Know your Rights about Credit Card Disputes in Arizona
Don’t pay a debt that is not yours
Disputing a credit card charge with banks such as Chase, Amex, or Citi has ramped up greatly these past several years. Unfortunately, identity theft has made credit card information easily accessible on the dark web.
If you discover charges on your credit card account that are not yours, ignoring them is not an option. If you do, the bank will unleash is debt collectors and their attorneys to collect that debt. Your credit score will drop and stay low for several years to come. But take heart, but you have a better option.
Dispute the fraudulent charges with your bank! Its not hard. Here is how to you do it.
If you discover charges on your credit card account that are not yours, ignoring them is not an option. If you do, the bank will unleash is debt collectors and their attorneys to collect that debt. Your credit score will drop and stay low for several years to come. But take heart, but you have a better option.
Dispute the fraudulent charges with your bank! Its not hard. Here is how to you do it.
Follow these Steps to Dispute Fraudulent Charges on your Credit Card Account
- Call the bank. Its phone number is on the back of your card. Inform it of your dispute. You have 60 days starting from the date that charge appears on your credit card statement to make that phone call. Do NOT miss this deadline or you will only be able to pursue the merchant and not the bank. Banks can be sued where you live. Merchants have to be sued only in the state in which they do business.
- Get your dispute in writing. The law requires your dispute to be in writing. The best practice is to follow up your telephone call with either an email or a letter to the bank disputing the charge.
- Get a written confirmation from your bank that you made your dispute. Under the law, the bank must give you a written confirmation of your dispute. This also serves as your evidence that the bank received it. If you don’t receive this confirmation in 2 weeks time, call the bank again and ask for an email, fax or a letter.
- Keep a look out for the bank’s decision. The bank has 60 days within which to investigate your dispute. During this time, it will check with the merchant to get its side of the story. The bank bears the burden of proof that you received the goods or services that you ordered. Yep…the bank does.
- If the bank denies your dispute, you have a very short 1 year time within which to sue the bank to credit your account. Do not take the bank’s word as the last word on the subject. The bank is frequently wrong and simply does not want to be bothered eating a loss. It would rather have you eat that loss. Hire us, and we will sue the bank for you at no out of pocket charge to you.
Disputing a charge with Chase ©
If you have a dispute to your Chase credit card account call (866) 564-2262 which is the phone number to Chase’s dispute line. Have your credit card and statement that contains the bogus charge in your hand when you call. You can also sign into your Chase account here, which is a far better idea that disputing over the phone. Here is the link to sign into your Chase account.
Disputing a credit card charge with American Express©
You can log into your American Express account here. You then choose your card and then you can start your dispute. Again, be sure to have your credit card and credit card statement that contains the bogus charge in your hand or in front of you when you posit the dispute. You will need to identify the charge or charges you are disputing and the reasons why you are disputing them. Good reasons to dispute a charge include not receiving the goods and services you ordered, whether received untimely or not all or receiving goods and services that you did not order. Issues with quality may not be a reason to dispute a charge with your American Express, but its still worth a try.
If you have to call American Express you can reach their Dispute Department at (800) 528-4800. You should only use the telephone to make your dispute if you absolutely must. Disputing your credit card charges on line is a safer bet because you can take screen shots to prove the date on which you made your dispute(s).
If you have to call American Express you can reach their Dispute Department at (800) 528-4800. You should only use the telephone to make your dispute if you absolutely must. Disputing your credit card charges on line is a safer bet because you can take screen shots to prove the date on which you made your dispute(s).
How to Dispute a credit card charge with Bank of America ©
Like most banks, you can log into your Bank of America account here. You can also call Bank of America at (800) 432-1000 to make your dispute. Again, you are better off making your dispute online and saving screenshots of the dispute that document the date that you made it. You should also have your credit card and the credit card statement in your hand when you make the dispute to Bank of America.
Don’t fall for the bank’s “Chip Defense”
Most credit cards today contain a chip in the credit card in an effort to reduce the amount of credit card fraud that has plagued the industry. Citibank© credit cards use chips in their cards to verify that the consumer who owns the card is the actual person using the card….most of the time. You see, while credit card magnetic stripes can easily be replicated, chips cannot.
While the chip is a good idea, it’s not perfect. For example, when you order goods online such as an Uber or on Amazon, neither of these merchants are using the chip in your card to process the charge. They are simply taking your credit card information that is readily available on the front and back. Moreover, there are times when a merchant’s chip reader is not working right and they simply ask you to swipe the card the card instead of using the chip. These situations avoid the security that the chip provides. Hence, even though your card may have a chip in it, it can still be compromised.
While the chip is a good idea, it’s not perfect. For example, when you order goods online such as an Uber or on Amazon, neither of these merchants are using the chip in your card to process the charge. They are simply taking your credit card information that is readily available on the front and back. Moreover, there are times when a merchant’s chip reader is not working right and they simply ask you to swipe the card the card instead of using the chip. These situations avoid the security that the chip provides. Hence, even though your card may have a chip in it, it can still be compromised.
DO NOT LET A BANK DENY YOUR DISPUTE BECAUSE YOUR CARD HAS A CHIP IN IT. If you have a dispute to a charge on your credit card statement and the bank declines to process that dispute because your card has a chip, call us. We will fight for you and it will cost you nothing out of pocket.
Let us fight for you when the bank declines your dispute. We will charge you nothing out of pocket.
If we have to sue the merchant or the credit card company, our fees and costs get paid when we collect from these defendants. Our lawsuits cost you nothing out of pocket. Under the law, the bank has to pay our fees and costs.
If you have inaccurate or unauthorized charges on your credit card, call us at Arizona Credit Lawyers at (480) 771-6001 or email us at [email protected] for a free, no obligation consultation.
