Consumer complaint received 2022-03-21
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (ID)

On XX/XX/2022, I was traveling in XXXX XXXX and we had to go back to XXXX XXXX to adjust plans previously set. At that time, we were hoping to find a rental car to allow us to continue our trip, which was in question. 

We called around and were told that every place was booked and that no cars were available. We had our hotel call and similarly were told they could not find a car. I searched online and found a site, XXXX XXXX XXXX, which allowed me to " book '' a car and choose to pay in full to guarantee the reservation. Thinking the site had inventory and that we would be able to get a car, I put in my card information and then proceeded through the site to lock in a rental. This charge was on my American Express and was for the amount of {$1200.00}. However, as it processed the payment, it flashed a notice up on the screen that no vehicles could be found in our area and then defaulted back to the booking screen. Thinking the payment would NOT be processed, because no vehicles could be found ( according to the notice that flashed up ), we regrouped and decided to go for a walk from the hotel. 

During that walk the same day, we saw a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX building and noticed vehicles parked. We chose to go there and hope for a vehicle. They did have one and we proceeded to book and pay for that vehicle immediately, this time using my XXXX card. Nearly twice as much as the XXXX XXXX XXXXl site had listed at {$2200.00}, but we were willing to accept it was last minute and nothing was available anywhere. I was told that tourist season was massive this year, due to the Covid backlog, so I was lucky to get anything at all. This matched up with calling around and with having the XXXX XXXX XXXX  site unable to locate a vehicle. Note : they do not have inventory themselves and rely on other places. This is part of the breakdown. 

So, we paid for the car at XXXX and we were able to drive to our destinations. At no time did XXXX  provide me an email or otherwise provide a location or anything that I could actually see a vehicle available and so I believed what I was told. 

Then, they still charged me for the rental and claimed I was a no show. That is not true. I could not show up, because no location was given and no vehicle was actually available at that time according to their own site. 

When I saw this charge had actually processed, I challenged it with American Express immediately. I let them know I was unable to receive a voucher or other form of vehicle rental and that their site flashed the message of being unable to locate a vehicle in their network. 

The XXXX XXXX XXXX place is claiming they do not have to refund because they cite a no show policy. When challenged, American Express accepted an illegible and nonsensical set of information, which I can not see and can not make sense of. It appears to be some random camera shot and a document that can not be read at all. 

Whatever, the justification given to keep the money, it is untrue that we had any option to show up anywhere to get a vehicle. An assertion that is backed by the fact I paid nearly twice as much money that same day through another car company and which any logical person reviewing this case would recognize is absurd to have an option to pay half the price and still go with something else. 

The fact is we could not get a vehicle using that XXXX XXXX XXXX website and they haven't shown any proof they sent me an email with a voucher. I know they have my email, because they spam me twice a day. Their own terms and conditions indicate you MUST provide a voucher when going to retrieve a vehicle, because that voucher is the only way their partner car rental places know you booked through their site. They don't have inventory as a company themselves. With no provided voucher, it was impossible for me to have chosen not to show up. 

I am asking for protection as a consumer for a charge in the amount of {$1200.00} and for a vehicle I could not obtain. I am not challenging the amount of {$2200.00} paid for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  that same day, because I DID get a vehicle with that agency. 

Please help me avoid paying a charge for a good/service that was impossible to receive and for which I paid far more the same day at another place because I could not receive it. 

I feel like American Express is unfairly siding with the car rental place because I paid for the second vehicle on my XXXX card and that they are incentivized to receive the interest on that charge. Rather than taking an honest look at the obvious situation, which is that I clearly had to rent a car from another location and paid far more. It's not like I got a better deal and am trying to dodge a charge. I would happily have paid half as much for a vehicle had one been available and had the first rental place provided me any mechanism for acquiring that car.