Consumer complaint received 2020-02-23
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems
Sub-issue: Other problem

Complaint:
I have already tried resolving this problem with AMEX ( ref : XXXX-XXXX  ) and here is the previous summary : ( A ) : Submitted on XX/XX/XXXX : I have been a customer of American Express ( AMEX ) consumer cards since XX/XX/XXXX but was the receiving end of few dubious practices. Here is the chronology of event ( s ). 1. In XX/XX/XXXX, we started a XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX dba   XXXX ) with three partners and applied for business card ( s ) for the same. 2. As part of the application process, AMEX asked several questions about the business - nature of legal entity, license number, employees, expected spend, topline revenue etc. 3. Eventually the card ( ending XXXX ) was issued to partners and few of our employees, the most we spent on the card was about $ 15k in a month and always paid our bills on time. 4. In XX/XX/XXXX, the business hit a few snags and the legal entity dissolved and there was {$3400.00} due on the AMEX card at the time of dissolution of LLC. 5. In late XX/XX/XXXX, AMEX customer support team called me and literally threatened me that all the dues will be reported against my personal credit and essentially froze all my personal cards where I was paying bills on time. 6. I asked the customer rep that no personal information ( like SSN ) was asked in step-2 so what gave AMEX rights to attach business card of a LLC to my personal account. The rep had no answer and suggested opening a ticket to inquire with their IT team to get details of application sign up session. I agreed to the recommendation as I wanted to be fair to AMEX as well. 7. In order to avoid further escalation, I paid the dues and clearly told AMEX customer service rep that I am waiting to get details of my explicit consent to attach a business card to my personal account. 8. It has been almost 6 weeks, I have called them twice ( XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ) and the customer service rep answering does not seem to recall any details from the previous conversation and AMEX has not furnished any proof of my explicit consent. This is a predatory practice from AMEX that has harmed me and possibly many other small business owners : 1. AMEX essentially overrode the LLC structure of business by flashing a 15-page PDF with relevant clauses buried somewhere in the fine font. 2. Nowhere during the online application process AMEX explicitly declared prominently that the credit card was issued on a personal guarantee. If personal gurantee was all that AMEX cared for, then the application process should have highlighted this fact prominently instead of burying it in fine print. 3. We even issued cards to partners and other employees thereby exposing myself to a huge financial risk as I was unaware that the credit card is my sole financial responsibility. 4. Even after repeated attempts, AMEX has not been able to provide following information about the card application : a ) Date and time of credit card application b ) IP address of my machine c ) SSN number filled out on the application form.

( B ) : AMEX 's response on XX/XX/XXXX : We have completed our research and have attached a copy of our response for your review. 

( C ) : I have sent the form AMEX sent duly filled out and sent back on XX/XX/XXXX Since then it has been over three months and there is not even an acknowledgement from AMEX. So the summary of this whole things is as follows : 1. AMEX waived my right to litigate in their T & Cs 2. AMEX used predartory practices to push a business card and shoved the " peronal liability '' part somewhere in the fine print. 
3. I never provided any personal information or even agreed to bear the liability of business account on my personal credit.

4. AMEX flexed its muscle and threatened to destroy my personal credit for which I never consented.

5. When I filed complaint with CFPB about AMEX and asked that if AMEX to provide IP address, day, time and SSN number filled out at the time of busiess credit card application.

6. AMEX closed the resolution on pretext of sending me paper forms that essentially requests the same information as ( 5 ) and have not responded for over three months.

AMEX first indulged in predatory practices and now they are indulging in diversionary and delaying tactics.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation