Consumer complaint received 2023-03-06
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: ME
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Gift card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Sub-issue: Card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase or transfer

Complaint:
XX/XX/2023 XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX, ME XXXX Dear XXXX XXXX, Thank you for speaking to me regarding with my issue with the American Express Gift card process of solving my problem. Instead of writing a book I will simply state the facts as briefly as possible. 
I received an E-mail from XXXX XXXX that they charged my account with a fictitious charge of about {$450.00}. 
I called the telephone number in the e-mail to get this corrected. The man who answered said it was a mistake on the part of XXXX XXXX and that they would correct it and add an extra {$50.00}, for my trouble. 
The man on the telephone had me input the correction amount of {$450.00}. In my computer and told me that I input the wrong amount. 
He then showed me my bank account that reflected a deposit of {$5000.00}. Then he had me withdraw the {$5000.00}. and said to buy 10 - {$500.00}. Gift cards. I only purchased 4 cards, read him the numbers, then I stopped at the police station and informed that I had been scammed good. Th man called me to see how I was making out when I was speaking with the officer so I let him answer the phone. It was a short conversation. 
I called American Express within a couple of hours to stop the payment on the four gift cards but two had already been cashed and American Express had prevented the payment on the other two cards. 
I immediately called American Express and they refused to speak with me because I was not the vendor. 
The supervisor at XXXX on XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) tried her best and called me for my name and mailing address because she was told that they were going to send me some new gift cards. It Never happened. 
I called American Express in XXXX and spoke with customer service for a good half hour. She was no help and said that it was against company policy to refund money or to issue new cards and that there was nothing she could do. I told her that I wanted to speak to her supervisor and she reluctantly told me she would but it would take a few minutes. After two to three minutes, I heard the phone ring. After another five minutes of listening, I put the phone down on my desk and listened to it ring another forty five minutes. 
I was only looking to be reimbursed for the two cards that American Express canceled. The two that were cashed are on me. I am the one that got scammed. 
I did not expect to get scammed by American Express as well and neither did I expect to get treated the way I did by the American express supervisor. I always thought well of American Express, and I am very disappointed. I think that customer service is not in that supervisors vocabulary, and he probably does not realize what his attitude can cost your Company. 
Since American Express cancelled the last two cards they should either refund me the money or issue new cards as they initially intended. 
Thank you for listening. 
God Bless You. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX : Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation