Questions and Answers

Has anyone else noticed a marked difference in Chase’s helpfulness when initiating a dispute for a charge made on a Chase Business card?

Back in Nov., I booked and pre-paid HomeAway for a condo stay in Prague that smelled strongly of cigarette smoke despite being clearly advertised in the listing as a non-smoking unit. My arrival date was Jan. 4th.

Within minutes of entering the condo and encountering the pervasive odor, I called HA and the condo owner for help. All that was offered was to send over some air spray the next day. Not wanting to spend our Prague vacation in a smelly condo, we notified the owner that we were leaving and never spent a night there. I then formally requested a refund for the stay. HA refused to intervene on the basis that they are “just a booking platform and there’s nothing they can do”. The owner refused because he said that his maids told him there was no smell.

Because I’d booked the stay with my Chase Ink Business Preferred card, Chase required that I call them (as opposed to disputing it online like you do with a Chase personal card). The agent then asked questions, one of which was what was the merchant’s cancellation policy? When I said 30 days for a full refund, he replied that since I didn’t cancel my booking by Dec. 4th, there was nothing that Chase could do for me. This was nonsensical since I could not have known on Dec. 4th that the condo in Prague would smell of smoke on Jan. 4th!! When I pushed back, he relented and said that he would contact the merchant to ask them to refund me but if they said no, that would be the end of it.

I have only disputed a couple of charges on my Chase personal credit card over the years but found Chase to be helpful and pro-customer each time. The drastic hardline stance in this situation seems weird. I’m wondering if Chase’s attitude is due to the use of a Chase business card and thus they don’t have to abide by certain consumer protection rules? It certainly was a learning experience as now I will be wary of using my Chase Ink card except with only merchants who have a clear reputation for standing behind what they sell.

I don’t know about business vs personal, but got a pleasant surprise yesterday with Chase customer service. About 1 month ago, I charged a few rooms at a hotel for a youth group that I work with on the Sapphire Reserve. Three days after check out, the hotel put an additional $50 charge on my card. When I called to inquire about the charge, I was told it was for room damage, which I knew did not occur. I was told that only the manger could discuss the issue with me. After at least 6 calls and not reaching the manager or receiving a call back, I called Chase CS. The agent told me that damage disputes with hotels must be resolved by written reports, BUT because I was a valued CSR customer, they would just credit the $50 back to my card. While I hate the hotel keeping the $50, I liked not having to start filing written reports.