What does the credit card company have to do? They must acknowledge receipt of your letter within 30 days. Within 90 days or two billing cycles, they must investigate your dispute.
Disputing a charge isn't considered good or bad in terms of your credit scores. However, the account might be marked as in dispute on your credit report, which could impact your ability to qualify for a loan.
Merchants must adhere to the deadline given by the acquirer. If they miss it, they will lose the chargeback dispute by default. Losing the chargeback means not only losing the sales revenue, but also the associated chargeback fees merchants typically must pay to cover the cost of the chargeback process.
However you filed your dispute, the credit bureau has 30 days to investigate it. If the credit bureau considers your request to be “frivolous” or “irrelevant,” they will stop investigating, but they need to notify you of that and give the reason.
What happens if you falsely dispute a credit card charge? Purposely making a false dispute is punishable by law and could lead to fines or imprisonment. You could face legal action by a credit card issuer or the merchant.
2) What is the 609 loophole? The “609 loophole” is a misconception. Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows consumers to request their credit file information. It does not guarantee the removal of negative items but requires credit bureaus to verify the accuracy of disputed information.
Of those who've disputed a claim, 96% were given a successful resolution the last time they tried. As for why they disputed a claim, 75% had an unauthorized charge, 21% didn't receive the goods they paid for or they were defective, and 21% challenged a subscription charge.
The merchant is simultaneously notified that they've received a dispute from the cardholders, and that the acquiring bank has debited funds from the merchant account to reimburse the cardholder for the transaction and to cover the fees for investigating the chargeback.
Yes, credit card companies can sue you for non-payment. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), credit card companies sue their customers about 12% of the time. On average, credit card companies sue to recover balances over $2,700—this isn't a set amount, but an average.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the federal law that, among other rights, gives you the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information on your credit reports. The credit reporting company must take steps to investigate the dispute when you notify them of an error.
Who pays when you dispute a charge? Your issuing bank will cover the cost initially by providing you with a provisional credit for the original transaction amount. After filing the dispute, though, they will immediately recover those funds (plus fees) from the merchant's account.
Winning chargeback disputes is a challenge for merchants, with success rates typically hovering around 20-40%, depending on the industry and the quality of the evidence provided. Many disputes are lost due to insufficient documentation, delayed responses, or lack of expertise in presenting a compelling case.
The merchant is liable for the acceptance of any fraudulent order and the cardholder's issuing bank will collect the customer's refund from the merchant should a cardholder request a chargeback.
Some estimates say less than 1% of credit card fraud is actually caught, while others say it could be higher but is impossible to know. The truth is that most credit card fraud does go undetected, which is a major reason why it's become a favorite among crime rings and fraudsters.
Filing a dispute doesn't affect your credit scores. However, some credit scores might treat items in dispute differently, which could affect your scores while the dispute is being investigated. If the dispute causes a change in your credit report, it might have a positive, negative or no effect on your scores.
In a Nutshell
The cardholder can face consequences for chargeback abuse, including account freezes, losing one's bank account, damage to one's credit score, and even legal consequences.
If you successfully dispute a charge, the bank will notify the merchant and return funds to the issuing consumer via a chargeback. From here, merchants can decide if they want to dispute the chargeback or not.
If the issuer is able to explain the payment to the customer's satisfaction, the case will be closed. Otherwise, the transaction dispute is escalated to a chargeback, which is much worse for the merchant.
You might not always get a fair outcome when you dispute a chargeback, but you can increase your chances of winning by providing the right documents. Per our experience, if you do everything right, you can expect a 65% to 75% success rate.
Key takeaways
If the credit card issuer denies the dispute, the customer can request supporting documents and can also appeal the decision or file a complaint with consumer protection agencies. If the dispute is still not resolved, customers can seek legal advice and file a case.
If you falsely dispute a bank charge, you may be held liable for the entirety of the transaction. Your bank may also lower your credit limit, close your account, or blacklist you from being a customer again.
Are debt collectors persistently trying to get you to pay what you owe them? Use this 11-word phrase to stop debt collectors: “Please cease and desist all calls and contact with me immediately.” You can use this phrase over the phone, in an email or letter, or both.
A 623 dispute letter is a written communication submitted to a credit bureau, typically by a consumer, to dispute inaccuracies or discrepancies in their credit report.
A 609 dispute letter is a formal way to request more information about the accounts on your credit report. Sending a 609 dispute letter may help you remove errors from your credit report. Legitimate accounts should stay on your credit report even if you send a dispute letter.