FCBA Lawyers  in Los Angeles Protecting Consumer Rights

The Fair Credit Billing Act is a 1974 law that protects consumers from unfair billing practices by certain lenders, including credit cards. If you get a credit card bill that contains errors or incorrect information, you have the right to dispute that charge and have your creditor respond to your dispute in a timely manner. If they do not, you may be entitled to compensation under federal law. To find out whether you have a case, call us today to speak with an LA FBCA attorney.

Consumer Rights Under the FCBA

If you receive a bill from a credit card company or another creditor that has extended you a revolving charge account (like a department store card, for example), you have 60 days from the date of the statement to dispute it. Your dispute must be in writing and mailed to the creditor. Importantly, if you suspect fraud, you can make a complaint over the phone rather than in writing.

Your creditor then has 30 days to confirm that it has received the dispute and two billing cycles complete an investigation. While the investigation is pending, your creditor is prohibited from making any collection attempts, charging interest, or reporting your payment as late. Some examples of billing errors that are covered under the FCBA include:

• Charges for items that were never received
• Unauthorized charges
• Charges for the wrong amount or on the wrong date
• Double charges
• Failure to credit payments to your account

In the event that your creditor violates your rights under the Act, you may be entitled to compensation for each violation.

Call Us Today to Speak with a Los Angeles FBCA Lawyer

If you believe that your credit card company or another party has violated your rights under the FBCA, you should call Martin & Bontrager as soon as you can. To schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced consumer rights lawyers, call our office today at 323.940.1700 or contact us online.