Consumer complaint received 2015-12-30
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: DC
Product: Credit card
Issue: Billing disputes

Complaint:
I have had an American Express account since XX/XX/XXXX. In XX/XX/XXXX, my life got very complicated, and I stopped checking my statements meticulously, catching their frequent errors, like adding finance charges on balances paid in full. 

In XX/XX/XXXX my situation got worse, and I followed a police suggestion to move without leaving a forwarding address to deal with a stalker. Though I tried to update all my addresses by phone or by web form, it is possible I missed American Express. However, it 's also very possible it was their mistake not to update my account : AmEx representatives are frequently careless AND the company has a policy not to send statements if there is a {$0.00} balance. Honestly my life was so upside down, I just ca n't say. 

XX/XX/XXXX I was startled to see an unpaid balance of {$1200.00} on my AmEx card. Additionally, there were multiple issues on my credit report : credit cards I had closed that had charges on them and were delinquent, utilities from a town I have moved from that had current bills, etc. Though I do n't know that I am the victim of identity theft, I am checking everything closely, following CFPB 's guidelines and Best Practices to repair and correct. 

On XXXX XXXX I called American Express and explained this somewhat convoluted situation to XXXX. XXXX said he was listing a Dispute on my card balance, and was sending me 5 years of statements to review. I explained to him that I wanted to take action on my account by the end of the year, whether by filing for fraud or by paying the outstanding balance. He assured me that the account would not be referred to collections before the end of the year. 

I never received the statements. On XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered I could request all the statements online. On XX/XX/XXXX, I downloaded my statements dating back to XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I attempted to contact someone at AmEx who could address a few concerning charges ( XXXX in the amount of {$690.00} ) and then accept payment for the remaining balance. After six hours of phone calls, of waiting for return calls, of tweeting, I gave up. 

I 've been told that my account is in collections and can only be paid through a collection agency- yet, no collection agency has contacted me, and the account shows as being able to be paid online. I have been yelled at ; I have been told that the CFPB regulations do not affect them. I have been placed on obscenely long holds for up to 39 minutes at a time. 

Again, I am trying to make right an outstanding account. Why am I unable to reach an Escalation department, a Senior Account Specialist, an Ombudsman- or simply someone who is n't scripted and who has the authority to make decisions and get my account paid? 

Additionally, why did I never receive the statements that XXXX said he was sending out- nor was any " Dispute '' placed on the account? I thought that if I called a credit card company and reported that I was disputing or investigating potentially fraudulent charges, that they had to list that information in their system and report it to the credit bureaus?

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation