Issue Resolved Victory Against Amex!!! with the help of RBI Ombudsman

[yashbhavnani]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

 

[Bionick]

Congratulations.. Well deserved victory.

 

[the_collector]

I hate to say this, but I think amex are playing a dirty game when it comes to awarding the right points.

I have a play travel, I completed the 4L milestone in a span of a month.

Now what happens is I am supposed to get the milestone at 1.9L and at 4L, I knew how many points I had exactly before both the milestones, so I knew how much should get added.

Amex being shady, credited the milestone benefit for the 1.9L 2TIMES.

And I didn't get the 4L milestone points.

A whole wopping 15k points missing.

I had to literally fight with amex for over a month in trying to prove to them there is a wrong calculation.

A whole 1 and a half months later they credited the 15k.

I never expected amex to do this!

 

[Random123]

Thanks for sharing, that is indeed bad experience. Glad that you took the screenshots for the previous TnC. Had similar experience with myntra and ajio before. Also just to add if it helps, sometimes wayback machine helps get the content at previous dates.

 

[yashbhavnani]

Thanks for sharing, that is indeed bad experience. Glad that you took the screenshots for the previous TnC. Had similar experience with myntra and ajio before. Also just to add if it helps, sometimes wayback machine helps get the content at previous dates.

Thanks for the info about way back machine, it’s a great tool.

 

[yashbhavnani]

I hate to say this, but I think amex are playing a dirty game when it comes to awarding the right points.

I have a play travel, I completed the 4L milestone in a span of a month.

Now what happens is I am supposed to get the milestone at 1.9L and at 4L, I knew how many points I had exactly before both the milestones, so I knew how much should get added.

Amex being shady, credited the milestone benefit for the 1.9L 2TIMES.

And I didn't get the 4L milestone points.

A whole wopping 15k points missing.

I had to literally fight with amex for over a month in trying to prove to them there is a wrong calculation.

A whole 1 and a half months later they credited the 15k.

I never expected amex to do this!

Yes, you are right, lately it’s been all about fighting with Amex for a lot of issues. Their services have gone way down!

 

[yashbhavnani]

@sjmajumder thanks! I took inspiration from your success stories with RBIO. So, a special mention for you!

 

[SM24]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

Well done. Congratulations!

Amex is notorious for playing truant wrt RM, like the delay in crediting points is not painful enough.

You should push them to grant you bonus points for the deceit and all the trouble they put you through.

 

[350modena]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

I would have hoped amex should be giving you more than your due points to you - some compensation too!

 

[jack333]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

Great work. Congrats. You should have also asked for compensation for the harassment faced and time and resources wasted

 

[NAB]

Congratulations.
I still feel they must award extras for your overall harassment and mental stress.
I hope RBI penalize them with some good amount asides the points which you officially deserve.

 

[yashbhavnani]

@NAB @jack333 @350modena @SM24
Yes even I felt that compensation should have been awarded but Amex denied.
RBI also said compensation is awarded for deficiencies in service only. This was a dispute between the bank and the customer so we are glad we could get you the points.

 

[jhanishdev]

I had a similar experience last year when AMEX said it did not capture my transaction on Flipkart. I didn't think much and let it go since it was not a big amount. But I stopped using Rewards multiplier from then on. Gyftr is faster and accurate.

 

[ontherocks]

@NAB @jack333 @350modena @SM24
Yes even I felt that compensation should have been awarded but Amex denied.
RBI also said compensation is awarded for deficiencies in service only. This was a dispute between the bank and the customer so we are glad we could get you the points.

Your case is not a dispute due to unauthorized transactions. Willful denial of points == denial of service == deficiency in service.

 

[Gownandha]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

Congratulations on the victory bro. But you should have asked something extra. Like a compensation or LE or Card upgrade or vouchers or LTF conversions. Because not only they denied what you were owed by bank, they downright played dirty. So try that if possible

 

[Zacobite]

1. The Issue :
We are aware of the Rewards Multiplier feature of Amex where we get 5x points on the listed merchants after 120-150 days from the date of transaction.
My story is using the reward multiplier at the Tanishq website to purchase Digital Gold. I went through the T&C of rewards multiplier before making the purchase. The only exclusions were Mia by Tanishq and Gift cards. Thus, I went ahead and made the first purchase in April 2023 and in every following month till August 2023.
By August 2023, I should have received the bonus points for the April 2023 transaction but didn’t. I stopped purchasing digital gold after August 2023 through reward multiplier as I wanted clarity on why the bonus points were not added for April 2023 transaction and didn’t want to end up with a denial from Amex for the bonus points. By this time I was expecting 1.25 Lakh bonus points for April’23 to August ‘23.

2. The Complaint:
Following the non addition of points, I raised a complaint with Amex. After a while they came back stating that the points can’t be awarded as the Merchant has failed to capture the transaction.
I then filed for a review of all the transactions from April-August 2023 as I had a feeling that I am going to get the same response in all the transactions and my hunch came true when Amex came back and said that none of the transactions have been captured by the merchant ie Tanishq. In short, Amex had shifted the blame completely to Tanishq.

3. Amex PNO :
I escalated the issue to Amex PNO and they replied after a thorough and a time consuming investigation that Tanishq hasn’t captured the transactions and we won’t award any bonus points.

4. RBI Ombudsman :
I then decided to approach the RBI Ombudsman for help in the matter. The complaint was registered and was sent to Amex for further clarification. Amex re investigated the matter and before submitting their reply to RBI they contacted me to let me know that they are still going to deny the points. However, this time Amex changed their reasoning from just ‘the merchant didn’t capture the transaction’ to Digital Gold is an exclusion as per the T&C of the reward multiplier and Digital Gold is not an eligible transaction.
I quickly checked the T&C and yes Amex had updated the T&C while the complaint was ongoing. (Yes, Amex quietly updated their T&C while the complaint was ongoing)
Right then, I knew I had Amex by the scruff of their neck. What Amex didn’t know was that I had a print out of the non updated T&C from September 2023 with me. I had taken this print out thinking that it might come handy later and I am glad I did.

5. The Conclusion:
Amex, responded to RBI with their updated T&C and a copy of the reply was sent to me as well. RBI was satisfied with Amex’s reply and they gave me 5 days to submit any additional documentary evidence to make my case before ruling on the matter. This is when I sent the T&C from September 2023 with the date and the time stamp. Amex then contacted me and accepted that they had updated the T&C on a later date and tried to apply them retrospectively and that they ll be awarding the points to me in 2 working days.

In summary, I had never thought Amex would stoop to such lows. It was downright unethical and illegal and I am glad they were taught a lesson.

So, if you are struggling with a bank, don’t hesitate to take RBI’s help. I do hope my case would give you the much needed motivation to take your case to RBI.

P.S. :
1) Be prepared to fight.
2) It’s time consuming, so be patient.
3) Be prepared ie keep every mail, ever screenshot or any document that might help your case before filing the complaint.

Thanks for reading through!

yes.. rbi ombudsman is v gd.. one of the few who really are doing well in reasonable time.. irdai should learn

 

[MANAV28]

Congratulations on your victory

 

[Vbhoj74]

Good victory! I sometimes wonder why the banks are not charged penalties for such mistakes, this will reduce such instances.

 

[yashbhavnani]

Congratulations on the victory bro. But you should have asked something extra. Like a compensation or LE or Card upgrade or vouchers or LTF conversions. Because not only they denied what you were owed by bank, they downright played dirty. So try that if possible

@Vbhoj74 @Gownandha @Zacobite
I couldn’t agree more. Honestly, in my complaint against Amex to RBIO. I had asked for 2.5L points & 1L in compensation.

Unfortunately, RBIO said that in this case Amex is disputing even the eligibility of earning points for the transactions so the focus shifts to receiving the points from Amex. If it would have been a clear case of denial of eligible transaction points then compensation and penal action would have followed.

 

[denisjos]

Just feel that amex guy who made the t&c first time made a big mistake because all these offers generally come with a statement that the promotion is at the discretion of so and so bank and the bank can change the conditions and everything anytime without notice.
I have seen these in almost all such promos. And amex having run so many promos shouldn't have missed the point.
So the OP got really lucky, congrats & enjoy.