A BallCharts charge on a credit card is a payment to BallCharts.com, a sports web-design company based in Richmond, British Columbia, that sells custom lineup cards, dugout charts, scorebooks, and team or league website subscriptions for baseball and softball organizations.1BallCharts. BallCharts Homepage If you don’t recognize it, the charge most likely came from a product order or a website subscription bought by you or by someone who shares your card, often a coach, league volunteer, or family member handling a team purchase.
What the Amount Probably Means
The size and frequency of the charge are the fastest clues to what you bought.
A one-time charge roughly between $14 and $90 is consistent with printed goods. Custom lineup cards start at $52 for a design-your-own set, custom dugout charts start at $48, scorebooks start at $30, and lineup card holders and cases start at $14 and $20 respectively.2BallCharts. Features and Pricing
A recurring annual charge points to a website subscription or a domain. Team website add-on features run $25 per year each, and a bundled “Full” team tier is $75 per year. League websites cost $100 per year for the “Plus” tier and $200 per year for the “Full” tier.2BallCharts. Features and Pricing Custom domain names start at $34 per year, with a $125 restoration fee if a domain lapses past its grace period.3BallCharts. Domain Services Text-messaging credits, which every website tier needs for team notifications, can appear as a separate charge.
Before assuming the charge is fraudulent, ask anyone with access to the card whether they ordered team materials or signed up for a team or league site. Youth sports purchases are a common source of unfamiliar charges because one parent typically pays on behalf of a whole roster.
Contacting BallCharts First
If the charge still looks wrong after checking with family, reach BallCharts through the inquiry form on its contact page. The company says it usually responds within a couple of hours and no later than the following business day.4BallCharts. Contact Page
Set expectations before you write. BallCharts’ terms of service state that either the company or the member “may terminate or cancel the Member’s Account or Web Site at any time without notice,” and that cancellation is the member’s “sole right and remedy with respect to any dispute with BallCharts.com.”5BallCharts. Terms of Use The terms don’t describe a formal refund or return policy, so if you want money back you have to ask for it explicitly.
Disputing the Charge With Your Card Issuer
If BallCharts doesn’t resolve the matter, or if you believe the charge is genuinely unauthorized, the Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability for unauthorized credit card charges at $50, and many issuers waive even that.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
To formally dispute the charge, send written notice to your card issuer’s billing-inquiry address, not the payment address. The notice must reach the issuer within 60 days of the statement date that first showed the charge and should include your name, account number, and a description of the error. The issuer then has 30 days to acknowledge receipt and 90 days to resolve the dispute.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill While the investigation is open, you can withhold payment on the disputed amount, and the issuer cannot report you as delinquent or take collection action on that portion of the bill.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
If It Looks Like Fraud
If the BallCharts charge appears alongside other transactions you don’t recognize, call the number on the back of your card and ask to have the card blocked or replaced. You can also place a fraud alert with any one of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax (1-800-525-6285), Experian (1-888-397-3742), or TransUnion (1-800-680-7289), and that bureau is required to notify the other two.8Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Credit Card and Debit Card Fraud If your dispute isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.6Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges