A dispute arises when a Cardmember notifies American Express about a charge on their statement which they do not recognise, request further information for or challenge. Charges A chargeback is where after investigation of the dispute we debit your account by the amount of the disputed transaction and credit the Cardmember with the same amount. I do a bit of online gambling. Just for fun, Betfair, BetOnMarkets, etc. I put a €200 deposit on a Cyprus-based gaming site and won just over €280 back. Making an online casino chargeback is possible: You can really ask for a refund after making a deposit and get your money back. However, while this sounds like a really good idea, your chances of making a successful online casino chargeback are pretty slim and you need to know a lot of things about this process in order to complete it.
A reader who works in the chargeback section of a major credit card company has just about had enough with people tossing around “chargeback! chargeback!” as the solution to every customer service problem. While it is a great tool, you gotta make sure you use it right. To help you do that, here’s our credit card company insider’s guide to the top 10 reasons why your chargeback will get rejected.
10. LYING
Remember, the merchant does have a chance to rebut these things. If you tell us that you ordered widget A but received widget B but have no proof, and the merchant sends proof that you actually ordered widget B, you’ll probably be getting rebilled!
9. THE CHARGE IS TOO OLD
Please, please check your statement every month. We work within very limited timeframes, and, technically, you are required to notify us of a dispute (in writing! Just calling in doesn’t obligate us to do anything), within 60 days of the statement date the charge appears on. Visa gives some extensions: non-receipt and quality. With quality, you have to show you’ve been working with the merchant consistently to resolve the problem. MasterCard pretty much only gives extensions on non-receipt.
8. NOT GETTING A SECOND OPINION LETTER FOR CHARGEBACKS OVER $100
If you’re disputing the quality of something over $100.00 or so, it pays to get a second opinion letter. Within reason, of course. If you’re disputing the quality of a repair, on the other hand, you pretty much have to have one. These need to be on a merchant’s letterhead and have actual details about your dispute. “Car still broken,” will get you started, but if the merchant sends a rebuttal it’s probably not going to fly.
7. YOU BOUGHT IT IN FRANCE
The lovely consumer protections we enjoy in the U.S. do not follow you across our borders. If you buy something overseas, the burden is on you to return the item and prove it the merchant accepted the return before we can do anything. International quality disputes? Forget it. Strangely enough, this is the one category that MasterCard is better in as it does not differentiate between domestic and foreign merchants.
6. TRYING TO CHARGEBACK A DIRTY HOTEL ROOM AFTER YOU STAYED IN IT
If you go to a hotel and the room is filthy, leave within 20 minutes and get proof of your checkout, if possible. If you stay the night, you accept the room.
5. NO PROOF YOU MADE THE RETURN BY MAIL
When you return something by mail, GET PROOF OF RETURN. This can not be emphasized enough. Tracking numbers work best, return receipts work as well. When you return something you have the same burden of proof to show the merchant gets it back as they do to show you have it in the first place.
4. FORGETTING THE DATE IT HAPPENED
When asked for dates, please provide them and be as specific as possible. It doesn’t have to be exact, but if you called around the middle of the month, April 15, 2009 is better than April 2009, especially since we’re going to have to call you to get a more specific range and do the same thing anyway. “Don’t remember” is not a valid option.
3. NOT GIVING THE MERCHANT A CHANCE TO FIX THE PROBLEM
Get in touch with them before you get in touch with us. Believe it or not, most merchants are actually on the up and up! If the merchant offers to try to fix whatever problem you have without charging more, you have to give them the chance. If you’re from New York and got your car repaired in Florida, you get back home and the repair isn’t working right, still have to give them a chance.
2. DISPUTING THINGS FOR THE WRONG REASON
It makes things more difficult and makes it more likely that you will lose. Don’t dispute things as “unauthorized” unless you never gave the merchant your credit card number. Don’t dispute things as “non-receipt” if the merchant did do something but you didn’t get the results you wanted.
1. USING MASTERCARD
With Mastercard (MC) the burden of proof lies on you. If you buy something face-to-face, get home and realize that it’s not as described, you’re out of luck entirely as you had a chance to examine the merchandise. Also, with MC it’s entirely up to you to know the merchant’s cancellation/return policy, even if they don’t disclose it. They didn’t tell you that you couldn’t cancel after three days? Too bad. Seriously, just use a Visa. It’s easier for everyone.
