Unbelievably bad treatment... - Amex Gold Card

By: ariolauno

My complaint is about the American Express company and not the people within American Express who have tried to help me. The company has obviously made some major policy changes that are forcing the hands of the support people. Although I did find some compassion from their EMAIL support person who brought some sanity to the discussion.

I have been a member since 1981 and have always valued the American Express card for personal and business use.

I always felt secure that I would never be embarrasssed presenting the card... but now.. something has changed. I had made an overnight payment several days before the statement closing date to ensure it was received on time. The payment was for greater than the minimum. One day after closing, I received a call that they had not received the payment and that they were suspending the account (they even commented that there had not been a late payment in years but had to suspend it.) I explained that I have an EXPRESS MAIL receipt, signed by one of their employees for the payment made that was 3 days prior to the close date. They did not want the receipt and basically made it my problem to prove via a cleared check that they had received the payment. They even suggested I just do another payment electronically to clear the problem. (and if the other check cleared then I would just be more ahead!)

This transaction forced me to write a complaint via EMAIL to AMEX. Here I received some sanity... this lady opened an inquiry to find out where my $4000.00 payment got lost and relieved the suspension. Finally, someone interested in customer service!

Two weeks have passed and still no resolution, no cleared check, and no posting to the account. BUT.. what do I receive in the mail: a notice reducing my other AMEX Optima account having it's credit line reduced from $8000 to $1000! There was no balance on the Optima account, it is very rarely used, and is usually paid in full.

This was the final straw for me ... I have closed the OPTIMA account and will eliminate all balances on the AMEX shortly and probably close it upon next renewal. I hate to lose the comfort I remembered having as an AMEX Card holder but, maybe the company that nurtured that kind of relationship and trust is now extinct!