Amex Customer Service
American Express does many things right, and the bank will let you know that. Amex recently spiked the football on their recent Platinum revamp success. I don’t blame the bank! In my view, Amex is still the most entertaining one out there for aggressive points and travel hobbyists. The bank’s online chat feature is fairly useful for efficiently completing a variety of tasks. But my wife and I know the capability and reps staffing it aren’t perfect, and we recently experienced that on a couple occasions. One case was so frustrating that I actually opted for – gasp – calling in for Amex customer service. Picking up the phone can still be a tremendously viable, and surprisingly time-efficient, method. Let’s get into it.
Our Situation
The past few weeks, my wife and I wrapped up the first cardmember years on a couple Hilton Amex Surpass accounts. We each decided we wanted to upgrade to Aspire for its myriad benefits.
The Wife
My wife held an online chat with Amex customer service which took longer than we expected. She simply requested to upgrade a particular Surpass card account to an Aspire. The rep asked if she’d seen an offer available online. She hadn’t but wanted to upgrade, anyway. For the next few minutes, the rep discussed how she could check online to upgrade and provided an unhelpful link which most any Amex cardholder can check. As we already knew, my wife wasn’t targeted. She reiterated her desire to upgrade, anyway, and not being targeted for a bonus offer wasn’t a big deal. She just wanted to upgrade within the chat and be done. The rep finally understood and upgraded the card. She thanked the rep, and the chat ended. But it shouldn’t have taken as long as it did.
Me
I started my online chat in the same basic position as my wife. I’d held this Surpass account for a very similar amount of time and planned the same upgrade to Aspire. The conversation started off with this desired change request and the same runaround my wife got – did you see an offer online, here’s a link to check, etc. We eventually returned to familiar territory – I’m fine without an upgrade bonus offer, and I just want to product change to the Aspire in this chat. At this point, the rep stated that he could not upgrade the card in the chat. I politely cited that I’ve successfully product-changed cards within chat sessions for years, and I’d appreciate doing the same here. The agent again stated his incapability to do so. The repeated claims of inability came off more like refusals. I was clearly getting nowhere in the chat. I thanked the rep and disconnected.
The Call
After my unsuccessful chat, I knew I could just wait it out. In similar situations previously, I’d just waited a few hours or days, obtained a different chat rep, and completed my business. But I wanted to more proactively get things done this time. Plus, it had been a long time since I called in for Amex customer service, and I was genuinely intrigued to see how it would go this time.
I called the Amex customer service number on the back of the Surpass card I wanted to upgrade. After briefly confirming my account details, the perky rep asked how she could assist. I requested to upgrade this Surpass card to an Aspire. The agent excused herself to review the account and quickly returned. She promptly advised she would perform the upgrade, briefly reading the disclosure. I agreed and she let me know the upgrade was complete. She noted that my current Surpass card would function as an Aspire until the new card arrives. I thanked her and hung up. The entire process took less than five minutes.
Amex Customer Service – Conclusion
This is just the latest reminder that technology often gets in the way of superior outcomes. Even more concerning is when people aren’t cognizant of this. We tie ourselves up in unnecessary knots by assuming all technology is vital progress and must be adopted.
I understand technology’s role to create new efficiencies, but I also know plenty of other situations where it creates the opposite. And it takes thoughtful attention, time, and discernment to strike that balance – more “work” for each responsible individual. But I feel that’s a noble effort.
A phone call or, egads, an in-person interaction can often bring more satisfying resolutions for day-to-day tasks. I know I can always do better here, and I encourage you to consider where you can tweak things, as well. Get off the screen, breathe, and live!
