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Forums Payment cards American Express Amex Dining 20% offer dispute

  • MCO 81 posts

    I know very well that Amex can chop and change restaurants daily on their dining offer, so before I go, I log on and check on the day if the restaurant is still participating.

    This particular time, I dined twice at Gaucho, Newcastle, and the first time the offer did not pay out, so when I went back after 3 weeks, I took a screenshot of the offer just in case they later denied it.

    Been 2 months, so I called up to query it, and an Amex agent claimed that the restaurant withdrew from the list at the end of November and there is nothing he can do to help. I double-checked with chat, and they confirmed the same thing.

    I am sure I have read on this site at least one other person whose 20% didn’t pay out, but his Platinum dining credit did. Was this in December too?

    Any suggestions? Would a screenshot help?

    Lady London 2,350 posts

    Push it with the screenshot.

    You should be believed even if Amex is bright enough to check the time/date info the screenshot will have automatically embedded in it, and even if they’re even brighter and think you could have faked it. Really after a certain point with an existing customer where there are no other negative markers a decent cardco should pay out with this sort of evidence.

    However if we’d not thought that some restaurants are trying to game the system by inciting bookings then ‘withdrawing’ their participation in an offer then added to some earlier reports I would start to believe they’re doing this. Or Amex failed to withdraw the display of the offer timely.

    Who cares. You booked on the offer on good faith and even checked again just before going to the restaurant otherwise you’d have cancelled and gone to another restaurant.

    I would insist if I’ve got the evidence. Call in UK office hours and speak to Brighton and make an official complaint if you have to.

    JD_traveller 35 posts

    I had the same issue, with od all places Krispy Kreme. The location was listed in the website. I raised a dispute on live chat and was told that I was correct and that it would be escalated. Four weeks later nothing so raised it again over live chat, again told it would be escalated again.

    The third time I escalated it after another 6 weeks I was told that the location wasn’t in the offer, and even though it was shown on the website it was a mistake and the terms and conditions protect them from this. It had also never been escalated to the offers department. Given that I had all of the chat logs I asked for it to be raised as an official complaint. 24 hours later the complaint was upheld and I was given all of the charges back along with £50 compensation.

    Amex finally did the right thing, but just so frustrating that I had to go through all of that effort for what should have been a simple offer.

    can2 814 posts

    I am in a relatively similar pickle with the £100 Plat dining credit. We had a fancy lunch and paid with two plats.
    They used one of those wireless techy payment terminals, so, still no cashback. Multiple chats and escalations, for both cards, still none. And the restaurant is still on the Plat list.

    I am so sick of it..

    memesweeper 1,545 posts

    Small warning: Bao Marylebone. When you call a member of waiting staff over to pay, they may direct you to the QR code on the table for on-phone payment. Using this method excludes you from the Dining Offer benefit if you read the T&Cs (this applies to any venue with QR payments). It may actually pay out in practice but I didn’t risk it.

    MCO 81 posts

    Thanks all. Will keep this thread updated with what Amex has to say.

    dahokolomoki 112 posts

    I had the same issue with Burger & Lobster Oxford Circus location. Even with screenshots they say “venue was not in offer”

    Have now exhausted the complaints process. Going to go to Financial Ombudsman. Not about the amount, but the fairness of it.

    MCO 81 posts

    I had the same issue with Burger & Lobster Oxford Circus location. Even with screenshots they say “venue was not in offer”

    Have now exhausted the complaints process. Going to go to Financial Ombudsman. Not about the amount, but the fairness of it.

    Could Amex not blacklist your account for this type of complaint? I agree with your point about the fairness of it, but I’m wondering if this step is worth the potential recuperations.

    timotimo 1 post

    Similar situation today with Gaucho Piccadilly 20% credit.

    They said it wasn’t eligible as it’s not a live offer now but was when dined in December. Fortunately I had messaged them prior to the offer expiring to check if it was eligible transaction.

    They honoured it but told me to only at places listed on their site! It was!!

    Any time I’ve had a 20% credit or fine dining credit I’ve had to chase it up for them to manually intervene… took 5 months to get international dining credit back.

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