Shamefully due to Amex's callous lack of consideration of my Goodwill request, I was not successful. I've been a loyal Amex customer for over 24 years and average over $50,000 a year in Amex charges. They denied my request. Here is what I sent them. Anyone who has legal expertise in this area so that I can right this wrong please contact me.
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My name is Xxxxx Xxxxx. I have been a loyal American Express Cardholder for over 24 years. The reason for this email is in regards to late payments made on my Amex account in 2013 and January 2014. At the time, I was married, and my wife was responsible for paying the bills, while I earned the majority of our household income.
During that time, we were experiencing marital difficulties, and rather than paying my Amex account on time (which she knew I was highly dependent on for business expenses) she was padding her bank account and paid her bills on time while secretly preparing for a potential divorce. I was completely unaware of this situation until I checked my credit score. At which point I confronted her with the facts, took over responsibility for paying my Amex account, and temporarily reconciling.
Since early 2014 I have been managing my Amex account and there has never been a late payment, over 74 consecutive months. This includes the fact that I utilize my Amex card extensively, with many months exceeding $10,000, while always paying on time! Unfortunately, the marriage reconciliation did not last and we were divorced in 2018. Again, as noted, there has never been a late payment on my account since I took over the management of it.
That said, my credit is still being significantly impacted by actions my ex-wife took almost 7 years ago. It should be noted that over the past 6+ years I’ve repeatedly submitted disputes to the credit bureau’s indicating that the late payments were not due to my actions, rather they were a result of my ex-wife’s intentional mismanagement.
While attempting to right the wrong, I’ve been patiently waiting for that time to pass. However, I continue to be negatively impacted by those late-payments and the resulting impact on my FICO score (approximately 50 points reduced versus if there weren’t any late payments). Without the Amex late payments in 2013 and Jan 2014 my credit score would be in the 800's. I recently obtained a mortgage, but was advised that the rate I received was significantly higher than it would have been had the Amex late payments not been on my account.
Despite having been fiscally responsible after taking direct responsibility for managing my Amex account, I humbly believe that I’m continuing to be punished for actions I was not in direct control of; rather it was my ex-wife who intentionally made the late payments in order to damage my credit. It has been incredibly frustrating being penalized for her actions, while she paid all her bills on time and as a result has excellent credit, but not me.
Please consider my situation, the impact it has had on me (both financially and my deteriorating health at 63 years old due to stress and undo anxiety in large part because of this lingering issue), the responsible steps I’ve taken to permanently remediate the situation and my loyalty as a dedicated Amex customer. Then please consider removing the late payments on my credit reports so that my FICO score accurately reflects my true and actual creditworthiness so that I can finally move forward with my life including putting the situation my ex-wife intentionally inflicted on me behind me.
Thank you for your consideration. Your response is requested.
