American Express not giving friend referral reward

worriednoob

Hi everyone,

I've been with Amex for a couple of years.  Last year to get the 'Friend's Referral Reward' I recommended a few friends.  I was told that I'm entitled to £120 for the referrals.  However, I've now received correspondence from Amex say that because I did not spend £3000 within a year, I have lost my friend's referral bonus which Amex are categorising it as part of their cashback terms and conditions.

I feel these two are totally separate offers, yet Amex state this is not the case.  I have been unable to find anything on Amex's website  and was wondering if anyone knows how their offer(s) work.  Amex have given me a final response letter and have said I need to complain to the ombudsman.

I know it's not a huge amount of money, but for me every penny counts towards paying my bills, so any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

aaj123

I suggest you ask the customer service to show you exactly which part of this T&C has disqualified you from the referral money.

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/legal/refer-a-friend/terms-and-conditions.html

DullGreyGuy

aaj123 said:

I suggest you ask the customer service to show you exactly which part of this T&C has disqualified you from the referral money.

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/legal/refer-a-friend/terms-and-conditions.html

Bullet 4 from the above:

• Your Card Account's eligibility to participate in the Referral Programme is based on your overall credit rating and other factors including your Account history with American Express.

Minimum spending could fall under "other factors" or "account history"

Certainly worth a complaint in my book as its unclear what hoops you have to jump through and even their Live Chat are unclear on what the other factors are

worriednoob

aaj123 said:

I suggest you ask the customer service to show you exactly which part of this T&C has disqualified you from the referral money.

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/legal/refer-a-friend/terms-and-conditions.html

Thank aaj123.  I did try this till I was blue in the face, but the person was simply arguing back and not listening.  They've sent their final response, but haven't even given me a clear breakdown of their response.  All they sent to me is this email:-

DullGreyGuy

worriednoob said:

aaj123 said:

I suggest you ask the customer service to show you exactly which part of this T&C has disqualified you from the referral money.

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/legal/refer-a-friend/terms-and-conditions.html

Thank aaj123.  I did try this till I was blue in the face, but the person was simply arguing back and not listening.  They've sent their final response, but haven't even given me a clear breakdown of their response.  All they sent to me is this email:-

As noted above, its bullet 4

Your only possible argument is that having a nebulous "or other factors" is unfair to customers as they are unable to determine their eligibility. That said, the FOS has been comfortable with other similar clauses like "at our sole discretion" and so its far from an easy win. There is also the Q of having been told to agree to them why you didnt query them before if they were unclear. 

worriednoob

Thanks for your help DullGreyGuy.  I wouldn't even know where to start.  How do I write such a complaint, whilst ensuring that I make sense with my words?