Consumer complaint received 2020-06-01
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Problem with personal statement of dispute

Complaint:
Those reviewing this comment are more than likely familiar with me and ( perhaps ) the situation I have faced these past few months, which has come about as a result Amex 's direct breach of contract and continued negligence. To be fair to everyone, including Amex, XXXX is guilty of this as well ; however, I will not lump these two incredibly different companies together, because XXXX has shown a genuine eagerness to make this situation right. And we ( XXXX, myself, and some others ) are currently working together on a solution that can hopefully benefit a lot of underserved individuals and steer this resolution in a positive direction. For this comment, I will leave my remarks to/about Amex to a minimum. They dont deserve any more of my time. 

Those reading should know that Amex falsely added XXXX worth of debt to my credit profile during the beginning of the COVID pandemic, which messed up my credit score and triggered a series of events that have almost rendered me homeless ( multiple times ) in the past three months and caused me a great deal of difficulty these past few months ( the understatement of the century ). They effectively nuked my credit score, refused to admit they did anything wrong, proceed to deny me performance-based credit that I earned ( using references to vague changes in my credit report - that I later found out they caused ), and then they effectively barred me from the means to liquidate my own assets by refusing to allow me to put my card on file to facilitate an ACH transfer, with the goal of liquidating of some spare assets, thereby preventing me from obtaining the capital that I needed to pay them and others ( and causing my credit score to fall even further ). 

They have gone out of their way to be difficult, uncooperative, and unresponsive. If I could feel anything for Amex at this point ( because feeling something for them would imply I give a XXXX ), it would be deep disappointment. It is not my place to tell them ( or anyone ) how to feel ; however, if it were me, I would be ashamed. You ( I am directing this to you, Amex ) are a waste of space, a waste of matter, a waste of atoms, a waste of subatomic particles, etc. ( or whatever you want to call it my point is that your existence is utterly useless and even nonconducive towards the long-term survival and success of the human race ). Although it is not up to me, if it were : your organization would simply cease to exist. And, to be clear to the ( assumedly ) smug executives at Amex reviewing this comment : You will, at some point, as all maladaptive beings/traits ultimately do, cease to exist. I hope you all are ready for that day ; because, the way things are going, your organization 's time is soon. 

To anyone reading this comment, I am proud to say that I am still XXXX 's customer ; and, as I expressed to XXXX XXXX the XXXX XXXX Executive Director who has been so kind to me, and, as an extension, my loved ones, throughout this ordeal ), I plan to open a checking/savings account with the XXXX in coming weeks, as soon as I am able to do so. 

I would like to add that opening a new bank account is a big deal for me. Even though I am 25+ miles away from the nearest XXXX  XXXX XXXX  location, I have continued to bank with them ( XXXX  XXXX ) here in California for 3+ years, because they have been good to me, and I feel comfortable with them. People tend to resist change, and I am no different. I have done my banking ( savings and checking ) pretty much exclusively through XXXX XXXX up until this point. And I will continue to keep my bank accounts with them ; because, they have been fair to me for the entirety of my stint as a customer, including the time leading-up-to and throughout this entire ordeal with Amex. And I would like to express my gratitude to the team at XXXX XXXX for that. 

That stated ( and putting all, or, at least, most loyalties aside ), I need a bank that is convenient to me here in California for many reasons, and that is why I need to open another account. And XXXX has my business. Simply put, business requires trust, and I trust XXXX with my money and my business, because they listen to what I have to say and respect my boundaries. 

Despite some challenges along the way, thank you to the team/directors behind the XXXX XXXX XXXX  Visa for showing a genuine eagerness to listen and respond to my feedback constructively. I look forward to continuing to work together to strive for better for society. I also want to thank whoever has been reviewing these comments and forwarding to the various organizations involved - I acknowledge and appreciate your efforts. 

To those at XXXX, please let me know if you all need help with the algorithms that govern your databases ( assuming you all have not already figured it out and made adjustments ). My research group is working on a project with XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, the Department of Energy, and some others called the XXXX XXXX XXXX ; and, we are using machine learning algorithms to streamline and optimize process-based automation systems in real-time, effectively allowing machines to use live data streams to adapt and self-optimize ( in terms of improving operational functionality and safety ). 

These optimization processes ( the ones we currently use and the ones you would need to optimize your database ( s ) accordingly ) function on similar principles, as they both analyze live data with the goal of providing real-time feedback. Not to be redundant, however, if you all recall, the issue that I was having with XXXX was that they shipped my credit card to the wrong address ( twice ). As of when I applied for the card ( I do not know if this is still happening ), I did not receive a warning or notification that XXXX/XXXX  were going to ship my card to a different address that the one in my application. 

My suggestion is for you all to modify your system to give users some type of a warning. This can be done in any number of ways. If security when cross-referencing your companies ' databases ( for privacy/legal reasons ) is an issue, you can use public key cryptography and symmetric encryption protocols to create and implement a secure end-to-end encryption. If thats possible, it is feasible to implement this system along with an added looping contingency designed to cross-reference transactional data from XXXX ( with respect to each sub-account considered separately from the main account holder ) with the application data that the customer is entering in real-time. The contingency ( in laymens terms ) simply put : " If The # of Orders Made/Delivered to the specific address of a Sub-Account ( within a reasonable period of time, i.e. past 6 months ) is more than the amount of orders made/delivered to the main account holders address ( from that subaccount ), then trigger a warning. This warning can manifest itself as an in-browser notification ( symmetric encryption protocols are capable of functioning vis -- vis browsers ) that warns the customer in some capacity. For example, " ( Customer Name XXXX, it looks like the shipping address we have on file for the primary account holder is different than the address that we noticed the majority of your orders have been getting delivered to in the past six months. Would you like to ship the card to ( Insert Most Used Sub-Account Receiving Address ) instead? Yes, No, Ship to Other. '' Or something like that. 

Not only would this allow you all to set up a warning message for your customers when they are applying for the card, when incorporated with machine learning principles, one could also use the information/feedback provided ( vis -- vis activity tracking, etc ) to adjust and improve future automated responses to those customers ( i.e. instead of asking every time, the system will know, or at least have a good idea, of the customer intent based on former patterns ). 

If at any point it is needed, I would like to extend XXXX the option to reach out to us for help in the future, and I will be more than happy to provide assistance if I can ( or to set up appointments/meetings/consultations with those in the research sector who may be able to provide assistance ). Not that such an organization needs my help - I almost feel foolish offering. However, I would like to emphasize the sincerity of my offer. And this offer is not meant to patronize or pressure ; however, I intend to leave it open as a gesture of trust, respect, and gratitude to you, your team, and the tremendous efforts you all have made at XXXX. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude, not only through my words, but through my actions. You can reach out to me at any time. When I am asked to provide feedback, I do my best to give solutions. XXXX has my information, as should your main office - feel free to call, text, or email. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this right - I am truly grateful.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation