Amex card difficulties

Cherabundel

Just a warning for anyone trying to use the 16 mnth 0% purchase card from Amex. I am a regular credit card tart and I applied for a card to buy a car for £5500 which I had paid a deposit on. The card arrived £6000 credit limit, I activated it and went to collect the car. My husband dropped me off at the dealer (20 miles away) and the card was not accepted. I phoned Amex who said they were doing some security checks and would ring me back on the dealers phone immediately. I waited over 15 minutes acutely embarrassed then rang again. The next person told me I was undergoing a fraud check and it would take days. I was furious, stranded at the dealers with no transport looking like a criminal. Shouldn't the security checks already have taken place before they activated the card? I tried to reason with them but to no avail. Fortunately I had enough money in my account to cover it but what if I had not? I am so angry but what can you do. I am worried now this may have affected my very good credit rating.

smithers1981

i don't see how your credit rating will have been affected, the fact you were trying to max out card within minutes of activating it was bound to raise suspicion.

chattychappy

Well you shouldn't be angry/furious etc. CCs always retain the right to decline a transaction for whatever reason (not just security related but also systems failure).

It's a pity your plan didn't work out - but that's the way it goes. Being given a credit card is not the same as being given a loan. Being issued a CC is only half-way to getting the finance.

No reason to be embarrassed, either.

[Deleted User]

Good to see Amex running some decent fraud triggers. I'd be appalled if a new card in my name was immediately attempted to be maxed out in a single transaction and they didn't check it out.

reclusive46

Indeed, this is very common if you try and max out a credit card the second you get it. This is not just Amex.

Cherabundel

I am clearly very naive. I expected securty checks and that is good, and I answered all their questions but I was told in the first place when I was waiting at the merchants they would ring me straight back which they didn't. Now I know the score I will allow more time. Perhaps someone can advise me, I also applied for a cash transfer card can I expect the same problem and if so how do spend a large sum on my card?

chattychappy

Silky89 wrote: »

Good to see Amex are doing a good job at preventing fraud.

Well, I don't think I'd go that far - afterall, they called this one wrong. The decline is understandable, but it does seem there are some surrounding customer service issues. And I do wonder why given a bit of decent three-way communication between cardholder/merchant/Amex they couldn't have sorted it out.

seriousDFW

I'd be more furious with the husband - why did he leave you stranded?! Surely he should have waited with you until you were ready to drive off? Even then I'd follow my wife, for fear there would be something wrong on the first drive.