Consumer complaint received 2026-04-16 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: MI

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Inaccurate Balance and Failure to Properly Review Hardship American Express Accounts I am filing this complaint regarding two American Express accounts ( XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) due to inaccurate balances and failure to properly evaluate my documented financial hardship. In late 2025, I experienced an unexpected job loss along with medical issues, which temporarily impacted my ability to make timely payments. During this period, autopay transactions were returned, which triggered repeated late fees and compounding interest charges across multiple billing cycles. On the XXXX XXXX XXXX account, multiple returned payment fees of {$29.00} were applied across several consecutive months along with increasing interest charges. These charges were not the result of new purchases but were system-generated penalties that accumulated from a single hardship event. Similarly, on the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account, late fees and interest accrued during the same hardship period. American Express acknowledged this situation and provided partial fee reversals. However, the remaining balance still includes residual amounts tied to those same fees and related interest. I made multiple good-faith efforts to resolve this matter directly with American Express XXXX In these communications, I clearly explained my hardship situation and requested a review. However, I was informed in writing that no hardship request was recorded and my requests were treated only as fee waiver requests. As a result, my situation was not properly reviewed under hardship policies. This represents a failure to appropriately assess and classify a documented hardship situation, leading to continued accumulation of fees and interest and an inflated balance that does not reflect actual account usage. Additionally, American Express stated that credit reporting is accurate and refused to make any corrections, despite the fact that the reported balances and delinquencies are directly tied to hardship-related fee accumulation rather than actual spending behavior. I am not disputing legitimate purchases and remain fully willing to pay the true purchase balance. However, the current balances are significantly inflated due to compounding fees and interest resulting from a single hardship event. I am requesting the following resolution : XXXX. Full removal of all late fees and returned payment fees across both accounts XXXX. Full removal of all interest charges that were applied as a result of those fees XXXX. XXXX of both account balances to reflect only legitimate purchase activity XXXX. Correction or removal of any negative credit reporting associated with these hardship-related charges across XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Confirmation that both accounts are updated to accurate balances after adjustments This request is made in good faith and is not an attempt to avoid legitimate obligations, but rather to correct balances that were disproportionately increased by system-generated penalties during a documented hardship period. I respectfully request a full and fair review of both accounts by American Express and appropriate adjustments to ensure an accurate and equitable resolution.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation