A charge from Synchrotech Solutions on your bank or credit card statement usually traces back to one of three things: a business technology service someone in your household authorized, a bundled product where Synchrotech handles the back end for a brand you actually recognize, or a free trial that quietly rolled into a paid subscription. Synchrotech Solutions is a technology company that provides software development, systems administration, and IT staffing services to businesses.1Synchrotech Solutions. Synchrotech Solutions Home Because it operates mostly business-to-business, the name tends to look unfamiliar on a personal statement even when the underlying purchase was legitimate. What you do next depends on whether the charge hit a credit card or a debit card, and how quickly you move.
Why Synchrotech Shows Up on Personal Statements
The most common explanation is an expired free trial. A lot of software and tech-support subscriptions ask for a card at signup for a 7-day or 30-day introductory period, and if nobody cancels before the window closes, the stored card gets billed automatically.
The second common explanation is a bundled service. You may have bought something from a completely different brand that outsources payment processing or back-end infrastructure to Synchrotech, which is the name that then appears on your statement. Searching your email for “Synchrotech,” “subscription,” or “receipt” often surfaces the original confirmation and clears up the connection in a minute.
The third possibility is that the charge is genuinely unauthorized, whether through card theft, a family member’s purchase you didn’t know about, or a signup you don’t remember agreeing to.
What to Gather Before You Call Anyone
Pull up the statement and note the exact merchant descriptor, the transaction date, and the dollar amount. Confirm whether the charge posted to a credit card or a debit card, because the legal protections are not the same. Check whether the transaction line on your digital statement includes a phone number or short URL; many billing descriptors do. Then search your email for any receipt or account number tied to the name. Having all of this in front of you before you pick up the phone saves time at every step after.
Contact the Merchant First
Start with the company’s support team. Use the number embedded in the billing descriptor if there is one; otherwise look for a “Contact Us” page. Say plainly that you want the service canceled and the charge refunded. If the agent offers only a partial credit, you can push back, but weigh the time against the dollars. Ask for a reference number or a confirmation email before you end the call, because that paper trail matters if the issue has to be escalated.
Merchant refunds generally take somewhere between five and fourteen business days to post. If nothing has shown up after two weeks, treat that as your cue to open a formal dispute with your bank.
Disputing a Credit Card Charge
Credit card disputes are governed by the Fair Credit Billing Act, and the written-notice rule is the part most people miss. A phone call to your issuer, by itself, does not fully preserve your legal protections. A billing error notice must be in writing, must be sent to the creditor’s designated address for billing inquiries (which is not the payment address), and must arrive within 60 days of the date the creditor sent the statement showing the charge.2eCFR. 12 CFR 1026.13 – Billing Error Resolution Include your name, account number, the date and amount of the charge, and a short explanation of why you believe it’s wrong.
Once the creditor receives a proper written notice, it must acknowledge the dispute within 30 days.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors While the investigation is open, the issuer cannot try to collect the disputed amount or report it as delinquent.
Your maximum liability for an unauthorized credit card charge is $50, and most major issuers waive even that in practice.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693g – Consumer Liability Most issuers also let you start the process through their app or website. Use that for speed, then follow up in writing to lock in the FCBA protections.
Disputing a Debit Card Charge
Debit disputes fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E. The stakes are higher because the money has already left your checking account, and your liability depends on how fast you report:
- Within 2 business days of learning about the unauthorized transfer, your liability is capped at $50.
- Between 2 and 60 days after your statement was sent, your liability can reach $500.
- After 60 days, you can be on the hook for the full amount of any unauthorized transfers that happen after that 60-day window closes.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.6 – Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers
After you report an error, your bank generally has 10 business days to investigate. If it can’t finish in that window, it must provisionally credit your account for the disputed amount and then has up to 45 days total to wrap up the investigation. That 45-day limit stretches to 90 days in three specific situations: the transfer originated outside the United States, it was a point-of-sale debit card transaction, or the account was opened within the last 30 days.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1005.11 – Procedures for Resolving Errors If the bank rules in your favor, the provisional credit becomes permanent.
Shutting Off Future Charges
Winning a dispute over one charge does not stop the next one from posting. If a merchant has your card on file for a recurring subscription, you have to cut the access off at the source.
For debit cards and bank drafts, federal law gives you the right to stop a preauthorized recurring transfer by notifying your bank at least three business days before the next scheduled payment.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1693e – Preauthorized Transfers You can do this orally or in writing. If you call, the bank may require written confirmation within 14 days, and the oral stop-payment order expires if you don’t follow through.8eCFR. 12 CFR 205.10 – Preauthorized Transfers Banks typically charge a stop-payment fee, often in the range of $15 to $50.
For credit cards, call your issuer and ask them to block future charges from the specific merchant. Some issuers let you do this inside their app. If nothing else works, asking for a new card number kills every stored payment credential the merchant has on file. You will need to update your legitimate subscriptions with the new number afterward.
Laws That May Be on Your Side
Two federal rules target the kind of billing that catches people off guard. The Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act makes it illegal for online sellers to charge your payment method through a negative-option feature unless they first clearly disclose all material terms and get your informed consent.9Congress.gov. Public Law 111-345 – Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act If you were billed after a free trial you barely remember signing up for, and you never saw clear pricing disclosures, the company may have violated that law.10Federal Trade Commission. Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act
The FTC’s click-to-cancel rule, finalized in late 2024 with most provisions taking effect in 2025, goes further. It requires sellers to make cancellation at least as easy as the original signup and to provide a simple way to immediately stop all recurring charges.11Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Announces Final Click-to-Cancel Rule A company that makes you sit on hold for 45 minutes to cancel something you signed up for in two clicks is exactly the practice the rule was written to stop.12Federal Trade Commission. Rule Concerning Recurring Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Programs
Where to Report the Charge
If you believe the charge is fraudulent or the billing practices are deceptive, filing a report puts the issue on the record and helps regulators spot repeat offenders.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accepts complaints about financial products and services, including unauthorized charges and billing disputes. File online at consumerfinance.gov/complaint or call (855) 411-2372. The CFPB forwards your complaint to the company, which must respond, and publishes complaint data in a public database.13Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Submit a Complaint
For deceptive business practices in particular, the Federal Trade Commission collects reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The form asks about the company name, the amount you paid, the payment method, whether the charge was a recurring subscription, and what happened. You get a report number for your records.14Federal Trade Commission. How to Report Fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov The FTC does not resolve individual disputes, but these reports feed investigations that can lead to enforcement actions against companies running widespread deceptive billing.