Getting bent over and raped by American Express - a story. (A Rant)

[Eurodriver]

(This is entirely unrelated to a thread I made a week or so ago about credit cards)

So last month I opened an AMEX Blue cash back card. I only had one credit card and figured I might as well grab another one. When I applied I did NOT ask for a balance transfer or enter any of my old CC info AT ALL

Lo and behold the next day there is an email saying my balance transfer request for $3000 is pending. I don't even have a balance on my other credit card, let alone need to transfer anything. How the hell did they get my CC info? And who put in this $3000 figure? Wtf? So I call....

I got through to the exceptionally polite (but proportionally uneducated) Indian call center and after talking to several different people several different times their answer was all the same "I see your balance transfer request. Please call when you get your card in the mail, we can't cancel it until then."

So I wait. A week later my card arrives and I call them back. I get some guy who sounds like he's walking around a shopping mall, he takes my information and sees the request and says "Alright, I just cancelled it. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
I told him I wanted confirmation of some sort. Email, letter, etc. He said sure I'd have it soon.

Next day, no confirmation. So I call back. "Sure Mr.Euro we'll get it to you in the mail soon"

Today, what do you know. My AMEX account is short $3000 and the balance transfer is approved.

So I call again. "Oh, I'm showing that you called this day and this day and this day but you shoud've been told we don't cancel balance transfers. You should've thought about it before you requested one"

Brodudes - In all my life I have never understood how my drill instructors were able to get so angry. I think I realized the trick this morning - they call AMEX with serious problems and then run into the squad bay.

I had to hang up. I was furious the rest of the day. I sent them a secure message through their webiste (So I would finally have some sort of paper trail) and they said they would credit my account $21.38 (what a random ass number) for the inconvenience but they could do nothing about the $150 balance transfer fee (5% of $3000)

And the worst part? I signed on the dotted line and I can't get an American on the phone to save my life. Dave Ramsey is ****ing right.

So now both of my credit cards are all sorts of ****ed up and I have to:

-Request a $3000 check from my other credit card company.
-Pay $3150 toward my AMEX
-Not profit.

TL;DR
AMEX is a bunch of scumbag dumbasses

[jwfuhrman]

Yup, AMEX is worthless. We have actually STOPPED accepting AMEX and Discover cards at our shop. AMEX charges us 12.5% per transaction, Discover charges us 7%.

[RyanB]

In six years my AMEX has been my best card. It wore out and they overnight end me a new one. I always talk to an American. Love that card.

If I were a vendor I would not take them though...

[TAZ]

Wow that is interesting. Amex has always treated me right. Don't know about the transaction fees and such and to be honest I don't care. That's between them and their merchants.

Did they transfer your balance from your credit card or did the $$ go into cyberspace? Either way demand that they show you the signed paperwork authorizing the transfer. If they wont tell them they will be hearing from the DA and your lawyer. Did you make a copy of the app you sent in??

[tb-av]

Never had anything but first class, on the ball, got you covered, don't worry about a thing, it won't cost you a penny type service.


Having said that.... they do have some some stiff fees if you screw up.

You need to ask for a supervisor because unless you filled out some sort of deal where the cash advance was part of the deal, it sounds illegal. In fact, hearing you describe it I was thinking maybe you were being scammed by a fake "company".

[rjacobs]

My old man had been an AMEX card holder since like 1984 or some crazyness like that, never missed a payment, never paid less than the full bill(at the time that was how AMEX worked until the early 2000's I think), etc.... In 2008(or there abouts, during the credit crisis) he gets a letter saying his APR is being jacked up to 30%(or some crazy ass number). He calls and says "I have been a member for 20+ years, never missed a payment, never paid less than full bill, etc.... and you are raising my interest rate to 30%?" the answer he got was "you were in the group", but the lady didnt know anything else. He said what group, I have an 800+ credit score, a ton of cash in the bank, own my home, cars, etc... outright, blah, blah, blah So he cancelled and said he would never do business with them again. This was a man that used AMEX for literally EVERYTHING and paid his bill every month on time in full.

My buddies that own business's wont take amex anymore either since most have stories about getting screwed out of thousands because AMEX sides with the customer first and not the business and then you as the business owner have to prove the charges were legit. One of my buddies went as far as having the accused person arrested because the bill was about 25k. Cops picked up the guy, figured out he had done this A LOT(bought shit, told amex it was fraud or bad transaction or something) and now the dude is in prison for multiple counts of felony fraud. It was only after the dude was convicted and sentenced(2+ years) that my buddy got his money from AMEX.

[skydivr]

Did you keep a copy of the application/contract you signed and sent to AMEX? If you didn't, you should have, or get another copy. READ IT CAREFULLY. I'll bet you unknowingly did authorize the transfer, or I would call them and demand them to show me in writing where I DID agree to a transfer, or they can take their "fee" and shove it where the sun don't shine.

Lesson learned. Read IN DETAIL any applicaiton you sign, and contract, etc. If you see something you don't like, DO NOT SIGN IT.

I grudingly and on rare Occassions accept AMEX. The charge 2X what VISA/MC/DISCOVER charge in fees.

[Magic_Salad0892]

AMEX is a bag of dicks.

[randolph]

amex user since mid80s.
love it, I bought a car on amex one time, boy did they start sucking up to me after that :p

[TMS951]

I own a business and won't take Amex. On moral grounds, and to not be hypocritical, I do not have one either.

[Alaskapopo]

Wow that is interesting. Amex has always treated me right. Don't know about the transaction fees and such and to be honest I don't care. That's between them and their merchants.

Did they transfer your balance from your credit card or did the $$ go into cyberspace? Either way demand that they show you the signed paperwork authorizing the transfer. If they wont tell them they will be hearing from the DA and your lawyer. Did you make a copy of the app you sent in??

Unfortunatly the DA is not going to touch this because its a civil issue not criminal. And an attorney is going to cost a lot more than the $150 fee he lost.
Pat

[Traveshamockery]

Yup, AMEX is worthless. We have actually STOPPED accepting AMEX and Discover cards at our shop. AMEX charges us 12.5% per transaction, Discover charges us 7%.

You are getting royally screwed on credit card fees. Square's payment system lets you swipe cards with an iPhone and charges 2.75%.

[Eurodriver]

I just want to update.

I have been communicating with a "Suprabhat Kundu" via secure messages and he's probably the only person at AMEX who knows WTF is going on.

He was able to rescind the $150 fee (and my AMEX account is showing that he did so) but there is absolutely nothing he could do to cancel the payment this late in the game. He said even if he was able to cancel it, there is no telling when I'd get my $3000 back because they would have to verify that my other CC company didn't deposit it before they could give it back to me.

He did call my other CC company, inform them of the situation, and he told me that they said to call them immediately when the money posts and they'll get a check for the negative balance out ASAP.

A pain in the ass? Yes. Am I still angry? Yes.

But at least I was able to get in contact with someone who knows what they're doing, not waste any of my money, and get the situation rectified (While getting $21.39 for my troubles)

[polydeuces]

AMEN brother!

AMEX, just like most any other financial institution is representative of all that ails this great nation.
Period.

Always paid bills on time, never any issues with them, other than accept their exuberant fees...
Then the "meltdown" hits and I lose a good 75% of my bread and butter accounts, almost overnight, something that took 20+ years to build. Money gets a "bit" lean, basically burn out my (our) retirement in about 2 years time.
Mortgage goes late, twice, 30+ days, then AMEX in their infinite benevolence cancels my card. But not after first charging me their annual fee............WTF!!!!???!!!
Never one to be left behind, VISA then figures that would be an opportune moment to jack up their interest rate....(they are still trying to get my money:no:)
How I really feel? Well, in case they're listening (sure...)..............:
You worthless waste of space parasite scum, all of you banks, hedgefunds, brokers, wallstreet, or whatever other mask you wear you ****ing gangsters, you are all criminals and the lowest life-form on this planet, there is a special place in hell just for you, and I'd love to get the opportunity to send you there!
So there's my rant.

[Alex V]

The first credit card I had ever was an Amex Blue. Got it my first year of college in '00. It only had. $500 limit at the time and I used it for emergencies only. A few years after finishing school I still had it, still with a $500 limit lol. It had a zero balance when I got a letter telling me that my interest was going up to something like 28.33%. So I called and canceled it. **** 'em. Half the places didn't accept it anyway.

[feedramp]

Wow, AmEx sounds like the AT&T of credit cards.

[Kain]

I don't have one but have heard the stories. And in reference to them jacking up interest rates. A friend of mine had them do that a couple years back. Made payments on time, never missed payments, made sure that it was paid off. They jack his interest rate up something stupid and when he called he was basically told that his interest rate was being jacked up because he was a good customer and didn't miss any payments, so since you don't owe us your left nut and first born you must be punished. Someone in their upper workings must have worked for the government before getting the job there.

[Mjolnir]

This has become par for the course with seemingly everyone - or at least there has been a drastic increase in the horrible service.


"One man with courage makes a majority."

[BufordTJustice]

I had an MBNA University of Central Florida VISA with a $500 limit. Bank of America bought out my account after about 4 years, cancelled my auto-payments, and didn't tell me that they did either of those things.

I get a letter after my account is 6 months delinquent that I owe hundreds of dollars in ****ing fees and other bullshit....based on the ~$90 balance I had at the time they cancelled my auto payments (which had been in place for 4 years).

My story was similar to Euro's. ****ing banking assholes.

Also, did I mention that BoA took care to ****ING DESTROY MY 780 credit score during the period of "non payment" that they caused. Took me years to get it back above 700. Goddamn assholes.

My grandmother may have been a backwoods hick from rural Central Kentucky, but she was RIGHT about bankers: they are all straight pieces of shit....and if you gave them an enema, you could bury them in a ****ing shoebox.

[nimdabew]

I had an MBNA University of Central Florida VISA with a $500 limit. Bank of America bought out my account after about 4 years, cancelled my auto-payments, and didn't tell me that they did either of those things.

I get a letter after my account is 6 months delinquent that I owe hundreds of dollars in ****ing fees and other bullshit....based on the ~$90 balance I had at the time they cancelled my auto payments (which had been in place for 4 years).

My story was similar to Euro's. ****ing banking assholes.

Also, did I mention that BoA took care to ****ING DESTROY MY 780 credit score during the period of "non payment" that they caused. Took me years to get it back above 700. Goddamn assholes.

My grandmother may have been a backwoods hick from rural Central Kentucky, but she was RIGHT about bankers: they are all straight pieces of shit....and if you gave them an enema, you could bury them in a ****ing shoebox.

I trust autopay as much as I trust a rock to float. I just remember all my liabilities and pay them when they need to be paid for this very reason.

[Voodoochild]

Contact the States attorney both in your state and where AMEX is based out of and explain the situation to them. They might be able to help you out. Sounds like outright fraud on AMEX.