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Your Rights Under The Fair Credit Billing Act
By: Rebecca Spitzer
If you have ever received your credit card statement and found an error, you
know how frustrating it can be. You either call the credit card company and they
say you need to talk to the merchant. You call the merchant and they tell you to
call the credit card company. Eventually, you might just pay the charge to make
the problem go away and keep from paying interest on a purchase you didn’t make
or one you returned.
Today, the Fair Credit Billing Act makes sure that you don’t have to pay for
something you didn’t buy. But the act also covers other billing errors that you
should not have to be responsible for. This includes the billing for an item you
returned or an item you never received or accepted. It also applies to billing
that has the wrong date or amount of purchase. And if the credit card issuer
makes a math mistake, you are covered as well. Finally, if the credit card
company fails to send your statement to your current address, as long as they
have been notified of this address in writing, the Fair Credit Billing Act will
help you with the interest charged in the meantime.
Basically, any item on your bill that you want explained or that you don’t
recognize can be taken as a billing error under the new law. But in order to get
the credit card company to take action under this law, you must notify them in
writing of the error within sixty days of the issue date on your bill. Do not
fax, email, or phone your complaint in. You must send a letter through US mail.
In your letter, describe the problem as succinctly as possible. Avoid venting
about how ridiculous the whole situation is. Simply state the facts, list your
contact information, credit card number or account number, and sign and date the
letter. Send it to the address for billing inquiries, and if possible, send it
by certified mail. You will be notified when your letter is received.
The credit card company must investigate your complaint and respond to you
either with a refund or an explanation of why the charges are correct within two
billing cycles, or ninety days.
About the Author:
Rebecca Spitzer recommends Find Credit Cards for finding a 0% credit card. See
http://www.findcreditcards.org/type/0-apr.php for more information. |