Consumer complaint received 2025-05-30 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern : This letter is a formal legal demand for corrective action regarding the unlawful closure of my American Express account ( XXXX ), which occurred after I submitted lawful, good-faith billing disputes pursuant to the Fair Credit Billing Act ( FCBA ) and California consumer protection laws. 

American Express representatives claimed that the frequency or number of these disputesespecially with the same merchantviolated their internal terms and conditions and justified terminating my account. That rationale is not supported by federal or California law, and actions constitute prohibited retaliation, unfair practices, and possibly defamation of credit. 

I. There Is No Legal Limit on Good-Faith Disputes Representatives stated that I exceeded an acceptable number of disputes in a short timeframe, and that this violates your internal policy. That rationale is directly contradicted by the Fair Credit Billing Act ( 15 U.S.C. 1666 et seq. ), which governs consumer rights in disputing credit card charges. 

Federal Law Requires Only XXXX Things : Timeliness : A dispute must be submitted within 60 days of the statement date showing the charge Good Faith : The consumer must genuinely believe the charge is erroneous Qualifying Billing Error : The charge must involve an issue defined in 15 U.S.C. 1666 ( b ), such as : Unauthorized use Goods or services not delivered or accepted Incorrect amount or date Math errors There is no federal provision that limits the number of disputes, prohibits multiple disputes in a short time frame, or bars disputes involving the same merchant. Nowhere does the law impose restrictions based on volume or merchant. So long as disputes are filed within XXXX  days of the statement and are made in good faith, they are fully protected. 

XXXX. Prohibition Against Retaliation 15 U.S.C. 1666c ( a ) A creditor may not, because the obligor has exercised in good faith rights provided by this part, institute any adverse action against the obligor This means American Express may not terminate or penalize my account because I submitted valid billing disputes, regardless of volume or merchant repetition. Closing my account for lawfully exercising my rights under 15 U.S.C. 1666 constitutes a clear violation of this protection. If internal terms suggest otherwise, they are unenforceable. 

XXXX. Federal Law Supersedes Amexs Internal Policies Under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution ( Art. VI, Cl. 2 ) : The Laws of the United States... shall be the supreme Law of the Land... anything in the laws of any State or private contract to the contrary notwithstanding. 

American Expresss right to cancel accounts clause does not override federal law. Any clause that violates statutory consumer rights is unenforceable. No cardmember agreement can override consumer rights granted by Congress. Internal policies may not limit, curtail, or retaliate against federally protected dispute rights.

IV. Violations of California Law American Express 's actions also violate California 's consumer protection statutes : o Consumer Legal Remedies Act ( CLRA ) Cal. Civ. Code 1750 et seq.

o Prohibits using deception, unfair tactics, or false representations in consumer transactions. Retaliating against lawful billing disputes is an unfair business practice.

o Unfair Competition Law ( UCL ) Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 17200 o Makes it unlawful to engage in any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business act or practice. 

Using secret or undisclosed dispute policies to punish consumers violates this law. 

V. Credit Reporting Violations FCRA ( 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ) If American Express has reported the account as " closed by grantor '' or flagged it for abuse, this may constitute false, incomplete, or misleading credit reporting under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Under 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2 ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) : A person shall not furnish any information relating to a consumer to any consumer reporting agency if the person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the information is inaccurate. 

And under 1681i ( a ) ( 1 ) ( A ) : If the completeness or accuracy of any item... is disputed... the agency shall conduct a reasonable reinvestigation...

If furnished damaging or incorrect information based on your flawed conclusion of bad faith despite clear evidence of good-faith conduct, this reporting must be corrected or withdrawn.

VI. Formal Demands I formally request that American Express : Immediately reinstate my account ( s ) in good standing Retract and correct any adverse credit reporting Provide a written explanation of the exact terms or policies allegedly violated Confirm in writing that my legal rights under federal and California law will be honored A fair emotional distress compensation Thank you

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation