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Disputing a Transaction via Credit Card company, can collections come after me?

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Deal Addict
Apr 21, 2009
2723 posts
2772 upvotes
Toronto

Disputing a Transaction via Credit Card company, can collections come after me?

Hi.

I bought an online membership from www.oneclass.com and did not get what I was promised. They are supposed to provide complete course notes for a course I wanted. I signed up for it after being promised full course notes/study resources for a specific course I am currently taking. After I bought the membership I looked at the resources they had for the course I wanted.

The resources they have available for this particular course are incomplete / mislabeled. I even notified the staff of the website about the issue and they never responded to that email.

The course I am taking is PSY105, and many of the PSY105 notes on their site are stuff from other courses that are mislabeled as PSY105.

I reported several of these mislabeled notes to the staff.

I asked for a refund via email and they told me there are no refunds after a person upgrades their account, which is sort of BS, considering they are aware that many of the notes on their site are mislabeled.

I told them that if I never upgraded my account I wouldn't have had access to these resources, and I wouldn't have known that their mislabeled, therefore I have not gotten what I was promised (which was complete course notes and other resources for PSY105).

After they didn't reply to that email, I sent another email telling them I will resort to a credit card dispute if they refuse to refund.

It has been 2 days now and they have not replied to my email.

If I call my CC company and dispute it, is there any chance they can call a collections agency or do anything to me?

If anyone is wondering, I have a Visa Credit card from TD Bank.

The amount I paid was around $40.
10 replies
Sr. Member
Apr 28, 2014
675 posts
185 upvotes
Oakville, ON
BengaliPrince wrote: Hi.

I bought an online membership from www.oneclass.com and did not get what I was promised. They are supposed to provide complete course notes for a course I wanted. I signed up for it after being promised full course notes/study resources for a specific course I am currently taking. After I bought the membership I looked at the resources they had for the course I wanted.

The resources they have available for this particular course are incomplete / mislabeled. I even notified the staff of the website about the issue and they never responded to that email.

The course I am taking is PSY105, and many of the PSY105 notes on their site are stuff from other courses that are mislabeled as PSY105.

I reported several of these mislabeled notes to the staff.

I asked for a refund via email and they told me there are no refunds after a person upgrades their account, which is sort of BS, considering they are aware that many of the notes on their site are mislabeled.

I told them that if I never upgraded my account I wouldn't have had access to these resources, and I wouldn't have known that their mislabeled, therefore I have not gotten what I was promised (which was complete course notes and other resources for PSY105).

After they didn't reply to that email, I sent another email telling them I will resort to a credit card dispute if they refuse to refund.

It has been 2 days now and they have not replied to my email.

If I call my CC company and dispute it, is there any chance they can call a collections agency or do anything to me?

If anyone is wondering, I have a Visa Credit card from TD Bank.

The amount I paid was around $40.
I assume the $40 has posted to your VISA account. What you are doing is contacting TD VISA and asking if they can charge back the amount, making the argument that you did not receive what you paid for. The collections agency has already received payment via their merchant bank, who was paid by TD VISA. All you are trying to do, is get the transaction reveresed.

If you read your cardholder agreement, it will say that any disputes with the merchant, you must attempt to resolve with the merchant before requesting charge back. My gut feeling on this is if you made the request to charge back to TD VISA, after investigation they probably will decline to charge it back and you are stuck paying the $40, as this is a case of "buyer beware."

If TD does decide to charge back the amount, then that $40 Oneclass received is then reversed and the charge is removed from your statement. Will Oneclass come after you and refer you to a collections agency for $40? I don't think so. $40 is not worth anybody's time.

But then I seriously doubt that you will be sucessful in your chargeback request with TD. I would be more concerned that when you signed up for that membership you didn't unwittingly agree to annual pre-authorized billing to your TD VISA.

The company does not reply to your e-mail because they know you won't win the chargeback request with TD. But go ahead and try it. It doesn't cost you anything. And if you succeed, update the post and let us know.

Have fun at Ryerson...stay away from Zanzibar
Deal Addict
Apr 21, 2009
2723 posts
2772 upvotes
Toronto
Cerium398 wrote: I assume the $40 has posted to your VISA account. What you are doing is contacting TD VISA and asking if they can charge back the amount, making the argument that you did not receive what you paid for. The collections agency has already received payment via their merchant bank, who was paid by TD VISA. All you are trying to do, is get the transaction reveresed.

If you read your cardholder agreement, it will say that any disputes with the merchant, you must attempt to resolve with the merchant before requesting charge back. My gut feeling on this is if you made the request to charge back to TD VISA, after investigation they probably will decline to charge it back and you are stuck paying the $40, as this is a case of "buyer beware."

If TD does decide to charge back the amount, then that $40 Oneclass received is then reversed and the charge is removed from your statement. Will Oneclass come after you and refer you to a collections agency for $40? I don't think so. $40 is not worth anybody's time.

But then I seriously doubt that you will be sucessful in your chargeback request with TD. I would be more concerned that when you signed up for that membership you didn't unwittingly agree to annual pre-authorized billing to your TD VISA.

The company does not reply to your e-mail because they know you won't win the chargeback request with TD. But go ahead and try it. It doesn't cost you anything. And if you succeed, update the post and let us know.

Have fun at Ryerson...stay away from Zanzibar
Hi.

On their signup page it does say they will preauthorize your card, but right after you make your payment there is an option to unsubscribe from automatic.

Image

This is the email I got after cancelling my "subscription" (which is the preauthorized)
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 18, 2008
3907 posts
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Ottawa
Give it a shot with your CC company. You don't have much to lose.

But I'm thinking that they're going to get around this by just saying that they offer course notes (and they don't control the content really), but not necessarily for all courses / or yours in particular. So not really a breach of contract.
Sr. Member
Apr 28, 2014
675 posts
185 upvotes
Oakville, ON
BengaliPrince wrote: Hi.

On their signup page it does say they will preauthorize your card, but right after you make your payment there is an option to unsubscribe from automatic.

Image

This is the email I got after cancelling my "subscription" (which is the preauthorized)
Well, like I said...if you want to try to get TD VISA to charge back the $40 that shows on your statement, you can do so, but I doubt they will rule in your favour.

When you are a student, every penny counts...but I think you will have to just eat the $40 in this case and move on with life. As Akitakara alluded to, you paid $40 for access to a semester of notes...Oneclass gave you access to those notes. Unfortunately, the notes are of poor quality. Like I said "Buyer Beware".

Now, if Oneclass charges you again for a subscription, THEN you have a right to get a charge back, as you cancelled the subscription.
Deal Addict
Apr 21, 2009
2723 posts
2772 upvotes
Toronto
Akitakara wrote: -snip-
Cerium398 wrote: -snip-
Just called TD since I couldn't find the $40 charge on TD's online banking. They confirmed they don't see the charge on their end either as of right now. They said sometimes companies charge all their credit cards on a certain day of the month.

So they said there is nothing to dispute as of now, the best thing to do would be to cancel my current card and have a new one mailed out to me. They offered to waive the $25 "rush" fee (which is basically an express delivery), and said I can pick it up at my local branch Monday afternoon.

I said yes.

So it all worked out. :)
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Feb 19, 2010
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BengaliPrince wrote: Just called TD since I couldn't find the $40 charge on TD's online banking. They confirmed they don't see the charge on their end either as of right now. They said sometimes companies charge all their credit cards on a certain day of the month.

So they said there is nothing to dispute as of now, the best thing to do would be to cancel my current card and have a new one mailed out to me. They offered to waive the $25 "rush" fee (which is basically an express delivery), and said I can pick it up at my local branch Monday afternoon.

I said yes.

So it all worked out. :)
Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Just because you "closed" the card that you're having the problem with doesn't mean that the charge won't still come through.
Deal Fanatic
Apr 16, 2007
8134 posts
3485 upvotes
Financial District B…
Conquistador wrote: Don't get too far ahead of yourself. Just because you "closed" the card that you're having the problem with doesn't mean that the charge won't still come through.
+1 agreed!
Got buyers remorse? just cancel the card :facepalm:

TD should take note. I feel sorry for them if and when the time comes when clients like this come across problems with statement billing or any thing else related to the card issuer.
----------------------------Licensed Credit Bureau member, S1, FI Automotive, CCP forums most banned = x 13 and counting, guess who that is?... stomped to the curb once again
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12484 posts
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Saskatoon
Let me get this straight...this is a paid service to provide notes for students who couldn't be arsed to attend their classes?
Deal Fanatic
Apr 16, 2007
8134 posts
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Financial District B…
Mars2012 wrote: Let me get this straight...this is a paid service to provide notes for students who couldn't be arsed to attend their classes?
Yeah that's how I see it as he states: They are supposed to provide complete course notes for a course I wanted.

Just another version of Cliff Notes.
----------------------------Licensed Credit Bureau member, S1, FI Automotive, CCP forums most banned = x 13 and counting, guess who that is?... stomped to the curb once again
Sr. Member
Apr 28, 2014
675 posts
185 upvotes
Oakville, ON
What?? You mean I can't go out and buy a big screen TV for the Super Bowl on my VISA at Future Shop, and then if a few pixels are burnt out, cancel the VISA before Future Shop settles the transaction, therefore absolving myself of all financial responsibility???

Awwwwwwwwwwww, man!!!

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