• Send your letter of dispute as soon as possible. It must reach the creditor within 60 days after the first bill containing the errors was mailed to you. The creditor has to acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days of receipt. At the latest, the dispute must be resolved within two billing cycles, but not more than 90 days.

Unauthorized Charges. If your credit card is used without your permission, you could be held responsible for up to $50 per card.

If you report the loss before the card is used, you can't be held responsible for any unauthorized charges.

To minimize your liability, it is imperative that you report the loss as soon as possible. Most issuers have 24-hour toll-free telephone numbers to accept emergency information. If you have managed to notify your credit card company by telephone it's important that you follow-up with a letter which includes your account number, the date you noticed your card missing, and the date you reported the loss.

If you have a dispute about merchandise or services. You can dispute charges for unsatisfactory goods or services.

To do so, you must:

• Have made the purchase in your home state or within 100 miles of your current billing address. The charge must be for more than $50. These limitations don't apply if the seller also is the card issuer or if a special business relationship exists between the seller and the credit card issuer.

• First make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute with the seller. No special procedures are required to do so.

If these conditions don't apply, you may want to consider filing an action in the Small Claims Court.