Consumer complaint received 2019-04-18
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: FL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
An unauthorized charge of {$1800.00} was made on my credit card on XX/XX/XXXX. by a water/mold removal company in the XXXX , Florida area. My house sustained water damage in XXXX, XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX was hired under a " fixed price '' contract of {$3000.00} to " dry out '' our house ( see attachment ). We paid the contract amount in two installments -- {$1800.00} on XXXX XXXX and {$1200.00} on XXXX XXXX. At the beginning of the work, the contractor and I agreed on the price of the service and both signed a contract specifying that price and the service to be provided. Without any communications from the contractor, on XX/XX/XXXX an additional charge ( see above ) appeared on my Chase credit card statement. I immediately contacted Chase and filed a formal dispute of the charge. Chase immediately credited my card for the charge. However, in a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX, Chase informed me that they had decided the dispute in favor of the contractor. Chase asked me for a response to this decision and I immediately responded back that to them ( see attachment ), that the {$1800.00} charge was unauthorized and that the invoice submitted to Chase by the contractor was bogus. In addition to the fact that we had a " fixed price '' contract for the service, which was paid, we did not authorize any work, orally or in writing, other than what was specified in the contract. In late XXXX, XXXX, Chase reinstated the {$1800.00} charge on my credit card. 

I discussed this issue with at least five individuals at Chase. The gist of their comments was that this charge was legitimate because I had given the contractor my credit card information and an invoice was provided by the contractor to Chase that totaled {$1800.00}. Again, no invoice was ever provided to me and no discussion ever took place between me and the contractor regarding this charge that was put on my credit card. 

The issue of " credit card fraud '' was brought up by me to Chase representatives. More than one of these representatives said that fraud is only when someone steals your credit card information, implying that an " unauthorized '' use of the card is not fraud. 

Like many credit card users, I was under the impression that a credit card company would defend its customer ( particularly someone like me who has had a Chase credit card for at least 30 years ) when someone makes an " unauthorized '' use of my credit card. I would never dispute a legitimate charge to my credit card. This charge, however, was never authorized by me and was based on a bogus invoice. It is interesting that during the dispute resolution process the contractor never gave Chase any details of what was provided for the {$3000.00} that was paid under the work contract, and apparently Chase never asked for that. 

As an epilogue to my dealings with Chase, I went to Small Claim Court in Florida and received a Final Judgement against the contractor on XX/XX/XXXX. However, the Florida judicial process is a quagmire. I have spent over {$550.00} in court costs and have not received any of the {$1800.00} from the defendant, in over a year of going back and forth to court.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation