Chargeback Gurus' Audio Blog

Back in June, EMVCo published the specifications for Secure Remote Commerce, a digital toolset it developed to allow for the creation of secure, globally interoperable virtual payment terminals. While the general idea behind SRC is easy enough to grasp, many merchants still have lots of questions about where SRC should be implemented, how it works, and what actual benefits it will confer. Before throwing another branded payment platform up for your customers to figure out, it’s fair to ask: is this going to be worth it?

From our perspective here at Chargeback Gurus, the first thing we want to know is whether implementing a particular tool or platform is likely to have an effect on the number of disputes and chargebacks a merchant receives. The basic framework of SRC relieves merchants from having to store and protect customer payment credentials, and makes it more difficult for fraudsters to use stolen cards at SRC-enabled payment terminals. The downside of this is that a cyberattack on a SRC “vault” of stored card data is a very high-reward target for hackers, but the relationship between any given high-profile data breach and an individual merchant’s chargeback rate is tenuous at best.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/emv-src-explained

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife

Everybody loves the “free” part of a free trial offer. The “trial” part, on the other hand, often gets contentious. Subscription-based merchants who entice new customers with trial offers at discounted rates often get enthusiastic signups from curious customers who might balk at committing to a full-price subscription, but when automatic renewals kick in at the regular price many of those same customers forget what they signed up for and proceed directly to their bank to dispute the charge. To avoid this all-too-common scenario, Visa is introducing a new mandate regulating free subscriptions and promotional offers. What do subscription-based merchants need to know as we draw closer to the April 2020 compliance deadline?

What is Visa Subscription Mandate?

Visa Subscription Mandate is a Visa policy providing rules for enhanced merchant to consumer transaction disclosure, transparent consumer cancellation options, revised consumer dispute rights and merchant participation monitoring.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/visa-trial-and-subscription-mandate-explained

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife

Tracking down the root causes of chargebacks can lead you to strange places. Sometimes, the reason code or the cardholder’s stated explanation will point you to an obvious cause, but it’s often the case that the true source of the cardholder’s dissatisfaction is someplace you didn’t expect to find it. In fact, the root cause of a chargeback doesn’t always fall under your immediate sphere of control. Issues can spring up at any point in the supply chain, impacting the quality or function of your product and causing your end customers to feel cheated or misled.

In a retail business, whoever manages the supply chain—whether that’s the sole proprietor in a small business or a dedicated role in a larger organization—needs to be involved in the planning and execution of your chargeback defense strategies. Ideally, the supply chain manager should be monitoring chargebacks companywide, so that they can leverage their knowledge of the vendors and processes in your supply chain to connect the logical dots between supply chain issues and customer chargebacks.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/supply-chain-chargeback-management

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife

Savvy consumers have known for some time now to be aware of credit card skimmers, little electronic devices that fraudsters install in gas pumps and other inadequately-supervised credit card reading devices. When a customer places their card in the reader to make a payment, the skimmer copies their credit card information for the fraudster to retrieve later. Crack open any local newspaper and sooner or later you’re likely to find a warning from a law enforcement agency about skimmers spotted at a rural gas station or out-of-the-way ATM.

You might think that as an ecommerce merchant, skimmers are one fraud scheme you don’t have to worry about. Unfortunately, skimmers are going digital. Consumers who fall victim to this new “eskimmer” technology will surely file chargebacks against the unauthorized charges that fraudsters put on their cards, and merchants have no legitimate means to fight chargebacks based on true fraud.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/eskimmer-and-formjacking-protection

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Eddie Leonard

The odds are pretty good that the next credit card transaction your online store processes will be a Visa card. With over 335 million cards in circulation, accounting for more than half of all credit cards worldwide, Visa’s reach and influence cannot be overstated.

As one of the biggest players in the card payments industry, Visa does not hesitate to throw its weight around when it feels the need to change industry practices to better suit its interests. When Visa issues a new mandate, banks and merchants have no choice but to pay attention and follow the new rules. It may feel at times that all these card network mandates add up to is more work and worry for merchants, but sometimes these mandates include very beneficial features for merchants.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/vmpi-decoded-definitive-guide-to-visa-merchant-purchase-inquiry

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife

Chargebacks are the result of a consumer transaction reversal request. While the consumer is obligated to resolve the issue with the merchant before requesting such a reversal, this step in the process is often overlooked.

Chargebacks (originally meant to help consumers) are a growing concern for modern merchants.  And at the rate they’re increasing, it’s no wonder why.

From 2016 to 2017, chargebacks jumped 179 percent, costing merchant’s 1.9 percent of their total annual revenue.  Add in the potential threat chargebacks pose to your reputation and merchant accounts, and you’ve got a pretty serious problem on your hands—no matter what line of business you’re in.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/merchant-chargebacks-101-what-they-are-why-they-matter

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife

Dealing with chargebacks can take a heavy toll on a merchant. Fighting them takes time, research, and labor, and sometimes you still end up losing money to fraudulent or improper chargebacks.

The burden of proof is on merchants to demonstrate the problems with a wrongful chargeback. Even a completely passive approach is unworkable—get hit with too many chargebacks, and you risk having your merchant account suspended.

Every merchant needs some kind of strategy for preventing, fighting, and dealing with chargebacks. Some businesses may have the resources and wherewithal to handle it in-house, but for many merchants, that's just not feasible. That's where chargeback services come in to play.

Full Text:
https://www.chargebackgurus.com/blog/chargeback-services-how-to-identify-the-best-service-providers

©Chargeback Gurus 2020
Production: Tyler DeLarm
Narration: Sarah Rife