Credit record dinged because of Am Ex...what would you do?

[Anonymous]

I never use my AmEx card, and so I neglected to open the statement which contained the annual fee. So I was late a month. It went to the credit bureau, and Am Ex says it can't remove the fee. I said then I want to cancel my card, and please send back the $125 I just paid for this year's annual fees, which I obviously won't need to pay, and he said that if they sent me a refund check, they would continue to report an unpaid balance of $125 a month to the credit bureau every month.

I am so mad. It's not like I missed a payment when I used the card. It's their stupid annual fee. If I didn't pay it, cancel the card. Don't report it to the credit bureau and lower my credit score by 50 points.

Do you have any ideas?

[Anonymous]

how long has it been since they assessed the fee? 30 days and I'm with you. 90 days and not so much.

[Anonymous]

Fuck amex.

I paid my bill and closed my card.

It dinged my credit score though because amex was one of the first cards i opened and by closing it looks like i have been using revolving credit for less time than i actually have.

it was worth it though to not have to deal with these fuckturds any longer.

they are deplorable bottom feeders

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how long has it been since they assessed the fee? 30 days and I'm with you. 90 days and not so much.

They assessed the fee on May 25. I paid the bill about 2 days later (immediately got a notification of a credit score change and paid it), and called today.

[Anonymous]

If you are never late, I would ask them for a one time change. I have a hard time believing it caused your credit score to drop 50 points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are never late, I would ask them for a one time change. I have a hard time believing it caused your credit score to drop 50 points.

I did ask them and the supervisor (based in the Philippines, I am sure) said no, he was sorry. He certainly understood what I was saying but unfortunately he cannot do anything. If I decide to cancel my card, that is of course my decision, but he unfortunately cannot remove the charge. I felt like I was talking to a machine that was just able to vomit back what the manual told him. This is not someone who gives a shit about the corporate reputation.

I got the corporate address and am going to try to write them, but it is really frustrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are never late, I would ask them for a one time change. I have a hard time believing it caused your credit score to drop 50 points.

Oh, and I was wrong. It went down from 769 to 694 and the credit change was attributed to the Am Ex report. I get myfico score alerts, and that was the reason for the change. A 73 point drop over a 1 week period because of Am Ex.

[Anonymous]

They outsourced a long time ago. I closed my amex ever since the day i called and needed to speak to an english speaking american about an issue and got someone in india who didnt understand what i was saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are never late, I would ask them for a one time change. I have a hard time believing it caused your credit score to drop 50 points.

Oh, and I was wrong. It went down from 769 to 694 and the credit change was attributed to the Am Ex report. I get myfico score alerts, and that was the reason for the change. A 73 point drop over a 1 week period because of Am Ex.

75 (OP again, but clearly too upset to do simple math).

[Anonymous]

This is strange. I also have an Am Ex (have had it for YEARS) and had baby brain a couple of months ago and was a week late paying my bill. It did not effect my credit at all. I would call again because something doesn't sound right here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fuck amex.

I paid my bill and closed my card.

It dinged my credit score though because amex was one of the first cards i opened and by closing it looks like i have been using revolving credit for less time than i actually have.

it was worth it though to not have to deal with these fuckturds any longer.

they are deplorable bottom feeders

Don't blame AmEx for the FICO credit formula.

[Anonymous]

Credit reporting agencies only report payments that are over 30 days late -- so this has to be more significant than 2 days late?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how long has it been since they assessed the fee? 30 days and I'm with you. 90 days and not so much.

They assessed the fee on May 25. I paid the bill about 2 days later (immediately got a notification of a credit score change and paid it), and called today.

But when was it originally due?

It sounds like you were more than 30 days late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Credit reporting agencies only report payments that are over 30 days late -- so this has to be more significant than 2 days late?

I agree. Something about this story is not making sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how long has it been since they assessed the fee? 30 days and I'm with you. 90 days and not so much.

They assessed the fee on May 25. I paid the bill about 2 days later (immediately got a notification of a credit score change and paid it), and called today.

But when was it originally due?

It sounds like you were more than 30 days late.

OP here. Yes, I think it was between 30-60 days. I didn't get any bills from Am Ex, but it was my negligence not to look online. But it was because I don't ever use the card and haven't used it in a full year. I understand I have to pay my bills. But this wasn't me forgetting to pay my credit card that I use. It was an annual fee from the card itself. It seems a little like extortion. This was their annual fee for NEXT year. If I didn't pay it, cancel my damn card. Don't report it to a credit agency and then refuse to remove the report after it has been resolved. This is their fee for me to continue to be their customer. If I haven't paid it, it seems Draconian to destroy my credit score, no?

Anyway, I'm reporting it to the BBB. I know I'm ultimately at fault -- my issue is that my fault was very small (it was $125 annual fee, for goodness sake) and their reaction was very large.