Managing GSA SmartPay® Purchase Card Use

Disputing Transactions
There are various reasons for disputing
transactions including:
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Unauthorized or incorrect charges;
Charges for merchandise that has not
been received;
Charges for returned merchandise; and
Statement does not include credits for
which the cardholder has been issued a
credit slip.
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In most cases, the cardholder should
contact the merchant directly to resolve
any disputed charges and request a credit
from the merchant. Sales tax and shipping
charges are not disputable items and must
be resolved between the cardholder and
the merchant. In the case of a lost or stolen
card, the cardholder should contact the
A/OPC and the bank’s customer service
representative instead of the merchant.
If the cardholder and merchant are unable
to resolve the dispute, the cardholder can
dispute a charge by visiting the bank’s
Web site, contacting the customer service
number, or accessing the bank’s electronic
access system. The cardholder will have to
provide information including the account
number, transaction date, merchant name,
transaction amount, cardholder signature,
and a detailed explanation of the dispute.
All disputes must be reported to the
agency’s customer service representative
within 60 days of receipt of the disputed
statement. The bank will suspend the
disputed charge and immediately provide
temporary credit to the account, while
investigating the disputed charge by
contacting the merchant and requesting
a response. A merchant is required to
respond to a disputed charge within 21 to
45 days after receipt of the request. If the
merchant does not respond within 45 days,
the disputed charge will be resolved in
favor of the cardholder and the merchant
will be charged back for the particular
goods or services. If the disputed charge is
resolved in favor of the merchant, a letter
will be sent to the cardholder explaining
that the charge will appear on his or her
next statement.
The A/OPC should monitor disputes filed
by cardholders. If a transaction is disputed,
the AO would not be required to review
and approve it. If the bank determines that
the cardholder did make the purchase
legitimately by providing a signed receipt
or other evidence of a valid transaction, the
charge will appear on the next statement.
If the bank determines that the transaction
was not proper, the charge will not appear
on the next statement. Merchants with a
high number of disputes should be watched
to determine if they are acting improperly.
Managing Purchase Card Use: A Plan for Success 27