Bravo American Express!!

On May 4th, American Express declined to give a pre-approval on my charge card when I was checking in at Ritz Carlton Singapore. On May 8th, the same card got declined again at ITC Grand Central Parel, Mumbai. Both the times the charge would have been for relatively small amounts – INR 20-30K [USD 500-600]. Meanwhile, on  May 7th, the same card got accepted at a restaurant in Mumbai for a similar amount.

When I called AmEx customer service yesterday morning, there was this sweet lady Garima who heard me out, promised to call me back after checking the details and indeed called me back. What she told me, however, was horrifying. She told me I can spend only up to INR 58,000 [USD 1200] on that card and even for that they would need my new financials.

[technical information: a charge card is supposed to be virtually no spend limit, because there is no credit]

Here’s the interesting part. I have been an AmEx cardholder for 14 years, every year I give them  INR 800,000+ business, I have had a credit balance of INR 100,000 sitting with them for the past 2 years or so [used that card sparingly when I was living in Singapore and had overpaid them once] and the card is on auto debit with my bank HSBC.

This is the part that sucks. No one gives a damn to your history as a customer, systems dont throw up your importance to the company, and service reps claim they are trying to help you.

Do I really need that AmEx card that badly? In the era of a dozen cards in your pockets and companies willing to kill each other to offer you a lifetime valid card? Not really.

Is the company trying to help me or would it be helping itself by retaining me? That’s what the lady said – “I am trying to help you”. When they had already lost about INR 70K of my business that went to another bank.

Wake up and smell the coffee guys, and save your  jobs while you still have time. I dont need you, it’s quite the opposite.

Blogged with the Flock Browser