Consumer complaint received 2016-05-10
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TN
Product: Credit card
Issue: Other

Complaint:
On XXXX XXXX XXXX I paid {$5400.00} to a moving company, for my family 's move to our new home. I used my American Express Blue Cash Card for the charge. The charge was approved, and the merchant received payment through his processing service the following day, XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

However, the charge did not post to my account until XXXX XXXX XXXX -- over two and a half months after the charge was made, and approved by American Express! By that time I had reached my credit limit of c. {$18000.00} dollars. When the long-hidden charge of {$5400.00}, which had not appeared on my XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX statements, suddenly appeared on my XX/XX/XXXX statement, which I received in XX/XX/XXXX, I found myself well beyond my credit limit, owing nearly {$23000.00}! 

I called American Express customer service for an explanation. The agent explained that the merchant evidently had failed to post the charge until XXXX XXXX. The agent did not hesitate or express any doubt that there might be any other explanation. He did not even recognize a remote possibility that American Express may have erred. It was, he said, the merchant 's fault. 

I called the merchant, who said that he would investigate the matter. He later explained that the charge had been approved by American Express, when the services were rendered, on XXXX XXXX XXXX, and that the moving company received their funds from their credit-card processing service, XXXX, the following day, XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

The American Express agent had stated explicitly that the merchant was responsible for the inexcusably long delay in the posting of my charge. The agent was wrong. American Express was clearly at fault, although they have not, so far, admitted any mistake, offered any apology, nor offered any compensation or consideration for the very considerable hurt and burden which their mistake, or ill intention (? ), caused me. 

When I called American Express customer service again, the agent ignored altogether the issue of the exceedingly long delay. The agent seemed to think that American Express did not need to explain or apologize, for what was a great burden for me, to find myself so suddenly so much more deeply in debt, than I, relying upon American Express 's monthly statements, believed myself to be. 

He only asked if the charge was valid. That seemed to the agent to be the sole issue. Was I disputing the charge? 

No, the moving company performed the service. That was never denied or disputed. The problem, my grievance, is the unconscionable delay in posting that very substantial charge, {$5400.00}. Why the delay? 

Without any explanation from American Express, I can only conclude that American Express may be perpetrating a very unfair and exploitative subterfuge : conceal or delay the posting of substantial charges made by consumers, perhaps targeting those with histories of paying their bills, like myself, and perhaps targeting those with records of paying as well all charges over their credit limits, like myself? 

American Express may perhaps calculate that such consumers likely assume and rely upon the timely posting of all charges. After all, they can see their normal, everyday charges " ring up '' immediately, on the American Express website. Why would larger purchases not do the same? 

Such customers trust in the competence, reliability and accountability of American Express, a premier consumer-financing corporation. Such customers may likely assume that American Express would keep accurate and up-to-date accounts of consumers ' expenditures with their American Express card. Such customers may understandably assume that their charges, approved by American Express, would be registered, accounted, and posted in a timely fashion, immediately. 

American Express might thus be able to increase the indebtedness of such consumers, and the fees and charges that they owe.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation