RETAILING

Dillard’s Faces FTC Action: The store chain is violating federal law by making it unreasonably difficult for credit card holders to purge unauthorized charges, the government says. The Federal Trade Commission alleged that Little Rock, Ark.-based Dillard Department Stores Inc. employs illegal tactics to avoid paying the tab for charges its customers claim were made without their permission. Dillard’s also has illegally reported negative information about the card holders to credit bureaus and has initiated unwarranted collection procedures against them, the FTC said. The commission is seeking an order requiring Dillard’s to issue refunds or to credit the card holders’ accounts where appropriate, and to instruct the credit bureaus to correct their records. Dillard’s, which has more than 200 stores, had no immediate comment.