Consumer complaint received 2026-01-30 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting this complaint regarding a material misrepresentation by American Express in connection with a hotel booking made through the American Express travel platform, and American Expresss refusal to provide an adequate remedy after acknowledging the error.

American Express advertised the hotel I booked as a 5-star hotel on its website at the time of booking. I relied on this representation when making my purchase on XX/XX/year>. I had never stayed at this hotel before and had no independent reason to doubt the accuracy of the star classification provided by American Express. The hotels star rating was a material factor in my decision to book, as the reservation was made as a birthday gift for my partner, where hotel quality was especially important. 

After booking, on XX/XX/year>, I discovered that the hotel was not a 5-star hotel, but rather a 4-star hotel. I confirmed this directly with the hotel itself, which stated that it is classified as a 4-star property. I also obtained corroborating evidence from publicly available sources and documentation confirming the hotels 4-star status. 

I contacted American Express to report the discrepancy on XX/XX/year>. During a recorded phone call, an American Express customer service agent confirmed that the hotel is in fact a 4-star hotel, not a 5-star hotel as advertised on American Expresss website. This agent acknowledged the error and stated that she would escalate the matter to a supervisor and follow up with me regarding a resolution. Despite spending approximately 3040 minutes on this call, no follow-up ever occurred. 

The following day on XX/XX/year>, I contacted American Express again to continue the matter. During this call, the first agent I spoke with abruptly disconnected the call, forcing me to call back yet again. Eventually, American Express stated that the only remedy they were willing to offer was cancellation of the booking, and they refused to offer any compensation, adjustment, or alternative accommodation. 

Cancellation alone does not remedy the harm caused by the misrepresentation. This was not a voluntary cancellation or a change of mind. I was induced to book by incorrect and materially false information provided by American Express. I relied on the 5-star classification when choosing this hotel and would not have booked it had the correct information been disclosed at the outset. The fact that American Express later acknowledged the hotels true rating confirms that the listing was inaccurate.

American Expresss refusal to provide any compensation or value adjustment, despite acknowledging the misrepresentation and despite my reliance on their representations, is unreasonable and inconsistent with fair consumer practices. Offering cancellation only places the burden entirely on the consumer and ignores the reliance damages and inconvenience caused by American Expresss error.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation