Consumer complaint received 2018-09-29
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: OR
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Didn't receive advertised or promotional terms

Complaint:
In early XXXX of XXXX, upon initial receipt of cards XXXX, XXXX & XXXX, I registered these cards on the American Express web site ; at that time, at the end of the registration process for each card, I was offered the opportunity to enroll each card in the Pay Over Time or Extended Payment option. I did so with each card, expecting in accordance with the language presented on the web site that every purchase made of over {$100.00} would be placed into these extended payment plans, effectively allowing me to make affordable monthly payments on these purchases. 

Upon receipt of my first statement on each account, it was apparent that my purchases over {$100.00} had not been placed on this extended payment program ; the statements demanded payment in full of the outstanding balance. This was in direct contradiction of what was presented to me on the American Express web site at the time I enrolled each card into these programs. 

I immediately telephoned the American Express Customer Service department in order to attempt to get the matter straightened out. I was told that there had been an oversight, and that the matter would be corrected I was not to make a payment and a corrected statement would be mailed out to me. I never received this corrected statement, and was forced by American Express to make a large payment in order to continue to use my personal Gold Card ( XXXX ). 

All in all, I have telephoned the American Express Customer Service department a total of 7 times ; each time, I received a different explanation of why my charges were not placed on the extended payment programs I had enrolled in. I have been told : That there had been a computer error that failed to post the eligible transactions to the proper area ; That I had to wait 60-days to take advantage of these programs ; That there was no record of either card being enrolled in these programs ; That my enrollment of my business card ( XXXX ) had been denied ; That my enrollment of my personal card ( XXXX ) had been denied ; That by making a {$1000.00} payment on my personal card ( XXXX ), my purchases could not be posted to the extended payment program because my account balance was below the amount of the purchase. 

Adding to my frustration was the fact that every American Express Customer Service representative I spoke to claimed to be in the personal card department and would have to transfer me to the business card department but I could never seem to be able to reach someone in the business card department. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I telephoned the American Express Customer Service department to confirm that a purchase that I was contemplating ( totaling {$1100.00} ) would indeed be placed on the extended payment program ; a woman by the name of XXXX confirmed that this purchase would be approved, and would be placed on the extended payment program once posted to my account. 

Again, on XX/XX/XXXX, I telephoned American Express Customer Service for the same reason regarding a truck repair which totaled {$1800.00} ; I was again told by your representative that this purchase would be approved and would be placed on my extended payment program. 

The bottom line here is that it is obvious to anyone that American Express is once again engaging in the fraudulent and deceptive practices that resulted in their corporation being successful prosecuted by the US Department of Justice several years ago. 

American Express ' customer service personnel have used false, misleading and fraudulent statements in order to unfairly encourage cardholders to charge amounts they would not otherwise charge amounts that they could not afford, absent the extended payment programs and then American Express has refused to honor it's contractual obligation to honor the card-holder 's enrollment in these programs. 

Despite the fact that I returned all 3 outstanding cards and directed American Expresst to cancel these accounts in my letter of XX/XX/XXXX, they have refused to actually close the accounts and have continued to fraudulently add fees and charges to the closed accounts in violation of federal law. 

Additionally, we have continued to make small payments on each of these accounts ; these payments are my good-faith attempt to pay off the debt they claim. Since I am making payments on these closed accounts, and am not using any of the cards, American Express has no legal or contractual right to involve an attorney or debt collection agency as they did just prior to XX/XX/XXXX. American Express retained XXXX XXXX XXXX to attempt to collect these accounts which were still being paid on ; after a scathing letter to XXXX XXXX stating these facts, he has ceased attempting to collect these accounts. However, American Express has placed these accounts on my credit records as being behind, as being charged off, or being in collections -- which has seriously damaged my credit rating and that of my company.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation