10,000 bonus points per 20 transactions

[lovetravellingoz]

My suggestion - lodge your complaint with Amex stating that you will continue to spend as if on the promo. Then if they maintain their abuse line, complain to the BFSO and ask for points to be paid on the T post the abuse letter as well.

Delfredo

I agree and I am taking the same approach.

I have already dispatched my letter to Amex and if the reply is negative then Hi-ho, Hi-ho it will be off to BFSO I go

After justifying any spend that may look in their words" unusual", I have also requested that if they are not satisfied with my justification that they identify precisely which tx or transactions that they deem "unusual" as this will make bring matters to ahead and allow me to lodge a complaint with the BFSO on a specific matter.

IMO the letter is largelya bluff letter trying to get cardmembers to accept not getting points that they are due.

Over the last two years I have had about 100,000 points initially not awarded by Amex to my wife and I, which followed up though the channells" has in every case seen the points awarded.

In each case though you need to get past the lowest tier at Amex as all they do at that level is deny, and have no power to find in your favour.

TIP: Search on the replies by js who sent the same letter several weeks ago and who has now received a successful reply. in his posts he outline what he did.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Just assume you will still be on the offer, this is merely Amex trying to limit the people participating. After all, they don't threaten to kick you out of the Membership Rewards program !! They just dont want to pay up and they have scr3w3d their response (obviously being run by someone who has no idea about customer service).

Indeed.

I will be very interested to see Amex state which of my tx was not a proper transaction. Going my their CURRENT T&C all my spend is ok, and by the original T&C even more so.

That they did not in the first instance indicates to me that it is just a tactic on their part.

If it is nominated as say David Jones...then I will copy the response to David Jones stating that Amex has stated that my having more than one purchase from them per day is not allowed!!!!! and ask their opinion whether more than one tx per David Jones store per day is a legitimate activity in their stores!!! Somehow I do not think Amex will put that in writing.

Their letter is just a vague response and a "form letter" as we are all getting the same letter. I would strongly suspect that many, if not most, people who put through a large number of tx will eventually be sent it.

They do not want to pay up.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think we're at the point that we suspected a long time ago that Amex was going to reach - that they have no real reason not to pay up under the terms and conditions, but they're still not doing it anyway. I suspect that people will continue to get these sorts of letters even after the promotion is over, in an attempt to retrospectively limit things, which puts them on rocky ground.

Agree, or at least not to anyone who has accumulated a goodly number of tx..and as previously posted even 10 a day is not that hard to achieve.

Amex are in breach of their own TC...points under them had to be awarded by 10 weeks after earning the required number of tx.

This "unusual behaviour" letter suspending people could well have as a goal to;
*slow down or even stop extra transactions
* give Amex a longer period before points are awarded...and to stall for time with high transactors
*.....in addition to trying it on as a bluff to get out of paying what is due.

Bottom line, you're going to have to do what everyone else here is going to have to do - continue to spend on your Amex, and

then argue the point with American Express about having the points that you should have received actually credited.

I would also note that not one person who is a high transactor (say an average of 10+ per day) has yet to post that they are getting all the points that they are due.

Not one!!

And for a "no limit" promo with no minimum spend ten or more tx is easily achievable and would have been achieved by quite a number.

 

[colcha]

Now that the promotion has been running for over 3 months, the massive size of Amex's liability has become very clear to them. Assuming that each point conservatively costs Amex 1 cent, every 100 transactions that a cardholder puts through will potentially cost Amex between $500 (on the 10T/5K promo) and $1,000 (on the 5T/5K promo). Clearly, the cost of this promotion far exceeds any potential economic benefit to Amex. When you multiply this by the number of cardholders out there who have enrolled in the promotion, Amex has a massive problem on their hands.

I believe that, for those cardholders with what Amex deems to be a high number of transactions, Amex is going to make it as difficult as possible for them to receive their full points entitlement despite Amex's clear legal obligations and any damage that it would cause to their reputation. We are already seeing this with the issue of "abuse" letters to a number of forum members. However, I believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg and that the new year will see more evidence of this behaviour.

However, what Amex has underestimated (besides than the size of their liability!) is the resolve that many cardholders have to ensure that they receive their full entitlement. Whilst it has been argued that many cardholders have not followed this thread and will simply accept what Amex gives them, I do not believe that this will necessarily be the case.

Cardholders with a high number of transactions are the very people who are the most likely to exhaust all reasonable avenues in order to receive their points. After all, they have a lot to gain (in many cases, multiple free flights / rewards) and very little to lose. Amex are misguided if they feel that their problems are going to go away by fobbing those cardholders off. If Amex are not careful, they will end up in a lose/lose situation. That is, making a lot of cardholders very angry and at the same time having to pay out those same cardholders when they successfully apply to the BFSO to enforce their rights.

My message to Amex (who are clearly monitoring this forum) is to cop it on the chin and not alienate your cardholders further by resiling from your unequivocal obligations. Failure to do so will only make a bad situation worse for you.

 

[Skoogle]

I called AMEX about a corporate card issue but asked about some bonus points I have not received - mainly none after the approx 23-Sep when it all stopped.

MR confirmed I signed up pre-20-Sep and everything was fine. There is a delay due to "some naughty people signing up without being invited", but I was fine. :mrgreen: As I had signed up via a link on their website.

Summary: No POC, no letter, no please explain, no bonus points.

The schedule I was given:
- Sep & Oct points by 31-Jan-09, maybe before but not after.
- Nov points by Mid-Feb09.
- Dec points by Mid-Mar09.

All sweet. Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping. :mrgreen:

 

[Mal]

There is a delay due to "some naughty people signing up without being invited", but I was fine. :mrgreen:

If this is a direct quote from a CSR of Amex, then they are out of line. The naughty one is Amex who are directly flounting their obligations to cardholders.

 

[codash1099]

If this is a direct quote from a CSR of Amex, then they are out of line. The naughty one is Amex who are directly flounting their obligations to cardholders.

I've just been given the same timeframe by a CSR (I'm still owed September points). There was no mention of "naughty people", rather that there has been a "glitch" which has delayed the distribution of points.

I'd be interested in hearing how many others have the same story. Perhaps they are taking advantage of Christmas and the holidays to buy themselves some more time, although to what end I cannot guess.

 

[beardoc]

I've just been given the same timeframe by a CSR.

There's nothing to suggest that they will actually stick to this timeframe though. Their past behaviour suggests otherwise. Hence I now have a Financial Ombudsman Service case number.

 

[docjames]

Well, I've basically given up on this promo until Late Feb, at which stage i'll be pushing for immeidate credit of points so i can decide whether to transfer to QF by March 31st or not.

 

[borsa]

I've noticed that there is a pattern to the awarding of points before they are cut off each month.

I am on the 5000 points for 5 transactions promotion, and after 50,000 points are earned and credited, no more points are allocated and I will presumably have to wait for a further 8-10 weeks if I have any chance at all of receiving the remaining outstanding points.

Ah! the games they play.

Why can't Amex come clean and explain what they are doing.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I called AMEX about a corporate card issue but asked about some bonus points I have not received - mainly none after the approx 23-Sep when it all stopped.

MR confirmed I signed up pre-20-Sep and everything was fine. There is a delay due to "some naughty people signing up without being invited", but I was fine. :mrgreen: As I had signed up via a link on their website.

How do you think the "naughty people" signed up?

I for example received the postcard and signed up on-line too on Sep 17.

Summary: No POC, no letter, no please explain, no bonus points.

The schedule I was given:
- Sep & Oct points by 31-Jan-09, maybe before but not after.
- Nov points by Mid-Feb09.
- Dec points by Mid-Mar09.

All sweet. Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping. :mrgreen:

So you have accepted their spin then?

T&C are black and white as to when you should have received your points...and you have not. So you might be a bit premature in the all sweet part.

 

[snufl]

Dear Amex, due to operational issues and a heavy workload I could not leave work until late today. Then I found a naughty person had parked in such a way that I could not get out of the carpark.

On arriving home I found the envelope containing my payment had slipped under the carseat and therefore had been overlooked and not posted. It is now too late for my payment to reach you by the due date.

I realise the T&Cs state I will be charged interest and penalised for late payment. However, considering these unforseen circumstances, I am sure you will extend my payment date without any interest charge. I can assure you that I do not represent a credit risk and you will receive payment next week or (in the event of other glitches) at the latest next month.

As I have taken your word on several occasions and accepted extensions on receiving points, I am sure you will grant me the same courtesy. Yours sincerely, snufl.

PS I just realised it is the holiday season...better extend that out to February.

 

[Skoogle]

So you have accepted their spin then?

Basically - Yes.

I posted my real experience. If you are not happy, then just ignore my post.

I think it is better than the garbage that others have posted, including those who continue to repeat the same garbage in an attempt that others will believe it is true.

Merry Christmas

 

[lovestotravel]

Okay so as of today I have been suspended from the program for recent "unusual behaviour" on my card. :shock: That is fine and to the gutless and anonymous person called "Membership reward services" who signed the letter, good for you.

I am expecting all points up to and including today when I received the letter.

As a high transactor, which I have always been, they have suddenly assumed that I am too much of a liability.

The letter is so vauge it almost makes me laugh, it talks about "intentional manipulation" of transactions "such as bill splitting". It also asks me to provide "invoice showing amounts owed"

Funny thing is I have NOT split ANY bills, I have simply used my card daily for coffee, shopping and drinks.

Again I expect all points until I have been notified up to and including TODAY. I can handle being "suspended" with notice, but they cannot backdate!

Has anyone who has written back in regards to these suspension letters been unsuspended?

 

[lovestotravel]

Indeed.

Their letter is just a vague response and a "form letter" as we are all getting the same letter. I would strongly suspect that many, if not most, people who put through a large number of tx will eventually be sent it.

They do not want to pay up.

Yes - I totally agree.

They refer to "Bill splitting" in their letter, and I have not split one bill!

Yes I have been to say Coles twice a day, it's called lunch, then a drink. I used to pay cash.

 

[lovestotravel]

As I start to type my letter out,

"Dear Membership Rewards Services"

I cannot stop laughing, I still find it funny that no-one was game enough to sign or put their name on the letter.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Basically - Yes.

I posted my real experience. If you are not happy, then just ignore my post.

I think it is better than the garbage that others have posted, including those who continue to repeat the same garbage in an attempt that others will believe it is true.

Merry Christmas

I did not mean offence, nor question the accuracy of your post. But it is fact that the CSR's have been sliding out the dates that points suposedly will post on.

Some posts earlier in this thread even used such words as guaranteed.

Now I have no doubt that you and others are reporting accurately what the CSR told you...and that probably that the CSR is acting in good faith.

But I doubt very much the veracity of the information that the CSR is supplied with.

Those who have the power to decide at Amex are obviously stalling and changing things on the fly.

Today more cardmembers have reported receiving "unusual spend" suspension letters.... and I have no doubt more will.

Talking to random CSR's will be no protection on being sent such a letter.

If you area high transactor then IMO you havea very high chance of getting one prior to Jan 31.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

So Data Point:

In the last 24 hours there have been at least two forum members who have received suspension letters.

That is two out of quite a small number as this is not that large a forum. A number made smaller as not all forumites are registered in this promo.

Over the last week there have been quite a number more.

Up to Jan 31 there will be???????

 

[lovestotravel]

Those who have the power to decide at Amex are obviously stalling and changing things on the fly.

Today more cardmembers have reported receiving "unusual spend" suspension letters.... and I have no doubt more will.

Talking to random CSR's will be no protection on being sent such a letter.

If you area high transactor then IMO you havea very high chance of getting one prior to Jan 31.

Correct

I know of about 5 cardmembers now that have received the letter dated 18th December and have been suspended. They are all higher transactors of the card as a result of the promotion.

Being suspended in the last week and backdating the suspension is very very "silly"

I have a strong feeling that all high transactors will receive this letter so that Amex can reduce their liablity of the promotion.

If I had of received this letter back in October, giving me reasonable notice they they are cancelling the promotion, I could accept it.

As it stands I have used the card heavily instead of Visa and cash, Amex has earned their merchant fees but know want to withold points!

 

[lovestotravel]

Up to Jan 31 there will be???????

I would hazard a guess and say hundreds.

Amex want to stop paying points and cut costs due to their marketing stuff up