Mel Jung’s Amtrak tickets are canceled accidentally, and he’s forced to pay a $236 for a new ticket. No one is taking the responsibility for the error. Is he stuck with the higher fare?
AMERICAN EXPRESS
Doug Marshak wants to know. The airline in this case is Delta, which mailed him a box of … well, I’ll get to all that in a second.
If you’re a frequent flier, maybe you covet a Delta Reserve American Express Card. It offers access to Delta’s Crown Room, a first-class companion certificate and a generous 10,000-mile bonus when you sign up.
If you collect frequent flier miles, you already know what happens when you don’t play by the rules. You know there are exceptions to the rules. But what if you play by the rules, and still lose?
Adam Salamon’s honeymoon did not go well.
On Oct. 1, the annual percentage rate on Mike Golden’s American Express Platinum card will jump by about 25 percentage points.
Reidun Gauger and her husband Georg have been loyal Northwest Airlines customers and American Express cardholders since 1972. So when they were offered 50,000 each from Amex during their transition to a Delta awards card, the couple jumped at the chance.
Mariah Nunn has been a loyal American Express cardmember for the last quarter century. When she heard the line, “Don’t leave home without it,” she took it to mean Amex would never leave her either, especially when she was out of the country. But she was wrong.
Kim Bouck is wary of the fine print on the “free” ticket offer by American Express. So she gets a few of the company’s promises in writing. When the promises are broken, however, American Express backtracks — and she’s left ticketless. What now?
Membership has its privileges. Unless you’re Donna Jordan. Every year since 2001, she’s paid Delta a $134 annual fee for a co-branded American Express Platinum card. The card allowed her to collect Delta miles for each dollar spent and entitled her to a free “companion certificate” on Delta.
The American Express “black” card is legendary among upscale travelers. In order to qualify for the invitation-only card, you have to spend at least $250,000, plus pay $2,500 in annual fees. In exchange, you expect nothing but the best customer service. But that’s not always what you get.
Elliott is consumer advocate 
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