Monday, October 08, 2007--Andis Kaulins [10/08/2007 03:02:00 PM] - Home - About - My Book
False and Misleading Advertising at American Express
We were suprised at the New York Times
to see an ad from American Express featuring the graphic of a poodle and the following accompanying text:
"ARE YOU STRESSING ABOUT
THE MYSTERY CHARGE FROM
POODLEAFICIANADO.COM
or
ARE YOU A CARDMEMBER?
Fraudulent charges
won't cause you grief.
learn more" (to the right of this phrase is appended the graphic of the AMEX green card)
We cancelled our AMEX card several years ago precisely for the opposite reason, because our complaints about fraudulent charges to our account were not taken seriously by AMEX. We were irritated by sporadic charges to our account for CDs purchased in South America. We live in Germany and do not order music from South America, which would be absurd. Nor have we ever even visited that continent. We informed AMEX of their mistake and they told us to contact the billing companies. They did NOTHING to investigate our complaints and in fact sent us an insulting letter about the whole matter, so we cancelled our AMEX card, shifted to VISA, and have been quite happy with the change.
In advertising in this manner, the AMEX advertising is alleging a fact which is simply NOT TRUE, i.e. that fraudulent charges will not cause AMEX customers grief. As our case proves, SOME customers will have grief from such charges, and we are sure we are not the only ones so affected.
Prosecuting district attorneys should clamp down on this kind of intentionally false and misleading advertising, which we consider to be inherently fraudulent, since a factual situation (no grief from fraudulent charges) is being promised to the new cardholders being recruited that simply does not accord with known facts.
Frankly, we would not in good faith recommend American Express to anyone, thank you.
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 10/08/2007 03:02:00 PM
False and Misleading Advertising at American Express
We were suprised at the New York Times
to see an ad from American Express featuring the graphic of a poodle and the following accompanying text:
"ARE YOU STRESSING ABOUT
THE MYSTERY CHARGE FROM
POODLEAFICIANADO.COM
or
ARE YOU A CARDMEMBER?
Fraudulent charges
won't cause you grief.
learn more" (to the right of this phrase is appended the graphic of the AMEX green card)
We cancelled our AMEX card several years ago precisely for the opposite reason, because our complaints about fraudulent charges to our account were not taken seriously by AMEX. We were irritated by sporadic charges to our account for CDs purchased in South America. We live in Germany and do not order music from South America, which would be absurd. Nor have we ever even visited that continent. We informed AMEX of their mistake and they told us to contact the billing companies. They did NOTHING to investigate our complaints and in fact sent us an insulting letter about the whole matter, so we cancelled our AMEX card, shifted to VISA, and have been quite happy with the change.
In advertising in this manner, the AMEX advertising is alleging a fact which is simply NOT TRUE, i.e. that fraudulent charges will not cause AMEX customers grief. As our case proves, SOME customers will have grief from such charges, and we are sure we are not the only ones so affected.
Prosecuting district attorneys should clamp down on this kind of intentionally false and misleading advertising, which we consider to be inherently fraudulent, since a factual situation (no grief from fraudulent charges) is being promised to the new cardholders being recruited that simply does not accord with known facts.
Frankly, we would not in good faith recommend American Express to anyone, thank you.
Permalink : Andis Kaulins : 10/08/2007 03:02:00 PM
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