In Michigan, Chase Bank is very big and popular.  There is at least 1 Chase bank in just about every city Michigan.  If you live in Michigan and have a Chase credit card and it contains charges with which you don’t agree, there are two methods you can you to dispute the charge.  The long version, below, explains each step you need to take and the date by which you need to take it in order to dispute a charge with Chase bank.   The short version is this simple – call us and we will tell you, quickly whether you have a bona fide dispute with Chase.  If you do, we will be happy to write the dispute letter for you, for free.  When Chase refuses to remove the charge, as it often does, we will sue them for you at no out of pocket charge to you.  Under the law, you are entitled to have your credit card account made accurate, plus an award of damages, costs and attorney’s fees.  That is how we get paid from them and not from you.

 

How to Dispute a Charge with Chase Bank for the DIYer in you.

            Step 1 – Send your Dispute to Chase within 2 billing cycles of when it first appears on your credit card statement. 

You can dispute the charge online with Chase or simply write a letter to Chase.  Pre pandemic, I used to prefer sending dispute letters.  They are easy to copy and keep for court.  Unfortunately, the postal service has fallen down greatly on its ability to deliver mail.  You may be better served positing your dispute online and taking a screen shot of the dispute before clicking on “Send.”  In your dispute letter, be sure to clearly identify the item you are disputing and the reason.

You have a very short time period of 2 billing cycles, within which to posit your dispute to Chase.  If you miss that period, you may lose Chase as a defendant, but you can still duke it out with the merchant.  However, its much easier to get the bank to remove the charge from the account than the merchant, in many instances.

Step 1a – Good Disputes vs. Bad ones

Reasons to dispute charges to Chase include:

  1. You did not authorize the charge and gave no one permission to authorize the charge

If you give your credit card to someone or give someone permission to purchase, say $100 of goods and they take advantage and order $200 worth of goods, you do not have a valid credit card dispute.  You gave this person apparent authority to order goods and services to your credit card account.  Compare this with when an identity thief takes your credit card information and uses it, then you have a bona fide credit card dispute since you never authorized the thief to use your account.

  1. The goods and services that you ordered were never delivered. We see a lot of these kinds of disputes today.   This happens when you deal with a shady merchant or when the delivery service does not do its job.  In these instances, you have a good credit card dispute.  But just be mindful that if goods and services are delivered to you that do not meet your expectations, then you may not have a credit card dispute that involves the bank.  You have a dispute that involves only the merchant.
  2. The goods and services you ordered were wrong and you rejected them. For example, that the UPS guy delivers the wrong brand of bicycle to your home and you tell him that you are not accepting the delivery.

Remember, the difference between filing the right kind of dispute vs the wrong kind is the difference between having the bank fix the problem vs. having to duke it out with the merchant, directly.

Step 2- Make sure you receive an acknowledgment from Chase. 

This acknowledgment is legally required of Chase and is your proof that you made your dispute, timely. Since you are likely to make your dispute online, this may be your only proof that you made your dispute on time.  Be sure to keep this acknowledgment safe in your records.  If you do not get an acknowledgment of your dispute within a few days’ time of when you posited it, be sure to make your dispute again and again, until you receive an acknowledgment.

Once Chase receives the dispute, they cannot attempt to collect it, nor charge you interest while they investigate it.  The credit card company bears the burden of proving that the debt belongs to you.  Also, be aware that Chase cannot report you as being late to the credit bureaus for not paying the disputed debt, while it is investigating.

Step 3 – Be sure to get the results of your investigation online or in writing and save it to your records.

If Chase rules in your favor, you are good but you should still save the determination email/letter in your records.  Sometimes, a merchant may attempt to charge you, again, for the same debt or the credit card company may reinsert the charge into your account.  You will need this determination letter from it to show that the debt is not your obligation.

If Chase rules against you, you should contact us so we can explain your options to you, for free.  Our first step may be to write a letter to Chase asking for proof that the debt belongs to you.  Many times, credit card companies do a lousy job investigating disputes.  We don’t let them get away with doing a half assed job.  We want to see proof of delivery of the goods and a contract showing that you agreed to the goods and services.  If they cannot produce these things to our satisfaction, we will sue them for you.

Step 4 – A lawsuit that costs you nothing out of your pocket

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (“FCBA”), we can sue Chase for you to remove charges that do not belong to you or that should not appear on your account.  As part of our lawsuit, we ask the court to award you damages, an accurate billing statement, costs and attorneys’ fees.  We typically settle, with our clients’ permission of course, for all of these items.  The goal of the lawsuit is to get your credit card account accurate, your credit report cleaned from any damaged caused you proper refusal to pay debt that is not yours, all at not out of pocket charge to you.

Call us today for a free, no obligation consultation.

Talk to an attorney today at Michigan Consumer Credit Lawyers or call us at (248) 353-2882  for a free, no obligation consultation.  You will speak with one of our attorneys who will explain your rights under the law and help you decide which path works best for you.  You can also email Attorney Gary Nitzkin for more information at  [email protected].  Contact us today.