Amex customer service is the pits
Written: Jul 31 '01
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Pros: Accumulate SkyMiles
Cons: POOR customer service
The Bottom Line: If you don't anticipate having any problems at all...or ever needing customer service at all...the benefits can be ok. But as soon as you run into a problem...forget it.
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| gvaughn's Full Review: American Express - Delta Airlines SkyMiles |
Because I am a delta skymiles member I received a solicitation from American Express (Amex) through Delta regarding the Amex Delta SkyMiles credit card.
The offer was simple: They would waive the first year's annual fee (of $85 for a gold card)...and give 10,000 miles after the first use. How could I turn that down? That's more than 1/3 of a free US domestic flight.
Things weren't so easy however. I learned the HARD way...if you're going to apply for ANY OFFER (esp. a credit card offer with intro rates and stuff)...ALWAYS keep a copy of the offer for reference. Well...in my case I didn't do this.
When my first bill arrived...of course there was the $85 annual fee. I called amex and spoke to a representative about getting the fee removed since the offer that was sent to me had promoted this. The Customer Service Representative (CSR) said she would make a note of it and that in the meantime I could use the card without worry of the fee. If they denied me...I could cancel and not be charged the fee.
Just to be sure I wrote a letter to Amex customer service explaining the situation and asking that the fee be removed. A week or so later I received a letter back denying me. They claimed they never made me the offer.
Now...here's where it gets really good. During this time frame I received the EXACT same offer again in the mail. I called AMex and asked for a CSR supervisor. I explained to him that I WAS in fact solicited by Amex for the card to begin with, that the offer included waiving the first year free, and that I had subsequently received the same offer again in the mail. The supervisor was flippant and rude and wasn't interested in discussing the situation in detail. His stance was that they had no record of making that offer and unless I could PROVE it...they weren't going to waive the fee period. One of the first points I made to him...was that the offer existed because clearly Amex felt it was a worthwhile offer to make to gain a new customer. Being that the case..wasn't I WORTH it for them to make that offer as well (EVEN if they truly believed they did NOT make me that offer originally - which they did). In any case...he said NO. So I told him I was canceling my account. He transferred me to an agent who would take care of that for me.
The woman who was working in that department that day was EXTREMELY nice. It turns out in fact that she herself was a supervisor. I told her that I was canceling my account...and that after we were finished with that...I was going to put my fiance on the line to cancel her account as well. She asked me why I was canceling and I told her the situation. The bottom line is she was FLOORED (I think she used that exact word). She couldn't understand why they wouldn't waive the fee. She took my info and removed the credit instantly (apologizing profusely for several minutes). Actually while this is in regards to POOR customer service...she was in fact an exception.
In the end I got my fee waived...but I have had a few additional problems with Amex CSRs since this time and I will NOT likely keep the card once my card is up for renewal with the $85 annual fee.
The bottom line is that Amex is NOT doing very well in the customer service department. They aren't making very much money these days with the fallen economy...and money is the bottom line. A recent Amex press release announced they will cut up to 5,000 jobs.
Be Warned!!!
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
gvaughn
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 3 members
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