Credit cards are increasingly being used for offline and online shopping. With
this rapidly growing phenomenon there are reports of credit card misuse and
shopping fraud which might require disputing a particular credit card bill.
A person can dispute his credit card bill in two ways. First, when he hasn't
bought anything and the actual purchase or billing on the credit card was done
by someone else fraudulently or it simply got there by mistake. In second case
the credit card holder purchases something (usually online) and when he receives
the product he finds it substandard, defective, or simply a wrong shipment.
In both the cases credit card holders can get their amount back because they
were duped in one way or another.
The process of disputing a fraudulent or unworthy credit card bill is pretty
simple. A very basic thing such as keeping record of every transaction that
you make until things get satisfactory or they show correctly on your billing
statements, helps tremendously in this process.
In the first case where you find that someone has fraudulently billed your
credit card, contact the credit card company as soon as you receive any such
communication. Talk to the credit card company representative, keep a record
of the communication. Tell them that you didn't purchase that thing, and it
is a faulty statement. Most of the credit card companies will simply revert
the process. Because the credit card fraud liability in US is $50, that's all
you owe, and if you have a good relationship with the credit card company this
fee is also waived.
In second case when you get a damaged, incorrect or substandard product. Contact
the merchant and tell him about the problem, keep a record of every complaint
and conversation. If possible interact with the merchant in writing. If the
response is positive and the merchant agrees to replace back the product, things
are settled. Otherwise contact the credit card company and tell them about your
problem. Enclose the copies of complaint and details of defective product. Ask
them for a chargeback. All the big credit card companies favour the customer
whenever there is a complaint. So, in most of the cases you will get a chargeback.
Being cautious while using credit card and not allowing them to fall into wrong
hands will help you avoid any credit card faulty billings. Reading your credit
card monthly statements carefully, and checking them against actual purchases
will help you find out the wrong statements and dispute them instantly.
