Disputing Credit Card Charges

How to Dispute Credit Card Charges?

If you believe that your credit card charges are wrong, either because of fraud, error, or a mistake on behalf of a merchant or service provider - you have the right to challenge the disputed amount. To get these matters dealt with quickly and successfully, you should make sure to dispute your credit card charges as soon as possible.

Below we will talk you through everything you need to know before you dispute a credit card bill containing fraudulent charges or undelivered goods or services.

What Should You Do Before You Dispute Unauthorized Charges on Your Credit Card?

Your very first step, before you do anything else, is to make sure that the payment is fraudulent! Check with family members to make sure that this charge wasn’t made by them, isn't the result of a mistake, or is a legitimate purchase that you don’t know about due to miscommunication.

If you want to dispute charges from a merchant who didn't deliver the goods. You should also double-check with family members to see if they have accepted delivery of items, you have ordered and placed them out of the way somewhere.

It never hurts to double-check before you go forward in pursuing a charge!

Should you Dispute Your Credit Charges with your Credit Card Company or the Merchant?

It is best practice to first contact your merchant directly and give them the chance to provide a refund and make a good faith effort to rectify the issue. If you have no look with contacting them or they refuse to issue a refund, you should then take the matter up with your credit card company.

How long do you have to dispute Credit Card Charges?

Generally, you will have 60 days to start contacting your credit card company and disputing a charge. However, the period terms will depend upon the specific type of dispute you are issuing.

How to Dispute Fraudulent Credit Card Charges

If there have been fraudulent payments on your credit card, you should immediately contact your credit card provider on the phone and explain the situation. Your card issuer will issue an immediate cancellation of the card and issue you with a new one.

Opening a bill with thousands of dollars that you didn’t spend can be terrifying. But reassuringly the majority of major US banks offer no liability when it comes to fraudulent credit card payments. if you have a no liability feature on your credit card that means that you will not be liable for any of the payments fraudulently made against your account number.

Even if you don’t have a $0 liability clause on your credit card, there is still a limit to the amount of money you can be held liable for when you file a dispute. by Federal Law, you cannot be held liable for more than $50 of the fraudulent spending as long as you report the disputed amount within the first two billing cycles of the charge taking place.

You should also consider filing a police report, although this is not a legal requirement. Filing a police report does not guarantee that the individual will be caught but will help the police department to keep an accurate record as they track credit card fraud. Your information just might contribute to the discovery of a bigger, overall credit card fraud scheme that is ongoing.

How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge for non-delivered goods of dissatisfaction with services.

Fraudulent charges are not the only reason you can file a dispute on your credit card charges. If you have made a purchase that you are not satisfied with, you can also dispute a credit card charge. If a product you ordered from a merchant was not delivered or the service that a handyman delivered was substandard, you have the right to challenge their payment.

In 1975, the Fair Credit Billing Act was passed, which protects your right to dispute credit card charges of over $50 if you are dissatisfied with a service or have not received a product. To dispute these charges, you need to make sure you contact your credit card issuer within 60 days of first receiving your credit card bill statement.

As we detailed above, it is best practice to contact the merchant or service provider directly first to see if you can resolve the issue privately. You may be able to get a refund with little fuss and without having to involve any other organizations.

If you have trouble with getting a refund, then make sure that you keep a record of all your correspondence with the merchant and start your dispute under the Fair Billing Credit Act. Contact your Credit provider and make them aware that you are disputing the charge and will not be paying it while the matter is under investigation. When contacting them, make sure to include all your supporting documents concerning the charge and any correspondence you have had with the merchant.

How Should You Dispute Credit Card Charges Due to Billing Errors?

According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), you can also dispute a credit card bill when an error in the billing information has led to it being inaccurate or not reaching you in time. Here are the reasons you can dispute a credit card charge according to the FTC:

• Have you received charges that state the wrong amount or date of charge?
• Are there mathematical errors on your credit card bill?
• Were your credit card bills which were sent to the wrong address? (If you have informed your bank of any change of address over 20 days before your current billing cycle ends.
• Credit card charges that you have asked for clarification about and reported as an error.

Make sure that you contact your credit card provider as quickly as possible when you spot a mistake. You must file your error claim within 60 days of receiving the bill.

You should dispute these types of credit card charges in writing to the Billing Inquiries Department of your card provider and keep records of all your correspondence with your provider. The company will be legally required to reply to your credit card dispute within the period of 30 days and to have come to a conclusion about the dispute within two billing cycles of the disputed charge.

While the investigation into the billing error is being investigated, you will not have to pay the disputed amount.

Takeaway - How to Dispute Credit Card Charges?

When you open your credit card bill and spot unexpected charges, always make sure to investigate. Chances are it may be a purchase you've forgotten or the result of a miscommunication with a family member. But if not, you should make sure to dispute credit card charges right away if they are the result of fraudulent behavior, undelivered goods, or a billing error. You have the legally protected right to dispute credit card charges and should always make sure that you don’t end up paying unfair bills.