Consumer complaint received 2017-01-18
Product: Credit card — 
Issue: Billing disputes — 
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (NJ)

I write concerning the XXXX XXXX, 2017 bill for American Express credit card account number XXXX. First, despite the fact that I pay off the balance each month in full, AMEX charged me interest on an alleged balance that was greater than the amount due for the month. I have no idea how it concocted the amount it used to calculate this phony interest charge. This and the following specified problems with its advertising and billing procedures are long-standing problems that have not been corrected despite several complaints about them that I or the other person on the account have made to the CFPB across a number of years. Although when contacted, AMEX reversed the interest charge that appeared on this bill, the representative I spoke to indicated that he knew nothing about/had no authority concerning adverse reporting to credit bureaus from AMEX as a result of its mistakes. So it appears that AMEX is unwilling to correct any adverse credit bureau reporting that results because of AMEX 's own improper accounting procedures. While it may burden its customers with having to dog it with numerous requests to correct its errors, it does not correct the damage from those errors to my credit scores. 

Second, there continues to be inconsistent and/or inaccurate information provided through AMEX 's online banking website compared with its printed bills. The result is that it is impossible to know what amount is actually due each month. This may be caused in part by credits that are paid to the account before the due date, in a particular billing period, but it is not the only reason. The website may not be kept up to date, or may register credits that do not get passed onto its billing apparatus. Whatever the reason, there are habitual discrepancies that AMEX blames its customers for, by collecting illicit fees, as well as by degrading the credit scores of its clients without justification or accountability. 

Third, AMEX continues to advertise cash back credits for charges at gas stations, drug stores and grocery stores, yet it fails to grant them in full. An example on this month 's bill concerns XXXX, a gas station with many separate stations in New Jersey and perhaps elsewhere. All of my XXXX purchases are for gas. I do not spend the night at their gas stations, yet it shows up on my bill as a " lodging '' expense. AMEX indicates that they are not to blame for the designation and instead they blame XXXX. However, I should not have the burden of proof on something so obviously and widely known to be gas stations in the state or area in which these kinds of purchases are made. 

Another example might be XXXX or XXXX gas stations that, in fact, sell a limited amount of food in addition to gas, or a XXXX XXXX next to a XXXX. It appears that AMEX refuses to grant cash back rewards either for the gas station part or the food selling parts of these establishments. This is a violation of any reasonable understanding of AMEX advertised categories for higher rates of cash back rewards, specifically it violates any reasonable understanding of what a gas station or a grocery store is. 

Another instance of this kind of long-standing problem occurs in the drug store category for higher rates of cash-back credits. I believe that many of my purchases at XXXX, XXXX XXXX and perhaps others have not been awarded cash back rewards in the past because AMEX does not recognize these well known drug stores as drug stores. Again, I should not be burdened with having to prove the obvious as a XXXX for AMEX not to grant cash back rewards that are widely advertised for this credit card and which attracts significant customers precisely because of these advertised terms.