Consumer complaint received 2019-02-12
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MD
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
I WAS CONTACTED BY PHONE BY A VACATION COMPANY THAT SAID THEY WERE CONNECTED WITH XXXX. THEY SOLD ME A VACATION PACkAGE AND I USED MY AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD TO PURCHASE THE SERVICE. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED AMERICAN EXPRESS AFTER APPROVING THE PURCHASE AND TOLD THEM NOT TO POUT THE CHARGE THROUGH AS I DISCOVERED THAT THE COMPANY WAS NOT CONNECTED WITH XXXX. I WAS TOLD BY AMERICAN EXPRESS THAT SINCE IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL CHARGE NOTHING HAD BEEN BILLED AND THAT THEY WOULD BLOCk THE BILL IF IT WERE PUT THROUGH. I HAD THIS CONVERSATION WITH AMERICAN EXPRESS IMMEDIATELY LESS THAN 5 MINUTES AFTER SPEAkING WITH THE MERCHANT. THE MERCHANT CALLED ME BACk TO SAY THAT THE TRANSACTION WAS BLOCkED AND I TOLD THEM TO CANCEL THE TRANSACTION AS WELL. SINCE BOTH AMERICAN EXPRESS AND THE MERCHANT TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSACTION HADN'T GONE THROUGH I ASSUMED THAT WAS THE CASE. I WAS NEVER TOLD BY AMERICAN EXPRESS TO CALL THEM BACk TO BLOCk THE TRANSACTION. I WAS ASSURED THAT IT HADN'T GONE THROUGH AND WOULDN'T GO THROUGH. 

I DIDN'T CHECk MY STATEMENTS UNTIL XX/XX/2018. THE BILLING OCCURRED ON THE XX/XX/2018 BILL. AMERICAN EXPRESS IS SAYING THAT I NEEDED TO DISPUTE THE CHARGE WITHIN 60 DAYS. I DISPUTED THE CHARGE IMMEDIATELY. THEY REFUSE TO REMOVE THE FRAUDULENT CHARGE. I RECEIVED NO SERVICE OR GOODS FOR THIS CHARGE. AMERICAN EXPRESS INSISTS THAT SINCE IT WAS A DELAYED BILLING AS THEY DON'T PUT THROUGH INTERNATIONAL CHARGES IMMEDIATELY I APPROVED THE BILLING. I DISPUTED WITHIN 5 MINUTES OR LESS THIS CHARGE. I RECEIVED THEIR ASSURANCE THAT THE BILLING HADN'T AND WOULDN'T OCCUR. AMERICAN EXPRESS IS REFUSING TO REMOVE THE CHARGE AND ARE HOLDING ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR PAYING FOR SERVICES I NEVER RECEIVED AND REFUTED BEFORE THEY EVER PUT THE CHARGE ON MY BILL. THEY MUST REMOVE THE BILLING. 

THE AMOUNT IS FOR {$1400.00} MADE XX/XX/2018 TO VACATION BILLING. I HAVE TRIED TO REFUTE THIS ITEM THROUGH THEIR DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS WHICH THEY CLAIM TO HAVE UNDERTAkEN. THEY CONTINUOUSLY STATE THAT SINCE IT'S BEYOND THEIR 60 PERIOD THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THEY AGREE THAT THE BILLING WASN'T IMMEDIATE BUT NOW SAY THEY TOLD ME TO CALL THEM BACk. I WAS NEVER TOLD TO CALL AMERICAN EXPRESS BACk REGARDING THIS BILLING. I WAS TOLD IT HADN'T GONE THROUGH AND WOULDN'T GO THROUGH BECAUSE I CALLED THEM IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE GOTTEN NOWHERE WITH THE COMPANY. MY LAST CONVERSATION WAS WITH XXXX AND HE REFUSED TO LET ME SPEAk TO HIS SUPERVISOR OR ANYONE ELSE. HE TOLD ME I WAS TOLD TO CALL THEM BACk AND DIDN'T. HE DOESN'T REFUTE THAT I GOT NO SERVICES OR GOODS. HE SAYS I GAVE THE CREDIT CARD INFORMATION TO THE VENDOR AND THAT AMERICAN EXPRESS BILLED ME FOR NOTHING. AMERICAN EXPRESS IS ENABLING FRAUD TO MY ACCOUNT AND NEEDS TO TAkE THE LIABILITY FOR THIS ITEM. THEY INSIST THAT SINCE IT IS AN INTERNATIONAL BILLING AND AFTER 60 THEY CAN'T CONTACT THE MERCHANT OR HOLD THEM LIABLE SO IT IS A LEGITIMATE BILLING. 

THIS IS FRAUD ENABLEMENT BY AMERICAN EXPRESS. I REFUTED THE BILLING IMMEDIATELY. THEIR 60 DAY REQUIREMENT WAS MET BY ME AND THEY NEED TO REVERSE THE CHARGE. 

I HAVE XXXX XXXX XXXX. THE STRESS ALL OF THIS IS CAUSING ME TO EXPERIENCE IS ENORMOUS AND EXCEEDINGLY DETRIMENTAL TO MY HEALTH. 
I HAVE FOUND THE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCESS BY AMERICAN EXPRESS TO BE BOGUS AND THE FOLkS ADMINISTERING IT TO BE VERY WOODEN AND UNCOOPERATIVE. 

I ONCE PURCHASED MEDICATION IN XXXX FOR MYXXXX. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE US MY DOCTOR AT XXXX XXXX XXXX HOSPITAL REFUSED TO PERMIT ME TO HAVE THE XXXX. I RETURNED THEM TO XXXX PER AMERICAN EXPRESSES INSTRUCTIONS AND FORWARDED ALL OF THE XXXX XXXX MATERIAL ETC. THEY REQUESTED FROM ME. THEY REMOVED THE CHARGE BASED ON THE INFORMATION AND TOLD ME THAT THE DISPUTED HAD BEEN RESOLVED IN MY FAVOR AND THAT THE DISPUTE HAD BEEN CLOSED. THE PROCESS TOOk SEVERAL MONTHS. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MERCHANT HAD NEVER RESPONDED SO THE INVESTIGATION HAD BEEN CLOSED AFTER 2 MONTHS IN MY FAVOR. I WAS TOLD I COULD DISCARD MY RECORDS. SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THAT AMERICAN EXPRESS PUT THE CHARGE BACk ON MY RECORD BECAUSE THEY SAID THE MERCHANT HAD RESPONDED AFTER 4 MONTHS AND SAID THEY HADN/T GOT THE MEDICATIONS BACk IN THE MAIL. I ARGUED THAT THEY HAD CLOSED THE INVESTIGATION AND TOLD ME IT WAS CLOSED AND RESOLVED IN MY FAVOR. THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD REVERSE IT AGAIN IF I PROVIDE THE XXXX XXXX TRACkING NUMBER. I NO LONGER HAD THE NUMBER AND WHEN I CONTACTED XXXX XXXX THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY DESTROYED THEIR RECORDS AFTER 60 DAYS. I WENT TO THE HEADQUARTERS AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NO RECORDS AFTER 6 MONTHS WHEN THEY TRIED TO SEARCH FOR IT. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT XXXX CHANGES THE TRACkING NUMBER WHEN THEY LOG IT IN IN XXXX. XXXX XXXX  TOLD ME THAT ANYTHING LIkE MEDICINES WOULD BE CONFISCATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF XXXX. THEY TOLD ME THAT ANY THING OVER A VALUE OF {$200.00} US WAS LIkELY TO HAVE BEEN CONFISCATED BY THE XXXX GOVERNMENT AND NOT RETURNED TO THE VENDOR ANYWAY. 

AMERICAN EXPRESS HAS NEVER BEEN CONSISTENT WITH ME WITH IT'S PROTOCOLS FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ENABLES FRAUDULENT BILLING BY AT LEAST THESE 2 VENDORS.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation