How to Lodge a Complaint About a Credit Card

You can lodge a complaint against a credit card company on the state and federal level. While it is the state's attorney general's office that you file with on the state level, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the federal agency that regulates and enforces laws involving consumer credit protection. The federal agency opened its website early in 2011 to accept complaints from credit consumers.

Instructions

1

Send a written complaint to the credit card company if the complaint involves a billing dispute. Under the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act, the credit card company must receive this complaint within 60 days after you receive the first statement containing the disputed item. If you fail to submit the written complaint within that time frame, you normally lose your right to pursue the matter.

2

Contact your state attorney general's office for information regarding a complaint against a credit card company. Your state attorney general's office may have a website with this information.

3

File a formal complaint with your state's AG after exhausting your efforts in resolving the complaint with the credit card company.

4

Lodge a federal complaint through the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB, by going to its website at consumerfinance.gov and clicking the "submit a credit card complaint" at the top of the page. Complete the online complaint report that opens after you click the link.