Consumer complaint received 2022-11-14
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CO
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:
American express corporate card services have been nothing but incompetent and clueless in the handing of my most recent dispute, allowing the merchant to charge my card without authorization. 
Twice now they have completely ignored their own written and published policies and allowed the fraudulent charge to go through by piggy backing on a previous authorization. 
XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX of XXXX TX accused me of smoking in their room ( Im a nonsmoker, and I have stayed thousands of nights in hundreds of hotels in the past 5years without issue. ) provided no proof what so ever and quietly added the charge and tax to my card without obtaining authorization and sneaked the charge into the portfolio as if it had been authorized along with the room during check in. 
Authorized portion of the charge is XXXX, authorization given on XX/XX/XXXX for XXXX nights from XXXX to XXXX. 
Unauthorized portion of the charge is XXXX, tagged on sometime after XX/XX/XXXX. I was not notified nor did I consent to the charges. The card was not even present. I checked out on the app and later noticed the fraudulent charge. 
According to American Express merchant regulation section XXXX this is clearly not allowed. See written and published policy by AMEX below. This information is readily and freely available to anyone but somehow everyone at AMEX is oblivious to its existence or are intentionally ignoring their own policy to repeatedly side with the merchant who has blatantly violated the clearly defined policy. 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Beginning in XX/XX/XXXX, you will be able to bill for damages to property or equipment, and bill for smoking fees. In order to bill for damages, there are conditions that must be met. 
1. Written permission to bill the American Express card from the Card Member must be received after the damages occur. ( Note : that submitting the registration card will not be considered sufficient support. ) 2. The same American Express Card used for the hotel stay or rental must be used for the damages charges.

3. Charges must be submitted within 90 days of the hotel stay or rental date.

4. Charges for damages must be submitted as a separate charge. It can not be bundled/listed under the folio/agreement.

5. Follow regular Card Acceptance procedures for authorization and processing. 
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - Why the charge is not valid : XXXX XXXX XXXX  of XXXX did not inform me of the charge nor did they obtain permission to charge my card. In clear violation of first rule. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX of XXXX combined the charge into the initial authorization in the same portfolio on the same receipt to try and hide the fact that they had no authorization. In clear violation of the 4th rule, which goes hand in hand with the first. 


I had pointed this out to AMEX representative multiple times including spending over an hour with a woman who claimed to be a manager. Said manager was not only completely oblivious of AXEX policy she was so incompetent that after an hour she still does not understand the nature of the compliant, stating that since XXXX XXXX had provided a copy of the receipt the charges are automatically valid, Regardless if it was authorized in the first place. 
This is absolutely ridiculous, what she is essentially claiming is that once I authorize a charge the merchant can add on whatever charge they want at a later date as long they provide a receipt. 
The manager gave all kinds of excuses why she cant access my claim and why she cant resubmit the claim and how she is not allowed to contact the customer to provide update. That she has to contact a different department ect ect I never heard form AMEX after that. 
the level of incompetency at AMEX is beyond comprehension. Repeatedly ignoring their own policy which I had to point out to them and making excuse after excuse to side with the merchant who is submitting fraudulent charges. This behavior by a large and long established financial institution such as AMEX is disgusting, unethical and illegal. incompetence is at every level of this organization, I have waited over two months for AMEX to do nothing. 
Just look at the customer service rating of AMEX in recent years, nonexistent customer service has become the hallmark of American Express.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief