Consumer complaint received 2017-04-25
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
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: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
MY REASONS FOR DISPUTIN G AMEX CREDIT CAR D CHARGE On  XX/XX/XXXX  I called the CFPB and spoke to  XXXX  at   XXXX   XXXX   PST. I told her tha t AMEX had  violated the FCBA repeatedly in the  XX/XX/XXXX  letter  AMEX sent to me. In this letter AMEX falsely stated they did NOT have the power to issue a credit for a technically unauthorized charge. AMEX stated, The decision to issue credit is solely at the discretion of the Merchant.       XXXX  read the letter  AMEX sent to  the FCPB ; the letter also stated  AMEX is in capable of issuing a credit for an unauthorized charge that I did NOT sign for.  XXXX  CONFIRMED  AMEX IS IN  VIOLATION OF THE FCBA and told me to contact Legal Aid. She also told me to file this new complaint against   AMEX.
1. In violation of state and federal credit card laws, AMEX fals  ely stated in their attached letter, dated  XX/XX/XXXX , they LACK the authority and power to issue a credit for an unauthorized and disputed chargeback charge.    XXXX   . In violation of state and federal credit card laws, AMEX is holding me liable for unauthorized charges.
3. In AMEX     XXXX   XXXX   letter to the CFPB and to me ( attached ), in violation of state and federal credit card laws  AMEX stated they lack the ability/authorization to issue a credit fo r this unauthorized charge. In my  XX/XX/XXXX  letter   AMEX made the false claim, The decision to issue credit is solely at the discretion of the Merchant.
4. The signature on the charge slip is NOT mine.
5. I did NOT receive all the services   I paid for. On   XXXX   I fired the merchant. On   XXXX   I had to hire merch  ant # 2 for {$10000.00} to perform the services merchant # 1 never performed.
6.   On   XXXX   I fired this merchant. On   XXXX   I hired new merchant and had to pay him {$10000.00} to do all the work merchant #   1 had never done.
7. I never authorized merchant to bill me {$7500.00} for services that were falsely advertised, grossly deficient, deceptive, unfair, & misrepresented.
8. The contract I signed   with merchant in   XXXX   XXXX   was null and voided.     9. The money I paid was REFUNDABLE.
10. Merchants services were deficient.
11. The quality of the services I received w  ere not the quality of the services merchant promised or advertised.       AMEX VIOLATIONS OF FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS 1. Per federal credit card laws, I am not liable for charges I did not authorize and sign for. I did not authorize this charge ; nor did I sign for it.
2. In contradiction to what AMEX wrote i  n my    XXXX    letter and in their   XXXX   letter sent to CFPB,  Section 161 of the FCBA states the credit card company has the legal and binding duty to make Correction of billing errors within 2 billing cycles, or no later than 90 days ; AMEX must make appropriate corrections. AMEX clearly failed this duty when they stated, The decision to issue credit is solely at the discretion of the Merchant.       3. AMEX had repeatedly FAILED to make appropriate corrections for the past 6 months  ; this is documented in their  XX/XX/XXXX  letter to meand in their   XXXX   letter to the CFPB. Per the  FCBA, AMEX mu st release me from any   debt obligation related to this disputed charge. Per section ( e ) of the FCBA, the law states, any creditor who fails to comply with the requirements of this section or section 162 forfeits any right to collect from the obligor the amount indicated by the obligor under paragraph ( 2 ) of subsection ( a ) of this section, and any finance charges thereon, except that the amount required to be forfeited under this subsection may not exceed {$50.00}.
4. The FCBA states AMEX has a legal duty to investigate and prove that I received all the services I paid for. For the past 6 months, AMEX has failed to properly investigate this matter. AMEX has failed to prove that merchant delivered all the services I paid for. AMEX has ignored the fact that the contract signed with merchant is null and void. AMEX has ignored the fact that I had to pay another merchant {$10000.00} to do all the services that merchant # 1 failed to deliver. In the attached letter from the CA State Bar, it clearly states the money I paid to merchant/lawyer IS REFUNDABLE. In the CA State Bar 2017 letter, it clearly states merchant gave AMEX incorrect information.
5. I have properly exercised my legal rights regarding my claims of : 1 ) billing errors ; 2 ) claims and defenses ; 3 ) chargebacks ; 4 ) false advertising/deceptive and unfair business practices.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation