American Express & Default Removal **Success**

MrSilk

HI All,

Just wanted to share my experience: Was made redundant in 2019 and couldn't afford the repayments on my AmEx card, total owed: £2.5k. They then decide to default it in mid-2021 (1.5 years later). 

I thought, hang on, isn't a default supposed to be registered within 6 months of the last payment? So in late ApriI wrote to them asking for them to amend the default date and they took over 2 months to get back to me with their response 'Sorry, but the information we provided is correct and within industry guidelines'.

What I also did was raise this with FOS, as I got a bit hacked off that I hadn't heard anything from AmEx about my complaint (not even an acknowledgement). 

To cut a long story short. AmEx initially agreed with FOS to change the default date to Feb 2020, then they contacted FOS again to advise that the account will be removed altogether from my CRA files, which it was this morning .

Apparently the account was placed into 'hardship' which delayed the account for being passed to any debt collectors for 6 months, which still doesn't make sense as it was 1.5 years of late payments! but as the account has now been removed I'm more than happy not to push further.

AmEx offered me a 70% discount through a settlement offer which I accepted and paid off in Feb this year.

Always pays to check your dates and complain if something isn't right!