Opinion: American Express (NYSE: AXP) Will Go out of Business with this Kind of Customer Service

Broken Functionality

I went to the AMEX website to download some old statements from a previous year. In order to perform this function, one is required to click on the desired statement, wait 24 hours, and then it will become available. I tried this once a couple weeks ago, again last week, and checked back again today. Unfortunately this functionality does not work for me. (I will add that when I started this process, I had IE10, and the subsequent try was with IE11.)

If this is where the negative UX ended, I would not waste another moment on this topic. But, since you're still reading this... Carry on!

Secure Message Center

Not being in a significant hurry, I figured I'd plop in an email from the website and would solve it via email. At the top of the page is the Envelope Icon (See Images), and when you mouse over it, it says "Secure Message Center - Check you secure messages or ask a question". Having done this at other times with other issues, I click on it.

A new dialog box opens and you're presented with your Inbox, Sent Items, and Ask a Question. When I click on the 'Ask a Question' link, I'm then routed to the FAQ. Thinking I clicked the wrong thing, I clicked the Envelope Icon in this dialog box, and the end less begins. THERE IS NO WAY TO SEND A SECURE MESSAGE!

Angry and seething, I find my way to a chat window, and fire up a call to Mother Russia/India or whatever 2nd-world county is currently winning the Chat Support Wars.

The first thing on my list is asking about to use the Secure Message system. This is when "Cindy" tells me that's it no longer used by them. I state my displeasure about the confusion with the website functionality, and get the empty apology.

Do you prefer calling or mailing?

Next, I inquire about attempting to download previous statements, and how it has been unsuccessful, and she says it's supposed to work, and another empty apology is gained. But, she is resilient, and as an alternative, offers to mail the needed statement within 7-10 business day. (I know I said I wasn't in a hurry, but by then I'll forget the reason I needed it in the first place!) With that, another empty apology and the offer to call Tech Support and provided the phone number.

I took a breather, and decided to voice my opinion on the AMEX Community site. I click to "Join the Conversation", and am prompted for my credentials? (Keep in mind that I'm in the Website)

I enter my website credentials, but get stopped because they're invalid. With little to no guidance, I then assume that I must create new credentials, and then wait for the email to arrive and click, and then blow my brains out because I've fallen into this social trap, and now I'll end up getting more spam because of it. Ugh.

Due to the Chat Operator activating the snail mail system, I was then sent an email with the subject of "How to Print Statement Copies At Home". It was this final straw that pushed me over the edge to write this blog, and then Tweet it to AMEX. I mean seriously, had it just worked, we would NEVER have gotten to this point.

It is this continuous series of SNAFUs that causes people to turn against large companies like this. I have loved using my AMEX since college, and continue to use it as part of my CostCo experience. It has been nothing but GREAT!

But here were are in this new generation, and I'm on the cusp of deciding to stick the Devil I know, or branch out and start fresh with a company that I don't know their demons and pitfalls.