American Express reviews

Amex maintains an EXTREMELY high stress environment. Even when the economy was in great shape, management made sure customer-facing employees knew job security was poised on a knife edge. We were constantly reminded that if our production or feed-back numbers were not dazzling, we could be fired. This remains true, even for factors beyond an individual's control, such as the admittedly flawed "voice of the customer" feedback that often targets reps who have never spoken to the customers who are surveyed on that employee's performance. Pay scales are lower than industry averages. Promotions seem to be based more on political connections, friendships and physical appearance than on ability or track record. Beware the glass ceiling, ladies! It is thick, has sharp edges, and statistically starts only a step or two above entry level jobs. Although over 85% of American Express spending is done by card members who live in the United States, the company doesn't scruple to outsource customer-facing jobs to countries with lower wages.

It's become embarrassing to be associated with Amex since we took billions of dollars from the government through the TARP program. Whenever I am with a group of people outside of work, someone naturally asks where I work. My answer of "American Express" gets the whole group's attention and I must then endure a long list of complaints about what Amex is doing with their money. The chiding even comes from my own relatives. Once someone even said they pay my salary now. Thank goodness I don't work for AIG, or I guess I would be getting physical threats, but it's wearing nonetheless. Back in the '90s I respected our CEO Ken Chenault (then a Sr VP) and our other Senior leaders a lot for their wise conservative decisions, but I was wrong about Ken being at all conservative - something a bank really must have - and now I just feel shame.