As I wrote previously, I ordered an item on the internet which arrived defective.
The company I ordered from refused to stand behind it, so I disputed the charge with American Express, which I used to purchase the item.
American Express contacted the merchant, who just sent a standard letterhead form saying their policy was not to stand behind this type of product (it's a CPU for those who really wanna know...).
So, American Express just accepted that, and re-billed me. I called them to let them know what had happened, and that the item arrived with bent pins, indicating damage, and fried and never worked.
They said they understood why I would be upset, but it was not their policy to determine whether a merchant should stand behind it's products.
So I specifically asked, then it sounds like there are no circumstances under which this dispute would ever go in my favor, to which she just replied that they do not take sides in the dispute and try to get the two sides to resolve it.
She did not argue with what I said in my statement beyond that.
This got me to thinking what is the use of the dispute process in the first place then?
I mean if you are getting ripped off, and the card company is just going to pay the merchant and bill you no matter what, then what's the point in even bothering? So they can look good and say they have a recourse for you if you get screwed?
In fact, your only recourse in a case like this is to cross the country and sue in small claims, because American Express has a dispute policy that essentially makes it worthless.
To compare, I disputed a charge by an internet company made on my Mastercard after I'd cancelled the service (they tried billing me for months afterward), and they removed teh charges with no problem.
So, SOME companies out there know what customer service is, and they honor the advertising they put out, and stand behind you.
And quite frankly, these other companies are cheaper as far as yearly cost, and are accepted more places to boot.
Who do you think I'll do business with? Yep, you guessed it, I cancelled the AMEX card.
Good riddance to all the headaches. And screw you too, AMEX.
It's a poor business practice to lose good customers who do lots of business with you in a climate where you are losing ground to your competitors.
Good luck, cause you are gonna need it.
As a rebuttal opportunity, I'd love to see anyone, anyone at all who successfully disputed a charge using their AMEX card to post here and tell me I'm wrong.
Ed
Janesville, Wisconsin
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