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American ExpressCorporate Card |
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Marsha of Santa Cruz CA (07/01/08) Harper of Monterey Park CA (06/25/08) Dika of Baltimore MD (04/29/08) All of these options will be detrimental to my credit score. If I close the account my credit rating will be jeopardized, but if I don't pay the fee and keep the account open, I will look like I am not paying my bills in a timely manner. American Express refused to reduce or waive the fee. I do not believe that Amex should be able to take advantage of customers in this way. Darrell of Holualoa HI (04/16/08) Terry of Vancouver WA (02/01/08) Michael of Vallejo CA (01/18/08) David of Oswego IL (10/23/07) I worked with an indvidual and explained the situiation and made a good faith down payment. I was given a deadline to get some payment plan set. I explained that this has put a negative mark on my credit and have tried to work with American Express. On October 22, 2007 i received a call from a very rude and threatening individual who was putting words in my mouth that I nver stated such as I was stating I would not pay this acoount which I never said or implied.
I hung up after being on the phone for over 15 minutes. Another individual called me on a private number stating I had 24 hours to get some payment plan in even though I was given until the end of October 2007. Lies, threats, and harrassment have been the only way they work. Why cannot they try working with people and support getting the account paid. Steve of New York NY (10/14/07) We discovered that one of our employees had convinced a bookeeper to issue a card in his wifes name. This card was often paid off in part, and our bookeeping department lost track of the rolling forward balance (or so they claim). The CFO was a friend of this employee - so who knows. Finally, charges began to rack up, and along with a series of other financial scams and games - this employee was able to tank the company. After 15 years of profitable operations, we were brought down. But then Am Ex went after the individual card holders, not for their debt, but for the debt of the former employees wife. They said that all of the personal signers were personally responsible for the other card holders - fraudulent or not. They've actually sued one of the other employees for the charges of the wife. David of Raleigh NC (09/05/07) Employee was able to contact AX directly, get a new card without anyone's permission and have the new card sent to his apartment. AX never called, emailed, nor mailed us to notify this happened. AX said that the employee had the right to get a new card and AX doesn't necessarily have to inform the owner. This is odd since EVERY other account related move we made was followed by a FYI by mail. Employee went off the deep end was able to charge $45,000 over 3 days!!! I think that he bought 4 60 TVs, jewelry, 40 items at the Izod store, Apple computers and accessories, high-end clothes, gift cards, etc. Our company has no history of these types of purchases. Our purchases are mostly gas and job supplies. AX never suspected a single charge and let them all go through. I only found out because with such a high balance, I was declined other charges. After many calls to AX, they finally cancelled the new card account, but not immediately. Ex-employee was arrested after trying to buy more jewelry. AX was a royal pain to deal with and finally initiated a fraud investigation. The police were little help as well. I was hoping that somebody was going to question the ex-employee to try to recover some items while they were still local and could be returned for credit. Not a single item was recovered. Police said they had no leads. AX said for me to nothing but wait for their investigation. After a month or so, AX informed me that investigation was complete and I was responsible for each and every charge. When I asked for details on exactly what is was that I was paying for and possibly some help in retrieving serial #s, they said that they don't provide any of that. After many calls to many managers nobody will return my calls and they now won't even transfer me to the fraud department. Complete stonewall. They don't have any problem calling twice a day to let me know that account is past due, though. Ex-employee is now likely homeless and zero chance of getting any future money from him. I guess my biggest beef is that they were good about flagging $200 in fraudulant grocery purchases, but let $45,000 in electronics and jewelry go through without a hitch. Rae of Arcadia CA (05/20/07) A few weeks ago I applied for and received an American Express Corporate Platinum card for myself and my three adult children whom manage and operate both of my businesses. About two weeks after activating the account, I received a call from American Express Financial Review. The woman I spoke with informed me there was a problem in regards to the identity of my business and I must submit documents/verification or the account would be canceled. I faxed over what they requested a couple of days later. I then received another phone call from this woman who said she received the fax. She then began to ask me if I was calling from my business. I said no ,this is a cell phone. Well, why are you using a cell phone she asked. And why when she called my business, nobody answered? She then started a line of questioning about my identity. I would now need to fax over documents to confirm my personal identity. I asked her, if American Express had all these questions about my identity and about if I actually had a businesses, then why did they send me a pre-approved offer, in my name/business name? Three days later, this woman called back, and said now I would have to go to my bank, and fax over to them a notarized statement regarding my account. Now I have had enough of this. This woman then let me know I COULD NOT CLOSE my account! How dare American Express be allowed to do this to honest, hardworking customers. My credit report is affected, due to the account as being closed by them. Nadia of Elkins Park PA (02/23/07) I have no idea what the fee is since I always paid the bill in full each month. This was sent to NCO Financial (collection agency) who insisted I paid to avoid future late fees. American express will not accept any calls related to my account. I have since paid the balance. But just to let everyone know AMEX does not actually cancel and account and they continue to rip you off months after you have closed your account with them. Justin of Wappingers Falls NY (08/21/05) In response to an American Express (spam) mailing, I took advantage of an offer for a Small Business Corporate card by American Express for my business. The benefits included annual reporting of my expenses, as well as a very convenient Balance Payment Option, which would allow me to float a large bill over 3 months of expenses became out of control or higher then expected in any given month. This feature sold me on the business card over a standard personal card. I used the balance payment option about three times over the course of a year and a half, and in certain situations became dependant on this important card feautre. In June, when I was more reliant then ever on transferring my card balance to the 3 month payment option, American Express customer support informed me the program was discontinued as of July 1st (with no notice given). I'm assuming perhaps it was a change of terms on the back of a statement which disclosed the termination of the program. Of course any terms provide terms may change at anytime. All in all, at what point are changing terms the wheel of a bait-and-switch tactic? I was baited to the American Express Small Business card because of the Balance Payment Option. I was switched when the program was terminated. Secondly, upon signing for the card I was always greeted by friendly, helpful support, later the support turned to India, with helpess people unable to speak or understand English. Later, I found the trick is to call over and over again, eventually you'll randomly connect to an American support. I guess American Express isn't so American anymore. Lastly, the membership rewards redemption website has been down since August 14th, for one week. Calling the number provided on the site results in the same line the website should be up in about 15 minutes.... Is this a tactic to prevent me from redeeming my 100,000 points? This has led me to cancel my American Express card. The relationship WAS good, but has gone sour. Brad of Davenport IA (08/13/04) They investigated and told us it was not fraud because anyone who had the main cardholders information is allowed to order a card and pressed us for the charges. Again we cancelled the card and again informed them that fraudulent activity on this account was happening and that they were not authorized to issue any new cards. After this, we have not received a monthly mailed statement for 2.5 years. We always have to call and they tell us they mailed a statement and lo a behold we do get the duplicate statements but never the original. They then deny us our points, charge late fees and interest, yet we never receive a statement. We have made over 50 phone calls about this to no avail. Here again, no statement, no points, interest and late payment fees. They have purposely purpertrated this fraudelent activity and according to their own statements fully support the issuing of cards to anyone who has the main account holders information. Being our old bookkeepper, obviously she would have had access to that information. We even filed a police report on the matter but American Express doesn't care! Brendan of Redlands CA (08/05/04) The primary cardholder is my father and he does not have the money to pay the expenditures I made on his behalf. American Express just threatened that this will harm my credit severely. Henry of Menlo Park CA (09/06/03) 1) Between Jan 1998 and Sept 1999 I used a company issued American Express Card while working for S-Chip Corporation 2) In September 1999 S-Chip Corporation was acquired and ceased to operate. All accounts were settled and closed at that time. 3) In October 2001 I was contacted by an Amex collection agency that demanded a payment of ~$181. Neither they or Amex could tell me what the charges were about. At the suggestion of the collection agency I wrote a letter dated Oct 14 asking for an accounting of the bill on an account I assumed had been closed for 2 years. I assumed that the situation was resolved as I had no further contact from Amex or the collection agency. 4) On May 13 2003 I found out through a credit report that Amex was reporting a bad debt of $241.51. I immediately requested an explanation by letter dated May 14 2003. 5) Amex replied with a summary of card activity dated June 26 2003 indicating that the charge was incurred on May 17 2001 at the Smithtown Sheraton in Hauppaugue NY. 6) I contacted the hotel and was told that the charge was a No show charge. Please note that I stayed at that hotel in the summer of 1999, using the credit card in question. 7) I sent another letter to Amex dated July 10 stating that according to my records I did not stay at the Smithtown Sheraton at or around May 17 2001. 8) Amex replied with the letter dated April 15 2002 posted on August 13 2003. The letter states that since hotels are not required to maintain records beyond 6 months Amex is unable to contact the hotel in question, and as such I should do that myself. They further state that as the Authorizing Officer on the account all charges are my responsibility and that the account was not closed until August 2001. They make reference to their letter of June 2001 in which they sent me the copies of the account statement. Please note at this point that I assume they reference their June 2003 letter since this was the first time that I received any accounting of the matter. Amex then continues that for credit report issues I should contact the Credit Bureau Unit and that the amount in question is still due. They also add that they will not respond to this matter any further. 9) The hotel has subsequently sent me (by fax) a letter stating that they charged my corporate credit card and that they are aware that I was employed by a company different from S-Chip at the time. Due to a change of ownership they claim they cannot refund the money. In my opinion Amex made several mistakes in handling my account: 1) They did not close my account in 1999 as per S-Chip request 2) They accepted a charge to the account even though no membership charges were paid for at least one year and there was no activity on the account since September 1999. 3) They (or their agent the collection agency) could not tell me what charges were when they contacted me in October 2001 4) They did not respond to the letter that I sent them on October
14 2001.
I explained that the charges were all for my former company...that none were personal charges. I was told that I signed an agreement which held me personally liable for all charges. I soon learned that my personal credit had been affected...it showed an overdue account of nearly one year! After much time, effort, and energy, I got my former employer's lawyer to "settle" with the collection agency with a 70% settlement and he wrote to the collection agency that the debt was not my personal liability but all the company's liability. I thought I would then be able to clear up my personal credit. After getting three different opinions from three different people at American Express, the bottom line is that American Express doesn't care at all about my personal credit problems. One person told me that "settled" would be the term used on my credit report...and that "settled" is almost as bad as not paid! American Express is totally disinclined to contact the credit bureaus to have them remove their account from my personal credit history. This will now stay on for seven years! I continue to pursue this with American Express and would like to pursue it until they change their minds. I don't know how to go about this. I don't believe that I am the first person with this type of dilemma. While technically I seem to be liable for my old company's debt, I think morally it is reprehensible. I'd like to pursue this further but don't know how. While the issues has been "settled" as far as my old employer's lawyer is concerned, it is certainly not settled from the perspective of my personal credit history. When I request credit in the future, I will be turned down at worst or be given a higher interest rate because of my unsatisfactory credit. My previously impeccable credit history is no longer impeccable. If my car breaks down and I must buy a new one, I will pay more for it, if I am able to get a line of credit at all. The BIGGEST problem I have is that the $10,500 was not my debt, yet I have been personally affected. Is there any advice you can give me? There is no question that Edina is legally obligated to pay American Express. Everyone with a Corporate Card has signed an agreement assuming personal liability for charges on the card, whether they realize it or not. Instead of hounding American Express, she should have sued her former employer for the amount in question, then paid off American Express. After all, those seat miles, hotel rooms and expense-account dinners were purchased and someone ought to pay for them. Report Your Experience
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