Consumer complaint received 2021-07-08
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Trouble using your card
Sub-issue: Credit card company won't increase or decrease your credit limit

Complaint:
Since XXXX AMEX has lowered my credit limit from {$12000.00} to {$10000.00} due to my larger credit utilization from several family emergencies in XXXX. I have worked hard since then to drop my credit utilization from 90 % to 20 %. I have never missed any payments, had late payments, or had any account issues with any credit card companies or AMEX. I also always pay several times more than the minimum payment every month. Over the years I had reduced the high balances of two of the AMEX XXXX XXXX card ( each {$5000.00} credit limit ) to {$0.00} balances. Leaving only the XXXX XXXX XXXX card ( card number XXXX : balance of {$8700.00} of {$10000.00} XXXX. During this entire time period my credit score was increasing ( not decreasing ). 

In XX/XX/XXXX I paid off entire balance of {$8700.00} XXXX {$0.00} balance ) on the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ). I have perfect payment history on all XXXX of my AMEX card accounts since XXXX. I have never missed a payment, had a late payment, or had any issues with my accounts. My credit score increased since XXXX every month, while my credit debt was exponentially shrinking ( see attached XXXX  FICO report to show it shrinking ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX after attempting to make a purchase online for a friend who was paying me back with cash same day XXXX transaction denied ) on card ( XXXX ) my limit went from {$10000.00} to {$1000.00}. This left me highly ashamed and embarrassed in front of my friend. I called AMEX same day, after speaking with a representative from the Responsible Lending team they claimed that my XXXX  XXXX score had dropped to XXXX and I had recent inquiries to credit ( my XXXX  XXXX score is actually XXXX and my XXXX  XXXX score is XXXX ) - see attachments. The representative told me to submit my financials to them. I explained to the representative that I would like to resolve the credit limit decease issue ASAP before they report it to the credit bureaus and potentially cause a snow ball effect with my credit score. She said she noted it on my account. I received a link to upload documents on XX/XX/XXXX - I uploaded the documents same day. 

On XX/XX/XXXX after making a {$9.00} purchase for a XXXX XXXX XXXX on a {$0.00} balance card ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX - card number : XXXX ) with {$5000.00} credit limit, my credit limit was again reduced from {$5000.00} to {$1000.00}. Upon calling Amexs Responsible Lending department ( same day ) to speak with a a manager, I was denied. The representative claimed that the manager will not speak to me until they have fully reviewed my account. I did not get a call back. 

Only XX/XX/XXXX I called to follow-up with the Responsible Lending department and I spoke with a representative who informed me that I just need to send my XXXX  XXXX score that shows XXXX to them so they can manually override the issues. She provided me with a FAX number : XXXX to AMEXs Credit Bureau Unit. I again explained that I would like to resolve the credit limit decrease issues before they report it to the credit bureaus and cause a snow ball effect on my credit score. She said she noted it on my account. I spent hours preparing the requested documents during the holiday to quickly submit the requested documents same day. 

Only XX/XX/XXXX I called to follow-up on the FAX sent and the Responsible Lending department representative explained that I was given the wrong FAX number and that the Credit Bureau Unit will just destroy all of the documents I sent. The representative provided me with another FAX number : XXXX and asked me to FAX my documents to them there. I spoke to a supervisor and he confirmed the FAX number, I again reminded the supervisor that they need to expedite my paperwork, because my monthly statement closing times were coming up and that I want to fix the credit limit issues on my account before they report it to the credit bureaus and cause me financial harm and a potential snow ball effect on my credit report - the supervisor said he noted my account and marked it urgent. I resent two sets of the documents with a summary of my case to them on the cover letter ( please see attached FAX confirmation for the two FAXes ). I then called again to confirm the number one more time with AMEX Responsible Lending department and it was confirmed. 

Only XX/XX/XXXX I called to follow-up on the FAX and the Responsible Lending department representative explained that they received no FAX ( see attached FAX reports confirming FAX sent ). The representative then claimed that my name was not on my financials that I had sent ( it was, and after a lot of back and forth they dropped it - but I have no idea the status or outcome ). The representative them requested that I give him 48 hours to 5 days to investigate the FAX. I again reiterated the urgency of resolving the issues before AMEX reports it to the credit bureaus and cause irreparable financial harm to me. The representative again said he noted it on my account. 

My credit score over the years has only increased and not dropped, so it is very odd and strange that AMEX would now choose to reduce my credit limit so dramatically by reducing it over {$15000.00}, when I have never missed a payment, I have perfect and excellent payment history on all my accounts with AMEX and with all of my credit card companies. In fact throughout the entire COVID pandemic I paid of more balances. Especially since I just paid off my $ XXXX balance and kept XXXX balances on my other 2 AMEX cards. I have also had my AMEX cards since XXXX. My credit card debt has shrunk by 90 % over the past few years, after I had several family emergencies in XXXX. I have been nothing but a responsible individual - paying off my high balances several times, and always making payments on time and paying several times more than my minimum payments every month. 

This now feels like a highly intentional, calculated, and deliberate attempt by AMEX to not resolving my issues in a timely fashion and manner. It also feels as if AMEX is deliberately creating a circumstance to which they sabotage my credit score and directly cause an unfavorable situation for me financially - to create the very thing their company claims it is trying to protect itself against. This self-fulfilling prophecy and snow ball effect directly caused and created by AMEX appears to be calculated and highly intentional, or AMEX is highly negligent and inefficient. Either way they are on a path to cause irreparable harm to me. They have already caused me enough mental, emotional, and psychological pain, suffering, and embarrassment.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation