Consumer complaint received 2023-01-20
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms

Complaint:
Hi, I am writing this letter to file Complaints against American Express. 
1 ) American Express has been very dishonest about their credit card offers.

2 ) American Express has been wasting my time and lying about their willingness to follow up with me.

3 ) American Express has committed a fraud against me. 

American Express did not honor me for what they advertise to offer for consumers like myself. 
On several websites, American Express offers sign up bonus points from opening their XXXX Credit Card with a spending of {$6000.00} within 6 months of opening the account. In addition to that, consumer has to pay a {$690.00} annual fee. Also, the sign up bonus points will be granted in about XXXX to XXXX weeks after the consumer met the spending threshold. 
Here are some of the links : https : //www.uscreditcardguide.com/amex-platinum-card/ # disqus_thread https : //www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/card/platinum/ So, on XX/XX/XXXX, I applied online for the first time in my life this Platinum Credit Card from American Express and I was approved right on the spot.

Note : I can send you the attachment from American Express approval letter.

Few months after I already met all their requirements of spending the {$6000.00} within the first 6 months of opening the account. On XX/XX/XXXX, I chat online through my American Express credit card online account to make sure that I met their requirements and/or criteria for their sign up bonus points and I asked and confirmed that the sign up bonus points were given in about XXXX XXXX weeks. The agent from the chat-room confirmed my concerns and sent me some information. 
Note : I can send you the attachment from my online chatting with the agent from American Express. 
Also, I phone called American Express on that same day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) to confirm and verify with the sign up bonus points requirements and/or criteria. The representative who I spoke to, he confirmed that I met the requirements and my sign up bonus points should be posted in about XXXX to XXXX weeks. They never said I was denied for the sign up bonus points. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called again, and spoke to a manager. He told me that my bonus points should be ready the earliest by XX/XX/XXXX ( since it needs about XXXX to XXXX weeks to be posted into my account ). At this point, the manager did not mention either about my sign up bonus points-denial. 

So, I patiently waited for XXXX month after my last phone call. On XX/XX/XXXX at around XXXX. I called American Express, and I was told by a representative that my sign up bonus points were declined because of offer history. So, she transferred me to a second level of management, and the manager said that he does not know why my sign up bonus points were denied and he will have his higher level manager to call me back within XXXX hours. 

After XXXX hours of waiting, NOT a single person from American Express called me back. 
So, On XX/XX/XXXX around XXXX pm, I phone called American Express again and the Team leader named XXXX refused to answer my phone call because the representative put me on hold for about XXXX minutes or so and XXXX told the representative to tell me that I am not eligible for the sign up bonus points " due to balance and number of credit cards. '' So, I asked the representative to email me or mail me that particular NOTE of denied sign up Bonus points she was talking about ; however, she said there is no way they can send it through the mail or email about that NOTE to me. 

After XX/XX/XXXX, I have called American Express few more times in different date. However, I got the same answers : no manager is available, and we will call you back. But in reality they never called me back. 

On XX/XX/XXXX around XXXX, I called American Express again and the representative told me that no manager is available but they will call me back within XXXX to XXXX hours. Finally on the same date XX/XX/XXXX ( Thursday ) around XXXX, a manager from American Express called me back ; however, she said there is nothing she can do and I was denied for the sign up bonus offer on XXXX XXXX. 

My questions/concerns/complaints : XXXX ) Why did American Express approve my application on the first place? American Express should have given me a notification of the denial notice of the sign up bonus points when I applied for this credit card and the notification should have sent to me before I was approved. And SHOULD NOT wait until I the consumer spent all that money, time, and phone calls after phones without any answers or solutions. 

XXXX ) American express should had sent me the denial note or letter for the sign up bonus points when I applied this Platinum Credit and should had NOT waited until I ( the consumer ) HAD to call them several times in different occasions to find out this fraudulent offer. American Express is not in a good faith. 
Spending over {$6000.00} in 6 months and the annual fee of {$690.00} is a LOT of money. If American Express would not honor me with their advertised offer ; I would have spent my money in other credit card companies where they truly value their customers and honor their customers for what they were offered to. 

XXXX ) Even after so many phone calls I did, American Express failed to send me and refused to send any notification or letter with explanations regarding the denial of the sign up bonus points. 

4 ) This is very deceptive and American Express has been very dishonest about their credit card offers.

Why American Express offers and advertises products to consumers like me ( who never got this Platinum card before ) when American Express does not even fulfill their promises or offers?

5 ) Representatives and/or managers from American Express said that my sign up bonus points were denied Because of offer history? and Due to balance and number of credit cards?

This is the first time I have ever applied their XXXX Credit card from American Express, so I have never gotten this offer before. 
Per American Express representative : a person can hold a maximum of XXXX credit cards from American Express. In this case, I do not have more than 5 American Express credit cards. And American Express can check my history. 
Due to balance. I pay off every single credit card I have and I do not owe any balance from American Express. American Express can check my payment history as well. 
So, I do not know where American Express representatives got these ideas from. 

6 ) The latest representatives and managers said that my sign up bonus points were denied. One of the managers told me the denial of the sign up bonus points was on XX/XX/XXXX. So, why the first couples of representatives and manager who I talked to earlier in XX/XX/XXXX did not even mention any thing about this denial? 
All their stories do not add up or match. 
Why are they holding this information until I asked them about it and not telling me earlier? 

7 ) I have been very patient with American Express ; however, American Express representatives just do not care and are not willing to find solutions to this problem. Not a single person called me back as they promised from my previous phone calls. During my several different phone calls in different occasions, American Express representatives have been lying to me because they always said they will call you back but in reality they will Never call you back. 

In conclusion, I have been very patient and I have been a loyal American Express customer for over 20 years and I have never encountered this kind of dishonesty and fraudulent offers. I even offered/asked for a happy ending win-win solution in which American Express refunds my annual fee of {$690.00} for all these inconveniences instead of giving me their advertised/promised sign up bonus points ; however, they refuse to do so in addition to not willing to provide any letter or notification with explanation of the sign up bonus points denial. I believe American Express is not in a good faith. I believed American Express has committed a fraud against me.

I hope sincerely the consumer financial protection Bureau can help me to solve this problem as soon as possible.

Thank you for your assistance and understanding. 

Respectfully, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation