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Review of the American Express, American Express Credit Card:

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Extremely disappointing chargeback and S75 experience

My experience with American Express purchase protection has seriously reduced my confidence in the card. I paid £646 to a retailer for an order which I did not receive. The courier’s delivery photograph showed the parcel left beside an unmarked green bin and a plant. There was no visible property number, no photograph of a door and no evidence that the parcel had been handed to me or anyone authorised by me. I had not authorised that location as a safe place. I contacted the merchant and subsequently asked Amex to assist. Amex raised a chargeback, but after the merchant defended it with tracking information and the photograph, Amex decided not to pursue matters further because it considered that sufficient proof of delivery. Amex also considered my claim under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 but declined that as well, again on the basis that it believed the merchant had provided adequate evidence of delivery. I did not agree and referred the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service in July 2025. The history became unusually complicated. The FOS investigator initially considered that Amex had not dealt with the chargeback fairly. The investigator later changed his view after receiving wider information from the merchant. The complaint then went to an Ombudsman. In February 2026, the Ombudsman set out an informal intended outcome which was strongly in my favour. Among other things, she considered the delivery photograph inconclusive, questioned whether leaving a parcel beside an unmarked bin constituted delivery to my address under Amex’s rules, and noted that there was no evidence that I had authorised a safe place. She proposed that Amex reimburse the full £646 plus any relevant interest or charges. Amex rejected that proposed resolution. Following several more months of consideration, FOS ultimately decided in August 2026 to dismiss the complaint without considering its merits, because wider disputed evidence from the merchant was considered more suitable for examination by a court. This distinction is important. FOS did not conclude that I had received the parcel. It did not conclude that Amex had handled my claim fairly. It did not make a finding that the merchant’s wider allegations were true. The final decision expressly states that the Ombudsman was “not saying something hasn’t gone wrong.” Complainant.Decision.pdf Nevertheless, the practical outcome for me is that Amex has not been required to refund anything and I remain £646 out of pocket. The FOS process itself lasted more than a year, from my submission in July 2025 until the final decision in August 2026. I appreciate that financial disputes can be complicated and that a card issuer is entitled to investigate claims carefully. However, what concerns me most is how little practical protection I ultimately received from Amex when the delivery evidence itself was so inconclusive. I had expected significantly stronger support from a premium card provider whose brand is closely associated with service and purchase protection. This experience has left me very reluctant to rely on Amex for expensive purchases where delivery could later become disputed. Overall: very disappointing dispute handling and far less effective purchase protection than I expected from American Express. Reviewed on: 7th August 2026

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