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How can I reduce the chance of chargebacks on my Merchant account?

You can help reduce the chance of chargebacks by following these guidelines.

Give accurate descriptions and set clear expectations

Customers often raise chargebacks because there’s a discrepancy between the goods or services they paid for and what they received. To reduce the chance of this happening:

  • Give a detailed description of the products or services you sell and always use accurate images
  • Be clear about terms and conditions, your shipping and returns policy, and privacy policy
  • Give your customers regular status updates so they know what’s going on with their order
  • Ensure that the information you provide to your customer is clear and matches your trading name, allowing the customer to recognise this on their statement

Save documents and records

All paperwork and communications relating to a sale can be used as evidence in a chargeback. So make sure you keep everything, including invoices, shipping documents, proof of delivery, and any emails or messages between you and your customers.

Make it easy for customers to contact you

Customers are more likely to raise a chargeback if they can’t get in touch with your company or if no one replies to them. Being clear about how people can contact you and always responding quickly can help reduce the number of chargebacks raised against you.

Check where transactions come from

People can raise chargebacks with you if their card has been stolen or cloned and subsequently used to buy something from your business. So it’s a good idea to check if the country where the card was issued matches the delivery address. If these countries differ, there’s a higher chance the customer is using a stolen card. You can also check Google Maps to see if delivery addresses are valid.

Watch out for unusual transactions

Pay attention to unusual transaction patterns. This could be multiple transactions in a row from the same customer or orders from countries you don’t usually sell to. If you spot anything out of the ordinary, investigate further before fulfilling the order.