Who represents me (the seller) during the dispute process?

[TaeUtBarber]

Who fights for us when customers dispute the invoice & did not hold up on his/her end?!

[dofoogan]

I am also incredibly frustrated with the Square Customer Disputes process. Most recently I had a customer dispute an online order that was shipped to then. I provided all the UPS tracking numbers that showed the packages were delivered to the address provided. Yet the bank still resolved in the customer's favor, yet WE THE MERCHANT have to take the hit? I don't get this!?! We are a small business--why isn't the billion-dollar financial entity taking the hit on THEIR books? Why are we penalized? We were not given any reason as to why it was resolved in the customer's favor. Did someone steal their package? Did someone place an fraudulent order? If so--how is that OUR FAULT? Why isn't UPS or Square charged for this? Ridiculous! 

Most recently I just got another notification of a customer dispute--this time from a REPEAT customer?!? ARE these people trying to get free stuff? Why bother even being in business if we are subject to this nonsense.

[Joe]

Hi there, @dofoogan - thanks for reaching out. So sorry to hear that your dispute was resolved in your customers favor.

It's important to remember here that Square does not have any authority when it comes to deciding a resolution on a dispute. That action is totally and completely up to the customers card issuing bank. More info on dispute resolution here.

[Donnie-M]

@dofoogan I wanted to add a little bit of info about the shipping of packages that I read about in an industry publication.  This falls under those porch pirate/fraud/lost in shipping issues.  I know if a big company like amazon is contacted about a package that didn't arrive they generally have to "eat" the cost.  I know they may charge it back to other sellers.  I also have gotten packages and then amazo email me and say "hey didn't get your package click here for a refund".  Errors do happen even with tracking.  There is only 1 real way to protect yourself in these situations and that is shipping insurance.  I would figure out what type of liability you want to accept and if say $250 is the amount that makes or breaks you, I would require insurance on any shipping that is over that amount.  Roll the cost into shipping etc.

Is it ideal?  No...but could you then go to back to ups or usps and get your funds that way...yes.  It could be as simple as the person did not like the item and is just being a pain.  Unfortunately, in these situations it really is the person's bank that makes the decision.

[Richmenlooks]

We just got a dispute that got resolved in the customers favor. We are livid because the customer purchased the product online over 6 weeks ago (which is waaayyy past our 7 day return policy) and disputed the transaction claiming the product was "not as described". They never reached out to us nor sent back the product if they were unsatisfied. Per our policy, we would have been happy to accept the return if it were shipped back within 7 days and helped the customer find something else. What I don't understand is if we are submitting our return policy as support to show that the customer had 7 days to contact us for a Return Authorization Form, why is Square not able to defend us???? Our return policy is available to the customer during checkout and as a tab on our home page. We now lost the money, the shipping and the product for something purchased OVER 6 weeks ago!!

Additionally, we now have an another dispute with the same issue where the customer purchased a product OVER 10 weeks ago and is now disputing the transaction. I'm afraid that it will also get resolved in the customers favor since it does not seem that square even fights for us. What is the point of having a return policy if customer can purchase whatever they want and get a full refund??? We are small boutique so any dispute is affecting our business. 

And what is really frustrating is that the decision is FINAL! We can't even appeal it to defend ourselves. 

[atozmedical]

Hi Richmenlooks,

This is just the downside of running a business online. I've had 3 disputes, all resolved in my favor, because we only deliver to our local area. We were required to provided:

Written signature on delivery ticket, customer's drivers license, IP address of the customers location, etc. The more evidence that you can provide THEIR BANK NOT SQUARE, the more likely you are to win the dispute. If you've ever used any other payment system, SQUARE is heavenly because of the ease of providing documentation for dispute. Chase Paymentech will just leave you high and dry.

Again, Square can do NOTHING about the dispute. It is up to YOU to provide overwhelming evidence to prove the customer was the one who purchased the item AND that they agreed to the TOS of your website/transaction. Your only remedy is to literally take it to small claims court.

[Rondellrogers7]

After reading all of this I’m not using square anymore! There are better options out there people!

[4sidesteal]

What are those better options?!, because yet again.  Despite using a chip reader or tap I have been disputed twice by drunk punkards who don’t remember or who don’t care and I am loosing them both.  A little under $200.  

so please tell me, I do not want square to make money off me and then allow people to steal from me.  Is there some sort of lawsuit?

[Hairbywill]

As a loyal square user we should be more protected from people disputing a charge to get a service for free im dealing with that crap now I even received a message from the client saying it wasn't my fault but square allowed her to dispute her charge 2 months after her service this is bull $hit. Square is not looking out for us the merchant. If a client has an issue they should be required to contact us first to resolve the issue and after the client can prove in a set amount of time like 7 to 10 days them they can dispute but no!!!!! She was allowed to put me through hell 2 months after I colored her hair. 

[VanKalkerFarms]

That is the unfortunate issue with accepting CC for payments.  The terms are not in your control, they are in the hands of the card issuing bank.  120 days is the limit the CC companies have for chargebacks for products or services.  Square can't change that or override what the customer's Credit card company has contracted with their client.  All you can do is provide all the info you have, receipts, security camera footage, any contracts you have signed on your end for goods or services.

It may feel like an impossible challenge, and I know it sucks, but I have seen, and been on the positive end of a chargeback so it does happen and not an automatic loss.  I had security footage of their car  and license plate, footage of them shopping for 40 minutes, footage of them happily talking and checking out and footage of them leaving with the products and loading it in their registered car.

[Hairbywill]

Dear square you have 100s of merchants telling you that yall are not doing enough to protect us from fraud and sammers that take our products and services then dispute the charge only for us to loss our money what will it take for yall to change your policy when it comes to protecting us against this crap I dealing with it and it sucks and yall have done nothing but tell me it's up the the clients bank to give back the money when you know **bleep** well they won't.