Credit cards provide valuable consumer safeguards by allowing consumers to dispute purchases. Dispute a credit card charge if you disagree with it and don’t want to pay it.
Get your money back by disputing unauthorized credit card charges. Customers may dispute transactions if a seller delivers bad service or doesn’t deliver promised goods. You may contest these charges under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
Dispute charges if you have been a victim of fraud or a merchant’s service falls short of your requirements. You should also consult with professional attorneys for help. However, bankruptcy lawyers are the ones you go to for help with credit card dispute concerns.
We will explain how to dispute a credit card charge if you disagree with it.
Why Will You Need the Help of Bankruptcy Lawyers?
There are a variety of situations in which one may want the services of a bankruptcy attorney. It’s possible that you have racked up insurmountable credit card debt of more than $10,000. If this is the case, you should seek the counsel of bankruptcy lawyers. By filing for bankruptcy with the help of a professional, you may finally liberate yourself from your financial woes and start fresh.
How Soon Must a Charge Be Disputed?
Credit card disputes must be filed within 60 days of the statement’s issuance. The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you 60 days to dispute a fraudulent payment or defective goods with your credit card provider.
Check your cardholder agreement to see how long you must file a dispute once a charge is made. As soon as you applied for a credit card, you should have received this in the mail, but you may also get it online these days. The “billing rights” section should include time constraints for filing disputes.
If you miss the deadline to file your dispute, you may be required to fork up the funds in question. That’s why it’s essential to review your monthly credit card account in its entirety and look for any suspicious activity.
Credit Card Chargebacks: Why You Might Want to Do It
Any credit card charge dispute falls into one of 3 categories: charge was not approved, billing error, or transaction problem. Let’s dissect each class and discuss some representative cases.
- Unauthorized Charges
Credit card fraud occurs when someone purchases on your card without your permission. Fair Credit Billing Act limits cardholder liability for unauthorized payments to $50. Most credit cards have zero-liability provisions that protect cardholders from fraudulent transactions.
If your credit card is lost or stolen, contact the card issuer as once to minimize the potential damage from fraud. However, if an illegal charge is made before you take this step, you have the option of disputing it.
If thieves steal your card information but not the actual card, they may still make unlawful transactions. These sorts of fees may also be contested.
- Billing Errors
Incidental fees or interest are considered billing errors. Multiple charges for the same transaction or ongoing subscription payments are standard. You may file a dispute with the help of bankruptcy lawyers if a store refuses to reverse a billing mistake.
- Purchasing Mishaps
You may get your money back if you complain about a faulty product or poor service. Before registering a dispute, the Fair Credit Billing Act requires you to contact the merchant.
Reasons for this style of argument involve the following:
- The customer never received the ordered item.
- The business could have delivered on a promised service.
- Unfortunately, the product you bought has a quality problem.
Ways for Disputing Unauthorized or Fraudulent Charges
If you suspect a fraudulent or unauthorized transaction on your credit card, take the following actions:
- Contact the Credit Card Company Immediately
Holding you responsible for more than $50 in false charges is illegal. Yet even this astronomical fee seems quite improbable. There is often no responsibility when using a credit card from a big bank nowadays. You won’t be responsible for the $50 fee if you report the fraud within two billing cycles.
- The FDIC Advises Filing a Police Complaint
While not essential, it may assist law enforcement and the government in tracking cases. One incidence of fraud on your account may indicate a more significant problem.
- Find Out Whether a Purchase Was Fraudulent or Not
Verify that it wasn’t done without your knowledge or permission by a member of your immediate family or a close acquaintance. Only dispute a charge on your credit card if you are prepared to submit a police complaint as well. Only report a fraudulent transaction to your bank if you understand it.
Ways for Resolving Credit Card Billing Errors
In most cases, businesses do not overcharge for discarded or unreceived merchandise. The Fair Credit Billing Act mandates a dispute mechanism for credit card and revolving charge account holders.
Credit card and other revolving-credit billing irregularities may be contested using this procedure. Loans for goods like vehicles or refrigerators are not included. Unauthorized charges are one kind of charge that might be contested.
Your statutory liability for illegal charges is capped at $50 under federal law. However, such expenditures may be an indication of identity theft.
If you don’t submit a dispute, the issuer isn’t required to examine your billing problem. You may get late bills if the issuer updates your billing information or records payments and credits.
You must have informed the issuer of your new address 20 days before the end of the billing month to use this technique.
How Do Bankruptcy Lawyers Dispute Incorrect Billing?
The purpose of this action is to make use of the legal safeguards afforded to consumers.
- Send a letter to the issuer. In case you have any questions about your bill, please contact the bankruptcy lawyers.Remember to provide your name, address, account number, and a detailed explanation of the error. Please refer to the attached example letter for format and content.
- After receiving the first inaccurate bill, send a letter to the issuer within 60 days. Certified mail and return receipt requests prove that the issuer received your letter. Include copies (not originals) of any supporting documents. Always save a copy of your complaint letter for your records.
- The issuer must send a written acknowledgment of your complaint within 30 days unless the matter has been rectified.
- The issuer has 90 days after receiving your complaint to settle the dispute.
All Successful Dispute Letters Have These 5 Characteristics
- A Basic
As a first step, double-check that your name, account number, address, and the charge in question are all present and correct.
- Explaining Why This Accusation Is False
Whether your transaction was lost in transit or you were charged twice for the same item, aid the credit card company. Provide a detailed justification for why this fee does not belong on your account.
- Data
Include supporting materials with your letter (or email). If the fraudulent charge was made at a California Target, provide work timecards or gas receipts to prove you were there.
Is there a plan B if the goods are flawed or in transit? If you disagree, you should send a photo as evidence.
If you suspect your disputed charge was the product of identity theft, you may get an identity theft affidavit from the FTC. Get a printout and submit it along with a report to the police.
Obtain a copy of the official police report (with a case number). Include it in your list of reasons to your credit card provider to eliminate the charge.
- Location Apt to Be Right
There will be a separate address for billing complaints with the card company, among a few others. Moreover, there is no universally applicable solution in this particular scenario.
A well-written letter sent to the incorrect address might have the same effect as not being delivered at all.
- Specific Time Period
To file a dispute over a charge, you have 60 days from the day the bill first appeared on your account. You can find reputable bankruptcy lawyers who have relevant expertise in these areas. So, immediately after discovering the allegation, challenge it.
Bottom Line
Correcting fraudulent charges on your credit card account may be as simple as filing a dispute, but you need to act quickly. If there is a mistake on your bill or a problem with the quality of your service, you will get an answer faster if you dispute it immediately.