What To Do When You Get a Chargeback

Have ever wondered what to do when you get a chargeback? Here are the best first steps and how to follow through. Remember that this is a situation that requires timely response and consistency in process. The critical things you do first can help to recover the funds that you are due.

Follow the Process

1. Stay calm
2. Review the records
3. Make notes
4. Prepare the rebuttle
5. Contact TransAct for help
6. Regroup and review

Always Trust The Process

Trust the step by step process and stay calm. Be patient. We start here, because when you get a chargeback, it can be maddening. Especially when you know your team worked hard to help this customer. Then, they don’t even reach out to ask for help. Instead they take a (drastic) action and cause a bit of chaos.

Check the bank and make sure that you have enough funds to cover the reversal of the charge and refund the money. This will happen anyway and you will need to cover the bank to make sure this doesn’t ripple into something greater.

(If you are not able to be patient, think clearly and stay level-headed , then we suggest you jump to number 5 instead of lashing out to the customer.)

Review Your Data

Check the records in your POS and your operating software. What happened? (If anything.) There may be notes that would have been recommendations to take action before this happened.

Did the customer try to cancel the order and the system didn’t let them?

Did they share feedback along the way that might have been a clue they were unhappy?

Did they ask for a repair or replacement that was ignored, or still un-reresolved?

It could be a number of different things, and you need to know. For now and for the future, too.

Document the Situation

Be sure to document what is in the records. Print out the details, Save them to a PDF and clearly label what happened and when. If you have photos of the before and after, include them. If you have notes from conversations with the customer, include them, too.

Talk to your staff and ask them what they may know that is not in the system. Add these notes to your information.

Create Your Rebuttle

You will be able to file your claim to counteract what happens when you get a chargeback. You have to do it within a timely manner. Meet these deadlines ahead of schedule or you run the risk of the bank assuming you accept the terms.

File (upload) everything – in detail – and, if you have questions, please ask us.

Contact TransAct For Assistance

We know you want to try and do this on your own, but you don’t have to do that. We are here for you and we can help. Our team has been involved in more situations like these then we care to admit. We know when you get a chargeback it feels like a gut-punch.

We also know that there are certain steps you have to take to make it right.

You can call us or book online, but be sure to contact us as soon as it happens – especially if you are unsure how to proceed. We can definitely help and will be your advocate. Plus, we will listen and lend an empathetic ear to help you get through this.

It isn’t why we do what we do, but it is how we do it.

Reassess and Plan for the Future

When things go wrong, it is often good to look back on what happened.

What – if anything – could you have done differently with this customer? Did they make their claims when the transaction was happening, or did they not reach out to you to complain?

Sometimes, customers don’t want to make something into a big deal, they avoid confrontation and then they take action.

What matters most is the way you respond when you get a chargeback and can be the difference between a positive resolution, in your favor.

You may want to add a bigger call to action on your website for assistance, to request a refund or initiate a return. Any and all of these small actions can make a huge difference in the future.

Need (or want) training on this and other topics? Reach out to schedule your one-on-one with us to help.