Consumer complaint received 2019-01-19
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: WA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Problem getting a working replacement card

Complaint:
I've had severe issues with American Express for quite a while now. For one, a majority of these issues stem from me being on XXXX XXXX with the military and American Express 's inability to honor my SCRA benefits. To make matters worse, my whole family is one of American Express 's largest cardholders and spenders. At least 12 of my immediate family members have platinum cards and 6 of our grandparents hold Centurion Black cards and/or are authorized users of the cards. While we may not  spend more than per say the XXXX of XXXX XXXX, its fair to say that our family has made at least XXXX  of dollars of payments through our respective American Express cards in the last twenty years.The only reason I am bringing this up is because American Express typically realizes this and has phenomenal service. However, as a cardmember, I have experienced horrendous treatment and a literal cycle of XXXX dealing with outsourced teams in the Responsible Lending Action Team. Let 's start briefly. I had severe identity theft since XXXX after being robbed abroad. A majority of aforementioned issues were taken care of, however, after being on XXXX XXXX since XXXX there have been a great number of additional issues. In late XXXX I applied for a Platinum American Express card as I got rid of my previous American Express cards earlier in the year. I have been an authorized user of my father 's Platinum Card and I wanted my own, as the Platinum department has MUCH better customer service and client relationships than does the regular American Express cards. I applied for my own platinum card via the CardMatch tool and there was an offer for XXXX+ points. I said yes and got approved instantly. Great. Only issue is I NEVER received the card. I came back for 10 days of leave during the holidays and received two emails from American Express notifying my account was to be closed. I called and asked why and long story short someone applied for a different card in my name months earlier. Because that account was insufficient, they closed all other accounts linked via my social security number. 

I called immediately during my free time and spoke with a very kind woman by the name of XXXX in the XXXX XXXX, FL Platinum Department ( ID XXXX ) on XX/XX/XXXX. I explained the full situation to XXXX who apologized and did all she could to have my platinum card reinstated. XXXX talked to her senior manager to have the platinum card reinstated, and he reached out to the team that denied the request, the RLA, and she told me that it would be a two day response time to get my card reactivated. She provided me the RLA 's direct contact number : XXXX. 

She then called me back thirty minutes later and initiated a 3 way call with the RLA supervisor, XXXX, and herself at XXXX XXXX  PST on XX/XX/XXXX. The lines are all recorded and XXXX verified with both me and XXXX that my card will be reinstated but they just need some information from me. The other card ( not the platinum ) got linked to my checking account and unauthorized charges were coming out of the account. They requested that I provide my banks information ( XXXX XXXX ) on an official letterhead that the account was compromised with the American Express charges and both XXXX  and XXXX said they were looking for the letter to state, " they are looking into a situation in which my bank account was compromised due to fraud or identity theft and saying, " hey we know that there is something going on here and we are looking into it. '' I went into XXXX XXXX and we had someone in Headquarters ( Washington, DC ) write a letter stating this. I faxed this into the RLA and CBR ( XXXX ), as well as used the Amex DocUpload website. However, since I never received the Platinum Card, I was told to just write my full name, full account number, reason I was sending in the fax including account reinstatement request, number of pages and a cover note. And since I didn't receive the card I was told to mention the last 5, XXXX, referencing the current platinum card number that I am an authorized user on ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ). 

Great, everything was going to be fixed within SEVENTY TWO HOURS, as promised to me by XXXX and XXXX  in the RLA. I called in, a week later only to find out I had been lied to. For one, THEY NEVER RECEIVED THE DOCUMENTS. Those sensitive documents with my bank, identification and social were all lost by the CBR and  American Express because they can't find my account! No one could pull up the platinum card account and I didn't know what the number was either! It was a cancelled account and no one could find it! A week later they were able to allow me access to the card number and account and I put that onto the documents and uploaded it. 

It spiraled out of control from here. I spoke to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST that confirmed once the documents were received my card request for reinstatement would be included and it would take a week or so from there to receive my card. I had now missed out on purchasing gifts for family and friends and gone the holidays without my platinum card. 

I called the platinum department on XX/XX/XXXX and spoke to a supervisor named XXXX who agreed this was ridiculous and tried calling the RLA but they were closed. Interesting since the RLA is open 24/7. I called on the other line and instantly connected XXXX with the RLA team. XXXX had lied to me and said " oh the number I called said they were closed. '' The RLA now had all the documents I uploaded and that they had requested and still refused to reinstate the account because now they wanted documents from XXXX! I hadn't had a XXXX checking account since XX/XX/XXXX. I switched to XXXX XXXX due to identity theft concerns and wanted a secure military banking facility. My XXXX accounts were all closed at my request and in good standing. What could American Express want from XXXX? 

