HACKER Q&A
📣 gnicholas

How to handle cc disputes when customer fraudulently backdates request?


I was surprised to see that my startup recently lost a credit card dispute even though we submitted proof that the customer requested the cancelation after the renewal had already gone through. When I looked into the dispute history, I was able to see that he claimed to have requested cancelation several days before the renewal, when in fact his request came several days after renewal.

The true date of the request was evident in the email screenshot I submitted in my reply, so I'm not sure what else I could have done here. It wasn't a huge transaction, but I'm concerned to learn that if customers lie about when they requested cancelation, there appears to be nothing a merchant can do to win the dispute.

Does anyone have any advice?

  👤 throwaway828 Accepted Answer ✓
Make it super easy for a customer to cancel a renewal.

You might get customers that lie.

But you might get customers that think they've cancelled when they haven't, from a sketchy internet connection to a workflow in their head that's different from yours.

Or they might not have realised they're on a recurring plan.

Or that small transaction means a lot more to them than it means to most customers.

If you notice a pattern or abuse of service, do raise this immediately with your provider.

👤 dchest
Let it go. It's not worth pursuing disputes for non-physical products. It's better to just directly refund if customer requests it, even after days from purchase, to avoid chargebacks.
👤 tothrowaway
1. Is it possible to cancel without contacting support?

2. Is it possible to refund the last charge within 3-7 days if the account hasn't been used (without contacting support)?

3. Do you send an email before each recurring charge?