Consumer complaint received 2026-01-01 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: WA

Complaint narrative:
What happened ( main narrative ) : On XX/XX/year>, I was the victim of a XXXX XXXX fraud in XXXX, XXXX. I was pressured into tapping my American Express card for what was represented as a small donation of {$5.00}, but a charge of {$950.00} was submitted. 

I immediately contacted American Express upon seeing the transaction pending. The first representative I reached via chat stated that nothing could be done until the charge posted. Concerned, I called American Express later that same day and spoke with a fraud representative who took a full fraud report, guided me through securing my account ( including PIN setup and password changes ), and explicitly assured me that the charge would not post to my account and that I would not have to relive the incident. 

Despite these assurances, the charge did post. 

When I followed up, I was told something entirely different : that the charge might remain on my account until a fraud investigation concluded and a credit was issued. This directly contradicted what I had been told previously. 



Erroneous credits/debits and loss of access to funds : Separatelyand after my initial XXXX escalation email to American Express XXXX but before my first call with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX serious additional issue affecting my accounts. 

American Express repeatedly posted and reversed the same {$7100.00} payment correction balance approximately XXXX times across XXXX separate American Express cards. While the underlying amount was {$7100.00}, the repeated posting and reversal activity resulted in over {$120000.00} in cumulative erroneous credits and debits appearing on my accounts. 

These were not new charges or spending by me. They appear to be internal posting errors related to an alleged payment correction. Regardless, this activity : Rendered my cards unusable Severely disrupted my available credit Left me without reliable access to pay for basic goods and services I was explicitly assured by an American Express agent that : My cards would continue to work, and The erroneous credits and debits would fall off at midnight on a specified date Neither assurance proved true. The entries remain, and my access to credit continues to be impaired. 



XXXX escalation concerns : After escalating this matter, I was contacted by a member of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The agent appeared not to have reviewed prior call recordings or chat transcripts and took a defensive and accusatory tone. 

Most concerning, the agent repeatedly stated that American Express could tell I had used XXXX to assist in drafting my written complaint, as if that fact undermined the legitimacy of my concerns. 

I am a person with physical and cognitive XXXX. I use assistive technology to help organize and communicate complex information. Focusing on my use of assistive toolsrather than the substance of my complaintwas inappropriate and distressing and raises serious concerns about accessibility and accommodation practices. 

The core issuesfraud mishandling, contradictory information, internal posting errors, and loss of access to fundswere not meaningfully addressed during this call. I ended the interaction in tears. 



Why this is a problem : American Express representatives provided inaccurate and contradictory information Assurances regarding charge posting, reversals, and card usability were not honored Internal posting errors created artificial high-dollar account activity I was denied reliable access to essential financial services XXXX escalation introduced accessibility and disability-related concerns rather than resolving the issue I am a long-standing customer ( over XXXX  years ) paying a premium annual fee for protections and service that were not delivered What I am seeking : XXXX. XXXX correction and removal of all erroneous credits and debits related to the {$7100.00} payment correction XXXX. Full restoration of card functionality and available credit XXXX. Written confirmation of final account status and resolution XXXX Review of the misinformation provided by customer service and XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX that XXXX customers are not penalized or questioned for using assistive technologies XXXX. Appropriate remediation for the prolonged loss of access to funds and service failures

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief