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American Express

Travelers Cheques

C. of Ojai, CA August 20, 2009

Spend nearly 3 weeks in Italy 2009. No one would take the American Express card for anything. Worse, I had brought thousands of dollars in travelers checks and no bank NO BANK or any other institution would take or cash or give Euros or dollars for the American Express Travelers Checks---which are totally worth nothing in Italy, even in Rome! I had to go to the Rome American Express Office in order to get cash---but that was AFTER having no working credit card, and no Euros in a small Italian lake village where I had to MAIL the owners Euros days later from Rome. HOW EMBARASSING.

Moreover, American Express knows that no one will cash the travelers checks anymore not just in Italy, but in Germany and France, and yet they continue to sell them without warning US Citizens. I'll admit I hadn't been to Europe in a while, but they should not sell a product they know that no one will accept anymore outside the states.

Their solution for people who could not travel to the Rome American Express Office? (which I did). File a claim. That does Americans a lot of good with no cash in a foreign country. Horrible. Will never ever use a product of American Express again! Embarassment at having no money in a foreign country. Could have been dangerous---female broke and traveling alone with no assets. I AM AN ATTORNEY, DON'T WANT TO FILE SUIT, JUST TO GET THE WORD OUT.

David of Toronto, ON July 16, 2009

Purchased American Express Travelers Cheques for the family trip to Italy never again will I do it. American Express new saying should be accepted nowhere. If you do decide to exchange the travellers cheques you are paying a commission between 3- 20%. The American Express Web site is of no help to you, you are unable to send an email to them unless you have and American Express card. I hope someone will learn from the mistake I made.

Theodorus of Valparaiso, IN March 2, 2009

Purchased 2,000 AMEX checks. Have misplaced them. Reported. None of the checks cashed according to their system. Asked for refund. AMEX refused saying that checks are same as cash so they will not refund. (Of course, this argument also applies if stolen which they would be if someone tried to cash the lost checks, verdad?) Told the AMEX stooge that I would sue them in small claims. Stooge said fine. Bad company to do business with- complete liars and fraudulent misrepresentation.

have lost the money paid for the checks. AMEX has my money.

David of Bogotá Df, OTHER January 2, 2009

The story is getting all to familiar by now. Amex stalling on TC refunds. I had 3700 euros worth stolen in Bogot some 7 weeks ago and Amex is siting on it,s hands. The irony of it is that the case worker E. Garcia has already been mentioned here. As I am gathering info on AMEX my special request to Amar, Yazmin, Claudia, Mark and James as to how the thing ended. I for my part am not willing to let them get away with this.

So far 3700 euros loss

Amar of Banglore, OTHER August 21, 2008

i was in the united states from the 14th of July till the 18th of august on work. On the 14 th of august i realised that i had lost my travellers cheques and immediately imformed the american express help desk through their listed numbers and registered the loss. i was dealing with a lady by the name of elvira in the claims department.

the lady mailed me back three days later(its was a friday hence a weekend)on monday and asked for me to send her all the documents including police complaint report etc.i did that promptly an had the documents faxed to her as well as have been speaking to her regarding the progress on my case.

till now every time i ask them they reply by saying that they are investigating. i understand the need for them to investigate but its been over a wekk since i have dutifully completed their requirements yet they have not sent me duplicate cheques on cash.i'm constantly on the move due to my proffesion and rely on travellers cheques for money.now i am help less. please can you help me thankyou

Loss of travellers cheques worth 4500USD.

John of Costilla, NM March 24, 2008

Hard as it may be to believe, getting a refund for Am Ex Travelers checks has taken from December 7, 2007 to March 24, 2008 and I still do not have my money. The checks were demoninated in GB Pounds (Sterling). No bank I could find in New Mexico would cash them. So, I returned them to Amercian Express Acceptor Relations- their Travelers Check department. Despite numerous telephone calls over the past three months I have not received a refund.

Their excuses are as follows: We sent you a check. Yes, to an address other than the one on my letterhead. We cannot possible send out a replacement check until we learn if a stop-payment was made on the original. That was five weeks ago and no replacement check has been sent. I will take care of this problem today. That was one week ago. No check has been sent.

I am out some 400+ depending on which exchange rate one wants to use.

James of Edgewater, F May 22, 2001

In October 1996, I had been living in London, England for about a year, and was finally moving back to the United States. I had visited Lloyds Bank in Camden Town, London to buy 1200 in American Express travellers checks. I had just been to the gym and was wearing sweat pants with no pockets. I purchased the checks, and dutifully signed each one before leaving the bank. I then went to a drugstore, where I bought a bottle of aftershave. The drugstore gave me a plastic carrier bag with the aftershave in.

I figured the checks would be safer in the bag than in my hand, so I put them in there and walked about 1/4 mile to my car. When I got to the car, I realised that the sharp corner of the travellers checks pouch had split the side of the bag and they had fallen out. I immediately retraced my steps, but to no avail. There was no sign of them.

I went back to the bank (within 20 minutes of having bought the checks), and they told me that they could do nothing there and that I should call American Express. I then went to the local police station to report the loss. When I called American Express, I was told that they cannot cancel the checks and that I should call them the next day. I advised them that I would be airborne to Miami, so I was told to call from Miami.

At Miami I was told that they were going to investigate my claim and that it would take three weeks or more. I should send any information I could.

I sent them copies of the police report and my ticket stubs. I would then call each day to try to get the process moving faster, but in the end, it took them about three months to decide that there was not enough proof that I had lost them and that I had not taken good enough care of them. Interestingly enough, about a month before their decision, the checks were cashed in a London post office, where they keep surveillance for a week. American Express never contacted them to get the tapes or ask about the person who forged my signature and used a French student ID. I was able to prove that I was in Savannah, GA at the time they were cashed, and still American Express sat on its fat ass, content that it would do nothing.

To this day, when I see their television adverts with the waiter rushing across the beach with the replacement checks, I boil with anger at the way they cheated and lied to me and will NEVER do a thing to give them any business. Nor will any of my family and friends.

I was truly messed up financially and emotionally distraught by this. I was unable to give my children a Christmas. I got into debt and ended up with bad credit.

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