Consumer complaint received 2020-08-11
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: IL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Company closed your account

Complaint:
My XXXX Amex and my Amex XXXX cards were both closed after I paid the entire balance on the Platinum card ( 90 days delinquent before payment on XXXX XXXX, 2020 XXXX and the minimum amount on the Amex XXXX XXXX 30 days or less delinquent before payment on XXXX XXXX, 2020 XXXX card to bring both current on XXXX XXXX, 2020 at XXXX. Although before both cards were paid on XX/XX/2020 it did show they were both delinquent, however after payment was made on each account respectively, the accounts 100 % did show current. 

I am am very fiscally responsible individual and if I borrow money then I am going to pay it back. After paying as described above, I logged back into Amexs app on Saturday XXXX XXXX, 2020 and then all of a sudden, to my shock and disbelief after being a loyal customer for 10 years, it shows both accounts are cancelled. At this point my XXXX XXXX and XXXX went through the roof as I was livid. 

After spending many hours on the phone with Amex reps in Mexico and finally the United States, i finally reached a stateside manager, after you had to move the Earth to speak with anyone in management, who said all they can do is forward this on to the credit department but that was all they could do for me. However prior to getting to stateside manager, I spoke with a representative on XXXX, 2020 whom stated to me that they could see that both of my accounts were current when I made the payments on XX/XX/2020 and then after both accounts were current then both accounts were cancelled. As everyone understands Amex XXXX XXXX XXXX is publicly traded, so why on Earth would they cancel XXXX accounts that were current at the time, send something to the credit bureaus to day closed by credit grantor that is only going to negatively impact the customer and then when the customer cant pay the entire balance in a lump sum on a revolving trade line that Amex is then going to report this as a charge off only further damaging the customers credit. Why would they want to negatively impact their net loss numbers to report back to the street a higher net loss than was necessary? Im not sure thats in the customers best interest who had their trade line cancelled while being current or their credit that was negatively impacted, the shareholders of XXXX and the rating analyst of XXXX. 

Well there is a big issue here. Its the programming logic of Amex in relation to cancelling accounts. My accounts were both current after I paid, an Amex representative admitted on XX/XX/2020 that both accounts were current at the time of being canceled, however the programming logic went in searching for x criteria and without taking into consideration the accounts were paid on XX/XX/2020 and current, it closed the accounts. How? Well, another representative on XX/XX/2020 stated that they see I paid but the account then went into a pending status and they will not post the credit to the account to show, past tense, that the account is paid even though the funds were out of my bank account on XX/XX/2020 which is the same day I paid both accounts. Why wouldn't Amex program into their coding of cancelling accounts a grace period to cover this internal pending time frame so it doesnt cancel current customers but yet the payment was pending??? Seems like customers are the only ones losing here and on a Class level. Remember robo signing for foreclosures, well welcome to robo cancelling provided to you by non other than XXXX. Its wrong, I am tired of being bullied by massive organizations and me as customer Is the one being negatively impacted both on my credit and ultimately being impacted financially. Do something to stop the unfair and deceptive practices, the FCRA violations, from cancelling current accounts and to make them be responsible for their errors and instead of trying to justify the errors of their ways, admit to the errors and damage you are causing customers and START DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR THE CUSTOMER!!!! 

The only reason I was able to get anyone to respond to me was by me digging and finding an ethics portal that is truly reserved for employees of Amex and I made the claim against the XXXX, XXXX XXXX as he is responsible for all the employees, their actions, what they say to the customers and the policies of Amex. That is the only reason I was able to get a response from Amex, who ultimately decided that if I pay the entire balance in full on my Amex XXXX account then Amex will then reinstate my Amex XXXX. What kind of logic is that Amex?? Seems like im being put over a barrel an extorted. 

Please help not only me but all the customers that Amex is affecting negatively both credit wise and financially along, with inconsistent messages being given to the customer by their representatives, their non transparency, the error in their programming logic that negatively impacts customers, their inconsistency of what a customers account says on the Amex app versus what the account status is internally, etc. 

I have been greatly impacted by the global pandemic and I 100 % believe that the garbage financial assistance program being offered by Amex ultimately does not help the customer to its fullest. Additionally, i do not think Amex is 100 % transparent with all the ramifications and impact the financial assistance program can have on the customers credit bureaus, how it could affect their borrowing capabilities, How it could affect other creditors increasing the APR on other loans or reducing their credit lines which does have an impact on individuals credit scores, amongst other negative impacts to the customer. Amex is not putting the customer in a situation that ultimately assit the customer in the best possible way or at a minimum, that the least sophisticating consumer can understand. I fully expect class suits out this unbalanced, non transparent program. 

XXXX XXXX is the powerless robot that Amex had call me from corporate while the decision makers do not and will not get on the phone with a customer to understand real and viable customer concerns and situations. Amex also need sto empower their employees to be more decision makers and not simply an XXXX in a seat as this does zero for the customer.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation