What exactly is the Fair Credit Reporting Act?
Enacted in 1974, the Fair Credit Billing Act is a federal law that safeguards consumers against deceptive credit billing practices. People can use it to challenge charges not authorized on their accounts or for goods or services never delivered.
The Fair Credit Billing Act’s Operation
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Fair Credit Billing Act, which governs open-end credit accounts like credit cards, charge accounts, and credit lines. The Act protects Actuaries from dishonest billing practices like:
- Charges that the customer did not consent to.
- Incorrect orders in terms of date or amount.
- Fees for products or services that were never provided
- prices for products or services obtained but did not match the description.
- Computation mistakes.
- Costs that the customer would like more information about.
- Billing statements that were sent to the wrong location.
Guidelines for Buyers
- Customers can dispute a charge with the credit card issuer or another lender within 60 days of receiving their credit card or loan bill.
- For charges to be subject to dispute, they must exceed $50.
- Written complaints must be submitted.
- Instead of disputing charges in writing, customers can discuss costs over the phone if their credit card is lost or stolen.
- Customers can request that their card issuer or lender withhold payment to help resolve disputes with merchants.
- Credit cardholder liability is $50 if an unauthorized user uses a credit card to make purchases.
- The cardholder is responsible for any charges made by someone using their card without authorization if the Fair Credit Billing Act does not apply to them.
- Within ten days, customers can contest the findings of the lender’s investigation.
Guidelines for Other Lenders and Card Issuers
- It takes the card issuer or another lender thirty days to respond to a complaint.
- The lender may not attempt to collect payment on the disputed amount, charge interest, or report it to credit bureaus as late as during the 90 days it has to finish the investigation. (It may, however, indicate that it is disputed.)
- The lender must fix the mistake and return any fees or interest assessed if it determines that the dispute is legitimate.
- Should the lender conclude that the dispute is unfounded, it is required to furnish the customer with an explanation and supporting documentation.
Comparing the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA)
There is a standard comparison between the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Credit Billing Act. While both aim to shield customers from dishonest credit practices, the goals of each law differ.
A federal statute known as the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs the gathering and dissemination of consumer credit data. Laws govern the procedure for collecting and disclosing a customer’s credit information.
In other words, the FCBA and the FCRA protect consumers from dishonest billing practices and dishonest practices involving their personal information.
Which credit types are exempt from the Fair Credit Billing Act?
The Fair Credit Billing Act only applies to open-end credit, which enables repeat borrowing by the customer. Charge cards, credit cards, and home equity lines of credit are a few examples. It does not cover closed-end credit, such as mortgages, home equity loans, and auto loans. Other laws protect consumers who want to contest a charge involving closed-end credit. For instance, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) governs disagreements between borrowers and their mortgage companies or loan servicers.
“Account in Dispute”: What Does It Mean?
“Account in dispute” refers to the Fair Credit Billing Act to the ninety days a credit issuer looks into a consumer’s dispute. The credit issuer makes the necessary corrections or sends the customer a letter outlining its reasons for rejecting the disagreement.
Can a customer contest an irrevocable charge?
As with any other charge, the customer, if they think they have a good case, can contest a transaction involving a non-refundable payment. Legitimate claimants include those who did not sign or authorize the non-refundable fee or who did not receive the product or service.
Chargeback: What Is It?
A chargeback is when a customer receives their money back after successfully disputing a specific credit transaction. A money transfer from the payer’s credit card or bank account is reversed.
Is your credit score affected by a credit billing dispute?
No, bringing a dispute doesn’t affect a customer’s credit rating. While the investigation is ongoing, the card issuer may report the argument to one or more of the three major credit bureaus, and the consumer’s credit report may contain this information.
The Final Word
The purpose of the Fair Credit Billing Act is to shield customers from deceptive billing practices. The Act allows customers to dispute unauthorized charges or billing errors, and it mandates that credit issuers look into and address them.
Conclusion
- The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA) protects customers from deceptive billing practices.
- The FCBA only covers open-end credit, like credit cards and credit lines. This does not cover mortgages and auto loans.
- The law covers billing errors, such as charges that are not authorized. Charges that have the wrong date or amount on them, and calculation errors.
- Customers can dispute a charge with the card issuer or another lender within 60 days of receiving their bill.
- While the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) addresses practices involving using a consumer’s personal information, The FCBA shields customers from unfair billing practices.
- A chargeback is when a customer receives their money back after successfully disputing a specific transaction.
