How to Make a Chargeback

It's always a good idea to study your credit card statement carefully each month before you make a payment to be sure everything is correct. If you discover charges for items you haven't ordered, items you've ordered but never received or items that weren't what you ordered, you must act to have the incorrect charge reversed.

Instructions

1. Call the merchant who charged your credit card for the item in question and attempt to resolve the issue. If the charge was unauthorized, find out the details of the transaction, such as who authorized it, what ordering method they used and to whom it was shipped. If you ordered the item but never received it, or if the item was not as ordered or not in good condition when received, attempt to work out a mutually beneficial solution. If you can influence the merchant to reverse the charge voluntarily, you'll avoid the entire chargeback process.

2. Gather all the documentation you have about the questionable transaction. This might include the credit card statement, invoice, e-mails or other correspondence and any other paperwork related to the transaction. Hunt down any dates and other information you're likely to need for resolving the issue. This will help prepare you to discuss the situation with your credit card company should that prove necessary.

3. Notify your credit card company about the problematic transaction if you've been unable to resolve the issue by contacting the merchant directly. Explain the situation clearly, give dates and any other pertinent information and tell the company's representative that you'd like him or her to remove the unauthorized charge from your account.

4. Provide any written documentation your credit card company requests about the transaction. This will help speed up its investigation and allow the company to make the chargeback faster than could be done without the proper paperwork to back up your assertions.

5. Act quickly instead of procrastinating. This will ensure that you don't forget about the issue and unintentionally allow the 60-day time limit to elapse before you initiate the chargeback process. Sixty days can seem like a long time; but, with all the other things going on in our lives, it can pass surprisingly fast and with it our opportunity to turn a bad charge into a good chargeback.