Consumer complaint received 2021-11-17
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem when making payments
Sub-issue: You never received your bill or did not know a payment was due

Complaint:
In AMEX response to CFPB complaint XXXX, they acknowledge ther has been trouble receiving my statments : " We send statements every month for accounts with debit activity or an unpaid balance in the billing period. On XX/XX/XXXX, while speaking with XXXX XXXX XXXX, you advised them that you were not receiving statements. XXXX verified your address and confirmed that we were sending your billing statements in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. You then advised XXXX that it could be an issue with the Post Office because you were receiving your mail in bulk. We can confirm that we are sending your statements to the address listed at the top of this letter. If you wish to update your address please contact us at XXXX '' Now, the typical response to a customer is : " Well you can still access your statements online. '' However, the XXXX XXXX XXXX instructions on their alleged " collection letter '' provides a url to pay my AMEX account through AMEX. It Doesnt work. The site requires I know my full card number with code and expiration date. As AMEX cancelled the account, I no longer have the card. 

According to AMEX my account was cancelled due to " returned payments. '' It was a misapplication of an " early payment I made that led to the account closure. 

My payment status was " so bad, '' that AMEX has decided to offer me reinstatment after the balance on the card is paid in-full. " We really want your business it's just that ... '' Quite frankly there is no " just. '' Consumers should not have to play these games. 

What AMEX is doing is finding reasons to close out accounts to reduce exposure during riskier finnacial times -- they learned this practice from the finnacial crisis of XXXX. They are then attempting to lure those same " members '' back by offering reinstatement at a lower tier under the supposition that a memer would want to continue membership because the brand has been a status symbol in decades prior. 

It should be noted this is how they're treating current and former card members during the pandemic. In this particular case this is how they are treating me after XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX and struggling with XXXX thru the beginning of XXXX. This is how they are treating someone that then had a breakthrough XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX. It's XXXX. 

The bottom line is I need a copy of bills in order to pay my bills. If I can neither access my bills online, and AMEX acknowledges the possibility that I am not receiving statements, then I have not been provided with sufficient notice for any allged bills. Effectuation of notice is a process whereby one party serves notice to the other party and must be carried through delivery. Having a correct billing address on-file and allegedly mailing the bills to the correct address does not mean notice was provided. As the balance and charges from one statement period to another fluctuates, I need to have a bill in orde to know what amount just be paid, and to ensure the periodic statements dates fall in-line with the minimum duration as required under CFPB interpretation of Regulation Z. 

I can not confirm any of that and have not been able to confirm any of that for the past six ( 6 ) months and my understanding with XXXX was that I was being billed monthly per usual. The transfer to another agency to assist in " collection efforts, '' contradicts the process authorized by AMEX through XXXX. 

Reistatement upon payment of the alleged outsanding balance of around XXXX sounds like an attempt at a bait-and-switch tactic. " We valued your business and so we have given you this offer at reinstament. '' I don't believe AMEX -- nor should the CFPB. There's a caluse in the reinstatement offer specifically stating reinstatement is dependent on whether AMEX " belives '' the extension of credit is sustainable. It's vague, lacks expanation of the underwriting process for reinstatement of a card. 

After the mishaps in XXXX with application of payments by AMEX, and lost payments that were WIRED to AMEX with the correct instructions, which AMEX acknowledges, what AMEX is missing is I no longer value them. Even from a pretentious standpoint card membership is NOT worth the headaches I've experienecd with AMEX and the quality of service, even at the Platinum level was lacking. 

The allure and convenience of holding an AMEX card in wallet and/or purse is over. The allure of touting it to be the card of the rich and famous like XXXX 'm not the only one saying this. I know multimillionaires with sixty-five ( XXXX ) years plus of card membership that say the same thing. 

DOING BUSINESS WITH AMEX IN XXXX THRU PRESENT IS NOT WORTH THE HASSLE.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation