Consumer complaint received 2026-04-08 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: VA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Fraudulent merchant ( XXXX ) XXXX counterfeit goods, XXXX XXXX, and inconsistent dispute handling {$20000.00} Complaint : I am submitting this complaint regarding fraudulent transactions, counterfeit goods, and improper dispute handling by my card issuer. I purchased multiple NFPA publications from the merchant XXXX for resale purposes. At the time of purchase, the merchant explicitly advertised the products as 100 % original, which directly influenced my purchasing decision. However, after receiving the goods and conducting verification, serious issues were identified. The brand owner, National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA ), confirmed in writing that this merchant is not an authorized reseller. This confirmation is attached. Additionally, the products supplied by the merchant failed authenticity verification when sold on XXXX. As demonstrated in the attached XXXX Seller Central screenshots : XXXX removed my listings due to Product Authenticity Complaints XXXX clearly stated concerns about authenticity of items offered by my supplier XXXX required valid supplier invoices, which could not be provided due to the merchants unauthorized status XXXX explicitly stated that counterfeit products are strictly prohibited My listings were permanently removed My account was fully deactivated XXXX confirmed that my account would remain deactivated without valid documentation My inventory linked to these products was ineligible and subject to destruction These are formal enforcement actions by XXXX, independently confirming that the supplied goods were not acceptable as authentic inventory. Furthermore : The products were shipped from XXXX, which is inconsistent with NFPAs official distribution structure The merchant later removed 100 % original claims and modified their website terms after my purchases The merchants listed business address does not appear to correspond to a legitimate publishing or distribution facility I also made multiple attempts to contact the merchant directly. During phone communication : The merchant refused to provide any supply chain or sourcing documentation, claiming confidential reasons No verifiable proof of authenticity or authorization was provided Calls are often unanswered, and when answered, they are handled unprofessionally, sometimes by what appears to be an unqualified individual The merchant avoids providing any concrete business verification This behavior strongly indicates that the merchant does not have a legitimate or verifiable supply chain and is intentionally withholding information. Despite this overwhelming evidence, my bank only approved partial disputes and refunded some transactions, while rejecting the remaining transactions totaling {$20000.00}, even though : All transactions were with the same merchant All purchases were of the same type of product All disputes were based on the same misrepresentation Partial approved disputes by company are listed below XX/XX/XXXX Disputed Amount {$91.00} XX/XX/XXXX Disputed Amount {$58.00} XX/XX/XXXX Disputed Amount {$980.00} XX/XX/XXXX Disputed Amount {$1000.00} XX/XX/XXXX Disputed Amount {$1000.00} This is a clear inconsistency in dispute handling. If some transactions were deemed valid for refund, then all identical transactions should have been treated the same way. Instead, I was advised to contact the merchant directly, which is not a reasonable resolution because : The merchant is confirmed unauthorized by the brand owner The goods failed authenticity checks on XXXX My business suffered irreversible damage The merchant has already demonstrated misleading and evasive behavior I have also requested that my bank independently verify this matter directly with the brand owner. The official XXXX contact is : XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX This allows independent confirmation that the merchant is not authorized. This case involves : Merchant misrepresentation Sale of unauthorized or counterfeit goods Verified brand-owner denial Third-party enforcement ( XXXX account deactivation and listing removal ) Financial and business loss Evasive and non-cooperative merchant behavior Inconsistent dispute resolution by the bank I respectfully request : A full reinvestigation of all rejected transactions totaling {$20000.00} Independent verification of the merchant through the brand owner A clear explanation for inconsistent handling of identical disputes A full refund of all valid disputed transactions I have provided a complete evidence package including : NFPA confirmation email XXXX Seller Central enforcement screenshots Product authenticity violation records Merchant website changes Shipping origin proof Transaction history Card ending in : XXXX All rejected disputes by company are listed below : XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. 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Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief