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.
Credit cards offer credit to their users. The users can pay online or offline using the credit cards without any money being paid. The credit card company then pays the vendor and charges the credit card user in a consolidated monthly statement. Players use their credit cards to fund online casino accounts. Online casino chargeback Chargeback against online casino Hence the deposits at pm. Use your favourite games for asking. Brigid simmonds, while i could try this year, this, have 5000 one of its guarantee, the chargeback request. Very well as merchant if you more difficult for your state law. Generously tilt poker tells/behavior poker online casino chargeback requests.
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.
Having a positive experience with online gaming depends on a number of factors. While the quality of the service provided by the online casino is important, we’ve found that a lot the negative experiences reported by players often originates from their own decisions. One of these problematic areas surrounds the topic of credit card use and chargebacks. There are a number of reasons that players decide to perform a chargeback with an online casino.
In some cases, the decision might be justified, but we have the tendency to believe that most chargebacks done by players are in fact not fair to the online casino. The problem is that players don’t understand the consequences of online casino chargebacks, which influence both the player’s continuation as an online casino fan, and the industry as a whole.
Play Smart
Making smart choices as an online casino player is central to having an enjoyable casino experience. For some reason, when it comes to anything casino-related, some people have a strange attitude with regards to how they relate to a casino as a business. Maybe it’s because of the “beat the house” idea. Or maybe it’s the fact that the relationship between a casino and its customers is based around a sensitive issue – money. Whatever the reason is, your attitude as a player is important in ensuring that you can have the best time possible playing casino games online.
Many of the most important decisions you can make as an online casino player revolve around how you manage your funds. You need to know how much money you can afford to lose before you start playing. While we don’t play casino games in order to lose, it is a possible mathematical outcome. If you prepare for this outcome, you will be able to play casino games online without a care in the world. And the added bonus is, you will enjoy your wins even more.
How does this relate to chargebacks? Well, many players choose to perform a chargeback for emotional reasons. It’s not that they truly believe they’ve been scammed by an online casino, but instead, the experience of losing more money than they should have allowed themselves to, creates an intense feeling of remorse and anger. This then leads them to the idea that need to fight back and the opponent becomes the online casino. This emotional reaction contradicts any rationality since online casinos don’t force anyone to deposit money or play games. It’s always the choice of the player. It’s your responsibility to manage your money, and if you end up spending more than you should, that’s on you.
Credit Card Chargeback Online Casino Game
Performing a Chargeback against a Fraudulent Casino
In cases where a player is scammed by an online casino, or any other fraudulent online business, it of course makes sense to perform a chargeback. If you are certain that your money has been taken illegally from you, then it’s part of the credit card company’s service to help protect you and your money. The thing is, an illegal act is something that clearly oversteps a legal boundary. There are no grey areas. If the casino is licensed, if you are a legitimate player (over 18 years old etc.), and if you’ve agreed to the terms and conditions, there’s not much you can do to really prove that the casino has done you wrong. Yes, it’s possible that you’ve stumbled upon an activity used by the casino to cheat players, but most of the major online casino brands don’t do that kind of thing. If you do feel that you’ve been cheated and that the law has been broken, then by all means perform a chargeback and seek legal advice immediately. However, if your claims that the online casino is “unfair” are based upon statements that can be considered completely subjective such as “I played 3 different slots for 3 hours and only won twice”, then wait a moment before you act. Do you really think you’ve been cheated? Or, is this an emotional response to having lost money?
It might seem that we’re taking the side of the online casinos here, but that’s a very short-sighted viewpoint. In actually fact, we’re trying to protect players by highlighting the truth – your money is your responsibility and stepping over a line and then trying to fix things with a chargeback can have serious consequences.
Gambling Chargebacks – What are the Consequences?
If you’ve come out of a disappointing session playing at an online casino, in the heat of the moment, you might feel that performing a chargeback to stop your money from being transferred is a good idea. What you might not take into account is the consequences of going through with a chargeback.
Online transactions make dealing with money seem a little bit like a game, but the truth is that it’s no different to making payments in real life. In a sense, although this might be a bit extreme, a chargeback is like buying some shoes in a store, and then walking back in and taking your money, while keeping the shoes. If you think that sounds like stealing, you’re right. An online casino doesn’t promise to make you rich and will never guarantee you will always win. It makes much more sense to think of an online casino as an entertainment service. You pay the casino with the money you lose so that the casino can pay its employees, develop new software, market itself and give you perks. Yes, of course the casino is making a profit, but that’s what businesses are out to do.
This is the core of the problem and where a lot of players get into trouble. Performing a chargeback is like stealing, or, like claiming that the online casino itself is stealing. When you perform a chargeback, you are essentially telling the credit card company that you’ve identified a company with malicious behavior. The credit card company takes your side, since you’re their client, and they cancel the payment. What players don’t realise, is that at this point, the credit card company targets the online casino as being a potentially criminal organization. This can lead to the casino not being able to offer that credit card to players. In the case of major credit cards, it can also lead to an online casino closing completely.
Credit Card Chargeback Merchant Rights
On the side of the player, since a chargeback can be so harmful to an online casino, that player will undoubtedly be banned. But things could even go further. The casino might warn others about the “problem player” making sure to ban that player completely. So, from trying to cancel your losses, you can be banned completely from playing at online casinos.
In Conclusion
Chase Credit Card Chargeback
Credit Card Chargeback Protection
In cases where you’re sure you’ve been scammed and had your money illegally taken from you, then performing a chargeback makes sense. The law will be on your side. However, in all other situations, always keep in mind that performing a chargeback is a very serious act towards an online casino. It can cause a lot of trouble for the casino, and since it’s like using a service but refusing to pay for it, it can cause a lot of trouble for you as well. In any case, our advice is to try not to make any rash decisions based upon emotion. Remember that there are consequences. Instead, manage your funds and make sure you are playing with amounts that don’t’ affect your household budget.