Consumer complaint received 2018-08-18
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TN
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 balance transfer

Complaint:
XX/XX/18 - applied online for credit card, was approved, requested a balance transfer in the amount of {$1500.00} to my creditor. This was for a 0 % interest and no transfer fee if completed by XX/XX/XXXX. This amount was within the amount of approved credit amount. 

I had checked my email which directed me to check the status of my balance transfer it had stated that I was approved for the {$1500.00} balance transfer. 

Around XX/XX/XXXX did an online chat to ask why the balance transfer still had not gone through, was told to call the creditor that held my balance because it was not accepted by them. 

XX/XX/18 contacted the credit card company again asking why the transfer was not sent in they asked me to tell them what the account number was because my creditor had declined the payment they sent in. Found out that one of the numbers of the account number was incorrect. I gave them the correct number they stated that it would be sent through within 3 -5 days. 

XX/XX/18 XXXX XXXX, contacted the credit card company again because it still had not been paid to my creditor. I had to talk to several different people in customer service and the balance transfer department because I kept getting disconnected every time they put me on hold. They did say that it would be sent out again but could not promise that it would fall within the XX/XX/XXXX date and I may not receive the advertised interest rate. They were of no help basically and I asked for a manager which did not speak to me at the time. 

XX/XX/18 XXXX XXXX, I called the credit card company and spoke to a customer service agent who told me that it had been taken care of and the check would be sent out the next day to my creditor for the balance transfer and that I would get the 0 % and no transfer fee because it had been approved. 

I went back online to check on the decision by the credit card company and this is what it said. DECISION DATE : XX/XX/18 PAYEE NAME - XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX   REQUESTED AMOUNT : {$1500.00} APPROVED AMOUNT : {$1500.00} CHECK TYPE : paper CHECK ISSUE DATE : XX/XX/18 CHECK STATUS - stopped CHECK NUMBER - XXXX This clearly tells me that the amount was approved and that is was sent to my creditor and that it was stopped ( because the account number was incorrect ) if it had been correct it would have been paid to my creditor. 

I have since then received a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX and another dated XX/XX/XXXX from this credit card company stating that unfortunately they were unable to approve the balance transfer. And that balance transfers must be requested no later than 30 days after the date my account was opened. So in other words I can not receive the 0 % and no balance transfer. It stated that total balance transfers amount may not exceed the lesser of {$7500.00} or 75 % of your credit limit and can not cause your balance to exceed your credit limit. 

I have no idea why they did not just send out another check to my creditor once I gave them the correct account number on XX/XX/18, I told them that I received an email stating that I had been approved for the balance transfer and clearly they had sent a check to my creditor on XX/XX/18. 

I feel they discriminated against me based on my conversation with them on XX/XX/18 when I kept getting disconnected and was bounced from one department to another and they did not like that I was not happy with the fact that I had been approved for the transfer and it still was not going through, or someone did not follow through like they were supposed to and get this through in time. None of the customer service agents or balance transfer agents were of any help to me on the phone. 

All of the conversations I had was recorded.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief