I applied for the Amex Blue Cash card and got the dreaded call notice. So when I called:
1st Rep: Confirmed some info and then put me on hold, came back said something, paused, and then the call was disconnected. Something seemed fishy. I could've swore she disconnected the call on purpose (more on that later).
2nd Rep: Called back and spoke to a second rep. He confirmed some information and then put me on hold. Came back and said that the other agent was in the file and that he could not access it. He assured me that the previous agent intiiated something and that as soon as that processes, I would get an answer within 7-10 days. And also said that if I don't receive a call in the next couple of days, then I would not need to call them with more info.
3rd Rep: I didn't feel confident about the last rep, but they were closing in a few minutes so I had to wait and call back the follwoing day. The 3rd rep I spoke to oddly was the ONLY rep that asked me for my full SS#. I was hesitant to give it (always am when it comes to giving SS#'s over the phone, even to CC companies!), but I reluctantly did. Then he puts me on hold and comes back. Says that it will take 7-10 days to get a decision. I pressed him and asked him why that was. He said something about verifying and that Amex needed to do something on the backend and that takes time. He put me on hold again (for a very long time) and then tells again that it will take 7-10 days to get a decision. Then he tells me let him try something else. puts me on hold again, and then he asks me if I had a cellphone number and asked if he could call me on that number (never in my life did I have something like this happen before for a CC app). I said yes. So he hangs up with me and then calls me on my cellphone immediately after. Apparently that did it and I was FINALLY approved for $10K!!!
SO... after all that, apparently what happened was that my application was flagged for fraud. I recently just moved to a new address (in another state) and since there was no info about me on that address, it was flagged. Also, I was a previous Amex cardholder with Costco (until they changed to Citi). So I'm assuming the 3rd rep had my phone number on file from when I had the Costco Amex card and being able to call me with that number confirmed that it was indeed me and got me the approval.
The 1st rep I spoke to (which the call got disconnected) definitely felt like she initated the call disconnect. They were about to close and througout the call I sensed some hesitation in her voice when I inquired about my application. I assume either she felt that she didn't want to deal with this since her shift was about to end, or maybe she didn't want to deal with the awkwardness/uneasiness of somebody trying to apply for the CC fraudulently, or maybe she was new to the job. Who knows... But it defintely felt like she purposely disconnected the call as she was uneasy/hesitant throughout our whole conversation.
Sorry for the long-winded post... But with all that being said, it worked out and I got approved for the Amex Blue Cash Card! American Express is a card I definitely wanted to have again since there are alwyas great promotions that only Amex cardholders can take afvantage of (thank you Slickdeals LOL).
Queston: SInce I just moved, will I have problems like this if apply for another CC? How much time should I wait? What do creditors look at for ppl that just moved to validate residency in their credit file? Utility bills, cable, cellphone, etcc?? What is the criteria?