Rawlie Senior Heliman Location: JHB
| Charge - backsHi all
This is a general post relating to all Internet purchases by R/C enthusiasts.
I have just read this thread and would like to share with you what I recently discovered about a topic called CHARGEBACKS , which is the bane of every Internet seller's existance.
Basically, consumer laws (in the US and all over the world) regarding purchases made over the Internet with credit cards (VISA/Mastercard/AMEX etc) are way in the favour of the buyer.
A chargeback is where a seller, fairly on unfairly, debits a consumers credit card with an amount, and the buyer then complains and gets the charge reversed. If the consumer goes to his/her bank and contests the charge, there is more than a 95% chance that you will get your money back, even if the goods have been shipped, even if they have been delivered!!
There are in excess of 60 reasons why the buyer can ask for the charge to be reversed, including but not limited to:
- the goods were damaged
- the website misrepresented the goods
- I don't want the goods anymore
- the goods never arrived
- I never placed the order etc
You get the picture. Now, if a buyer goes directly to the seller with a dispute, the seller can reverse the charge without involving the Bank. If the buyer goes directly to the Bank, the bank will reverse the charge plus charge the seller a (normally) $15 - $20 "admin fee". Plus, for Internet sellers, if more than 1% of their Internet sales turn into Chargebacks, there is a very good chance that their ISP will terminate their web account.
So, if you approach a seller with a problem, and he is not offering much help, uttering the term "chargeback" may well get you very rapid results.
I'm not suggesting we use this info to strongarm internet retailers, only in exceptional cases.
I can dig up more information on Chargebacks if there is sufficient interest, but this is the gist of it. I know most of us shop online, so its always a hot topic.
Any questions? |