A stolen USbank credit card resulted in unauthorized charges of $1,238 at a Sam's Club, while charges from other cards were declined. The theft was reported to the bank, merchant, and police with proper documentation. Despite not being a Sam's Club member, US Bank demanded payment for the fraud. Sam's Club's policy allows credit cards used by non-members, complicating the situation. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, US Bank should have reversed the charges, yet they refused. Escalating the case to bank executives could provide resolution.
You shouldn't have to pay for this, but not for the reasons you think. You did everything right by reporting the theft to your bank, the merchant, and the police. You also kept a detailed record of your communication, which is important.
A quick review of Sam's Club policies shows it accepts all major U.S. credit cards, but they do not have to belong to the member. So, for all Sam's Club knows, you could have given your card to a friend who was a member, and the charges would have been legitimate.
Still, it's unacceptable that US Bank refused to remove the fraudulent charges from your account. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your bank should have clawed back the money from Sam's Club.
You could have escalated your case in writing to one of the executives at your bank or at the retailer. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the USbank executives and the Sam's Club executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.
Collection
[
|
...
]