XXXX but not of that secondary cardholder themself. I am also told the secondary cardholder review which began on XX/XX/XXXX will delay my review date because we are linked and affect each other. But when asked why didn't my review initiate a review of the secondary card holder on XXXX, they had no answer. Amex basically started reviewing me because of the secondary card holder opening a card but did not start a review the secondary card holder until 3 weeks later. And then that supposedly delays my committed completion date. Plus the secondary card holder had not earned a MR bonus ever upto XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX so there is no MR bonus for MR to review in the secondary cardholder 's name. 
I am OK with Amex reviewing for cases of fraud but this a ridiculous. Even when a supervisor decides release the hold, Amex is unable to do so. And each person you speak to has a different time frame on how log things will take since it is not in the card member agreement. They right to review is but it taking 4-6 weeks, 6-8 weeks or 90days is not listed in writing. On XXXX the MR agent also said fo the first time, my review started because of a returned item but could not specify which return he was speaking of and of whose card. 

Plus, holding XXXX points for a XXXX or XXXX bonus review is also unfair and terrible treatment of Amex customers. Amex should look into this and treat customers better in a competitive CC market. Holding ALL my points has caused major travel promblems to me and made question continuing with AMex if this is the way they operate. 

Amex should also release my points immediately!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation