Consumer complaint received 2016-08-24
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: TX
Product: Credit card
Issue: Rewards

Complaint:
Dear Sir or Madam, I have been a loyal customer to American Express for years ( since XXXX ) and I have never canceled a single credit card with American Express since the first day becoming a proud card holder. I was fascinated by the superior customer service and its reliability until a recent matter. 

I applied for a Platinum Card from American Express via americanexpress.com on XXXX XXXX, XXXX and were approved the same day. Offered with the application was the opportunity to earn XXXX Membership Rewards points after spending {$3000.00} in eligible purchase with the first 92 days of Card Membership. I DID meet the {$3000.00} in qualified spending on XXXX XXXX, XXXX at XXXX XXXX ( Please see XXXX [ : statement history from XXXX/XXXX/XXXX to XXXX/XXXX/XXXX ] ). In the provided XXXX shows XXXX Membership Rewards points were added to my account on XXXX XXXX, XXXX along with the {$3200.00} underlying qualified spending points from the purchases. However, the XXXX Membership Rewards points were removed from my account on XXXX XXXX, XXXX. I firmly believe the {$3200.00} spending are eligible purchases to American Express since the {$3200.00} underlying qualified spending points remains in my account, which supports the assessment that American Express recognize the spending as legitimate. American Express clearly and deceptively posted the XXXX Membership Rewards points for meeting the spend, then only after the period for earning under the bonus was over, removed the bonus under false pretensions. 

If for some reason American Express wants to indicate that I did n't meet the spend in time back when this started, then it should have given me an opportunity to meet the spend and I would have had time to do so. But no one indicated that even its own system could not see what was really going on behind the curtain. American Express awarded the points and they showed up on my account online. But had you never awarded the points to begin with or had you told me that I had not met the spend requirement due to something I bought or something wrong with something else about the card, then I still could have had a chance to do it within those 92 days because I would have seen that I still needed to meet the requirement. Instead, you appear to have waited just until that 92 days was past to tell me it is too late to get this bonus and you want to remove what has shown up on my online account all this time. This is under false pretensions, which I believe it should against the law! 

I am quite disturbed by the outcome of all of this -- as you can see the card has far less use to me since the award points 1 ) were taken almost two months to show in my account, 2 ) were frozen from transferring 3 ) were taken back for no reason was given, but I heavily use other American Express Credit cards like XXXX and Gold. Unless American Express is delving into committing the same sorts of unfair or unethical practices it now claims its customers or marketing affiliates are doing, then I am certain you can fix the glitches on your own time and re-award me those points! 

I would really like your detailed help on this issue and ask for returning my rightful XXXX Membership Rewards points back to my account, which would earn back the trust of quality service and reliability we expect from American Express.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation