How to handle a CC dispute?

[The Grinder]

Ok in a nutshell, heres my situation. After a few yrs of average credit score, the last 4 yrs I've gotten it back up to in the 800's. I have 5 credit cards and are always current. Now w/o details, me and Comcast are at odds from a dispute over a early termination fee which they billed my Discover almost $600. I feel very strongly this was very unfairly to me and I have contested the charge. Because I dont have documentation of what the rep promised me, I fear Discover will rule in favor of Comcast leaving me out $$



I have had a Discover card for 31 yrs w no issues whatsoever. My house is PIF and have only month to month bills and PIF all my CC's. Is it feasible to go to Discover and tell them if they rule in favor of Com cast and reverse the temporary credit that I will refuse to pay them and will pay off the other charges in full and cancel the acct leaving the $600 Comcast fee unpaid? I know they would likely still come after me regardless if I cancel the card or they cancel me. My goal is to not let Comcast get away w lying me but pay Discover what I rightfully owe them. If this comes to fruition, how low would my credit score go? Do i still have a 100 words to explain my side of the story? I doubt Discover would bow to my demands and deny Comcast the $600 charge but would they consider it if they thought they wouldnt get paid in the end?



Normally Im not like this but I feel Comcast has done me wrong big time. So Im exploring options



Would appreciate any feedback, thanks



PS I dont ever anticipate needing to borrow any money so if I take a hit on my score, it wont phase me much

 

[adjusterjack]

Because I dont have documentation of what the rep promised me

What the rep "promised" you doesn't mean squat. You have a contract with Comcast that you agreed to and are bound by. That contract undoubtedly says that the contract is the ONLY agreement between you and Comcast and nothing said outside of the contract is valid.

"Unfair" is meaningless. Breach of contract is what counts and I don't see Comcast breaching anything by charging the early cancellation which, by the way, is practically ubiquitous in that type of contract. It's not like you got surprised by the fee, it was there for you to read when you signed up with Comcast.

Is it feasible to go to Discover and tell them if they rule in favor of Com cast and reverse the temporary credit that I will refuse to pay them and will pay off the other charges in full and cancel the acct leaving the $600 Comcast fee unpaid?

Feasible to "tell" them? Sure, you can "tell" them. Do it and you'll have a delinquent account incurring default interest and the debt will be $6000 in a few years. Your credit score is likely to drop to under 600.

Discover would bow to my demands and deny Comcast the $600 charge but would they consider it if they thought they wouldnt get paid in the end?

Yeah, sure, keep dreaming.

PS I dont ever anticipate needing to borrow any money so if I take a hit on my score, it wont phase me much

Borrowing money is not the only reason to preserve your credit score.

Bottom line: You have a contract. You owe the fee. You aren't going to win this and will do damage to yourself by trying.

Let it go.

 

[The Grinder]

Thanks yr prob right, the big bad company squashes the little guy again, and they do it with no accountability

 

[LdiJ]

Thanks yr prob right, the big bad company squashes the little guy again, and they do it with no accountability

It isn't Discover that is squashing you, if anyone is it is Comcast. Discover has a contract with Comcast. They already paid Comcast the money a long time ago, your dispute causes them to make a decision whether or not to take the money BACK from Comcast. They can only take it back if there is legitimate proof that the charge was in error or if Comcast had no right or authorization to use the Discover card at all. Since the credit card companies tend to rule in favor of the cardholders, when at all possible, if they rule against you it means that they really CANNOT take the money back from Comcast.

Therefore, if you were to go with your proposed strategy, only Discover would be harmed, it wouldn't do anything at all to Comcast.

 

[The Grinder]

It isn't Discover that is squashing you, if anyone is it is Comcast. Discover has a contract with Comcast. They already paid Comcast the money a long time ago, your dispute causes them to make a decision whether or not to take the money BACK from Comcast. They can only take it back if there is legitimate proof that the charge was in error or if Comcast had no right or authorization to use the Discover card at all. Since the credit card companies tend to rule in favor of the cardholders, when at all possible, if they rule against you it means that they really CANNOT take the money back from Comcast.

Therefore, if you were to go with your proposed strategy, only Discover would be harmed, it wouldn't do anything at all to Comcast.

I meant comcast as the screwer, not Discover, as I proposed I was going to pay Discover what I rightfully owed them involving other charges form vendors. But I do have some liability here, what I was promised I should have gotten in writing as it soudned too go to be true Im semi retired and trying to live on SS and some other misc income and this $600 bill is the last thing I needed. Thanks again for the quick reply

 

[LdiJ]

I meant comcast as the screwer, not Discover, as I proposed I was going to pay Discover what I rightfully owed them involving other charges form vendors. But I do have some liability here, what I was promised I should have gotten in writing as it soudned too go to be true Im semi retired and trying to live on SS and some other misc income and this $600 bill is the last thing I needed. Thanks again for the quick reply

Again though, if you could get away with not paying Discover that $600, it is only Discover that you would hurt. It would not hurt Comcast at all because Discover would not be able to get the money back from Comcast if they cannot legitimately rule in your favor.

 

[The Grinder]

Again though, if you could get away with not paying Discover that $600, it is only Discover that you would hurt. It would not hurt Comcast at all because Discover would not be able to get the money back from Comcast if they cannot legitimately rule in your favor.

I know. I'll pay it as soon as Discover re-bills me for it which is likely

 

[zddoodah]

Is it feasible to go to Discover and tell them if they rule in favor of Com cast and reverse the temporary credit that I will refuse to pay them and will pay off the other charges in full and cancel the acct leaving the $600 Comcast fee unpaid?

"Feasible" simply means possible. Of course it's feasible/possible to do this.

If this comes to fruition, how low would my credit score go?

This isn't a legal question, and no one can intelligently speak about how a single failure to pay will impact your credit without knowing all details of your credit history. However, as a result of accruing interest, that $600 will increase rapidly to a point that the card issuer might deem it worth suing over. While you might have a valid dispute with Comcast, you have no valid dispute with Discover.

Do i still have a 100 words to explain my side of the story?

You can use as many words as you like to explain your story to whomever you want.

I doubt Discover would bow to my demands and deny Comcast the $600 charge but would they consider it if they thought they wouldnt get paid in the end?

Discover is going to follow its normal procedure. Your threat will have zero impact whatsoever. Threatening to welch on a $600 debt is an empty gesture to a $20 billion company.

I dont ever anticipate needing to borrow any money so if I take a hit on my score, it wont phase me much

Then this is a pointless thread.

as I proposed I was going to pay Discover what I rightfully owed them involving other charges form vendors.

You "rightfully owe" Discover all amounts charged to your card, unless Discover determines, using its dispute resolution policy, that you don't. That includes the Comcast charge. That you dispute the charge by Comcast doesn't impact the rightfulness of your obligation to Discover.

 

[adjusterjack]

the big bad company squashes the little guy again, and they do it with no accountability

This isn't Comcast's fault. It's yours. The early termination fee is in the contract you agreed to when you signed up.

I know. I'll pay it as soon as Discover re-bills me for it which is likely

Even if Discover takes back the $600 you would still owe Comcast the $600. It will be Comcast coming after you for the money, either through a collection agency or a lawsuit, either of which would trash your credit score.

You haven't said what state you are in. Many states still allow insurance companies to consider credit scores when pricing insurance. The lower your score the more you will pay for insurance.

 

[The Grinder]

Sounds like comcast can say what they want. Trust me they made me an offer that seemed legit. My fault for believing them. Comcast cant ne trusted sorry to say

 

[The Grinder]

When I canceled they told me than returning equipment to pitch them. But I know how they operate so I kept the modem, TV box , router ect because I dont trust them as in a month they could come back and bill me for non returned equipment. I'll keep these for another 6 months

 

[quincy]

Do you still live in Illinois, The Grinder?

 

[The Grinder]

Do you still live in Illinois, The Grinder?

yes

 

[quincy]

… Many states still allow insurance companies to consider credit scores when pricing insurance. The lower your score the more you will pay for insurance.

Thanks for answering my question.

The following link is to expand on adjusterjack’s statement above, as it applies to Illinois:

https://idoi.illinois.gov/consumers/consumerinsurance/credit.html

 

[adjusterjack]

I kept the modem, TV box , router ect because I dont trust them as in a month they could come back and bill me for non returned equipment. I'll keep these for another 6 months

Comcast has stores all over Illinois where you could have personally returned the equipment and gotten a receipt.