To Whom It May Concern:

I have received disrespectful, poor customer service from American Express, specifically from the CREDIT REVIEW DEPARTMENT. I have been a loyal card member for almost 10 years, never missed one payment, have multiple American Express Cards (Business and Personal) which I pay off in full each month. In the middle of March 2011, my husband and I saw a promotional offer on the Hilton Honors website to receive bonus Hilton Honors points by opening a Hilton Honors AmEx Card. I applied for the Hilton Honors AmEx card and got approved very quickly. I received the card towards the end of March 2011. I activated the card and tried to make a payment a few days later but the transaction was declined. I called today and got transferred to the American Express Credit Review Department. The Agent (ID Number: KCOP124) Danielle said that she just had to ask me some questions for verification. Even though I provided her with ALL the details she requested for, she told me that I NOW have to sign a release form which allows American Express to view my Tax Records. Otherwise, ALL OF MY AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDS WILL BE CLOSED, WHICH WILL NEGATIVELY INFLUENCE THE PERFECT CREDIT SCORE I HAVE WORKED SO HARD IN MAINTAINING ALL THESE YEARS! If AmEx had a problem with my finances, why did they approve my Hilton Honors AmEx Card (4th card!), and so quickly??? They know that once I have FOUR AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDS, it will be very difficult for me to just tell them that I will not give in to their unreasonable demands, (and Danielle told me that there's no reason they're doing this to me, I'm just the unlucky one who got picked AGAIN 4 years later by them to get reviewed and treated like a criminal). What kind of customer service is this to your loyal card members??? The Credit Review Department did not even have a supervisor available to talk to me and said that one will call me back within 24 - 48 hours. I am not counting on that. I have already filed a complaint with the Business Better Bureau, and the California State Attorney General regarding the fradulent practice American Express has in first approving the card, then targeting loyal customers witih impeccable credit score, forcing them under duress to provide their tax records, otherwise, face the closure of ALL of their American Express cards, which will very negatively impact their credit score.

What your company is doing is shunning away loyal customers like myself, who have been paying all of my balances in full every month, and keeping customers who can barely make their minimum payments each month.

I just saw now that ALL of my American Express Cards have been suspended. I will be taking this further and will be suing American Express for the damages that I have incurred, financial, emotional and reputation-wise.

Sincerely,


Helen Chen

I got a letter from American Express stating that they were raising my interest rate to 24% and putting a late payment on my credit because I make a payment in Feb. When I checked, I had made a payment - I usually pay twice a month - on 27 Jan. American express told me when I called that I made the payment a day too early and my payment was listed on my January bill. I paid the jan bill on Jan 4th. Additionally, my payments are 5 to 10 times the minimum payment. I check with a supervisor and was told the same thing. This is just unbelieveable and unamerican.

I have been an AE customer for 9 years. I have an excellent payment history and excellent credit. They yanked my chain when I tried to cash advance myself for $2, 500.

My credit line with them was 50K.

The prim and portly head of a major corporate travel agency pleaded guilty in Manhattan today to a massive fraud scheme in which she billed American Express for $35 million in fictitious travel.
Depending on how much she pays back, Virginia Wofford, 53, founder of Tri-Pen Management, faces anywhere from one to 25 years for grand larceny when she's sentenced later this year.
Manhattan prosecutors say the amount Wofford actually pocketed throughout the more-than-three-year-scam was closer to $19 million, money she largely plowed back into her business for software development. She'd hoped to sell the software for enough money to repay AmEx before she'd be caught, officials said.
Wofford also spent $475, 000 on an apartment in St. Petersburg, Fla, in her husband's name, and gave him $2.4 million to invest in a restaurant chain, "Submarinos, " in California.
Tri-Pen Management, based in New York, Maryland and Texas, touts itself in its website as "an industry leader in outsourced corporate travel management." The company did not return emails and phone calls seeking comment.
"Yes, sir, " she demurely told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus, when the judge asked her if she admits stealing at least $35 million.
Wofford worked her scheme by billing AmEx for fictitious travel on two defunct, long-dormant business travel accounts of a single, unnamed corporate client that threw so much travel business Wofford's way, the millions in bogus billings went unnoticed until earlier this year.

My husband and I had a balance of about 6, 000 dollars on our Am Ex bill. We just got the card in November of 2010 (it is now February 2011) and put our Christmas expenses on the card. Yesterday, my husband finished paying the 6, 000 dollar balance to ZERO. We were relieved! No credit card debt!
Today, I tried to use my credit card to buy gas and it was declined. Shortly after I received an email from AmEx saying that my card had been canceled. There was no explanation or any number to call to find out why. So I called American Express to find out what was going on.
The (extremely unforgiving and rude) representative told me it was due to something "on my credit report". She told me that she "couldn't tell me what it was". The funny thing is nothing about our credit has changed from when we applied for this card several months ago. Furthermore, my husband I have one car payment a month. We have no mortgage, student loans or consumer debt. Our credit scores are nearly PERFECT.

I was appalled by what American Express did. I am not naive to think they they didn't do this because we paid our balance to zero. Because as you know, credit card companies ONLY make money when you carry a balance.

How dare this company cancel our card without notice. Clearly having credit which is too good, is a problem for them. And that isn't ethical.