Consumer complaint received 2015-04-14
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Credit card
Issue: Other fee

Complaint:
I am filing this complaint due to the unethical and perhaps illegal treatment I received as a customer of American Express. I had charged less than {$9800.00} in work expenses on my credit card. Waiting for my expenses to be processed, I was inevitably late ( approximately 90 days or less ) in making full payment. My card remained active through XXXX XX/XX/2015. Arbitrarily, American Express effectively charged me over 30 % interest ( 125 % per annum ). And then punitively put negative marks on my credit report. They canceled my card in XXXX XX/XX/2015 even though I paid my balance in full including all late fees before XXXX XXXX. And they have not provided me the opportunity to reinstate my card. Over the 90 days or so, American Express failed to contact me by email, per my stated wishes, via their opt-in program. They chose to ignore this and instead send unregistered letters and phoned an incorrect number as proof of communicating with me. And when I contacted them in late XXXX unilaterally, I paid 33 % of my balance with a stated promise to pay off the entire balance by XXXX XXXX - which I did, 50 % two weeks later and the entire balance actually paid prior to XXXX XXXX. American Express was self-incentivized to cancel my card and act punitively against me. They canceled my account not due to my balance - my balance has been as high as {$20000.00} ( always paid ). By cancelling my account they accrued {$3200.00} by seizing my accrued XXXX member miles ( valued at approximately $ XXXX mile ) plus kept {$200.00} in fees paid for mileage reinstatement. They chose to ignore their bureaucratic errors ( calling the wrong number / not contacting me by email ) and purposely obfuscated the process allowing me to correct those errors with the very personnel that cancelled my account. In real terms, I paid over {$3200.00} XXXX late fees, XX/XX/2015 yearly fee and referenced miles ) for charging and paying off my balance in full. And punitively American Express reports negative information on my credit report. As evidence of this self-dealing and manipulation of rules and laws, I submit to you a cancellation notice I received citing my FICO score as the reason, yet the very same letter invites me to apply for a NEW American Express Card. These miles/points are not an imaginary value ; consumer miles/points of all size and shaped programs are part of corporate financial reporting requirements. This seizure and cancellation should not be allowed. These miles had accrued to me over years. As another example of the corporate culture and processes that led to these actions ; as a customer I am told the calls are being recorded under the all-encompassing purpose of " quality and training. '' No option is ever given to me to decline the call being recorded. I discovered, that if you inform American Express that you legally will record the call as well, the agents decline and stop the process. Like these phone practices, American Express has total control of the terms and conditions of the credit agreement. The entire process is organized to avoid accountability at every stage. There is no coordination between customer service, risk and bill payment. I had XXXX opportunity to contact the " risk '' department who cancelled my account because they could not contact me. In summary I paid an exorbitant costs in real dollars and time for mere months of a credit card balance. American Express was enabled to act in an unethical perhaps illegal way. I do not have the resources to take on such a behemoth that is allowed to make its own rules. Thank you for your time and effort on my behalf.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation