From: horne-scott@CS.YALE.EDU (Scott Horne)
Subject: DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH AMERICAN "EXPRESS" (Re: AMEX coupons???)
Organization: Computer "Science" Dept, Yale University
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 00:26:14 GMT

In article <s0mirINNr51@agate.berkeley.edu>, dbr@ocf.berkeley.edu (Daniel Rosler) writes:
<
<Okay, I guess with this it's time to tell what AMEX just recently did to me.

And what they did to me long ago.  (And to three others who sent me their
stories in e-mail.)  I had held one of their damned credit cards long before
they even announced their "special" discounts on air fare.  Despite *three*
notifications of change of address--one by mail, two by 'phone--they managed
to send their vouchers to my former address.

<To make a long story short,
<they mailed them by mistake to my parents' old address (2 years old in fact.)

Seems to me I've heard that song before.

<They refused to do anything to help me.

That song, too.  When I found out about the vouchers (and that they had sent
them to an old address), I called to get them re-issued.  I wound up spending
hours on the 'phone hearing different things from different people, *NONE*
willing to send me the damn vouchers or make any other arrangements (such as
'phoning the airline and asking them to make an exception).

They finally arrived--four months later.  I had to cancel my planned trip
and was unable to use the vouchers again.

<They flat out refused to get me the vouchers in any way.

Same here.

<(However, they would allow me to pay the $800 full fare rate in installments
<with interest! Thanks a lot...)

Such is their "service".

What's interesting is that they kept *re-issuing* the vouchers long after
I had no use for them (I can't afford to fly much).  Once they even sent them
in express (next morning) mail.  Unfortunately, no express-mail service can
get something to arrive months before it was sent.

I finally gave them an ultimatum:  Give me an explanation, or give me a *full*
(not _pro rata_) refund of my membership fee.  They chose the latter option.

<So, I called the president's office of AMEX in NY (no 800-number BTW) and 
<thought they'd help me.

Nope.  I did this, too--and even sent two letters to "Ask the President".
(See below.)

<Continental, who originally said that they would do anything to ticket me,
<i.e. if AMEX just said go ahead and bill him $189, suddenly changed their
<mind.  I had to go to their corporate HQ too (in Houston - no 800 number)
<to get some help.  After a lot of crap, I got them to agree that if I bought
<the ticket at $550, they'd refund the difference when I later mailed her
<a replacement voucher.  

They wouldn't do that for me.  (Then again, it was Northwest at the time.)

<Either way, I'll win, but what gets me is the cold, ruthless way AMEX told
<me I had no options, and they couldn't care less.  To them this whole thing
<"is a promotion, and we can't do anything for you."

I think someone used those exact words on the 'phone with me, in fact.

<Well, we'll see how the
<president of the company feels about his employees treating customers this 
<way, students or not!

He won't care a damn bit.  He's part of the same racket.

<AMEX sucks!! 

And how.  I am glad to talk to anyone about their horrendous "service",
and I strongly discourage anyone from doing business with them in any way.
(Actually, I don't see why anyone would even want a credit card from them.
They charge much more than Visa and Mastercard, and few merchants accept
them [since they charge the merchants 6%].)

See the following two letters.  (Note:  To this day, American "Express" has
not returned a single telephone message from me.  Also, the addressee of the
second letter never replied.)

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\documentstyle{/net/suned/u1/homes.majors/horne/text/psh_yaleletter}
\input{/net/suned/u1/homes.majors/horne/text/horne}

\signature{Patrick Scott Horne}

\def\letterdate{March 19, 1989}

\begin{document}

\begin{letter}{
Ask the President\\
{\sc Attn:\/} Edward Cooperman\\
Box 770\\
New York, New York 10274}

\yaleletterhead

\opening{Dear Mr Cooperman:}

I am a college student and a Cardmember.  Some vouchers allowing me to purchase
airplane tickets from Northwest Airlines for \$99 were recently sent to my
home address even though I completed the change-of-address section on the
back of my bill three months ago.

My mother called only a few days before I intended to take a trip last week
to tell me that the vouchers had arrived at my home address.  Having no way to
receive them in such a short time, I called Northwest Airlines
to see what arrangements could be made.  I was informed that this programme
is managed by American Express.  A call to your Customer Service Dept procured
the number of Student Card Services, {800\,582}--5823.

I called Student Card Services at least ten times and was given different
information almost every time.  Some told me that the vouchers could not be
re-issued. One claimed that it would take from eight to twelve weeks to
re-issue them; another that it would take from three to six weeks; another
said two to four weeks.  Information on the procedure for re-issuance was
even more diverse. According to some operators, it could be handled by
telephone; according to others, I had to submit documents from my college:
one even made the outlandish request of two copies of my current registration,
each signed by the registrar and dean!  Naturally, each operator insisted that
{\sl his} information was correct.

No one would allow me to pay for the tickets at full price now and submit
the receipt and vouchers later for a refund of the difference.  I cannot see
how it would matter that I present the vouchers upon purchase of the tickets
instead of submitting them later for a refund.  Because of the incompetence
of those operators, I was compelled to cancel my trip.

You might not be aware of the fact that {\sl all} of the supervisors at Student
Card Services had left by 3$\cdot$45~{\sc pm} on a weekday. \ (They are
supposed to work until 4$\cdot$30~{\sc pm} every weekday.) Together with the
inconsistency of information given to me, this makes me wonder exactly how
much autonomy the staff of Student Card Services takes.

In addition, one agent promised that a supervisor would return my call within
twenty-four hours.  That was eight days ago.  No one has called yet. \ (I have
an answering machine; thus I know that no one called while I was away.)
Another agent told me that that person probably said that ``just to get me
off her back.''

I have been a Cardmember (Acct No:  xxxx~xxxxxx~xxxxx) since July~1988.
Until this recent incident, I was quite satisfied with American Express;
your staff are generally helpful and well-informed.  I would greatly appreciate
your investigating this matter and ridding the Student Card Services Dept of
incompetent and rude employees.

Please respond, informing me of your findings and actions.  Thank you.

\closing{Very truly yours,}

\end{letter}
\end{document}

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\documentstyle{/net/suned/u1/homes.majors/horne/text/psh_yaleletter}
\input{/net/suned/u1/homes.majors/horne/text/horne}

\signature{Patrick Scott Horne}

\def\letterdate{May 21, 1989}

\begin{document}

\begin{letter}{
Carolyn Miles\\
Student Card Marketing\\
American Express Tower\\
World Financial Center\\
New York, New York 10285}

% 21 May 89

\yaleletterhead

\opening{Dear Mrs Miles:}

I just received your letter\footnote{Your letter is labelled 1182B/18/sr.}
in response to my complaint about the appalling rudeness and incompetence of the
staff of Student Card Services.  As you may recall, your staff refused to help
me receive replacements of some airline vouchers (which American Express sent
to an incorrect address) in time for a trip that I had planned, thus causing
me to miss the trip.  In response to my letter, you sent an apologetic letter
and an additional voucher.  I wish to point out several inadequacies.

First, your ``additional'' voucher is the only voucher that I have received.
Even though (as I stated in my previous letter) I requested over the telephone
in March that the vouchers be reissued to my correct address, I have not yet
received any.  That your staff cannot handle such a simple request within
ten or eleven weeks gives me pause.  After mailing this letter, I shall call
yet again to see if my request has been processed.  Presumably, the delay is
the responsibility of a human:  no computer would require two months to print
and mail two simple vouchers.

Second, while I appreciate your sending an extra voucher, I doubt that I
shall have the opportunity to use it (or the original two) before its
expiration date of November~15.  I am a college student with rare opportunities
to travel:  I have not flown in the last three years.  Furthermore, I shall be
working throughout the summer and shall have no chance to travel during the
fall semester.

The trip I had intended to take in March---the selfsame trip that I was
unable to make---was for an interview for a summer job.  It is indeed
unfortunate that I lost that opportunity because of the incompetence of
your staff.  Naturally, neither your office nor American Express is liable for
this loss.

Please share with me the results of your investigation of the poor service
given by the Student Card Services office.  Also, I should like to know what
has been and is being done to prevent recurrences of experiences such as
mine.  Supposedly, little can be done when not a single supervisor can be
found in the office forty-five minutes before quitting time.

Competence and courtesy at high levels (such as yours) do not suffice.
The hapless Cardholder does not speak with you when he calls {800\,582}--5823.
Forty-five dollars per year should buy the customer more than an uncaring
phalanx of operators who distribute incorrect information and offer no help.
It seems to me that the employees who answer the telephones presume to take
free rein at their jobs.  In the future, when dealing with an employee of
American Express, I shall be quite sure to request his name.  Doing so will
enable me to report incompetent employees for your action.

Poor service is becoming unfortunately frequent these days.  I appreciate your
helpfulness, though, and hope to hear of your actions to eliminate it from
Student Card Services.

\closing{Very truly yours,}

\end{letter}
\end{document}

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					--Scott

-- 
Scott Horne                               ...!{harvard,cmcl2,decvax}!yale!horne
horne@cs.Yale.edu      SnailMail:  Box 7196 Yale Station, New Haven, CT   06520
203 436-1848                Residence:  Rm 1848 Silliman College, New Haven, CT
ZANG4 HAN4 YI4 JIA1 / GONG4 JIAN4 ZHONG1HUA2!