Resolving Credit Card Disputes

Image this if you will, one day you receive your statement in your mailbox and of course you do not assume anything out of the ordinary because you only used the card one time last month, which was to buy your niece a birthday present. No big deal you think, this can be paid off in full, and so you take the statement and sit down with your checkbook ready to send it off. You open your statement and you find it full of purchases three to sears and many to places you have never even been to and know you did not make. What do you do now?

Are you aware of your rights that you possess when a fraudulent purchase is made upon your credit card?

Here we are going to talk about fraudulent charges, first of all, this means charges that you, yourself did not make. The federal law has implemented certain rights that will help you if there is ever an instance of charges upon your card that were not made by you. This law, called the Fair Credit Billing Act, limits the responsibility placed on you for charges you were not aware of to only $50. If you find, when opening your statement, that there are unauthorized charges on it, there is a specific procedure you must follow in order to resolve the issue right away.

The first thing that you should do is call the company and explain to them that those charges are not yours and were not made by you. The company will then give you a specific set of instructions you should follow. Additionally, take some time out to look over your other statements, ensure that there were no other unauthorized charges made that you might have missed.

Typically, the reporting credit card business will most probably ask you to sign a statement confirming these charges were unauthorized. It is important that you refrain from using this card while the charge dispute is in process.

After the charges are resolved and removed from your statement you should obtain a copy of your credit report, obtain one from each major bureau to ensure that the particular credit card record has been updated with them. The reason for this is because it is likely that during the dispute these charges could have formed late payments that might have been reported to the credit bureaus.

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About Jeff Lakie

Jeff Lakie is the creator of the http://www.easy-car-loan.co.uk website. This website provides U.K. homeowners with free no obligation secured loan quotes.

contact@loan-source.co.uk


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Telecommuting Safely for Better Business

Imagine lounging in your most comfortable outfit, sipping on home-made chicken soup and enjoying the sounds of your favorite CD... all while managing national accounts, answering inquiries from curious clients and preparing to send out a detailed report for your upcoming company meeting. When email in your employees' home offices is secured, telecommuting can be a valuable resource for your business without the risk of compromising crucial information.

Millions of Americans are already taking advantage of the benefits that come with telecommuting and the trend is only expected to grow in the coming years. High-speed internet connections, laptop computers and email make working outside of the conventional office setting convenient; productivity can be improved while reducing travel time and the ever-increasing cost of transportation. The telecommuting population is predicted to reach 9.9 million by 2009! (1)

Many benefits can come from allowing your employees to telecommute, but let's not forget about making it safe for all parties involved. You can take every precaution to make certain that sensitive data regarding your company and clients is secured when it's kept at company headquarters, but these defenses become much harder to implement at a worker's home office. Loss of intellectual property can do much to damage the potential for revenue, as well as brand reputation, for any size company.

Employees who work from home may use their company machines to do non-work tasks like:

- download and store non job-related files on their work machines
- allow their children to use their workstation to do homework or web research
- let their significant other check personal email

Company email and work assets are susceptible to being accessed and inadvertently misused or misdirected by others in the household. Every time a telecommuter's workstation is used for non-work tasks it creates a risky environment for your company's files, such as client account sheets, prospect lists or an important business partner's marketing plan.

What can your business do to offset the risk of unintended email redistribution, while allowing employees to telecommute? Solutions must be easy to install, intuitive and effective in protecting sensitive data from being copied, edited or forwarded. For those employees working in a non-technical field, it is likely that they lack adequate knowledge on how data theft is possible or legitimate ways to prevent redistribution, so user-friendly software is best.

Since you can't invade your employee's home and rummage through his/her PC, your best bet is to research software that will secure their incoming and outgoing email. A solution that is user-friendly will be utilized to its full extent by the employee and in turn will provide the highest level of protection for sensitive communication.

Email anti-theft software that integrates with Microsoft Outlook or another existing application that your employee is already familiar with is a simple and cost effective option. A security solution that works with a program your staff is comfortable with eliminates anxiety that comes with using unfamiliar high-tech programs. When email anti-theft controls are available at the click of a button, workers are more likely to take the time to protect their messages.

Today, telecommuters include employees of such organizations as The Defense Information Systems Agency, Kettering Medical Center Network as well as many small businesses in your region. (1) Email anti-theft software allows telecommuting to be a safe and effective alternative to working in a conventional office setting. The option to work from home makes for content employees, satisfied customers and a more profitable business. So secure your data and take advantage of all that telecommuting can do for your company!

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About Mila Levkovsky

Mila Levkovsky is part of the marketing team at Essential Security Software (ESS), the leading provider of email anti-theft software for small business. ESS has developed a premier, easy-to-use, peer-to-peer content protection and user rights management solution that enables small business owners and individuals to securely distribute sensitive email messages and documents. For more information, please visit http://www.essentialsecurity.com