How to file a dispute with your credit card company.

If you make a charge on your credit card and there is a problem with the transaction you can file a dispute with the credit card company. You have 60 days from the posting date to file this dispute. There are several reasons under which you can file a credit card dispute. The most common ones are as follows:

• Services not rendered.
• Item not received.
• Service canceled.
• Item returned.
• Duplicate charge.
• Partial dispute. – you don’t have to dispute the whole charge if you had a problem with only part of your order.

Steps in filing a dispute.

• Call the merchant

This is the first step in disputing a charge on your credit card. It’s the fastest and easiest way to handle a dispute. It is entirely possible that if you contact the merchant and explain the situation they will remove the charge. Besides, the credit card company won’t go to bat for you unless you have spoken to the merchant first.

• Contact the credit card company.

Let them know you want to dispute the charge. They will probably ask you some very basic questions and send you a form to fill out.

• Fill out the form and mail it back.

The form will ask the details of the charge. They will want to know when you spoke to the merchant and the results of the conversation. If you have a cancellation number from the merchant you will need to provide it on this form.

• Wait.

It can take 30 days for a resolution to the dispute. If you see a credit on your account before the 30-day mark do not assume everything is finished. Most likely, it is a temporary credit issued while the company investigates the charge. If the credit card company find in your favor the credit is yours to keep, if not the charge will reappear on your account. So leave room for it in your available credit. (You shouldn’t be charging right up to your limit anyways.) If you don’t receive a temporary credit, don’t worry. The charge will not accrue interest or be included in your minimum payment calculation while it is in dispute.

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