Consumer complaint received 2016-05-08
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Rewards

Complaint:
On a friend 's advice, my husband and I considered signing up for XXXX XXXX ' Platinum Card. It has a {$450.00} annual fee, but occasionally has a bonus of XXXX Membership Rewards points ( when spending {$3000.00} within 3 months ), which is significant. Our friend advised us to wait and to only sign up if we received a XXXX offer. We checked every week or so on XXXX 's own website, where you enter your SSN and personal details and receive various card offers targeted at you as a specific individual. We repeatedly received only offers for XXXX, and so we did not apply for the card. 

One night, my husband saw a XXXX offer ( which we did not sign up for ). A few minutes later when we checked for myself, I received an offer from XXXX for XXXX points. 

My friend mentioned that sometimes XXXX XXXX does not honor their sign-up bonuses, and so he recommended taking a screenshot of the offer. I personally felt that seemed ridiculous, but I did it anyway and now am glad I did. We proceeded with the application on our computer, taking screenshots with our phone of the XXXX points notation whenever it repeatedly showed up throughout the application process. I was approved for the card, and received it a few days later. I spent over {$3000.00} within about a month and a half was charged the {$450.00} annual fee for the card ( these facts are not disputed by XXXX, and I can provide statements to verify upon request ). 

We then saw that my account was only credited with XXXX points, much less than the XXXX that was promised when signing up. I contacted XXXX customer service XX/XX/XXXX regarding the missing XXXX pts, via their messaging functionality when logged in to the account online. 

The CSR listened to our issue noted that their " Marketing Team '' would open an investigation, and that I should check back the following week. I later checked back in with another CSR and on his advice I uploaded the screenshots. 

I checked back in after 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks, and each time was told the investigation was still ongoing. On the 6th week, I was told that the investigation had concluded and I was not entitled to the points as there was not a XXXX point offer attached to my account. 

I was incredulous. I had spent several hours over several weeks trying to resolve this, and the company was either behaving incompetently or flat-out-dishonestly in refusing to grant the points as advertised and promised. I was not permitted to dispute the issue, hear the details of how the " Marketing Team '' reached their conclusion, or how/why they had disregarded the photos I had provided. I mentioned I may file a CFPB complaint, and the CSR then said that he could request the investigation be reopened " in light of this new information '', and that it would take another 2-4 weeks ( XXXX weeks total from originally contacting XXXX ). When I asked if it could be resolved sooner or if I could contact the " Marketing team '', I was told that was against XXXX policy and was chastised for requesting special treatment. That is how the situation currently stands. 

I have subsequently done research online, and found many customers have had issues with XXXX XXXX ' not honoring sign-up bonuses, with the observation that XXXX 's systems are incorrectly logging what offers are attached to which online applications, specifically in instances where more than one person is using the same computer ( their approach relies on browser " cookies '', and thus it thinks that an application may be associated with a previous bonus points offer on the same computer ). 

I understand that technical issues happen and this could cause issues on XXXX 's end. However, as the consumer that is clearly not my responsibility and from my perspective XXXX is blatantly " bait-and-switching '' on me and denying me the full XXXX points they offered me to entice me to apply. The incremental XXXX points are worth $ XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation