Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  Kudos To Amex On Their New Resolution Policy

This move will be unpopular with merchants of every stripe (although we've never had a chargeback at Consumer Help Web so we don't mind...), but American Express' new "billing inquiry" resolution process improves an already good process.

Amex used to flag the funds in question, ask the merchant or member to supply documentation and then make a decision. Now the burden of proof is strictly on the merchant (as it should be in any billing dispute) and the process can be initiated online in addition to phone.

Capping the entire process is a fairly long satisfaction survey to gauge the customer's reaction to the process. The financial services company says it will make a donation to the American Cancer Society for each completed submission and has donated over $400,000 so far. We understand enough about marketing to know that there is a cap and that the value of an individual survey may not be much.

That said, whenever a company tries something new and asks if you like the new process or procedure, you're being a smart consumer to vote. In the world of customer sampling, even a handful of votes can garner lots of upper management attention. Make sure they hear your voice.

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