The FSE Inc Savor charge on your Capital One statement almost always traces back to FSE Inc., a food service equipment dealer in National City, California, that runs monthly online restaurant equipment auctions. The “SAVOR” text is your card product name — the Capital One Savor card — not part of the merchant’s name. If you don’t remember buying restaurant equipment, the most common source of the charge is a $100 bidder deposit taken when someone registered for one of FSE Inc.’s Proxibid auctions.
Who FSE Inc. Is
FSE Inc. has operated out of National City, near San Diego, since 1986. It sells new and used commercial restaurant equipment, provides kitchen design and installation, and maintains a discounted “Bargain Bistro” line of overstock, open-box, and demo units.1FSE Inc. Food Service Equipment Dealer Its customers are mostly restaurants, bars, and schools rather than individual consumers.
The company also runs monthly online auctions branded as “Maxx Auction” through the Proxibid platform.2FSE Inc. Auctions Because those auctions are open to anyone who registers, they’re the usual reason a household cardholder ends up with an unfamiliar FSE INC line on a statement.
Why the Descriptor Doesn’t Match What You Bid On
Payment processors require statement descriptors to reflect a business’s registered legal name, DBA, or URL.3Stripe. What Is a Statement Descriptor So a charge from an auction page you saw as “Maxx Auction” can post as “FSE INC” because that is the legal entity behind the auction. Banks and card issuers sometimes truncate or reformat descriptors on top of that, which makes recognition harder still.4CCBill. Statement Descriptor
The $100 Proxibid Bidder Deposit
Starting June 1, 2024, Proxibid began requiring a $100 deposit from every bidder who registers for a Maxx Auction event. The charge runs automatically against the credit card on file, and if it doesn’t process, the bidder is blocked from participating.5Proxibid. Maxx Auction Equipment Sale6Proxibid. Maxx Auction November Sale The $100 is not credited toward a winning bid, so it appears as a separate line item rather than as part of an invoice total.
Depending on how the payment routed and how your bank displays merchants, this deposit can show up as “FSE INC,” as “Proxibid,” or as a variation of either. If anyone on your account registered for a Maxx Auction event, even without winning a single item, that $100 charge is the likely answer. FSE Inc.’s own auctions page states that the company does not have access to personal billing information and directs cardholders to contact Proxibid for payment questions.2FSE Inc. Auctions
Other Charges That Can Post as FSE Inc
FSE Inc. also sells equipment directly through its website and physical store. A purchase of new Hobart equipment, used gear, or Bargain Bistro inventory can generate the same descriptor. Those tend to be one-time charges at commercial equipment prices rather than the flat $100 amount tied to auction registration.
Checks to Run Before Disputing
Capital One suggests a few quick steps before filing anything formal: check whether any authorized user on the account made the purchase, look for a forgotten subscription or trial, and search the merchant name online, since a legal entity name often differs from the brand you remember.7Capital One. Problem With a Card Charge Searching “FSE Inc National City” or “Maxx Auction Proxibid” will confirm quickly whether the charge is auction-related.
If it does trace to a Proxibid auction registration, reach out to Proxibid rather than FSE Inc., because Proxibid processes the payment and the auction house has said it doesn’t hold the billing details.
How to File a Dispute or Fraud Claim With Capital One
Capital One splits problem charges into two categories. A charge nobody on the account made is a fraud claim. A charge you or an authorized user did make but where something went wrong — duplicate billing, item not received, canceled service still charging — is a dispute claim.7Capital One. Problem With a Card Charge
To start either, sign in to the Capital One app or website, find the transaction, select it, and choose “Report a problem.” The questions that follow route the claim as fraud or dispute.8Capital One. Dispute a Credit Card Charge A few details on timing:
- The charge must have posted before you can dispute it. Pending transactions usually post within five days.
- Digital filing is available within 90 days of the transaction date. After that, you have to call the number on the back of the card.
- Capital One resolves disputes within 90 days and may issue a temporary credit during the investigation.
- If the merchant is found responsible, the temporary credit becomes permanent; if not, the original charge is reapplied. Split responsibility produces a partial reapplication.
For fraud specifically, Capital One offers $0 liability on unauthorized charges and sets no time limit for reporting fraud, though claims older than six months must be filed by phone.9Capital One. Report Fraud If you think your card data was compromised, you can lock the card from the app while the claim is worked out.10Capital One. Credit Card Benefits
Federal Backstop Under the Fair Credit Billing Act
Federal law caps a cardholder’s liability for unauthorized charges at $50 under the Fair Credit Billing Act.11Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges Capital One and most major issuers go further with $0 liability, but the statutory floor stands behind them.
To use the FCBA’s formal dispute process, a written dispute has to reach the issuer within 60 days of the first statement containing the error. The issuer must acknowledge the complaint within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days, and during the investigation it cannot report the disputed amount as delinquent or pursue collection on it.11Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges An issuer that fails to follow those steps forfeits up to $50 of the disputed amount even if the charge is ultimately valid.