Experts say the best way to dispute a charge it to try and work it out with the merchant first.
If you win a dispute through your credit card company, the merchant can still pursue what it thinks you owe.Matthew Cohen was planning a long weekend getaway to Chicago, and rented a car in advance through Dollar. But when he showed up at the counter, Cohen said Dollar told him the car he reserved wasn’t there.
“The rep said there were no cars available. And we’d have to wait two hours for cars to show up at the level we had purchased,” he said.Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news.“I asked the rep if they could waive the upgrade fee. And she said no. I thought that was inappropriate. Because usually they would offer us a free upgrade if they have no cars at the rate we purchased.
And Cohen did fight it later -- with his credit card company. He disputed the extra cost of the upgrade, about $380, and his credit card company sided with him and refunded the money. So he was stunned when Dollar later sent him letters telling him to pay up or it would turn the issue over to a collections agency. It also suspended his rental privileges.