Disappointing, but I must say not that surprising. In the 6 years I have had the PLAT card, the service has gone from outstanding to average.

Last year, I was going to buy a car and put it on the card (mainly for the MR points), and called AMEX as a courtesy, to let them know. They wanted me to deposit the funds in advance. The dealer then made a better deal for my check, which was gladly accepted without question. That cost AMEX a few thousand USD....