Sunday
Apr122009
Whither and Wither, Amex
Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 11:09AM
I got a postcard from American Express today, telling me that all I need to do to is call a toll free number and they will give me double "points" on all my gas and grocery purchases. (Points can be turned into miles on airlines and that sort of thing.) But rather than call the number, I threw the postcard away.
Why? Because I don't trust American Express. They fooled me a bunch of times on things, and I gave up on them.
For instance, they once sent a long letter explaining that they were giving me a free, really nice, leather-bound calendar. Then, in the tiniest of print on the back of the envelope in a place I really wasn't supposed to look, they informed me that if I accepted the free gift, I would receive another calendar every year for something like forty dollars, and that to cancel I would need to send a letter to a special address.
Another time, they sent me a letter explaining that I had been subscribed as I requested (which I hadn't) in some type of revolving credit account. I didn't even understand what the credit account was. The letter was signed (stamped) by a head of customer care who offered to answer any questions I might have. All I had to do was call him at the number provided. I did, twice. Waited 45 minutes each time, and gave up. I sent a letter addressed to him instead, to the address on the envelope, kindly asking for any information about what I was enrolled in. Never heard back.
There are a bunch more, but you get the point. I signed up with American Express when I was traveling a lot, earning a lot, and felt I had the two hundred bucks to spare for access to all the airport lounges. Now, I don't.
Of course, I wouldn't have thought to have this conversation with myself after a dozen or more years "membership" had American Express not foolishly exploited their real relationship with me to sell silly things like calendars, and to do so in a shady manner. Or kept sending me letters that looked like bills just to get me to open them, when they were actually offers for other unrelated products. It's not nice to leverage a relationship in that way.
There's a lesson in this for businesses of all kinds: do really shitty things and set your consumers free.
Why? Because I don't trust American Express. They fooled me a bunch of times on things, and I gave up on them.
For instance, they once sent a long letter explaining that they were giving me a free, really nice, leather-bound calendar. Then, in the tiniest of print on the back of the envelope in a place I really wasn't supposed to look, they informed me that if I accepted the free gift, I would receive another calendar every year for something like forty dollars, and that to cancel I would need to send a letter to a special address.
Another time, they sent me a letter explaining that I had been subscribed as I requested (which I hadn't) in some type of revolving credit account. I didn't even understand what the credit account was. The letter was signed (stamped) by a head of customer care who offered to answer any questions I might have. All I had to do was call him at the number provided. I did, twice. Waited 45 minutes each time, and gave up. I sent a letter addressed to him instead, to the address on the envelope, kindly asking for any information about what I was enrolled in. Never heard back.
There are a bunch more, but you get the point. I signed up with American Express when I was traveling a lot, earning a lot, and felt I had the two hundred bucks to spare for access to all the airport lounges. Now, I don't.
Of course, I wouldn't have thought to have this conversation with myself after a dozen or more years "membership" had American Express not foolishly exploited their real relationship with me to sell silly things like calendars, and to do so in a shady manner. Or kept sending me letters that looked like bills just to get me to open them, when they were actually offers for other unrelated products. It's not nice to leverage a relationship in that way.
There's a lesson in this for businesses of all kinds: do really shitty things and set your consumers free.
Reader Comments (7)
Man do I hate ALL of that junk that looks like bills. Not only do they waste your time with unnecessary reading, but they seriously endanger your finances when your skills of discernment get a little weak and you happen to throw away a real bill.
I got some intrest free credit when buying a fridge last year, only to then receive a letter from HSBC telling me to activate my new $6000 limit credit card, obviously I didn't activate it. When I'd paid off the fridge I found it was annoyingly difficult to close the account, they were obviously hoping I wouldn't bother with that part. I glanced at a young guys wallet one time in a queue and saw an HSBC credit card. I thought "Oh, they got you, bummer dude."
Lastly, Readers Digest, they NEVER let go, even after we'd spoken to a real person there who sincerely assured my dad that they would stop sending him junk.
I've been stuck with a bizarrely one-sided relationship with AMEX since I elected to leave their credit "service" nearly a decade ago. After getting the payout total, paying the bill, and thinking it was over, I get a letter from AMEX threatening me with legal action, credit default and a full scale legal debt recovery procedure for the unpaid total of 0.04 dollars.
4 cents. Debtor's prison for four cents. Of course, since this was the era of phone banking (no internet banking for me at this point), the minimum payment I could make to AMEX was a dollar.
For the past decade, they've had to send me a letter once a month, every month, detailing that I am 96 cents in credit with them. Even when I requested that they refund me, for I wanted the 96 cents back... they didn't. I can only assume their system can't cut a check for 96 cents anymore than I could pay 4 cents back in the day.
10 years, 120 letters, and all because they couldn't accept a 0.04 cent difference and can't refund 96 cents.
I made a decision a few years ago that I will only buy things for myself when I absolutely needed them, and will not search for deals or sales. The only exception to the rule is food, drink and entertainment as I sincerely enjoy the social aspects of that kind of consumption. And what has happened? Life is good and I spend less, even if I end up paying full price for the dress shoes for the office. Also, less time shopping, more time living.
Reject consumption, embrace living.
OMG Dr Stephen Dann, that's totally insane!!!
Weird stuff!
I know people who fold all the garbage up, including the envelope it rode in on, and mail it back in the prepaid envelope, if one is included...
Occasionally i do this myself, sometimes with a note, sometimes with all the trash intact, and sometimes ripping out any reference to me. It depends on the frequency and type of crap mail.
The anti-fur people used to do that to Amex all the time. It was part of a big campaign.