Consumer complaint received 2022-09-14
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NJ
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Gift card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Sub-issue: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card

Complaint:
I wrote the following letter dated XX/XX/XXXX to AMEX president and Chief Credit Officer. 

AMERICAN EXPRESS DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY LOSS FROM AN {$1100.00} THEFT IN THEIR AMERICAN EXPRESS GIFTCARD DIVISION AND HAS REFUSED TO HELP US RECOVER ALL OF OUR STOLEN MONEY. THIS LETTER SERVES AS A FORMAL REQUEST FOR A FULL REFUND. 

I am requesting a thorough review and investigation of this situation as it appears given complaints posted with Consumer Affairs online this has become a common occurrence. I believe the company would want to address the fraud issue at what appears to be possibly occurring at the company level. Controls do not seem to be in place to ensure fraud does not occur when your loyal card members purchase Gift Cards directly from AMEX. This investigation will not only help me but also help prevent other customers to experience the same situation and protect the American Express brand. The companys focus on fraud is paramount as highlighted in your Chief Credit Officer and Executive Vice President, Credit and Fraud Risk, XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX is committed to driving growth with excellent risk-adjusted margins and continuing to deliver best-in-industry credit and fraud results through disciplined execution and continuous innovation. 

Could the fraud be occurring with the XXXX distribution of the cards? I am unsure if the agreed XXXX partnership is still in place ; if so, this may be the source of stolen funds from many who purchased gift cards directly from AMEX. Based on multiple consumers posting complaints for the same issue it appears the issue is widespread, and a security breech has occurred within either AMEX or XXXX. While AMEX seeks to protect itself by limiting addressing the issue per the cardholder agreement this is a true blemish on a well- respected company and can only tarnish your brand and turn long-time loyal clients against the firm. 

For your convenience, I have included the link below to the Consumer Affairs site and attached a separate page with fellow member similar incidents. 

XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX gift cards.html Below is a summary of the events that occurred with our AMEX Gift Card purchase debacle : I purchased two AMEX Gift Cards from the AMEX Gift Card on-line site on XX/XX/XXXX. This is the only way to purchase the AMEX Gift Cards if you want to get them directly from AMEX. One Gift Card was for {$1000.00} and the second was for {$100.00} with AMEX delivering them directly to our home. Upon receipt, I gave to my husband as a surprise gift and then immediately stored them in our safe in our home as he did not want to use the cards at that time. 

On XX/XX/XXXX my husband planned to use the cards to make a purchase, so I checked the AMEX Gift Card site to be sure all was in order. To my dismay and shock, the {$1000.00} gift card had a balance of {$0.00} and the {$100.00} gift card had a XXXX balance. 
{$1000.00} gift card ( XXXX ) o A fraudulent purchase at XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX for {$990.00} {$100.00} gift card ( XXXX ) o A fraudulent purchase at XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX for {$100.00} I immediately called AMEX and spent hours every day close to two weeks speaking with AMEX customer service representatives , managers, the Resolutions Team , the cancellation department, a specialist, and security in XXXX. I also attempted to contact XXXX. AMEX has the names of everyone with whom I spoke. If not, I will be happy to provide you with the names. 

After almost two weeks of dedicated focus to resolve this issue with XXXX whose automated system kept me on hold for hours I was unable to speak with anyone to discuss the fraudulent charge. AMEX told me gift cards are cash, and they should be used immediately. The valid thru dates on the cards are XX/XX/XXXX for the {$1000.00} gift card and XX/XX/XXXX for the {$100.00} Gift Card. Why would the AMEX reps state this fact when as noted on the AMEX Customer Service FAQ Gift Card site gift cards dont have expiration dates? There is a valid thru date indicated on the front of each Gift Card, which means it cant be used after this date. Well issue you a replacement Gift Card for free of charge if your valid-thru date has passed and you still have available funds remaining. Link below for reference : https : //www.americanexpress.com/us/customer-service/faq.Gift Card- expiration.html # : ~ : XXXX % XXXX % XXXX n't % XXXX, still % XXXX % XXXX % XXXX % XXXX AMEX representatives told me that the AMEX agreement states that AMEX is not responsible for Gift Card fraud as the Gift Cards are cash and should be used immediately. While it seems the cardholder agreement does not state it exactly the way the reps were advocating, in reviewing the gift card cardholder agreement it notes : Can a charge made with the Card be disputed? No. Purchases made with the Card are similar to those made with cash, in that you can not stop payment or lodge a billing dispute on purchases made with the Card. Any problems or disputes you have regarding a purchase should be addressed directly with the Merchant. I can understand if a card is stolen this is an approach the company takes to protect itself yet when purchased and mailed directly from AMEX it would be an issue the company would want to investigate and resolve within their fraud division to ensure the utmost security in protecting their loyal customers spending monies with AMEX. 

Although I understand that you do not know who used the Gift Cards, you could easily check our history as AMEX card members of 33 years for XXXX and 40 years for XXXX and see that we have never used XXXX or XXXX XXXX. 

I appreciate being reimbursed {$100.00} from AMEX immediately and an additional {$400.00} only after XXXX agreed to remain an AMEX cardholder and spend {$4000.00} within the next three months. This feels like extortion : as I am desperate to be made whole, he agreed to the extortion offer. I would appreciate having the shackles removed and providing the {$400.00} reimbursement immediately. AMEX also applied XXXX points to my card. As a result of these goodwill gestures, I am still at a loss of {$600.00} which is a small sum for long-term card members with meticulous records in good standing. 

I am very upset as we have always trusted AMEX and believed fraud monitoring and prevention would be a number one priority. I respectfully request you publicly address this situation as I believe everyone should know what has happened to us and countless other customers. 

On the company site covering the firms governance framework it states Throughout its history, American Express has been guided by a value system that emphasizes integrity and trust at all levels of the organization. We have longstanding policies and practices to ensure that our Company is managed with integrity and in our shareholders ' best interests. While all firms manage to satisfy shareholders your most valuable assets are your employees and your clients. Without loyal customers the firm can not deliver results to shareholders, so I am baffled by the approach taken in this situation. 

We thank you in advance for your assistance with this matter and would appreciate being made whole as your devoted AMEX card members. Please feel free to contact us for further clarification or additional documentation. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief