Consumer complaint received 2020-10-06
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NV
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-issue: Trouble getting information about the card

Complaint:
I received my XXXX unemployment retro money on XX/XX/2020 i purchased a prepaid cc at XXXX for American express. the employment division for the the state of Nevada verified my ID Me a third party company. employment division then released my funds to American Express pre paid card. I withdrew cash in 3 ATM transactions to pay some past due bills. and I also had 3 point of sale transactions. my ATM amounts were {$400.00}, {$100.00} both of these amounts cleared as did the 3 point of sale transactions. the 3rd ATM transaction was declined. when I called American Express to inquire when i was declined they told me I had exceeded my {$750.00} in cash withdrawals. I was confused at their reason i had only withdrawn XXXX and the XXXX was declined. 

I was told at that time I could get more cash the following day in the amount of {$2500.00} by going to XXXX. he told me to do this I had to do a transaction online. when i attempted to do what they told me the information would not go through. I thought because I was not using my own computer could have been the problem. I went home and tried to do the process on my own computer and it would not go through then either. 

the next day I attempted to withdraw more money and i was declined again. I called American express and was informed my account was locked and my funds were sent back to unemployment. I checked with the employment division and they know nothing about any of what American express is saying. the confirmed the money is mine and not the unemployment divisions. 

I was told early this am by an American express employee that i needed to call XXXX XXXX XXXX they told me it was the account protection service when they answered the call center employee told me the same thing as yesterday my account was locked and they sent the funds back to where they came from. she couldn't tell me where the funds came from. she told me I had to write a letter to an address where no one could me reached by phone. I told them I wouldn't do that I explained I didn't have to write a letter to give them my money to put on the card. i again wanted to know why my account was locked she couldn't tell me and she said they had sent it back to the sender and there is nothing i could do about it .and i have no choice in the matter. then i was put on hold again. when someone came back on line i requested a supervisor it took her 20 minutes to get a supervisor on the phone with me. i told the supervisor i wanted my money back and i wanted to know why my account had been locked. she told me the exact same thing the 20 previous employees at American Express had said i have to write a letter to a bogus address and my account was now permanently locked. 
she didn't know why my account had been locked. she couldn't pull my account up it was locked when i said to be sure to document my account so i didn't have to repeat to the next person i spoke with she told me she would be sure to do that. you cant log to an account unless you pull the account up. i asked to speak to her supervisor she told me she would be going to get a manager. i  have been on the phone waiting to speak to a manager for 1 hour and 7 minutes with no response to from any manager.. it has come to attention without doubt that American Express has stolen my XXXX and have no intention of returning it to me ever. I need your help to get my money back from them. they will not give me a valid reason why they are stealing my money from me. They just continue to lie to me at every turn. i was just hung up after the supervisor came back on the line and told me a manager was on another call and would be with me shortly. Please intervene in the matter i am at my wits end the stress this is causing me in uncalled for and unhealthy. and for no reason but theft of my money

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief