Consumer complaint received 2026-04-16 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MI

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Inaccurate Balances and Refusal to Adjust Fee-Driven Charges American Express Accounts I am filing this complaint regarding two American Express credit card accounts ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) due to inaccurate balances and failure to properly address a documented financial hardship situation. In late XXXX, I experienced an unexpected job loss along with medical issues, which temporarily impacted my ability to make payments. During this period, autopay transactions were returned, triggering repeated late fees and compounding interest charges across multiple billing cycles on both accounts. These charges were not the result of new purchases but were system-generated penalties that accumulated from a single hardship event. Over time, these repeated fees and interest significantly inflated the balances on both accounts beyond the actual purchase amounts. I made substantial good-faith payments toward these accounts and clearly communicated my hardship situation to American Express . However, my requests were not processed as formal hardship reviews. Instead, they were treated only as fee waiver requests, and I was later informed that no hardship request had been recorded. American Express acknowledged the situation partially by reversing certain fees on one account and crediting a disputed charge ( {$13.00} ). However, the remaining balances still include fees and interest tied to the same hardship event. Most recently, during live communication with American Express, I was told that no further adjustments could be made and that I must first pay the full balances before any additional fee waiver would even be considered. I was also informed that no escalation or further internal review would be available. This approach is unreasonable and unfair, as it requires payment of inflated balances driven by penalty charges before any meaningful review or adjustment is considered. I clearly stated that I am not disputing legitimate purchases and am fully willing to pay the actual purchase balances. I also offered to make a good-faith payment toward the true purchase portion immediately. However, American Express refused to adjust the balances or provide a fair resolution prior to payment. Additionally, American Express has stated that credit reporting is accurate and refused to make any corrections, despite the fact that the reported balances and delinquencies are directly tied to hardship-related fee accumulation rather than actual spending behavior. I am requesting the following resolution : 1. Full removal of all late fees and returned payment fees across both accounts 2. Full removal of all interest charges that were applied as a result of those fees 3. Adjustment of both account balances to reflect only legitimate purchase activity 4. Acceptance of payment for the corrected balances without requiring payment of inflated fee-driven amounts 5. Correction or removal of any negative credit reporting associated with these hardship-related charges across XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX 6 . Confirmation that both accounts are updated with accurate balances after adjustments This request is made in good faith and is not an attempt to avoid legitimate obligations. I am willing to pay what I actually owe. However, the current balances are significantly inflated due to compounding fees and interest resulting from a single hardship event and should be corrected accordingly. I respectfully request a full and fair review of both accounts by American Express and appropriate adjustments to ensure an accurate and equitable resolution.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation