Consumer complaint received 2025-02-21 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NC

Complaint narrative:
From XX/XX/year> through XX/XX/year> I have tried communicating with American Express in at least a half dozen attempts by phone to have {$12000.00} returned to me by wire transfer to the bank connected to my credit card account after a merchant credited {$12000.00} back to my AmEx cred card account ending in XXXX. 
My attempts to communicate with American Express and to have money returned to me by wire transfer to the bank connected to my credit card have been UNSUCCESSFUL. I seek advocacy and intervention in having my {$12000.00} returned to me by wire transfer to the bank connected to my credit card account AMEX REF NUMBER : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/year> the merchant XXXX credited the amount of {$12000.00} back to my Amex credit card account ending in XXXX. 
On XX/XX/year> I contacted American Express and was advised they could return the money to me by either check or wire transfer at no cost to me. I explained to the representative : - I am on extended travel through the month of XXXX and it is not possible for me to receive a check : and therefore, - I need the money wire-transferred back to the bank connected to my Amex credit card account, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX We agreed that rather than my trying to recite the bank routing number from memory, I would call back when I had my checkbook in hand. The representative advised me he was entering notes about my request for a wire transfer into my account so that the information would be readily available to any Amex representative when I called back. 
On XX/XX/year> I contacted American Express and after going back over the reasons a wire transfer was necessary ; and then providing the representative with my banks routing and account number, the Amex representative advised they could see the wire transfer had been effected and that, the transfer should take 5 to 7 days. 
On XX/XX/year> I contacted American Express and the representative advised me that they saw in the system that the wire transfer was in effect and that, the transfer should take XXXX to 10 days you should see the money in your bank account on the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  I contacted American Express and the representative, XXXX advised me that she could see : 1 ) the wire transfer had actually only been effected on XX/XX/year> ; the wire transfer process could take a minimum of 10 days so, you should see the money in your bank account on XX/XX/XXXX I explained to XXXX that was entirely unacceptable ( let alone realistic ) ; that I needed that money to pay bills ; and, that I needed to speak to someone else. 
XXXX transferred me to XXXX who floored me by admitting no wire transfer had been effected and that a check for {$12000.00} had been mailed to my home address in North Carolina -despite my advising no less than two AmEx representatives I would not return to XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX ( XXXX months away ) and both of whom assured me that my money was being wire-transferred to the bank connected to my Amex credit card account ; Amex rep XXXX XXXX not explain why the third and fourth Amex representatives I spoke with on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  both advised me they could see a wire transfer in effect and XXXX transferred me to Amex rep. XXXX Amex XXXX confirmed that, we can cancel the check that went out to you since you wont be able to receive it until XXXX but, the quickest we can wire transfer your money to you will be 5-7 days XXXX could not explain : 1 ) why it would take 5-7 days when I receive and send wire transfers between a myriad of other financial institutions including American Express and those wires never run past 2-3 days, especially when the banks are already connected ( as they are in this situation0 ; or, 2 ) what confidence I might have that this second attempt would not end up the same way the first, second and third assurances I had received thus far. 
XXXX suggested that, we can transfer your {$12000.00} BACK TO YOUR CREDIT CARD and, by the way, would you like us to use any of that {$12000.00} to pay any balance you might have on your credit card now? ( I have always paid my credit card balances monthly BEFORE they come due. ) At this point, and AFTER AN HOUR-AND-A-HALF on the phone ; my conversations with all the Amex representatives make it abundantly clear to me it is the intentional practice and / or institutional intent of American Express to not return my money to me while simultaneously making it as difficult as possible for me to get the money wired to my bank and therefore ; I instructed XXXX to return and park the {$12000.00} back to my credit card account, to NOT use any portion of that {$12000.00} to any balance and that I would be seeking a third partys assistance in getting my {$12000.00} wire transferred to the XXXX XXXX account connected to my Amex credit card account. AMEX REF NUMBER : XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation