Consumer complaint received 2022-05-21
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
I have called in to the company 5 times on XX/XX/XXXX, and when providing details regarding the account ( ex : name, birthday, last 4 of SSN, card account number, security code located on the back of the card, email ) i have learned that the account has been modified with information that I did not provide when creating the account nor did i authorize the modification of the account details. Specifically, it has come to my attention that the bank has acquired my XX/XX/XXXX, date of birth when I created the account with the date of XX/XX/XXXX, of birth. When calling in today to inquire about transactions that are being automatically declined by the bank, I learned that the reason the transaction was being declined was because the account had been updated without my knowledge or consent with my XX/XX/XXXX, date of birth. I have record of me calling into the bank on several occasions over the past several years since the account was created and verifying the account with my XX/XX/XXXX, date of birth and now starting on XX/XX/XXXX, my XX/XX/XXXX, birth date is now required for verification, and I am being denied services because the date of birth has been updated without my knowledge or consent. 

I spoke with several very rude and condescending representatives that disconnected the call when I provided the requested information where one representative told literally told me to call back once I have logged in online and have verified the account information and immediately disconnected the call. I called immediately called back and requested to speak with a supervisor and did not provide any account details to the representative and the representative was willing to transfer me with no problem. When transferred I spoke with a supervisor and requested to speak with her direct superior. She inquired and I informed her that one very disrespectful representative just literally hung up in my face after I literally provided every account detail to her that she asked for. The supervisor attempted to lie and state that she was transferring me to a supervisor, and I had to inform her that the representative hung up in my face after telling me to call back after logging into the account. I inquired and asked that since I provided the entire card number, the security code on the back of the card, the email address ( I provided two since I have more than one primary email address and wasn't sure which one was on the profile until I logged in ), full name, and date of birth why did the representative hang up the call in my face. The supervisor related that the date of birth on the account was not the XX/XX/XXXX, nor what I assumed XX/XX/XXXX, but instead they had changed the account and added the XX/XX/XXXX, date of birth. When inquiring how did they acquire that information and who authorized the change, she tried exceptionally poorly to " gaslight '' me into thinking that I am the one that created the account with that date of birth. I continuously tried to make her understand that when I created the account I used XX/XX/XXXX, and have record of me calling in to the company and verifying the account with that date of birth ( years ago when I initially attempted to create an account with the company I was denied due to security issues ( fraud on the part of American Express ) so I resorted to using other legal information belonging to me to create the account ). 

However, she continued to try and gaslight me into accepting what she was stating as fact, in the middle of me attempting to make her comprehend what I was saying she attempted to lie and make it seem like she couldn't hear me and stopped once I had stated several times that I was too recording the call. Then, again she tried gaslighting me and when I again tried to explain that the information that she was trying to make me accept was inaccurate as I literally recorded me calling in several times and verifying the account with that number, she transferred me to another representative on a lower level than her. I called in again and spoke with a representative and asked to be transferred to a supervisor and the representative was willing to transfer me without asking any account specific information and after a couple of rings the call was disconnected ( presumably the same supervisor I spoke with as when I spoke with that supervisor that was the second time I had spoken with her on XX/XX/XXXX ). I called in again and spoke with a condescending representative a he completely refused to transfer me at all until I provided account specific information and when I told him that I had just literally called and was transferred without having to provide anything he stated he would not transfer me until I had provided him with account specific information and disconnected the call when I protested.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief