Consumer complaint received 2024-01-04
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem when making payments — You never received your bill or did not know a payment was due
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (TX)

In XXXX of XXXX we entered into a payment plan to pay our then cancelled American Express account through American Express partner agency XXXX XXXX XXXX. The account balance at this time was a little over {$11000.00}. The terms of the agreement was sent by AMERICAN EXPRESS in writing by mail to us. We were appreciative of the because we were dealing with the grief of losing our child. Every month XXXX deducted the monthly amount from our bank account {$240.00} and paid AMERICAN EXPRESS {$240.00} each month stated under AGENCY REMITTANCE on the account due date, which AMERICAN EXPRESS charged a {$40.00} late fee then reversed the {$40.00} fee on each statement. We received paper statements from American Express and XXXX XXXX XXXX, each month with these details. On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, transferred the servicing of the account to XXXX XXXX XXXX and this information was received in writing through the mail from XXXX XXXX formerly known as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The letter also stated the account balance was {$3000.00} payments would remain the same {$240.00} deducted from our account and sent to American Express per usual. Payments were made as stated above until XX/XX/XXXX. At this point we were paying more than the minimum balance and the account balance was decreasing. We usually didn't check the American Express statements each month due to the agreed upon plans and the money was automatically deducted from the accounts, so I believe there were no worries and we would be notified if changes were made in writing as we had been in previous years. The balance in XXXX was {$2300.00}. and the minimum payment was {$78.00}. All of a sudden sometime in XXXX, a credit score alert comes through that we were 30 days late on an American Express Account. We thought this to be unbelievable considering the account is cancelled and the payments are being made through XXXX XXXX, American Express 3rd party debt collector. We then reach out to American Express through chat who says the account with a XXXX party agency and to contact them. We contact XXXX XXXX and the agent says they have NO RECORD of the account and to contact AMERICAN EXPRESS. The online account, the app, will not allow a payment due to the account being cancelled ( which is the dumbest thing ever, and makes it even harder for the consumer ). We call American Express, in particular, my wife calls since she pays the bills, to make a payment to bring the account current and to see what occurred and American Express apparently has a policy that the account holder is the only person who can pay an account, ( once again, a stupid policy to keep the consumer in debt ), a spouse who is authorized to make payments should be able to at least make a payment. This further delays payment for XXXX 's statement, ( which is XXXX, it was not received by mail nor is listed as a pdf to download in the online account ) a check for {$200.00} is immediately completed signed by my wife and sent to American Express. In the month of XXXX and XXXX, my wife and I then draft letters of authorization for her to deal with the account and answers to these issues and emailed those with evidence of the errors to American Express corporate. We also dispute with the Credit Bureaus. A rep from American Express replies that they will investigate the matters. Someone called and said we would receive a letter on XX/XX/XXXX. The letter sent was from the Credit Bureau XXXX to say they will not remove the delinquency because " as the delinquency was not a result of an American Express error. '' The {$200.00} payment was applied on XX/XX/XXXX and the balance was {$2200.00}, along with no new charges, fees or interest. The XX/XX/XXXX statement stated a minimum due of {$85.00}. There should not have been a minimum due. It also stated, Includes the past due amount of {$40.00}. We have no clue what the XXXX statement says, because we never received an XXXX statement to send in a payment and it is not listed on the American Express account website ( screen shot evidence ) as a pdf to download. A phone was attempted again to make a payment after the authorization was given to my wife to pay and she was still told she could not make a payment in XXXX. At this point nothing is resolved and there is still no information given or sent in writing to say why the account was transferred back to American Express from XXXX XXXX. Another 30 days late hits the credit reporting account for XXXX. At this point credit score has taken almost a XXXX point dip due to these poor business practices from AMERICAN EXPRESS. We do not know how or understand their billing process and how they are coming up with their minimum payment amounts and had not received a bill in the mail. We are hardworking people who only want to maintain good credit and were indeed working with American Express and the 3rd party for the past 5 years of outstanding payment history. We want to pay the account timely and have evidence to prove we were doing so with NO ISSUE until this mistake of no communication. American Express wrong us and violated our consumer rights to notice of transferring of accounts. We still do not now exactly why they recalled the account. It stayed in a positive status for 5 years straight. American Express needs to acquire better practices with the members best interest in mind. Finally was able to speak to rep by phone who told me American Express was not at fault and can recall the account anytime they want, and that is okay as long as a notification is made to the consumer, so we know how to pay. They also still did not allow my wife to make a payment by phone on XXXX.