Amex inaction and miscommunication - advice needed on strategy please

[teejarillo]

Hi there - newbie here wondering if some of your expert members could give me their opinion/advice on my situation and planned strategy.

 

Holder of Amex Green Credit Card with approx £2.8K balance. Due to financial issues have only been paying min payments for past 12 months or so. Not over limit or behind.

 

Last December got standard letter saying Green card ending transferring you to Gold card with higher rates and annual fee etc unless opt out . Wrote to opt out. Never acknowledged. On last day of opt out period phoned and they said got letter but never acted on it sorry blah blah will close your account etc. Wrote complaining about service and requested reduction of bal/rate as apology etc.

 

Next in February received a template letter from Amex confirming accent now “closed and balance is zero“. So did obvious thing and cancelled direct debit and sat back and waited.

 

Shortly after got apology letter from Customer Services saying review of my complaint (that ignored my opt out letter) carried out and complaint upheld and £30 credit to account. Option to pursue matters further with FOS communicated.

 

Still did nothing. Received letter in April saying direct debit returned and I should pay min amount due. Responded with copy of zero balance letter saying according to you account closed and zero bal so cancelled DD on that basis. No response.

 

Further letters about missed payments and default notices, all responded to on same basis - you sent me letter in Feb saying account closed and balance is zero.

 

No responses or acknowledgments sent to my letters addressed to named individuals

 

Eventually wrote by special delivery to credit services, copying head of customer services and also named exec in that dept who had written confirming my previous complaint upheld.

 

This got response and complaint being investigated again etc. Finally received personalised letter from customer services saying that Feb zero balance letter was a human error, apologising for lack of responses (though stating that they didn’t think any need to respond to my original letter of April stating I had zero bal as per their attached letter!) and confirming they had provided conflicting info. Cancelled overdue charges and amended credit record and now requesting payment of overdue monthly payments and confirming a balance of £2.4K as before.

 

My next step is to write and make payment of amounts outstanding (approx £200) but stating as act of goodwill and not in acceptance of any outstanding balance still relying on zero balance letter and fact that this never corrected until May. Also suggesting a payment of full and final settlement of any alleged balance of £1450 (over half alleged amount due) in 3 equal monthly instalments (only way I can stretch to this). Am stating will got to FOS to follow these two upheld complaints otherwise.

 

What does anyone think - should I pursue this or just give in and keep paying off monthly which will take a while and cost a lot. Should I alternatively offer to repay full over time but with no interest added? Or am I opening a cannot f worms by fighting back against Amex.

 

It all hangs on their letter of Feb which states account closed and zero balance and whether I had a legitimate expectation of this occurring in the light of my complaint.

 

Any advice or opinion would be appreciated - I know from other threads that Amex are not friendly but FOS might see their communication of zero balance following my confirmation to close account followed by their lack of any response to 3 direct letters and their internal process upholding two complaints as a basis for some kind of action?

 

I need to respond to Amex this week so any response appreciated.

 

Apologies for the long winded post but wanted full facts disclosure.

 

Many thanks