You bought something online. It arrived cracked, or never arrived at all. The seller says no refund, and the emails have stopped. Before you give up on the money, know that a credit card gives you a second route. It takes paperwork and attention to deadlines, but it exists.
Start with the seller
Contact the company that sold you the item or service. Say plainly what went wrong. A defective product or something that was not what you ordered are the usual examples. Then ask for a refund or for the charge to be undone. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) lists this as the first step, and sellers sometimes fix the problem once they understand it.
Keep a record as you go. Write down the date, the name of the person you spoke with, and what they promised. Save emails and chat transcripts. If the seller stalls, that record shows you tried in good faith. It can matter later, including for a rule about withholding payment on a partly paid purchase.
Know which kind of dispute applies
Not every problem is the same kind of problem. The sources sort them into three buckets.
- Fraud or unauthorized charge: you did not make the purchase.
- Billing error: for example, you were charged but did not receive what you ordered or did not accept delivery.
- Merchant dispute: you authorized the charge, but the goods or services were defective, not as described, never delivered, or cancelled.
This matters because of a common myth. Federal law caps your liability for unauthorized charges at $50, and major card networks often go further with zero liability policies. That protection is about fraud. It does not automatically cover a refund disagreement with a real merchant. Picking the right category shapes your steps and the documents you will need.
Dispute with your card issuer in writing
If the seller will not fix it, ask your card issuer to dispute the charge. In some cases the issuer can reverse it, often called a chargeback. Calling is a fast way to start. Use the number on the back of your card, say you need to dispute a charge, and ask the agent to open an investigation. Note the time of the call and any reference number.
A call alone may not protect your rights. The CFPB says that to protect them, you must send written notice. Mail it to the billing inquiries address on your statement, not the payment address. Include your name, account number, the amount and date of the charge, and a clear explanation of the error. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery.
Watch the clock. Notice generally must go to the issuer within 60 days of the statement on which the charge first appeared. Your card agreement may add detail, so read it. The Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666) sets out what a billing error notice should contain.
Understand what happens after you file
Once your written notice arrives, the issuer must acknowledge it and investigate. If you gave written notice of a billing dispute, you generally do not have to pay the disputed amount during the investigation, and the issuer cannot charge interest on it. The sources do not lay out the full investigation timeline, so ask the issuer how long it expects to take and keep notes.
Expect requests for more evidence. Issuers commonly ask for:
- Proof of payment, such as receipts, bank statements, and confirmation emails.
- Proof of purchase, such as order confirmations, invoices, and contracts.
- A detailed written account of what happened.
- Proof of cancellation, such as confirmation emails with the merchant.
For counterfeit claims, an expert authenticity assessment may be requested. Gathering these early makes your case easier to follow.
If the dispute is denied
A denial is not always the last word. Read the notice closely and ask your bank or credit union to explain why the claim was rejected. Sometimes the problem is missing paperwork, and a fuller submission can change the result.
If you still disagree, the CFPB complaint process and the FTC are places to report concerns about how a dispute was handled. The sources cover these only briefly. They say nothing about small-claims court or state consumer protection agencies, so look at official government resources for those.
Common mistakes to avoid
Three errors come up again and again: relying only on a phone call, missing the 60-day window, and treating a denial as final without asking why. Any one of them can sink a claim that might have worked.
Some questions are also unanswered in the sources. They do not explain how a dispute affects your credit report or score, or how debit card disputes differ from credit card ones. If those matter to you, check the CFPB, the FTC, and your card issuer or bank directly. One more rule is worth a look: if you only partly paid for a purchase, you may be able to withhold the rest, but conditions apply, including a good-faith attempt to resolve it and limits on where you bought. The CFPB page has the details. This article is general education, not personal financial, legal, or tax advice.
Please seek a professional. This article is general information, not financial, tax or insurance advice. Please seek a licensed financial, tax or insurance professional about your own situation.
