What to do if you have a dispute with your credit card company

CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte man says he was charged interest on a credit card for an unpaid bill he never received.

It was 2019 and Jose Silva needed new tires.

He says he went to Firestone on Arrowood Road in Charlotte. He says the business convinced him to get a Firestone credit card because he’d save more than $100.

“Since then, I didn’t use the card because I just got it for the discount,” he said.

Fast forward to this year. He says the credit card company, CFNA, sent him a letter saying it may have to cancel the card because he hadn’t used it. He was worried about what might happen to his credit, so he says he took his car in for maintenance and paid with the card. He says he waited for the bill and after more than a month, “they sent me a text message saying that I have a past due.”

Silva says the company had tacked on interest for being late, roughly $40. “I refused to pay the whole thing,” he said.

He says he kept fighting it but wasn’t getting anywhere so he finally paid because he didn’t want to risk jeopardizing his credit. “I know it’s not a lot but still, there’s a lot of people out there that they’re not able to pay that $40 extra. That’s why I called you,” he told Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke.

CFNA wouldn’t discuss Silva’s case for privacy reasons, but emailed Action 9, “CFNA values customer loyalty and is dedicated to providing payment solutions that earn the trust of its cardholders. CFNA worked with this customer to resolve their credit card account.”

“The reason it’s resolved is because I paid,” Silva said. “I just paid and that’s it.”

Stoogenke tells consumers often: if you have a problem with a vendor, dispute it with your credit card company. But what if your problem is with your credit card company itself?

First, ask the company to fix the problem. Silva says his credit card company wouldn’t budge for him. But the group WalletHub found that more than 40% of people who ask their credit card to waive a fee win.

If that doesn’t work, mail the company a letter within 60 days of noticing the problem.

You may want to try LendingTree’s sample letter:

[Date]

[Your Name]

[Your Address]

[Your City, State, ZIP Code]

[Your Account Number][Name of Creditor]

[Billing Inquiries]

[Address]

[City, State, ZIP Code]

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to dispute a billing error in the amount of [ $______] on my account. The amount is inaccurate because [describe the problem]. I am requesting that the error be corrected, that any finance and other charges related to the disputed amount be credited as well, and that I receive an accurate statement.

Enclosed are copies of [use this sentence to describe any information you are enclosing, like sales slips or payment records] supporting my position. Please investigate this matter and correct the billing error as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Enclosures: [List the enclosures]

The business has 90 days to resolve or reject your complaint.

If that fails, you may want to file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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