Have you ever found charges you did not make on your credit card? Or, have you been billed for merchandise you did not receive? Have you ever experienced a payment not being posted to your account? While frustrating, these errors can be corrected. It takes a little patience and knowledge of the credit card dispute process. Our handy infographic will walk you through how credit card dispute works, and help you understand your rights during the credit card dispute process.
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23 responses to “How Does Credit Card Dispute Work Infographic”
Hi my Nordstrom card was charged a very large amount twice in the same day. The credit card was in my possession when I went to pay my bill I saw this high transaction and I had reported they put the amount back into my account. Now they took the amount back and I am being charged I don’t understand why and how it was possible for them to charge me for something I didn’t buy I would think they would call before making such a big transaction twice in the same day. Now I am being charged can you please help me what can I do I can’t be paying for something I didn’t commit
Hi Angel – I’m sure it is frustrating to think the issue was resolved and then find out it was not! Before you do anything else, I would contact the creditor and make sure there was not a simple billing error that caused the second issue. Sometimes, speaking to a customer service rep is all it takes to resolve an issue like this. If that doesn’t work, ask to speak to a manager and explain what has happened to them. It’s helpful if you keep records of everyone you spoke to and when so you have a clear picture of all the communications you have had with the creditor. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, you can then begin an official dispute of the charge. Best of luck – let us know how it turns out!
In my case, i being ripped off by a online furniture merchant & unfortunately, the credit card company has sided on behalf of merchant. I received copy of letter merchant sent to CC company. However, I discovered the merchant wrote a false statement, that I’m sure is what decided the outcome “The delivery co contacted customer to schedule delivery date, however he refused & cancelled order”.
So, I ordered a copy of the cell phone call log for both my contact #s to prove their was never any contact by the delivery company or merchant. Today, I sent CC company a response letter with the proof…
Do you think they will review this information proving the merchant statement is false?
Hi Michele – it’s so frustrating to have a situation like this happen. It can take a lot of time to resolve, but it sounds like you are on the right track. I can’t say for sure whether the credit card company will respond in your favor, but with proof that you had no contact with the delivery company, you stand a much better chance of having the issue resolved in your favor. Kudos for staying on top of doing whatever you need to do to resolve the matter. Let us know how it turns out!
I need help. I have been disputing unauthorized charges on my Pay Pal Mastercard since October. The creditor is not crediting my account for the unauthorized charges. I have submitted a letter, made several calls and sent faxes. I don’t know what to do next. The have responded by saying the claim has been closed and I am responsible for the charges. I have never ordered any merchandise from the merchants that collected the unauthorized charges. What are my options?
So sorry that has happened, David. Have you disputed the charges with the merchant who charged your paypal card or just the creditor who your card is issued through? This CFPB article might be helpful for your situation: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/how-do-i-get-my-money-back-after-i-discovered-an-unauthorized-transaction-or-money-missing-from-my-bank-account-en-1017/ – please let us know how the situation is resolved!
My mothers SSI Direct Express card numbers were stolen (not the card) for over $900.00. When she noticed, she immediately called Direct Express to file the dispute. Even though half of the orders were still “processing” and fraudulent orders had not been mailed out, they said they could not cancel the order. My mother cancelled her card, filled out all the paperwork that they sent her promptly, and yet she was still denied for all but one charge (even the orders that were still pending that they could have stopped payment on). When she has tried to fight it with them, and asked for a supervisor, they say they don’t have any supervisors. Since then I have been trying to do our research, and I am so disheartened that with Direct Express, this is not that uncommon. My mother like so many disabled and elderly are on a fixed income, and without the help from me and my sister, things could have been really bad. My question is, can anything else be done, if they will not help her any further? If you look up on the BBB website, you can see how many other people across the country have had this, and worse happen to their money with this card, and all the same result. They will not refund the money that was stolen from them. I was hoping that since they are tied with our government, there can be another route she can take. Any direction from you would be soo much appreciated
What a frustrating situation Amy! I’m not familiar with this creditor, but if you haven’t had success with disputing fraudulent charges directly through the creditor, you might want to consider filing a complaint with the CFPB – https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ or FTC https://www.ftc.gov/faq/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint-ftc
Best of luck getting you mother’s fraudulent charges handled quickly!
A contractor received payment by ACH, then billed each of two credit cards for the same service, i.e. he triple billed me. One off the credit cards is from a major bank, which is FDIC insured. Does this constitute a federal offense?
While I can say for certain being charged more than once for the same service is disputable and should be able to be handled through your credit card company, I can’t answer whether it’s a federal offense. You may want to consider filing a complaint with both the BBB and the FTC at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
My order from Walmart was $1,900 that required signature was delivered and signed by someone else no idea who or where. I never received the product. I filed police report and sent to Walmart. They say because it was signed regardless it wasn’t me, they can’t issue refund and asked me to file dispute charge with my credit card company. I just filed the dispute and sent them police report and tracking information as well that clearly states the name it was signed and collected by. I will get temp credit and case will be resolved within 90 days, as you stated. What is your take on it since i am very nervous given it is a big amount. I did everything by the book. I hope I get justice. I don’t even know what’s the point of signature if it can be signed and collected by anyone or the delivery guy fakes it to keep packages
Alex – it sounds like you’ve done everything right and by the book. Sometimes it can take a bit for the process to play out, but we’re pulling for you to have full resolution. Let us know how it goes!
I believe I may know who used my Credit Card with out my consent, am I liable? This person moved out of my home over 8 months ago and recently the card had several unauthorized charges on it. I can’t be sure it was stolen and I wasn’t even aware that it was missing. Should i mention this to the the fraud investigators and bring up my suspicion or not since I do not know for sure?
Unless you report the fraudulent activity, you are liable for the charges. You will need to contact the creditor and business and explain that you are not responsible for the debt, as well as file a police report and let them know that you have a suspicion that this individual used your card fraudulently . You should also report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Although it may be difficult to file a police report on someone you know, you could be jeopardizing your financial future if you don’t report it.
I paid for a service. A whole year of daycare. Well the daycare closed and the owner tried to refund my money but the credit card expired so they weren’t able to refund me the money. Well now my bank refuses to refund and they haven’t even contacted the person I am disputing it with. She wants to refund but she has to refund back to my card
What a frustrating experience for you! Can you contact a manager at your credit card company and ask them to help you resolve the issue? Keep calling and keep records of every person’s name you speak to as well as the date of your conversation so you have good records.
I recently filed a dispute with my card provider over a dentist bill. The card provider approved my dispute but my dentist office dropped me as punishment for disputing the charge (a billing error on the dentist office behalf) is this legal?
Hi Donald – We can’t speak to the legal aspects of what your provider did, but it certainly isn’t kind. If you have any concerns about the legality of their decision, you may want to investigate the complaint process through the CFPB https://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
I paid a company $3500 with my wells fargo credit card for metal to build my carport with him doing the work. No metal delivered and I think I have been scammed. What can I do?
The best place to start is contacting Wells Fargo to let them know you would like to dispute the charge. This would fall under the category of “Items you were charged for items you bought but never received” – Wells Fargo will have a dispute process that they can initiate and walk you through. Best of luck getting your situation resolved quickly!
Hello,
On November 2018, I made a downpayment of $1000 for a wedding venue. I also agreed upon a monthly payments of $350 for 11 months, from November 2018-October 2019. My first and last charges where November 2018 and October 2019 for this wedding venue. On February 2020, I found out that the venue went under and had filed bankruptcy. For the downpayment and 11 monthly payments; I paid with a chase credit card. Today, Chase Bank helped me initiate this type of dispute: “Non-receipt of Services or Merchandise. I have provide Chase Bank with the contract(which shows when the payments started and when the service was supposed to be provided–May 2020), payment plan receipt, and email from the Company saying that they had to stop operations because of the bankruptcy(they sent this email on Feb-10-2020).
My question is: do you think I will be getting a favorable outcome for this dispute? I’ve read online and I understand that Chase saids that disputes can only go back as far as 60 days.. but in this case its been about 450 days.. but how exactly was I supposed to know this business was going to go under..
I’ve looked into chargebacks for visa credit cards and found this:
“13.3 Not as Described or Defective Merchandise
Under this reason code, if the cardholder deems the goods or services defective or not as described, the chargeback time limit is calculated based on one of the following, depending on the situation:
Situation
Where the goods/services were purchased on or before the transaction processing date.
Start of Time Limit
20 calendar days past the date the cardholder expected or was promised to receive goods or services” –chargebacks911
Second question: will Chase Bank honor the Visa Claim Resolution rules?
I know this is a mouthful; but I am honestly needing some help and guidance from you all.
Thank you.
Hi Alex – what a terrible situation! I’m sorry you had that experience with your wedding vendor. I’m glad to hear that your bank has helped you start the dispute process. I don’t have any information about how favorable the outcome will be for this type of dispute, but I’m hopeful on your behalf that you have success!
If a company issues a provisional credit and then decides to take ot back, aren’t they supposed to notify you first?