I Lost a $582 Credit Card Dispute, Then Saved It With a Complaint to This Agency

When my dispute was denied, a simple online complaint form helped me get my money back.

One of the benefits of paying with credit cards is that if the merchant doesn't fulfill their end of the deal, you can dispute the charge. Your card issuer investigates, and if you win the dispute, you get a refund.

While credit card disputes tend to go well if you have a solid case, I recently learned firsthand that things sometimes go awry. I rented an apartment through Booking.com that turned out to be nothing like the pictures. Booking.com wouldn't refund me, so I filed a dispute with Chase.

I thought it was a slam dunk, but after months of waiting, Chase closed my dispute in favor of the merchant. That was extremely frustrating, to say the least -- I paid $582 for a rental I left and tried to cancel. Fortunately, I found an agency that could help.

Why I originally lost my credit card dispute

I disputed the charge because the home rental I received didn't match the pictures or the description on Booking.com. I had plenty of evidence, including:

• screenshots of the listing on Booking.com, including the photos and description
• photos of the actual apartment
• a video showing the entire apartment
• screenshots of a conversation in which the host said she'd refund me

Although it's good to have evidence to support your claim, many card issuers don't include a way to add that evidence during the dispute process. Instead, you submit your dispute with your version of events, and then wait for the merchant to respond. That's how it works when you dispute a charge with Chase, at least if you do it online.

So I waited, and Booking.com responded to Chase by claiming that the charge was valid. I called Chase to explain my side, and offered to send my mountain of screenshots, photos, and videos. To my surprise, the representative told me they didn't use photos or videos, and he resubmitted the claim with just my explanation of what happened.

That omission of photos and videos turned out to be crucial -- I lost the dispute. When I called to follow up, I learned from another representative that Chase does accept photo and video evidence. But by then, it was too late to add anything or reopen my case.

Losing a dispute you should've won is a huge letdown. I even considered canceling my Chase credit cards out of frustration. But I thought there might be a way to have someone take a second look, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) seemed like it could help.

Filing a complaint with the CFPB

The CFPB is an agency dedicated to ensuring consumers receive fair treatment from financial institutions. If you feel like you're running into a dead end with customer service, the CFPB may be able to help. Here's how to file a CFPB complaint:

• Go to the CFPB "Submit a Complaint" page.
• Click "Start a new complaint."
• Register for an account.
• Fill out the five-step complaint form.

Provide as much information and supporting evidence as you can. After you submit your complaint, the CFPB notifies the company. The financial institution reviews it and sends a response through CFPB.

In my case, the complaint got someone higher up the Chase ladder to listen to a recording of my call to the disputes team. They confirmed that I had received incorrect information about Chase not using evidence. As a result, they apologized, and credited my account the $582.

You might be wondering if this would work when the card issuer hasn't made a mistake during the dispute process. Although nothing's guaranteed, it's still worth a shot. Filing the complaint will at least get a fresh set of eyes on your case, and credit card companies take these complaints seriously.

How to win a credit card dispute

A credit card dispute is a valuable tool when a merchant doesn't satisfy the terms of a purchase, but it's not automatically decided in your favor. To maximize your chance of success, here are a few tips on how to dispute a credit card charge:

• Get as much evidence as you can to support your claim. Photos, screenshots, tracking data, and any other concrete information prevents your dispute from becoming a "he said, she said" situation.
• Try to resolve it with the merchant first. Disputes are intended for when a merchant won't budge, not a first option.
• File your dispute in a timely fashion. You typically have 60 days, and if you miss that window, your card issuer might not accept your dispute.
• Consider calling to file your dispute, or follow up by phone if you submit it online. It's often easier to explain the situation that way, and you can offer to send along any evidence you have.

If you do all that and your dispute is valid, there's a very good chance you'll get your money back.

My situation took some time to resolve, but it made me appreciate what consumer protection organizations like the CFPB can do. And even though I was definitely not happy with Chase, it did resolve things in my favor after my complaint.