A customer scam on small business...

Drluisortiz · ‎01-10-2018

A customer that I will no longer do business with for the second time is telling American Express that charges paid throughout the year were not legitimate, while I won the dispute before (the husband and wife claimed a clerical error last time), I am wondering if others have run into these scam artist types before? Should I publish their business name here? Is there a way that square could keep a list and a rating (like ebay does) of these type of scam artists so that we could then choose whether to do business with them or not? Thanks, just not sure what to do.

VanKalkerFarms · ‎02-02-2018

there are people out there that will do that. It is unfortunate. The good news is the credit card companies hate it just as much as you do because it costs them time and therefore money to have people reviewing these things. The major credit card companies do keep track of repeat disputers and share this information with each other. You're doing the only thing you can do to stop them, which is to not sell to them.

Best of luck.

Bob Van Kalker
My Van Kalker Farms Garden Center website
My Rise'n Roll Bakery Schererville Indiana Facebook Page
My Rise'n Roll Bakery Cedar Lake Facebook Page

mobilmechanx · ‎02-11-2018

If you take AMX they can do the same dispute 3 times. Just reply to them each time and they will stop. That is if square sends your reply each time to the bank.

Utopiascreation · ‎07-11-2022

What is the best way to report a customer who is just trying to get a refund. Order was received customer was happy now she wants a refund all of a sudden days later. What can I do?

HC_Charlie · ‎07-11-2022

Hello @Utopiascreation thanks for your post. I'm sorry you're having trouble with a customer. Do you have a return/refund policy for your business? A strong refund policy is a great place to start so if you already have one, reiterate it to the buyer. If not, I'd consider making one now for future incidents like this.

As far as this situation goes, a lot can figure into how you want to handle it. To whom are you thinking of reporting this customer? Square? Square is only a company that processes credit card transactions, so when it comes to actual customer service for YOUR customers, Square really isn't connected directly to them. Now if your customer files a dispute with their credit card company, you could then address the issue with their credit card company.

Consider the item ordered, item cost, why they say they want a refund, and what kind of relationship you want in the future; are you concerned about getting future business from this customer? As far as the customer trying to scam you, why do you say that is the case...because they were originally happy? If a customer paid with a credit card and are not happy with a purchase, keep in mind they can always dispute the charge with their credit card bank holder, so if they do not feel satisfied with your resolution, you may end up seeing a charge dispute filed from their credit card. And depending on the amount and situation, they could file a small claims dispute to recover their money.

So keeping all of that in mind, if you have a clearly stated return/refund policy, you can direct your customer to that to reinforce your decision to NOT give a refund. If you feel firm in your position, kindly tell the customer the situation...but again, be prepared to back up your position if the customer continues to pursue this issue.

Good luck to you and I hope you can find a satisfactory resolution to help both you and your customer.

Utopiascreation · ‎07-12-2022

Yes. Their is a policy. I understand all of what you’re saying. Some people just scam small businesses by requesting refunds and keeping the products as well. It’s just very sad. I will provide them with any documents if they proceeded with a card dispute. I am aware that it’s MY customer. They should have a option to report things as such. Instead of waiting for them to chargeback just to get money back. Thanks for all your feedback.