FCBA

What Counts as a Billing Error

The law casts a wide net here. Charges you did not make or did not okay. Charges for stuff you never got or that showed up wrong. Bad math. A payment or refund they never credited. No itemized statement when one was required. Statements sent to an old address after you gave them the new one in time.

It does not cover you being unhappy with something you did receive and keep. That is between you and the seller, or your card's own purchase protection if it has one. And it does not work the same way for debit cards or cash. Those fall under a different law with a shorter window, so move faster on those.

How to Dispute It

1. Write to the creditor within 60 days of the first statement showing the error. A phone call does not protect you. It has to be in writing.
2. Put in your name, account number, the dollar amount, and why it is wrong.
3. They have to write back and confirm they got it within 30 days.
4. They have to settle it within two full billing cycles, and no later than 90 days after your letter.
5. While it is open, you do not pay that amount or its finance charges, and they cannot report it late or close your account just because you disputed.
6. If they decide against you, they have to explain in writing and tell you what you owe. You can ask for the documents they leaned on.

Double check current timelines with your creditor or an attorney. Your card agreement can give you more protection, never less.

If They Ignore the Rules

Say they report the disputed amount late before they even finish looking into it. You may be owed actual damages plus a penalty, generally twice any finance charge and usually between $100 and $1,000, plus attorney fees if you sue and win. Most disputes never get near a courtroom. They just get fixed. But the paper trail is what carries you if you have to escalate to the CFPB or up the chain at your card company.

What This Looks Like in Real Life

Your statement has a $200 charge for a chair that never came. You call customer service and get nowhere. Forty-five days later the charge is still there with a late fee on top. Under this law your written notice had to go out within 60 days of that first statement, so send it now if you have not, with the amount and why it is wrong. They have 30 days to confirm and up to 90 to settle it, and they cannot report you late on that amount while it is open. And if the store is a different company from your card issuer and the chair never arrived, you can still dispute it with the card issuer. People call that a chargeback right. You do not have to chase the store alone.

Where People Get Caught

• "I called them, so I am covered." A phone call does not start the clock. Only writing does.
• "I can dispute this whenever." The 60 day written window is strict. After that the formal process is usually gone, though your issuer may still help if it wants to.
• "This is the same as a credit report dispute." It is not. Use the FCRA for report errors.