Consumer complaint received 2017-10-08
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
1. I disputed a charge of XXXX ( made on X/X/2017 ) on my account because I had returned the items and the merchant had not provided me with the credit for all items returned. 

2. XXXX opened a dispute for the entire amount of the charge. When the merchant provided a partial refund of {$720.00} onXX/XX/XXXX, XXXX closed the dispute and opened a new dispute for {$720.00} - the amount refunded - NOT the amount of {$940.00} that was still under dispute from the merchant. 

3. Additionally, XXXX then reapplied the original amount of the charge to my statement on XX/XX/XXXX so my payment due reflected a charge of {$1600.00} on XX/XX/XXXX and a charge of {$1600.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. 

4. By reapplying the charge in the month following the original charge, both transactions totaling XXXX were reflected in my payment due. 

5. I contacted XXXX once by phone to ask them to remove the duplicate transaction of XXXX on XX/XX/XXXXand said that the amount due on my account was inaccurate because it included both charges. Customer service said it would be looked into and nothing has happened. 

6. I continued to work with the merchant to resolve the issue. On XX/XX/XXXX, the merchant provided me with a refund for {$810.00}, and I considered to dispute to be resolved. 

7. I contacted XXXX in late XXXX and in early XXXX via the chat on their website to request that they close the outstanding dispute with the merchant because the merchant had provided me a refund. Their website does not permit me to close the dispute online - it requires me to call them to do so. 

8. XXXX does not provide a secure message center to contact customer service. They require that you call them ( which can take upwards of half an hour after being on hold, transferred, and there can be some difficulty in communicating with customer service reps particularly when located in another country or that do not have any authority to review or make changes to the account ). They also offer a chat and you can message them through twitter. 

9. The dispute has not been closed, and XXXX have placed my card on hold because I have not paid the amount of {$3800.00}, which includes the duplicate charges. Additionally, the {$3800.00} amount does not include payments made to the account sinceXX/XX/XXXX. 

10. The website states : " Please make a payment. If you are unable to make payment in full, view payment options. We will evaluate your account to restore your charging privileges when we receive payment for at least {$3800.00}. This amount does not reflect payments made since Tue. XX/XX/XXXX. '' 11. This accounting results in unfair and onerous payments and penalties. Even if I had made payment of {$3800.00} onXX/XX/XXXX, according to American Express, my account would still be in collection and on hold. 

12. Since XX/XX/XXXX 2017, I have made payments of {$1200.00}. Also, the {$3800.00} charge includes the duplicate charge of XXXX that was placed on my account by American Express ( the original charge, as noted, was on XXXX XXXX ), and the {$3800.00} does not reflect the {$810.00} refund that was provided by the merchant on XX/XX/XXXX 

13. The payment due also does not reflect other refunds to my account since XX/XX/XXXX. I received a refund for a charge of {$270.00} on XXXXXX/XX/XXXX that is not reflected in total due of {$3800.00}, whereas the original charge of {$270.00} is included. A refund should offset the original charge resulting in a net zero amount due. 

14. By my accounting, the total due is closer to approximately {$1100.00} after the XXXX amount due is reduced by 1 ) XXXXXXXX ( erroneous charge on XX/XX/XXXXthat should be reversed ), 2 ) the XXXX refund on XX/XX/XXXX and 3 ) the XXXX refund on XX/XX/XXXX. As stated, I have made payment in the amount of {$1200.00} on XX/XX/XXXX andXX/XX/XXXX. 

15. XXXX has charged me late fees and forfeited my American Express points for the months of XXXX and XXXX while these items were under dispute and after I had contacted them. 

16. XXXX also refuses to close the {$720.00} dispute on my account. Please note that I did not open this dispute - American Express did - without verifying the information with me. Thus, the dispute is in the wrong amount and after I had resolved the issue with the merchant directly, American Express refuses to close the dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation