Dear American Express,
Please note that I will no longer be using your services or charging anything to your credit card. Because I was laid up sick in bed for 10 days, I was late making my whopping $15 payment. As a result, you are charging me a $35 late fee & increasing my APR by 106%. This is after 15+ years of being a “Card carrying member”. No wonder people & businesses are running from you guys in droves & going to MasterCard & Visa. I no doubt am doing the same.
Now, I can’t say anything bad about your customer service representatives because I never actually spoke with anyone. “To better service my request”, you have decided to go with an automated phone system. After numerous automated menus & requests to enter my credit card #, I finally had to simply hang up. I’m still trying to figure out how this better serves me. Trust me when I say this, and I’m one of many customers that feel the same way- you’re not “better servicing my request”.
I know that I am not one of your bigger customers, and losing me won’t do anything to your bottom line. Heck, you’ll make up my missed business on whatever poor schlub you rope in to signing up for your card when you give them a free t- shirt at your kiosk at the airport.
1285e1b
Please note that I will no longer be using your services or charging anything to your credit card. Because I was laid up sick in bed for 10 days, I was late making my whopping $15 payment. As a result, you are charging me a $35 late fee & increasing my APR by 106%. This is after 15+ years of being a “Card carrying member”. No wonder people & businesses are running from you guys in droves & going to MasterCard & Visa. I no doubt am doing the same.
Now, I can’t say anything bad about your customer service representatives because I never actually spoke with anyone. “To better service my request”, you have decided to go with an automated phone system. After numerous automated menus & requests to enter my credit card #, I finally had to simply hang up. I’m still trying to figure out how this better serves me. Trust me when I say this, and I’m one of many customers that feel the same way- you’re not “better servicing my request”.
I know that I am not one of your bigger customers, and losing me won’t do anything to your bottom line. Heck, you’ll make up my missed business on whatever poor schlub you rope in to signing up for your card when you give them a free t- shirt at your kiosk at the airport.
1285e1b
 Comments (3) |
| 1. Written by Ditto for Me on May 11, 2012 from cincinnati, ohio, US 1. Costco put their membership fee on a never-used and quite forgotten American Express card once issued to me. I am told by a company rep that this Costco issue happens all the time and she directed me to read the small print - yup! 2. I didn't see the charge because since I NEVER used the card, and any mail I get from American Express I regard as an advertisement and it goes to file #13 immediately. Besides, I have pretty much every monthly and quarterly bill on autopay with my bank. 3. By the time I found out about the charge, AE had tacked on 2 X $35 in late charges to a $110 membership fee (talk about Shylock's pound of flesh!). 4. Upon calling to clear this up - please note their "nasty" letter looked much different than the usual advertisement - that letter only had the last five digits of an account number that I didn't know, so I couldn't get past the automated menu. I finally did a workaround by finding a phone number to their sales representative (notice how sales departments always answer with warm bodies instead of automation?). 5. Neither the rep or her supervisor could waive the late fees, stating that since I didn't use the card (except for the previously mentioned annual Costco charge), I had no charges to the card and therefore, I didn't have a 12 month "on time" payment history and their algorithm requires that. No charges made, no payment history!5. I feel a bit like Kafka's poor Joseph K. 6. I canceled the card after paying it off. I hope American Express is the victim of a hostile takeover. 7. Avoid the Usurious American Express Company for it is managed by Hal. *Note that not even the supervisor is empowered to make any adjustments that their computer kicks out due to the programming. |
| 2. Written by Happy Customer on September 22, 2011 from portland, oregon, US If you press 0 on the menu, you will get a live customer service rep. Being patient is worth your time. Amex auto reversed my late fee for me, as I called and paid my balance in full, when I realized I had forgotten to pay them. If you let them know you were ill or injured, they are usually pretty understanding. I called today to see when I could start charging on my card again without having interest charged. The rep was awesome... she answered me and credited back the interest I was charged for last month. I didn't even ask her to, she did it as a courtesy, because of my payment history. I did change my account to autopay each month. If you go online you can change the auto pay if something happens.  |
| 3. Written by m on March 2, 2011 from las vegas, nevada, US Par for the course for these ***. I dropped them years ago. |
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