by "Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
Published 05/03/2017 at 19:36
by "Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
Published 05/03/2017 at 19:36
No Tags
STARS: 6
You know those dumb marketing surveys that expect you to have an intense personal relationship with some brand and how existentially depressing those are? I have that relationship with American Express. I love American Express with a deep intensity. There is no company that has so completely earned my loyalty. I love them like people like sports teams. When I see someone use a Capital One card, I want to attack them in a parking lot for supporting the wrong team.
Allow me to illustrate with a recent example.
A few months ago I was preparing to go on vacation. The day before my flight, I received a text message from Amex at 6 AM saying someone had tried to use my card to purchase audio supplies from some place in Montana and perfume from some company in France, so they blocked these transactions for being suspicious.
I called the number provided spoke to the customer service rep who told me that wouldn’t process the transactions and would cancel my card and issue a new one. I explained to her that I was flying out of the country the next day from New York and unless the card arrived by noon, I would have to fly out without it.
She told me that was no problem and that they’d expedite it free of charge with a guaranteed delivery by 11 AM the next day. So, being neurotic, I call back around noon and confirm that the card will arrive and ask for a tracking number. The rep says they can guarantee delivery by 11 AM, but can’t give a tracking number.
What they didn’t tell me is that the reason they couldn’t give me a tracking number was because they weren’t sending my replacement card by UPS or FedEx, but they contracted a private courier to deliver my card for free . Now, that’s not like, using a courier to deliver something from one part of Manhattan to another part of Manhattan. I live in bum fuck no where. I don’t know what a private courier charges to do that, but I’m going to guess “not cheap.”
So I get my card and fly out.
About a week and a half into my vacation, with another week and a half to go, I ended up getting both my credit card and my debit card stolen. My Amex card was fine, but if there’s one bad thing about Amex, it’s that it’s almost completely useless abroad.
So, my bank alerted me to the fraudulent charges and I explained to them that I was currently traveling and without my debit card, I wouldn’t have access to cash. They told me that it appeared that only the number was stolen, so they would deactivate POS charges, but I could still use it at ATMs. They also told me to call back in a few days to initiate a fraud investigation after the charges posted (recall, that in this exact same situation with Amex, they simply refused to post the charges and that was that, with my bank, the holder of my money, I actually had to allow them to post and then refute them).
When I dispute the charges, I again pointed out that I was traveling and I needed my card to access cash. Sure, no problem, whatever. 24 hours later, I can’t withdraw money and when I call my bank, they tell me that the card was cancelled because I reported fraud.
I spend the next four hours with my bank getting transferred to different departments. At first I’m told that they can temporarily reactivate my card long enough to allow me to withdraw enough money for the next week and a half, but I’ll need to speak with their retail escalation department. I speak to them and they tell me, no, actually, when a card is cancelled, it’s cancelled and there’s nothing they can do.
Now, it’s worth noting that I have an account with my bank’s “highest relationship,” which means that I let them play with money that I’d be better off investing and in return, they treat me better than someone with a student checking account and reimburse me for things.
So I ask them, since you’ve now stranded me abroad without access to the money that I let you use to make yourselves richer, can you arrange to wire me some of that money? No. But if I have their bank’s credit card with me, I’m welcome to use a cash advance with ridiculously high fees. No, fuck you very much, but no.
So I call American Express’ global assistance hotline. I say to the rep “I don’t really think there’s anything you can do in my situation, but my bank has screwed me over and left me stranded without access to money.”
First, the rep tells me that in a pinch, they’ll wire me emergency cash to see out my trip. Now, my bank, the people with whom I’ve left my money, treated me like a fucking moon man when I even suggested that they maybe wire me some of my own money, but Amex was happy to wire me money and trust me to pay them back. But, the rep asks if I know my bank account information, which I did, because the better solution would be that they could connect my Amex card to my bank account and I could just use that to withdraw money directly from my bank account. American Express was able to help me access money in my bank account, but my actual bank told me to get fucked.
In summary: Even if I didn’t make something like $700 a year in profit from using my Amex card for everything, they’d still have earned their $195 a year membership fee just for that one experience.
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
05/03/2017 at 19:51, STARS: 1
I had a similar experience with Dell ProSupport. They sent a neck beard out to my house to replace the camera in my laptop. Also they sent me a new hard drive when my Seagate died.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/03/2017 at 19:52, STARS: 1
Chase has been pretty good to me, and looked out for me when suspicious charges appeared to be in progress. But that’s some exceptional service right there. I don’t blame you for your loyalty.
"Shoop" (shoopdawoop993)
05/03/2017 at 19:53, STARS: 1
What I should highlight, is that they were competent, not following a script, and treated me like I knew wtf I was talking about, when I said the camera works only when I squeeze the bezel.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
05/03/2017 at 19:55, STARS: 1
Citi bought out their Costco accounts and now I’m Amexless. Amex really is the best, I’m probably going to apply for one soon direct from them.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 19:56, STARS: 0
I used to be a diehard ThinkPad fan, because I once had a laptop battery die and the tech support guy I spoke to at 1 AM on a Sunday arranged to send me a new one overnight for no charge.
Then years later, I sent my laptop in to have the screen replaced. I paid $500 to do it, had it returned with shoddy glue that eventually made the screen separate (for which there was actually a recall), and only noticed it two months later. When I called to have it fixed, I was told that it was outside of the limited warranty and that I’d have another $500 and they advised gluing the screen myself. That was when I switched all of my computers to Apple (which now sucks too, so whatever).
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
05/03/2017 at 19:59, STARS: 2
Dell ProSupport is fantastic. We don’t buy hardware at work without it anymore. The speed with which they fix things no questions asked seems impossible until you experience it.
"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
05/03/2017 at 20:01, STARS: 1
That’s legitimately impressive. My dad is a big AMEX guy, had it literally my whole life and swears by it.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 20:03, STARS: 2
I have a Chase credit card and I’ve never had a bad experience with them. Unlike Bank of America, which is terrible, and Capital One, which I hate with the burning passion of a thousand suns
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 20:05, STARS: 1
That’s actually what’s stopping me from getting a Costco card, since I go out of my way to use Amex for absolutely everything.
If you get one, make sure you hold out for a good introductory offer first. When I got my Premier Rewards Gold Card, it came with 50,000 points (~$500, 2.5 times the annual fee) after spending $1,500 in three months and they waived the annual fee for the first year.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 20:09, STARS: 0
Their customer service is really the best of the best. I left an iPad in the seat back of a plane once in Spain and when I called them to ask if they could connect me with the airport’s lost and found, they actually called themselves and had someone who spoke Spanish connect with the lost luggage department.
I once had to cancel a flight and the customer service rep I spoke to told me that they were 99% certain I couldn’t get a refund, but still spent an hour on the line with the airline trying to negotiate a refund for me.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
05/03/2017 at 20:12, STARS: 0
I was thinking about that one that does 6% on groceries up to $500 of rewards or whatever it is. Seemed like a good entry point back to Amex.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 20:20, STARS: 1
That sounds like one of the cash back cards, which I’ve never used.
In my experience, the best value is really the Premier Rewards Gold card, it’s $75 more a year than the Gold card and $100 more than the preferred credit cards, but you get higher reward rates for groceries, gas, and restaurants, plus a lot of added perks (it’s actually better than the Platinum card, which only pays for itself if you travel a lot and can make use of/care about free lounge access).
The thing with the points cards though is that you have to be really committed to getting rewarded through free flights. For me, it works out pretty well. I use my card for everything and end up with one or two free round-trip international flights a year, which more than makes up for the annual fee. Outside of flights, the point values for everything else is pretty rubbish and you’re much better off with cash back.
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
05/03/2017 at 20:33, STARS: 1
Ditto - member since 92'. My father in law took me aside after we got married and suggested it. He is a retired IBM corporate guy and always had one. Never had a bad experience. Saved my butt from no less than a dozen theft/hack situations at no cost to me. Boss’s VISA over limit? No problem, I’ve got you covered. Stuck out of town due to airline problems? Piece of cake. Find a good deal on that used C6 Grand Sport you wanted? Bam - done. Heck of a powerful tool for business, travel and personal use.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
05/03/2017 at 20:41, STARS: 1
That’s really impressive. I’ve been using Amex for a few years, thanks to my stepfather, who absolutely LOVES their travel service. He’s got an agent who he uses for everything, and they travel a lot.
My experience has been great with them, but I haven’t had any problems that require this kind of help. Glad to know it’s there if I need it.
PS- Totally agree on BoA and Capital One. They suck.
"knewman" (knewman)
05/03/2017 at 20:46, STARS: 1
I’ve had similar experiences with Amex when booking flights through them. Always very flexible. Can recommend.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
05/03/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 1
It’s definitely a bit more expensive to book through AmexTravel instead of directly with an airline, but I don’t think that most people realize that they’re a legitimate travel agency. There’s something incredibly comforting about needing to change a booking and having your own personal customer service agent to go to bat for you and deal with the airline or hotel for you.
"Your boy, BJR" (jerseyshoreben)
05/03/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 1
Well, I mean, there’s a face right there on the card.
"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
05/03/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 1
This was an interesting read. I must be getting old...
"TorqueToYield" (torquetoyield)
05/03/2017 at 21:36, STARS: 0
Mmm this is tempting me to get their upgraded card, I forget exactly which, I already have the no yearly fee every day cash back card. They keep sending me offers for the one with 6% cash back on groceries - which for me would pay the yearly fee alone. But I have some deep seated issues with paying $$ for yearly fees on credit cards. Either way I think I have access to most of their customer service stuff with just the every day cash back card.
You make a pretty convincing case though. You sure you’re not getting kick backs??
"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei)
05/03/2017 at 22:15, STARS: 0
I hold two AMEX cards. One Green Card and one Delta Reserve card.
The Delta Reserve card perks and AMEX customer service have pulled my butt out of a few situations before.
One was when I was with a colleague flying SEA-ATL, and we ended up getting to the gate 25 minutes before departure. Right after they closed the flight out. (This one is actually a long and funny story involving a $250 king salmon being stuffed into a suitcase...)
Colleague was Diamond Medallion, and I was Platinum Medallion at the time, but I called the AMEX guys (Always book with my Delta AMEX direct), who got me connected with the crack Executive Customer Service ninjas at DL (Even above the Diamond Desk). Colleague and I got the last two seats on the last flight out (redeye), and that fact shocked both the rep from the Diamond Desk that my colleague was talking with and the gate agent, who was swearing up and down there were no seats on that flight.
Yeah, because I got them. $450 annual fee for the Delta card? Worth every damn penny.
"facw" (facw)
05/03/2017 at 22:32, STARS: 1
Yeah, way to hurt the gladiator’s feelings...
"Rico" (ricorich)
05/04/2017 at 00:07, STARS: 0
Do you usually use your points to book through Amex or directly with the airline/Expedia ?
"AbsintheMinded: NeonHeatDreams" (absintheminded)
05/04/2017 at 10:41, STARS: 1
Can confirm. Amex is easily one of the best companies I have had to contact ever. Everyone and I mean everyone that I have ever spoken to at Amex has been exceedingly pleasant. One of their reps even reached out to me on my son’s 2 year birthday to wish my family and I well on his special day. I was blown away that they remembered and that is was the same guy that helped me when I had issues with my iPad app.
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
05/04/2017 at 11:54, STARS: 1
Well we know what’s in your wallet.