The RLA agent was incredibly rude on the phone to me and said he'd prefer to speak to the Platinum Supervisor. Ok, why? I said he was speaking a bit too rude and we got transferred to XXXX his supervisor at XXXX PST on XX/XX/XXXX. They said that there was a RETURNED PAYMENT FOR {$19.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. Are you serious! I closed my accounts at the end of XXXX, and previous automatic payments from my old American Express cards closed out in XX/XX/XXXX/XX/XX/XXXX were in good standing and linked via Auto Pay to that XXXX account. XXXX confirmed that the payment for {$19.00} had been paid already and that all my American Express accounts were in good standing. It's a bit humorous that the RLA will not reinstate an account due to a 7 month old bank account and for such a paltry amount of {$19.00} when we were just considering paying {$500000.00} upfront for the Black Centurion card. XXXX said " Everything looks good on my end and your spending and accounts up to date an on time payments so I don't know what their issue is. '' So then I had to find a way to get in touch with XXXX, per XXXX 's request and the RLA, to write ANOTHER additional letter for them explaining that my XXXX account was closed. Do you know how difficult this is when I am in XXXX and there is not one XXXX branch in Washington state? XXXX told me he was going to try to reinstate my card but could not because the RLA had their hands on it, and that I should write to headquarters to get significant compensation for my time and the agony that they gave to me and my family during the holidays. The lies and misinformation that they kept telling me on repeat were just insane. I fight for this country, and during my brief time I get to spend with my family on leave I probably talked with American Express every day for at least 1-2 hours a day. 

I got transferred to another supervisor by the name of XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. The XXXX letter she had was not good enough and instead she requested that I get a letter that states " Because of the identity theft and the account has been closed and it is not your mistake. '' It's very hard to understand what exactly the RLA wants and needs, as it is my understanding the RLA is outsourced to a foreign country and their English is not 100 % comprehensible some of the time. XXXX said she was going to do her best to expedite my request to get the account reinstated once she got the correct documents, which I had to again call and ask to have them expedite over to me. 

I spoke to her daily. On XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, on XXXX XXXX, it just didn't end. She requested more and more time after I had been promised on the XX/XX/XXXX that it would only take 72 hours. 

I gave her a week. She promised to call me back multiple times and never did. They are on a recorded line, correct? So you can trace each call to verify what they said to me. XXXX is the one who promised to have everything reinstated within 72 hours. 

This got way too complicated with way too many people involved. On XX/XX/XXXX I left back to the military on orders. I did have intermittent phone access though in the meantime. I spoke to XXXX again on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PST. XXXX told me that after trying to get my card reinstated, they could not as the back office refused to do so and was not giving a proper reason for closing the account. She urged me to apply for a new card. Why would I apply for a new card and get my credit pulled again after all this? I froze my credit to prevent any unauthorized applications going through from this point forward and I didn't want a closed account on my credit bureau record and another hard inquiry -- it just doesn't look good. 

I asked to speak to someone higher and she said she was as high as she could go. I knew that wasn't true and asked again. She tried putting me with the " Superior Manager '' who was unavailable. I then asked what a good address was to serve legal papers to have American Express sued in court in regards to all of this, especially being lied to. She then transferred me to XXXX the Superior Manager who she couldn't initially transfer me to. XXXX talked over me and said the back office couldn't do anything. After pleading my case, as I did above, mentioning my family 's history he thought I was trying to reactivate my Gold and Platinum XXXX cards that I haven't had since XX/XX/XXXX. No! I could care less about those cards. I just wanted my platinum card. He said that because my Gold and Platinum cards were ineligible for reinstatement as there had been " more than 3 months '' that I couldn't reinstate them. However, I didn't want those! If the platinum card was opened in XXXX/ XXXX then it hadn't been 3 months and I wanted them back especially since it got cancelled in XXXX! There were so many inconsistencies that the RLA nor back office understood! 

I did EVERY single thing that the platinum supervisors recommended me to do. I also did everything the RLA asked me to do. I have perfect payment history and status with everything. It's not my fault I have had severe identity theft since XXXX! My credit is frozen and i've taken the steps I needed to take to lockdown my finances so nothing big happens again, including requesting to have my SSN changed. XXXX said he would do his best to escalate this higher to have it reinstated and would get back to me within 3 days. He talked over me and it was clear that there were more inconsistencies with his story and that he was just trying to get rid of me. XXXX said " do not talk to anyone else in the RLA, just me from here on out and I will work with you to get this reinstated. '' So I called the Platinum Department again and got transferred to Ms. XXXX XXXX who is also in XXXX XXXX and is a Platinum Supervisor. She said that she knew Ms. XXXX and was going to do her best to get my card reinstated. She called the RLA and spoke briefly with XXXX who said he's requesting 3 days to work on my account. She verified that she too would provide me with points and extra compensation after this was resolved. She said there were errors in trying to get the RLA to understand this complicated case. 

