💳 Chargebacks are a not-so-fun aspect of accepting credit card payments. Schedulicity is here to help guide you if you receive one.
What is a Chargeback (or Disputed Charge)?
A chargeback, also known as a Disputed Charge, occurs when a cardholder/client questions a transaction and asks their bank to reverse it.
The ability to dispute a payment is meant to protect consumers from unauthorized transactions.
When a chargeback happens, disputed funds are held from the business until the card issuer/bank settles the dispute.
If the bank rules against the charge, funds are returned to the cardholder/client.
If the bank rules in the businesses favor, funds will be returned to the business.
Jump to a section in this article:
I've gotten a chargeback—what do I do?
🙋♀️ Schedulicity Rockstars can help guide you through the chargeback process. Review the dispute information on your Payment Dashboard under the Disputes tab if you're connected with Schedulicity Pay.
❗ If you process credit cards with Clearent contact our support team and we'll send you the details. The steps below are for Adyen users.
Helpful tips for disputing a chargeback:
Act quickly - you'll want to act in a timely manner to have the best chance of winning the dispute.
Reach out to the client - In some cases you might reach out to the client to ask why they disputed the charge -> if it was accidental ask them to drop the dispute with their bank
Be thorough with documentation - double-check that you're providing all information requested. If you have extra documentation (text messages or a signed contract) that will help your dispute, it's a good idea to send that too!
Steps to Dispute a Chargeback via the Payment Dashboard (Adyen users):
Under Disputes, you'll have the choice to Accept or Defend the chargeback within the allotted time.
Select the dispute and upload your evidence (such as):
Screenshots of the client's Schedulicity profile
Screenshots showing the client acknowledged your no show/cancelation policies
Screenshots of booking information -> Original Appointment Details when & how they booked
Screenshots of waivers (if any)
Screenshots of any other communication with client
📁 Documents can be uploaded in the following formats:
JPG (maximum file size 10 MB)
TIFF (maximum file size 10 MB)
PDF (maximum file size 2 MB)
❗Contact Customer Support if we can help grab screenshots.
Here's some helpful information to grab:
Confirmation Emails - Make sure your appointment confirmation contains your No-Show Policy -> book a test appointment to email the confirmation to yourself and take a screenshot of the email
Business Listing - Update the About section of your Business Listing to include your No-Show Policy.
Payment Settings - Set your Services or Classes/Workshops up with payment preferences. If a client books an appointment for a service that has a Hold with a Credit Card, Deposit, or Prepay clients need to acknowledge your No-Show and Cancelation policies. Confirmation emails for their booking will also include your policies.
❗ Edit your Payment Policies here.
Chargeback Fees
All chargebacks include a $15 handling fee, wether you win or lose the dispute.
Chargeback Timeline
The chargeback process can differ between payment processors, typically it takes between 60–90 days to resolve.
How do I get notified if I have a chargeback?
Via your Payments Dashboard -> select System Messages -> turn on Chargeback Messages -> choose Save
How can I do help prevent chargebacks?
Understanding chargebacks and why they happen is the first step to preventing them. There are three types of situations that can cause a client to initiate a chargeback:
Credit card fraud – The customer’s credit card information was stolen
Friendly fraud - Forgetting about the purchase, not recognizing your business name, displeased with product or service, and unclear return, no-show, or pre-pay policy.
Merchant or Processing Errors - This may include accidentally double-charging a customer, entering the wrong information or amount of a purchase.
Here are a few ways to help prevent Chargebacks👇
No-Show Policy, Cancellation Policy and Return Policy - Post and make your Payment Policies visible in as many places as possible (Business Listing, Website, Confirmation Emails). You can always adjust your policies here within Schedulicity.
Waivers - Add waivers to online booking if you want clients to acknowledging your policies.
Business Name is Correct with your Credit Card Processor - If a client doesn't recognize the business name, they may issue a dispute. If you change your business name please reach out to us -> we'll help update that with Schedulicity Pay.
Phone Number - List a phone number on your Business Listing. This gives a client an easy way to reach out.
Email Receipt - It's a good practice to email clients a receipt at checkout so they have a copy of it for their records.
Check Signature on Card - For large transactions or incases of stolen cards, it can be a good practice to check a clients ID to confirm it matches the name on the card