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by jcoby 4922 days ago
Just FYI, with most CC processors, chargeback fees are in addition to reversing the original charge. So you would be out $25 if you were to get a chargeback. And if you won you would get the $10 back but still loose the $15 chargeback fee putting you at -$5 overall (that's not even including transaction fees that stack on top of everything).

Most CC companies have a 90 day limit on charges that can be contested. Amex is the only one that I know of that goes further back (1 year IIRC but it may be longer).

Stripe has decided to change that and will refund the $15 if you win. It's a nice change but in my experience the vendor rarely reverses chargebacks.
2 comments
dangrossman 4922 days ago
I've gotten Visa chargebacks as far back as 7 months after the fact. It was a surprise when it happened as I had thought 6 months was the limit, since 180 days appears quite often in merchant account agreements as a hold period for various issues.
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jcoby 4922 days ago
Ahh, news to me.

I did some brief searching and it seems like the time limit depends on several things (including type and amount of charge and physical location of the vendor). It could be as little as 45 days or as long as 540.

It's definitely become more common to get chargebacks over the years. Part of this is increased volume on our part and part of it is the CC companies becoming more consumer friendly.

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omarchowdhury 4922 days ago
Yeah, it's something like 270 days now.
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throwaway64 4922 days ago
ah the power to unilaterally change terms, knowing your customers have essentially zero alternative.
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line 4922 days ago
I agree that this won't make much practical difference.

I think it depends on the chargeback reason code. If the chargeback was due to fraudulent reasons, merchants have very little chance of having it reversed. Now, they may be able to fight it and win based on procedural reasons relating to the chargeback dispute process. Not something worth doing though for most merchants.

Sometimes, its more costly in time to fight a chargeback than the fee that is imposed. Many merchants just let it go and eat the costs.

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