Credit Card Chargeback Merchant Rights
- A chargeback is the reversal of a sale. A credit card holder may not have enough funds to cover the charge, and when the credit card company refuses to pay the charges, those charges are charged back to the merchant, along with any penalties and fees that may have occurred. Chargebacks occur when the merchant and consumer cannot reach an agreement.
- The merchant has the right to notified of any chargebacks before they occur. The majority of the time, the bank or credit card company will contact the merchant before applying a chargeback. This is done to eliminate any error on the merchant or customer's part. If the merchant does not agree with the customer, then the bank or credit card company may apply a credit, and a dispute may be made later.
- Merchants have the right to dispute any chargeback. When a customer makes a purchase, the merchant receives the customer's signature agreeing to pay for the charge or bill. If the customer later disputes the charge with his or her credit card company or bank, the merchant will not be paid. The merchant who rendered service or sold an item has the right to be paid, therefore the merchant may dispute any chargeback that occurs with their business.
- If a product was sold, the merchant has the right to request the product back from the customer. Some products may not be returned once used, eaten or worn. In these cases, the merchant has the right to request payment for the products because the customer knew of the merchant's policy when making the purchase.
- The merchant has the right to collect on any fees caused by chargeback from the customer or the banking institute that authorized the chargeback. Regulations limit some banks and credit card companies to the number of chargebacks that can be accessed to merchant. If a customer uses the same merchant, and continues to dispute the charges, the bank will be assessed a fee for chargebacks made if the customer ends up owing the charge.
