Consumer complaint received 2026-06-02 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Fees or interest — Problem with fees
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
I. BACKGROUND & EVIDENCE OF VERBAL CANCELLATION ( XX/XX/XXXX ) 1. On XX/XX/XXXX, I engaged in a formal customer service chat with American Express regarding unauthorized recurring charges. 2. FORMAL CONSUMER COMPLAINT & PRE-LITIGATION DEMAND XXXX. DATE : XX/XX/XXXX2026 4. SUBMITTED VIA CFPB XXXX XXXX. TO : American Express Company Attn : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX NY XXXX 6. FROM : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX 7. RE : 8. Account Holder : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. Account XXXX : Ending in XXXX XXXX. Disputed Charges : Renewal Membership Fees ( {$890.00} & {$400.00} ) plus associated interest/late fees 11. Date of Initial Absolute Cancellation Directive : XX/XX/XXXX2025 12.NOTICE OF MATERIAL BREACH, UNAUTHORIZED BILLING, AND DEMAND FOR RELIEF 13.To Whom It May Concern : 14. This letter serves as a formal dispute of {$1200.00} in renewal membership fees assessed to my account on XXXX XXXX, 2026, and a formal complaint against American Express for deceptive billing practices, bad-faith consumer exploitation, and explicit refusal to execute a timely account closure directive. 15. Recurring charges on my account ending in XXXX. 16. During that interaction, I was connected with an Amex representative named XXXX. I issued a clear, unambiguous, and absolute directive to terminate the membership, stating textually : " Close that account I dont want it. '' 17.Instead of executing the closure as legally mandated by consumer preference, the representative attempted to pressure me into immediate payments on disputed balances and delayed the process, stating : " For annual fee charge, I need to connect you with a colleague of mine ... '' 18.I was then transferred to a representative named XXXX, who further delayed the closure by reading a lengthy terms-and-conditions disclosure script and refusing to process the cancellation with a fee adjustment, effectively locking my account into an active status against my express, written, and verbal refusal of consent. XXXX. CONSEQUENT PREDATORY BILLING ( XX/XX/XXXX ) Because American Express unlawfully refused to close account XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, the account was left open without my authorization. Consequently, on XXXX XXXX, 2026, American Express generated XXXX completely unauthorized renewal membership fees on a card I had ordered shut nearly a year prior : Renewal Membership Fee : {$890.00} ( Ref : XXXX ) Renewal Membership Fee : {$400.00} ( Ref : XXXX ) When I subsequently followed up to demand removal, American Express agents had the audacity to claim the fee was " non-refundable '' because it fell outside of a XXXX window from XXXX 2026. This position is contractually absurd and legally fraudulent ; the XXXX window is irrelevant because the entire account should have been closed XXXX months prior in XXXX 2025. III. LEGAL AND REGULATORY VIOLATIONS Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices ( UDAAP ) : Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act ( CFPA ), it is a federal violation to engage in abusive practices that systematically trap consumers in a cycle of debt by refusing to honor account closure requests. Holding an account open against a consumer 's explicit " Close that account '' directive to rack up future annual fees, late fees ( {$39.00} ), and interest charges ( {$50.00} ) is a textbook UDAAP violation. Breach of Contract & Covenant of Good Faith : A credit card agreement is a bilateral contract. When a consumer explicitly revokes their consent to be a member and orders the account closed, the issuer can not unilaterally sustain the contract to generate future recurring fee revenues. IV. DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE REMEDIAL ACTION To avoid immediate escalation to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ), state attorneys general, and formal consumer arbitration proceedings, I demand that American Express take the following actions within XXXX ( XXXX ) business days of receiving this notice : 1. Complete Retroactive Reversal : Credit back and remove the {$890.00} and {$400.00} renewal fees from XXXX XXXX, 2026. 2. Wipe Accrued Penalties : Reverse all incidental interest charges ( {$50.00} ), late fees ( {$39.00} ), and any other ancillary charges compiled after XXXX XXXX, 2025. 3. Execute Account Closure : Permanently close account XXXX with the credit reporting bureaus, marked as " Closed at Consumer 's Request '' with a true {$0.00} balance. 4. Cease Negative Credit Reporting : Ensure no derogatory or delinquent reporting regarding these specific disputed balances is sent to XXXX, XXXX, or XXXX. If American Express fails to provide written confirmation of this XXXX balance and closure within XXXX business days, I will file this complete transcript record with federal regulators and pursue all available statutory damages under applicable federal consumer protection laws. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation