It's often difficult enough to pay for you card charges, and it's worse when you're expected to pay for fraudulent charges or errors on your credit card statement.

Dispute Credit Card Charge: 

Federal law says you are not liable for fraudulent charges or errors billed against your credit card. The Fair Credit Billing Act gives you the right to challenge billing errors such as math mistakes, fraudulent charges, charges for goods and services you didn't accept or weren't delivered as agreed, or charges that list the wrong date or amount. And creditors are to fix credit report errors if they've reported charges which affected your credit score.

If you call your credit card issuer to resolve the problem, always follow-up with written correspondence. In fact, the fine print on a credit card agreement may require written correspondence to dispute charges.

Also, written correspondence enables you to clearly state why the charge is an error or any other reason that the charge should be removed from your account. Send it by certified mail with a return receipt requested, so the document serves as a record that you made the effort to correct the charge.

Time is of the essence. The deadline for notifying your credit card company of the incorrect charge is 60 days from the date the bill was mailed to you. Your credit card company also has deadlines. The creditor must resolve the dispute within two billing cycles, but not more than 90 days, after getting your letter.

To make the process go as smoothly as possible, send the letter to "Billing Inquiries," not to "Customer Service." Be sure to send it to the correct address; it probably isn't the same one to which you send your payments. The back of your statement should list the appropriate addresses for specific customer inquiries.

Sample Form Letter to Dispute a Credit Card Charge:
Change the areas in 'Red Color' to your personal and specific information
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Date

Billing Inquiries Department
Credit Card Company Name
Company's Address
City, State and ZIP Code

Re: Disputed charge on card name account number

Dear Sir or Madam:

On my most recent credit card statement, with a statement closing date of closing date, which I received on date, there was a $00.00 charge made at retailer name and address. This charge, made on date, posted to my account on date.

I am disputing the charge, which is circled on the enclosed copy of my statement.

I did not authorize any purchases at retailer to be charged to my account. (Elaborate on your reason for disputing the charge. For example, the product was never ordered or delivered, the product or service was not what the merchant promised or the amount charged was incorrect. If you did buy the item, but the amount of the purchase is incorrect on your statement, note here that you also are enclosing a copy of the original charge slip showing the correct amount for which you should be billed.)

As required by the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act, please adjust my account in the above-referenced amount since (repeat here why you are disputing the charge). Please remove the $00.00 charge from my bill and notify me in writing by sending me a new statement showing the correction.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me by mail or call me. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Respectfully yours,

Your Signature
Your Typed Name
Address
City, State and ZIP Code 
Your Phone Number

Enclose a copy of your credit card statement and original charge slip if applicable
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