I'm not Remote, and not an AMEX employee either. Even better, I've been bankrupted by AMEX (and a bunch of other creditors, too) some years ago. That's why I made the point about taking responsibility - I didn't and suffered.

I just wanted to emphasise that people should read their Terms and Conditions and be very sure they undertstand them. It's really important to know what you are/arenot liable for when you deal with credit companies.

As for dealing with call centre employees - I've spent hours trying to sort things out with a variety of companies and am rapidly concluding they should all drop dead. They either can't find the info, or it's another department, or they'll call back or other utter BS.

They simply cannot cope with front line service delivery and should be closed. End of story.

PS to Riley - I will NEVER, EVER have an AMEX card again - they were expensive in terms of interest charges and when I was unable to pay they called ceaselessly at work and home, despite me trying to make arrangements.

Bastards.

No problem, Riley - thanks for responding.

Of course AMEX will have people in here: would anyone expect they wouldn't? I just wish they had used a simple business approach with me - it's not rocket science - to assist both parties to reach a mutual agreement. They chose to pass my debt to a collection agency despite me providing a solution which would have given them all my debt back, albeit over more time than the standard Terms and Conditions. At the end of the day, after bankruptcy, they received less than half of what I owed.
I'm not proud that I defaulted on what I owed, and it hasn't happened with any other creditor since then, but I'm confused about their refusal to consider my offer, and very annoyed with their attitude.
At the end of the day I'm glad they lost money.

Cos.

You dumbass people are not taking the time to understand the issue!  The issue is not recurring charges arranged with a third party (such as Verizon) - the issue is vendors who keep your credit card information in their files!  Even though a person takes the necessary steps to close your Amex credit card account, Amex will still post and bill for any charges made to the closed account...even if it is NOT a recurring charge!!  When asked to explain why, Amex replied that they were providing a valuable service.  So, your Amex card is never truly canceled - as long as there is someone out there who has your credit card number and an expiration date (that has not passed yet), Amex will accept the charge, post it, and send you a bill.  Then, when you call to ask why, they'll tell you they're doing you a favor by not refusing the charge. They'll go on to tell you what I've outlined above. Finally, when you express your unhappiness with a charge being posted against a closed account, they'll say "well you can always dispute it."  Great, let me spend some more time helping the Amex rep go through the dispute process for a charge that should have never been posted!  Another rep confided that the reason that they post and bill these new charges on closed accounts is because Amex does not have the technology in place to prevent these charges.  In other words, they haven't figured out how (or found the money for) to program their piece-o-crap computer programs to safeguard against new billing activity on a closed account.  Maybe the whizzes they hire in India can find a solution?  

So, feel free to provide a knee-jerk response in defense of a company that can't even handle the basics of closing an account.  And if you tell me that they've disclosed this issue in their teeny tiny user agreements I'll puke through my high speed modem right into your stinky crotch.  You know what happens when I cancel my Visa card and someone then tries to charge goods/services to this closed account?  The transaction is refused due to the account being closed. What a neat idea!  If Visa can do it, why can't Amex?

Oh and this crap about the "whiners" on this site, who have been sucker punched by Amex one too many times, having bad/poor credit - stick it up your fucking yang!  How logical is it to dismiss these complaints as the sniveling rants of low-credit-score losers?  Ah, we're trying to get rid of Amex, they're not trying to get rid of us!  Think about it.

Finally, I'm still amazed by the number of loser-geeks who take the time to say how fabulously wonderful Amex is on this site.  Most of you are current employees - I'm guessing grade band 25 or lower.  Anywho, I will add to the sentiments of an earlier poster - spend your time on more productive activities, specifically those designed to improve your lot in life, i.e., find a better job than the one you hold at Amex.  If you can't comprehend this, then I would suggest you discontinue the damage you are causing to your teeny brain through the repeated abuse of cigarettes, alcohol and through extreme lack of use.  Yes, your brain is like a muscle - you have to use it in order to maintain or improve its strength.  Amex isn't going to promote you simply because you have the ability to type hard-hitting, misspelled comebacks (i.e., brain farts) to legitimate customer complaints on this website. I'd focus instead on getting the nicotine stains off your rotting teeth, eliminating any visible body piercings or tatoo marks, and improving your use of the English language.  After all, if those folks in India can speak in complete sentences, shouldn't you be able to do it as well? But if you can't, I guess they're there to pick up the slack - so don't worry.

Oh and getting on people's asses about "why didn't you just call to cancel instead of sending a letter"....Whenever I've called Amex about a problem with my card, and then later called back for updates I've discovered the not all of my previous calls with Amex were captured via notes in the computer system by the representative I spoke with. In other words, it was my word against Amex's that I had certain conversations with various representatives, even though I had the rep's name, phone number, and time of day the call took place. Because of this, I've found that writing a certified letter to Amex is the only way to 1) get attention and 2) substantiate initial steps in the problem-resolution process.

So don't give me this crap about "all you have to do is call Amex, or are you afraid to speak to someone..." - I'd say bite me.  I'd happily speak to a rep if I thought they were listening, comprehending the problem, making notes of the call, of had any intention of helping me.  Writing a letter to Alfred Kelly seemed to be a more direct and effective approach.  Especially when sent via certified mail.

Try the letters and Information on www.CreditRepairOn.com I've used it for Equifax and Visa diputes. Works like a charm

And if your card comes up for "financial review" for no good reason, they are very fast to make sure no charges will be made to your account!

See my other posting under credit cards!!

Cees