Originally Posted by 2MuchMark

Hi Devious,

Here's what you should do.

First, contact the card holder. Very politely, ask them why they charged back. Did they not like the content? Or, was their card information used without their consent?

If they say they did not like the content, try to find out when they accessed it. They did connect a few times a month? If so, are they lying about not liking the content?

If their card use was unauthorized, who used it? Did the husband use his wife's card? Or was it their son or daughter? Do you think the card holder is lying?

If the card used was stolen, there's really nothing you can do.

But if its anything else, then your customer is stealing from you, and stealing from the bank and credit card company.

What you want to try to do is get as much information as you can, and try to recover as much money as you can.

Take the friendly approach first. If the customer is a nice guy and just did an honest mistake, appear to him as an entrepreneur, and try to settle what he owes you. For example, ask him to pay 3 months out of the 4. Or, maybe offer him some kind of discount if he returns.

If he complains that he had a problem with your site, listen to him carefully, and do what you can to improve your site.

If you determine that he's just being an ass and is trying to rip you off, contact the payment processor and provide them with your notes. If they agree, they can find the chargeback with you.

While the credit card company is almost always on the side of the merchant, the payment processor is on your side. They do not want you to have a chargeback. They want you to be a responsible merchant and provide good service at a fair price, and they can help you out if you are screwed over.

Unfortunately this will take alot of time and work on your end, and only you can decide if its worth pursuing or not.

Do this: Call your payment processor and tell them you disagree with this chargeback, and they will tell you what you can do to try to recover it. I'm sure they have many more ways than I listed above.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by JesseQuinn

I've heard this from several merchants and that approach has always baffled me. I fight cb's, most of the time I win. I still get hit by the additional cb fees but I've saved 1000's in unfair, friendly fraud cbs over the years by taking the time to compile well-documented disputes with evidence. it's a pain in the ass but worth the time (10-15 mins) to force an asshole to pay for what he purchased and enjoyed.



sorry it happened, I know it's hella frustrating

cb's are always going to be a part of business. you can run the most ethical site in the world and some idiot out there who adores you won't recognize the charge on his credit card bill and another one will try to steal just because he can.

impossible to avoid completely, but cb's are a very small part of your business if you do things right. it's demoralizing for sure, but if you have no further recourse push it aside and move on. thieving assholes don't deserve the head space, save that for your valued clients and pushing your business higher up the income ranks

Originally Posted by Bladewire

Chargeback are always rough in January, after Christmas bills pile up and people commit fraud to take that debt down.

I fight back chargebacks with my merchant and have lost 8%. I win 92% of the time. It only takes a few minutes