(Photo: frankieleon)
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Consumerist.
There's never been a better time to be a consumer. Thanks to the internet, nearly anything you could want is as close as your phone or laptop. Merchants around the globe are fighting for your attention. You, the buyer, have great power and influence over the eCommerce environment. But there's one aspect of credit card ownership that you may not fully understand—and that lack of understanding is crippling businesses of all sizes.
You see, businesses get hit every time a buyer like you files a chargeback on credit card purchases. The effects ripple out, and merchants are desperate for you to recognize how your actions impact the economy in a big way.
A chargeback is a bank-initiated refund for a credit card purchase. Rather than request a refund from the merchant who facilitated the purchase, cardholders can dispute a particular transaction by contacting their bank and requesting a chargeback.
Chargebacks are not inherently bad. In fact, when credit cards first started gaining popularity, government officials decided that consumers needed a fallback option. There had to be a way for cardholders to retrieve money lost to fraudsters, identity thieves, and other unauthorized purchasers. As a bonus, the threat of chargebacks also incentivized merchants to stick to fair, above-board practices.
So there are legitimate reasons for requesting a chargeback. When used correctly, chargebacks are a critical layer of protection between consumers and threats like identity theft. Unfortunately, many consumers don’t use the process correctly. In fact, there are numerous occasions where cardholders may not be aware they are filing a chargeback at all.
What cardholders don’t often understand is that filing an illegitimate or unwarranted chargeback is basically the equivalent of cyber-shoplifting.
Download our FREE guide that outlines 50 step-by-step effective chargeback prevention techniques. Learn insider secrets that will reduce your risk of chargebacks, increase your profits and ensure your business's longevity.
Free DownloadSo as a public service, Chargebacks911® presents this insight into what chargebacks are...and what they're not. While we have consumers in mind for the following simplified view of chargeback usage, merchants might also want to share this info with employees and customers.
If you're thinking of contacting your bank to force a refund, be sure you understand the 'dos' and 'don’ts' before making the call.
First, you can request a chargeback if you legitimately suffered at the hands of an unscrupulous merchant, or one with bad business practices. For example, say a business makes it impossible to request a traditional refund by not displaying contact information or failing to acknowledge your requests. This could be a deliberate move on the part of the merchant, or it may simply be bad customer service. In either case, however, a chargeback might be the only option available.
The other case in which a chargeback is valid is in provable cases of criminal fraud. If a hacker gained access to your personal information and uses it to make purchases in your name, you could be entitled to a chargeback.
Having said that, these are not situations where you should automatically call the bank. In both scenarios, there are advantages to not filing a chargeback, even if it's warranted. In the case of a security breach, for example, the bank will almost always take care of matters, without you needing to life a finger.
It's also good to understand that the chargeback cycle can be very time-consuming. A chargeback could take several months for the case to be settled, as the merchant has the right to contest your accusation. If things move on to arbitration, it could drag-on even longer (more on that in a bit).
Ultimately, chargebacks are troublesome for everyone involved. That's why filing a chargeback should always be your absolute last resort. Only contact the bank if you have no other options available.
If the merchant makes it impossible to request a traditional refund, contact eConsumer Services®, a mediation firm that will secure a refund on your behalf.
Because the system was not designed around eCommerce and today's consumers, there are loopholes that allow chargebacks to be deliberately used for illegitimate reasons. Examples of this include:
Both consumers and merchants ultimately pay the price for chargebacks. The potential negative impacts of each chargeback include:
Is your business plagued by chargebacks? Let us help.
As a cardholder, it's your responsibility to ensure your account is being used ethically and honestly.
We have a simple request on behalf of all eCommerce merchants everywhere: please don’t abuse the chargeback process! Filing a credit card chargeback should be used only in legitimate situations, and only as a last resort, after all other options have been exhausted. Remember, your actions have severe consequences for everyone involved…including you!
If you’d like help securing a refund for a credit card purchase, try visiting eConsumer Services®. They work as a third party mediator between cardholders and sellers, to help consumers recover their funds.