thefunstarts

So I Called Amex yesterday about a charge from about 2 weeks ago, that I was told would be refunded, and still hadn't been. The representative said we could file a dispute, so it would be taken off my statement. The charge was for Airline tickets which I was flying on standby(Buddy Passes). Because we didn't get on the flight(due to it being full), we are entitled to a refund of the charges(This is confirmed by the airlines website, and several representatives). The gate agent said they would refund the money after we didn't get on, but about 10 days later and they still weren't gone. I submitted a refund request through their website, but nothing has come of it.

So now it has been about 14 days since when it was supposed to be refunded, so I called amex, they said they would investigate and contact the merchant. My question is, they said it would be taken off and I wouldn't be responsible, but it is still on my recent charges and my statement is closing in a few days. In an email confirming the refund, they said I wouldn't be charged fees or interest.

But what I am worried about is if the charges post, and they tell me to ignore them, will it show up as a missed payment on my credit report? Do they usually post a statement credit, or how does it work?

Thanks,

formeraa

It should show up shortly. It does seem to take AMEX about 48 hours to post the disputed charges. I would wait for a few days before calling AMEX again -- especially since you have an email record of AMEX's response.

thefunstarts

Thanks, its been about 48 hours and I gave them a call to ask when the credit would be posted, and the representative on the phone told me I was misinformed and that they wouldn't be posting any credit, and that I was still responsible for the charges until the investigation was completed. This is the exact opposite of what the representative told me the other day. I would normally let this play out a little longer, but my statement is closing in a few days, and I am worried if the charges post on my statement, even if I'm not responsible, and I pay the other charges on the card, will it show up as a missed payment to credit bureaus?

mia

Assuming you have a personal card, rather than a business card, you need not pay disputed charges provided that you have filed this dispute in writing as explained here:

http://ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre16.shtm

jandersinc

There should be a little box that appears underneath your payment due amount that says: "The payment due amount has been adjusted to reflect a disputed amount of $xxx.xx.". That's what I saw when I logged on when I had a disputed charge.

thefunstarts

Thanks, this is exactly what I was wondering. Amex also explained that they suspend the charges, so they don't report to credit bureaus, and you pay the Balance minus the disputed charges.

Centurion

Send a secured message on the web site so you have a record if you are worried. But Amex is the best when it comes to disputes versus every other company right now so I would not worry.