Consumer complaint received 2023-12-27
Product: Prepaid card — Gift card
Issue: Problem getting a card or closing an account — Trouble closing card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (OH)

I dont recall the actual original purchase date, but I do recall the dates of when the entirety of the situation began. I bought a gift card in the amount of {$500.00} from a local XXXX in XXXX XXXX, XXXX [ I would like to note that I specifically asked for a Visa, but was given an American Express ]. I was told the policy of the XXXX in regard to exchanges and refunds- which I had no issue with. What I had an issue with is that it is unadvertised that American Express recently changed their policy about where their gift cards are accepted. They have a website ( which is incredibly hard to find ) of the very few and specific sites/stores where their gift cards are accepted. This is the provided list of places that accept their gift cards, however, many on the list actually dont as well- XXXX XXXX XXXX Having no success with being able to use the gift card anywhere, I began to go the route of getting a refund. I started at XXXX, which wasnt able to do a refund [ understandably ]. They directed me in the direction of American Express themselves. After about three weeks, I was granted a refund [ verbally, the process was started ] on the phone XX/XX/XXXX. I was told originally it would only be up to 7 business days that I would get a refund, and then that time frame expanded into possibly three weeks. At the time I was staying in a hotel, as I was simply just traveling in the city for work. Eventually, nearly a month passed and I still hadnt received a refund [ I had been calling the hotel, as they were looking for it in the mail to direct it to me, as that is the address I had to use ]. I contacted both my state XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX  state attorney generals, who directed me to write a formal complaint- I was trying to wait it out. It has now be nearly 5 months, and we are going in to a new year, and I have nothing. When I called American Express back, they stated that they could see that the check seemed to have been lost in the mail. So they sent me on the route of getting another check, this time sent to my home address in XXXX. It took about a month and a half for something to eventually arrive in the mail at my home. I called many times during that waiting period. Quite literally directly after I received the refund finally, another check arrived in the mail [ this time ironically it had been post marked XX/XX/XXXX and overnight express shipped- something they said they couldnt do before ]. As I had already deposited the check into my account, I did the right thing and called them to have them void the secondary check sent out. The representative misunderstood, and voided the check that I had deposited into my account, making me pay them back the {$500.00}. I again had to once more call and explain the entirety of this foolishness- I was told I would be sent another check in three weeks. Granted there were multiple holidays in between this time frame, I was trying to give them grace with time, but it nearing the new year, and Ive still yet to receive anything. The entirety of this situation has been an absolute scam and I would like to be refunded properly the money that I spent on their non-working card. I also want them seriously investigated.