So 3 days go by, I call the XXXX back and XXXX is not there. I called again in 2 more days. He's STILL not there and is on " emergency family leave '' a week after he promised to help me. I spoke to someone in his place Mr. XXXX XXXX at XXXX PST on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX 's manager ( when I was told XXXX was the supervisor and XXXX was as high as they could go ). And XXXX said he will work with this and get back to me within 24 hours. Again yelling at me and talking over to me to just give him 24 hours. OK, fine. He promised to call me back.

The following day it had been about 29 hours, I called the RLA to speak to Mr. XXXX. Which was today. Mr. XXXX said " so sorry I didn't call you back '' ( which was the typical excuse of the RLA ). Mr. XXXX stated to give him more time to another supervisor. I said no because he promised within 24 hours and I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FOR A MONTH NOW. Mr. XXXX said he'd call me within an hour or two.

An hour or two passes by and guess what. He didn't call back. I called them after two hours and Mr. XXXX who said he'd be taking over the case, DIDN'T! He said " you know what XXXX is actually back today so you can talk to him. '' SERIOUSLY! I KEEP GETTING TOSSED AROUND. XXXX just told me " sorry your request unfortunately was not approved with the CBR despite all the documents you put in. I will have a talk with XXXX  about promising your reinstatement. '' Everyone 's trying to backpeddle on what they said and promised. 

I was lied to and tossed around for over a month with the RLA and American Express. Are we not the valued cardmembers you so claim to love? This kind of treatment, to a Centurion Black member, a platinum member or even a XXXX Blue Bird cash member is unacceptable. If you're going to promise a cardmember certain things to resolve severe issues, and then just create more of a XXXX for him or her, well you should honor exactly what you said. 

Ms. XXXX and XXXX the supervisors said there was someone in the platinum department who would be able to reinstate my card and that there was a way to go over the RLA. They said they would have that team member contact me, but I never received a call. XXXX said it wasn't ok if platinum supervisors said they'd call me back -- well they didn't! And this happened on numerous occasions. They did say that the Executive Office does have the power to fix and remedy ALL situations.

In total, over the last month, I've invested over 120+ hours dealing with American Express on the phone and requesting documents from across the nation to get my card reinstated. This behavior is unacceptable and is not right to do to anyone. I had no card during the holidays and spent my holidays fighting with your backend team who got nothing resolved nor done, they apparently didn't understand a majority of the requests coming from me or the Platinum Department either. 

I caved into everyone 's requests today and applied for a new Platinum card via the phone. I got rejected because 1. ) my credit is frozen and 2. ) It won't give me a card because your system thinks that I STILL HAVE THE CARD and " Can't issue new cards to cardmembers that still have this card, as your application was approved within the last few months. '' It showed as " application cancelled. '' Seriously? Another 3 hours of my day GONE. At least your customer service agents are getting paid for theres! If my father or my grandfather had to endure this, it would have been a lot worse. I am much nicer than the two of them and i'm sure you've experienced the wrath of both of them.

This is a violation of SCRA benefits for XXXX XXXX military members aside from various federal regulations. 

This is my last attempt to deal with the Executive Office and American Express. I apologize for the tone of the email, but I tried being as respectful as possible over the years and over the last MONTH dealing with your company. I truly loved being an American Express cardmember, however, the treatment I've endured thus far is insane. I got an address to send legal documents to : Executive Offices American Express XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, NY XXXX I would like to resolve this situation amicably, however, if I do not hear from anyone in time, I will be filing. 

Thank you. 

On another note : Also, briefly, I would like to mention a major issue with your Centurion Lounge in XXXX airport  in XXXX. If you read the XXXX Reviews and XXXX review you will see that there are very rude people that are working the front desk and causing a lot of commotion for frequent travelers. On my last interaction with the supervisor, XXXX, there was a lot of screaming and yelling because this was about the 12th time that I had bit my tongue not saying anything due to his inappropriateness and rudeness in dealing with me and other card members trying to check in. I love the other woman who works there, XXXX, who apologized that she would've let me into the lounge, however, XXXX was putting his foot down attempting to discriminate against either me or my clothing -- and he is her supervisor. I believe I already lodged a formal complaint with the platinum department, but before I complained I checked XXXX  and XXXX Reviews to see if there was any other additional information in regards to this lounge and maybe if it was just me. You have nearly 100 reviews and a one star on both platforms. I would implore you to quickly handle the situation as you know that XXXX is one of the fastest growing hubs in the world and it attracts very wealthy people now. Very wealthy people = more platinum members and Centurion black card holders visiting the lounge. He is not representing your lounge appropriately.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation