Polo Pantaleon vs American Express International Inc. G.R. No. 174269 May 8, 2009 Tinga, J.

: Facts: Polo Pantaleon went on a tour with his family in Europe. While they were in Amsterdam, Mrs. Pantaleon decided to purchase some diamond pieces. Mr. Pantaleon used his AMEX credit card to pay for the said diamonds. It took AMEX a total of 78 minutes to approve the purchase and to transmit the approval to the jewelry store. The travel companions of the Pantaleon family got irritated because they had to cancel the city tour due to the delay in the purchase of the diamonds. The same thing also happened when the family was in the US. Issue: Whether or not AMEX has committed a breach of its obligation to Pantaleon. Ruling: Yes, AMEX committed a breach of its obligation. It is the obligation of the respondent, as a debtor/obligor, to act on the purchase of the petitioner with timely dispatch. The culpable failure of the respondent herein is not the failure to timely act on the same but the failure to promptly informed petitioner the reason for the delay, and duly advised him that resolving the same could take some time. Fallo: Wherefore, the petition is granted. The assailed decision of the Court of Appeals is reversed and set aside. The decision of the Regional Trial Court of Makati Branch 145 is hereby reinstated. Costs against the respondent.