Consumer complaint received 2026-03-09 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: OR

Complaint narrative:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) Complaint Complaint Type : Billing Disputes, Improper late fees, Credit Reporting, Adverse Action Company Name : American Express Company Account Number ( s ) : XXXX, XXXX Product/Service : American Express Credit Card ( s ) Financial Harm Summary : American Express has assessed {$140.00} in improper fees and interest , caused direct credit score damage through fraudulent credit limit reductions, and is now using its flawed, retaliatory data to systematically deny legitimate credit applications, causing significant further financial harm. Chronology of Events : XX/XX/XXXX : Credit limit on account XXXX was {$20000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX : American Express assessed a {$29.00} returned payment fee. XX/XX/XXXX : Credit limit on account XXXX was reduced to {$18000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX : Credit limit on account XXXX remained at {$18000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX : I made a {$10000.00} payment to account XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX : Credit limit on account XXXX was increased back to {$20000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX : I made a {$7600.00} payment to account XXXX, paying off the balance before the end of a 0 % APR period. XX/XX/XXXX- Ongoing : Credit limit on account XXXX was reduced from {$20000.00} and remains suppressed at {$13000.00}. XX/XX/XXXX : Statement for account ending in XXXX shows a balance of {$7500.00} against a {$13000.00} limit. My AMERICAN EXPRESS XXXX XXXX XXXX application was Declined. XX/XX/XXXX : I made a {$7500.00} payment to the account referenced in the XX/XX/XXXX statement. A {$29.00} returned payment fee was assessed on this date. XX/XX/XXXX : I proactively contacted the American Express XXXX XXXX regarding the XX/XX/XXXX returned payment, explaining it was a bank timing error, not a lack of funds. I was assured this would not cause issues. XX/XX/XXXX : I accrued {$8900.00} in new charges on account XXXX and {$9600.00} in new charges on account XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX : I made an {$8900.00} payment to account XXXX and a {$9200.00} payment to account XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX XXXX application was Declined. XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX XXXX application ( coded internally as " DUMMY CODE '' ) was Declined. XX/XX/XXXX : My XXXX XXXX application was Declined. XX/XX/XXXX ( Sunday ) : Due date for account XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX ( Monday ) : I submitted payment for account XXXX. American Express assessed a {$29.00} late fee and {$18.00} interest. XX/XX/XXXX : My dispute of the XXXX late fee was denied via the app. XX/XX/XXXX ( Saturday ) : Due date for account XXXX. American Express assessed a {$29.00} late fee. XX/XX/XXXX ( Sunday ) : Due date for account XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX ( Monday ) : I submitted payment for account XXXX. American Express assessed a {$40.00} late fee. Breach of Executive Assurances and Retaliatory Campaign Following a single, isolated banking error on XX/XX/XXXX, I proactively contacted the American Express XXXX XXXX to prevent an overzealous automated response. I explicitly detailed that a {$29.00} returned payment fee was the result of a " clearing timing error, '' not a lack of funds, and that my bank had already confirmed this. In my communication to senior leadership, I requested that the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX team : Place a note on my account clarifying the NSF was a documented timing error. Prevent any automated adverse risk actions or prejudice to my new XXXX XXXX application. Cancel the automated retry debit. The XXXX XXXX 's failure to honor these requests constitutes a material breach of promise and has triggered a clear and retaliatory campaign against me. Furthermore, I have repeatedly requested a manual underwriting review of my applications and account status through American Express 's standard channels. These requests have been systematically ignored or automatically denied, demonstrating that the company 's internal systems are designed to prevent human oversight and trap consumers in a cycle of automated penalties. Direct Causation : The credit limit suppression on account XXXX and the systematic denials of all subsequent credit applications began after this incident and my proactive attempt to resolve it. Bad Faith Action : American Express verbally agreed to prevent adverse actions but then proceeded to do the exact opposite, using the very incident I reported as the pretext for its punitive measures. Evidence of Malice : This demonstrates a deliberate choice to penalize a customer for a banking error, despite being given full context and assurance of payment via wire transfer. This is not risk management ; it is retaliation for bringing an issue to their attention. Legal and Regulatory Violations : Unfair or Deceptive Acts and Practices ( UDAP ) : Assigning due dates on non-business days knowing consumer banks are closed creates a mandatory penalty for a delay the consumer can not control. This is an unfair practice under the Dodd-Frank Act. Violation of the " Reasonable Consumer '' Standard : A reasonable consumer expects deadlines to align with business days. Imposing a Sunday due date with no grace period to Monday is deceptive. Truth in Lending Act ( TILA ) - Deceptive by Omission : American Express fails to disclose that payments made on the Monday after a weekend due date will be penalized, omitting a material term. Intentional Infliction of Financial Harm : American Express has intentionally damaged my credit score by suppressing the limit on account XXXX. This artificially inflates my utilization ratio, a direct cause of financial harm, as evidenced by the arbitrary limit restoration on my other account. Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ) - Adverse Action : By using a flawed, retaliatory internal risk model to deny my multiple applications for credit, American Express has taken adverse action against me based on data that is not a legitimate assessment of my creditworthiness. Desired Resolution : I demand the following actions to rectify American Express 's systemic abuse : Complete Refund : An immediate, permanent credit for all improperly assessed fees totaling * * XXXX ( XXXX ( XXXX returned payment fee + {$29.00} late fee + {$18.00} interest + {$29.00} late fee + {$40.00} late fee ). Policy Change Assurance : A written guarantee from an executive representative that future due dates for my accounts will fall on business days or an automatic business-day grace period will be applied. Full Manual Underwriting & Specific ECOA Notices : A human underwriter must manually re-evaluate all recent card applications using my complete, accurate financial data. Pursuant to ECOA, I demand the specific, clear reasons for each prior denial in writing. If the manual review, based on a corrected file, finds me eligible, American Express must immediately approve and issue the requested XXXX XXXX. Complete Internal File Correction : A manual adjustment to my internal files. All flags and negative data points related to the disputed late fees, interest, and the XXXX returned payment are to be permanently removed. This adjustment must be coded to ensure these events are treated as if they never occurred for all future automated decisions, including underwriting, credit limit reviews, and product offers. Credit Limit Restoration : Immediate restoration of the credit limit on account XXXX to {$20000.00} to cease the ongoing financial harm from the artificial utilization inflation. Written Confirmation of File Correction : A written statement from an XXXX representative confirming the negative markers have been fully purged and will not be considered in any future automated or manual reviews of my accounts. Statement of Quantifiable Financial Damages The denials of my Platinum Card applications are not a separate issue ; they are the most consequential proof of the harm caused by American Express 's fraudulent actions on my personal accounts. The retaliatory credit limit suppression on account XXXX and the refusal to purge the NSF flag from my file, as promised by the XXXX XXXX, has poisoned my entire relationship with American Express. Your flawed internal data, which I am seeking to correct, is now being used to automatically deny me financial services for which I am clearly qualified. I expect a response within 14 days of your receipt of this complaint. Failure to comply will result in further legal action, including filing a lawsuit in small claims court for damages. These charges will not be paid.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation