Consumer complaint received 2021-04-14
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY (NJ)

American Express has engaged in unfair, deceptive and abusive practices in excess late fees and interest charges. In addition, it failed to issue a credit for an unauthorized charge for {$590.00} from XXXX on XX/XX/2020, despite the fact that I contacted it numerous times, reported the false charge and was told that a credit would be issued. I was told that the credit would be issued numerous times yet this claim was false each time. I talked to American Express numerous times about these problems across at least 2 months. The last time, I was assured that the account would be corrected, credits issued and no further false charges levied. These assurances also proved to be false. I ask that the CFPB force American Express to issue numerous credits to my account and cease and desist from levying false fees and interest charges, as well as issue the promised credit for the illicit charge from XXXX. I received no service or merchandise for this charge and talked to XXXX as well many times requesting a credit. In addition to these problems, many excess charges occurred because American Express received money but failed to credit it when it received electronic payments. The due date fell on a Sunday followed by one or two days of holidays. My understanding is that when the due date falls on a holiday, payments are not due until the next business day. American Express repeatedly fails to honor this and charges illicit late fees and interest as a result, even though electronic payments go through on the weekend and Amex receives money but fails to process it and credit accounts in a timely manner. Its failures become an habitual pretext to collect more fees and interest for no good reason. Then it lies about correcting the account. The following fees need to be reversed on my account but they probably are not the only ones : {$29.00} on XX/XX/2020 ; {$97.00} on XX/XX/2020 ; {$140.00} in XX/XX/2020 ; {$100.00} on XX/XX/2020, as well as any other late fees, interest and other penalties it levied as a result of the aforementioned mistakes which have compounded for months. American Express exhibits such recalcitrance in failing to keep accounts accurate that it is hard not to believe that people who are suppose to issue credits have not been given incentives not to issue credits. Whatever the reason, it is bulldozing people with its habitual lies and failure to straighten out accounts it has messed up, despite being asked to correct the accumulating mistakes many times. In addition to these problems, American Express engages in deceptive practices by declaring that cash back rewards are issued for broad categories, then denying many merchants in the discounted categories while evading indicating how much of a discount is actually issued for any particular purchase. This has been a wantonly deceptive practice that I have complained about before to no avail. Whether the excuse is badly programmed computers that no one corrects or numerous employees rewarded for abusive behavior, I should not have to subsidize Amex 's predatory business operations. If Amex takes exception to discounts for broad categories of sales ( for example, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. ), then it is incumbent on it to itemize each discount granted by individual purchase so that card users can see very specifically where it is issuing the advertised discounts and where it is not. Its habitual fraud in hiding details of its cash back accounting is intolerable. In addition to issuing many credits to my account for the XXXX charge, as well as all of the penalties and interest it charged by its failure to issue credits for a nearly {$600.00} charge, and for charging penalties and interest when a due date falls on a holiday, Amex should be sanctioned significantly for these deliberate, bait and switch tactics that it uses to gain market share while failing to perform as advertised. It had ample opportunity since last fall when I first spoke to it to correct my account and repeatedly lied about doing so. Clearly its common practice is to break rules to make money and write off insignificant sanctions as a business expense.