Consumer complaint received 2025-01-28 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Struggling to pay your bill — Credit card company won't work with you while you're going through financial hardship
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MN

Complaint narrative:
I've spoken to AMEX a few different times over the last 30 days. I was laid off XX/XX/XXXX and not been able to gain full time employment. I've picked up a part-time job ( XXXX ) thru XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX. I'm making peanuts compared to what i made previously. However Last week in specific I called AMEX on XX/XX/XXXX to let them know I want to work with them, and I've explained my situation multiple times. The guy i spoke to asked me a few questions and offered a plan at {$290.00} a month for 48 months. This is/was more than minimum due leading up to my non-payment due to layoff. I asked multiple times if there were any more programs? I indicated I'm working with my XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX card, and they lowered my interest to 1 % to allow me to catch up on the past due, the accts are frozen, but it prevents negative ( 30-day late reporting ) in a payment plan. I feel AMEX is Omitting information to allow me to make a sound decision. 
Anyway, last week after I told the guy I couldn't do XXXX a month for 48 months as I don't have the money to pay my bills, I can't come up worth more. Mind you it's so INSENSITIVE for a company to not listen to me at all, like its bad now, but you want to make it worse? How does that help me!? At any rate I was told to call AMEX 's internal debt consolidation group ; XXXX XXXX between XXXX XXXX as they have additional programs and more to help me. So today i did just that ; Only to find out this group doesn't exist, there's no other plans and the only thing they can give me is the same {$290.00} a month plan for 48 months. I can otherwise be transferred to a 3rd party credit counselor to PAY to have them Negotiate my AMEX debt or anything else. I don't need or want that, why is AMEX not willing to work with me?! Or better yet why do they want to send me to an outside 3rd party to make money off of me so they can then help me settle my debt with AMEX. Wouldn't it be more advantageous for AMEX to work with me an on a plan similar to what a debt consolidation group could without costing me more in Fees, fines and terrible negative credit reporting that comes along with it? I asked if its free, and if AMEX get a kick back for sending bad customers to the counselor. Seems like a conflict of interest and feels unethical to me to be solicited for a program that will cost me more in the long run ( Fines, Fees and TERRIBLE CREDIT REPORTING ) You don't want to use the debt consolidations companies as they tarnish your credit. I feel that No one at AMEX there seems to care, why can't I get truthful, transparent answers when I call AMEX. I want to speak with a stateside employee of AMEX that actually knows what's going on and will not waste my time and lie to me. I'd also suggest pulling the last two calls, they're monitored ; I feel the dishonesty thru them. It's almost like you can take a pulse on the mistrust, Things are being omitted and I'm being strong armed on the phone. I'm going in circles, please help me!!!!!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation