Consumer complaint received 2026-02-21 00:00:00
Product: Credit 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
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
CFPB XXXX XXXX American Express American Express Dispute No. XXXX I am filing this complaint against American Express for XXXX to conduct a reasonable investigation into a billing error dispute, as required under the Fair Credit Billing Act ( " XXXX '' ), XXXX U.S.C. XXXX et seq. 

The Disputed Charge A charge of {$120.00} from XXXX XXXX posted to my account on XX/XX/XXXX. I timely disputed this charge on XXXX independent grounds : ( XXXX ) the amount billed materially exceeded the amount I authorized ; ( XXXX ) an undisclosed surcharge was added after authorization ; and ( XXXX ) the services resulted in damage to my property. American Express has closed the dispute against me twice, without adequately addressing any of these grounds. 

Background At the time of service, XXXX XXXX quoted me a standard price and accepted a 50 % first-visit coupon I presented. Based on the stated pricing and the coupon, my authorized total was approximately {$66.00} plus applicable tax. I authorized payment for that amount only, and this authorization is reflected on the intake form I signed. 
I was not informed of any rush surcharge until after I had already authorized payment a material omission that rendered the subsequent charge unauthorized. When my items were returned, the total billed was {$120.00}, nearly double the amount I had expressly authorized. 
Upon inspecting the returned items, I discovered that a suit jacket had been damaged : a button had been ripped off. The jacket 's estimated replacement value is approximately {$400.00}. Because the charge exceeded my authorization and the services caused property damage, I disputed the full amount. 

The Merchant 's Inconsistent Submissions The merchant submitted dispute responses on XX/XX/XXXX ; XX/XX/XXXX ; and XX/XX/XXXX. In its earlier responses, the merchant alleged that I signed a receipt at pickup and claimed that video evidence existed showing I raised no complaint at the time. Both assertions are false. 
My items were delivered to my apartment complex ( XXXX XXXX ) and held at the front desk. I was not present at delivery and did not sign any receipt either at delivery or when collecting the items from reception. I dispute the authenticity of the signature the merchant has submitted and am prepared to provide a sworn, notarized affidavit attesting that the signature is not mine. 
Critically, the merchant 's XX/XX/XXXX response omitted all reference to the video evidence it had previously cited. The merchant offered no explanation for this omission. This inconsistency is significant : the merchant appears to have abandoned a factual claim it could not substantiate. A reasonable investigation should have flagged this and weighed it against the reliability of the merchant 's other submissions including the disputed signature. 

American Express 's XXXX Violations The XXXX requires a card issuer to conduct a reasonable investigation of a disputed billing error and to resolve the dispute on the merits of the evidence. American Express failed to meet this standard in the following respects : First, the issuer accepted the merchant 's documentation including a signature I have expressly disputed without meaningfully evaluating its authenticity or requesting further verification. 
Second, the issuer failed to address the unauthorized surcharge. The charge exceeded the amount I authorized. The XXXX is clear that a charge in excess of the authorized amount constitutes a billing error. The issuer 's closure letters do not demonstrate that this issue was evaluated. 
Third, the issuer failed to reconcile the merchant 's material inconsistency between its XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX submissions. The disappearance of the video evidence claim without explanation is probative of the merchant 's credibility and should have informed the investigation. 

Relief Requested I respectfully request that the CFPB : Review whether American Express complied with its obligations under the XXXX to conduct a reasonable investigation into a billing error dispute ; XXXX American Express to reopen and reconsider this dispute in light of the factual inaccuracies and evidentiary inconsistencies in the merchant 's submissions ; and Direct American Express to address each disputed ground unauthorized charge amount, undisclosed surcharge, and property damage on its individual merits. 

I am prepared to submit all supporting documentation, including the original intake form, dispute correspondence, the merchant 's successive responses, and a notarized affidavit attesting that the signature on the merchant 's submitted receipt is not mine.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief