About a week ago, before the September expiry of my 1 year Executive Membership (cost $100) at Costco here in Montreal,I went with two associates to the same store where I originally got the card, to: A. Cancel my card. (because after shopping for a year, my rebate came to $4.24 (big saving for a $100 investment). -and- B. Obtain the $10 referral rebate for a new member card for my associate. The $10 cash card was given, no problem, when he completed and paid for his regular membership card.
Then I clearly informed the lady behind the counter that I absolutely wished to NOT renew and to cancel my Executive Card immediately, before the Sept. 1 deadline. She told me, in effect, that’s nice but we ALREADY CHARGED your Costco American Express account another $100 [many weeks] ago. I don’t recall ever receiving an AMEX card, (I carry only one card, NOT American Express, to minimize credit charges and keep track) and told her so. I added that even IF I had obtained a Costco AMEX card, here I am- within any legal delay, and must cancel my membership, and IF they already made any such charge, to immediately cancel it.
She said that in effect, it was my problem, and that I should call some 800 number for Amex Customer Service, and if I can’t find my card, then they probably would send me a replacement card and account number upon which I could apply to cancel the renewal Costco membership charge adn THEN cancel that card! Talk about your needless red tape, time wasting and rigamarole!
So a few days later, I called American Express customer service and spoke with “Robb” who was situated at their call center in Ottawa and who told me the call was being recorded. He politely informed me that he has worked there for over a year, their policy had not changed with Costco and that there is no reason the Store, especially the same one I purchased the card at, as the merchant, should have NO PROBLEM cancelling the charges.
So out the revolving door, and another $30 of my time (it’ll take about an hour overall to go back) and let’s see if Costco will observe the advice I received on their policy, from the American Express point of view. Time is all we REALLY have to spend on this earth…and
what’s left of mine, is all the more precious day by day. No “Merci” to Costco, for having billed me two months before the expiry date (was it in the very fine print?) and putting me to all this trouble to “earn” $4.24 after shopping there for a year, at what are really less savings than at Zellers, Canadian Tire, Super-C and Maxi or Wal-mart stores for items on sale.
Btw, American Express’s Robb was very polite and while generally informative, he could not tell me how to obtain a copy of the recording of my conversation, nor the ‘interactive file no’ that such financial companies create with such recordings, which I will need to prove to Costco that their information was wrong.
