Billing Errors

If you believe your credit card company has made a billing error, or you are unsatisfied with a purchase, you have certain protections under the Fair Credit Billing Act. Examples of billing errors are:

• a charge for something you didn’t buy;
• a purchase by someone not authorized to use your card;
• an amount on your bill that is different from the actual amount you paid;
• a charge for something that you did not accept on delivery;
• a charge for something that was not delivered according to the agreement;
• arithmetic errors; and
• payments not credited to your account.

If you think your credit card bill has an error, contact your credit card company within 60 days of receiving the bill with the error. Some companies may accept e-mail; others will require that you put your dispute in writing. Be sure you have the following information available:

• your name and account number;
• a description of the billing error; and
• the date and amount of the charge you dispute.

If there is an error, you will not have to pay interest charges on the disputed amount. Your account must be corrected.

If there is no error, the credit card company must send you an explanation and a statement of what you owe.