Client Support Center

Credit Card Chargebacks

  • Updated

Getting Started

What is a credit card chargeback?

A chargeback occurs when the customer disputes a charge with their credit card provider. Typically banks are more likely to refund the customer if they claim fraud, so this is our more common complaint.  

Our Loss Prevention team manages chargebacks that take place for clients using the our See Tickets processor for their events.

Why do customers initiate a credit card chargeback?

A customer may feel for many reasons that they don’t understand a charge on their account, that they never bought a ticket or they have asked for a refund that has not been granted or if they are unsatisfied with services.  

What is a chargeback fee?

Chargeback Processing Fees are what the banks and processors charge for disputes. They vary in amount according to the processor you use, but generally are between $25-$50. Ours is inexpensive at $25.00 per chargeback.

E-commerce rules state that all chargeback fees are the responsibility of the merchant (See Tickets) and per the client terms agreement, chargebacks and chargeback processing fees are passed on to the client. To use our platform, all of our clients must agree to our Service Agreement which states that the client is responsible for all chargebacks and fees incurred.

Customers and their Chargedback Orders

What happens when a customer initiates a credit card chargeback?

  1. A chargeback occurs when the customer disputes a charge for fraud or other service related issues.
  2. When a chargeback is filed, you will be automatically notified with the email address associated with your client account.
  3. Once we receive a chargeback, the funds are taken from our processor and are returned back to the cardholder as a provisional credit.
  4. Our Fraud Prevention team will automatically dispute the chargeback with any and all information that we have in our system: AVS and CVV match, IP address, customer communication, our terms of service agreement, etc.
  5. Once submitted, it can take between 30-90 days for the bank to decide on the dispute resolution.
    1. If the bank sides with the customer, the chargeback on the client’s statement stands and no changes are made. the customer keeps the credit.
    2. If the bank sides with us, we refund the amount charged back to the client. We never refund the chargeback fee, as it covers the cost of disputing the chargeback, nor the fees for the chargeback that our processor charges that we then pass onto the client.

Can a customer use a ticket order that is still in “chargedback” status?

No. We are unable to reactivate an order that is in chargeback status. The dispute can take up to 90 days (from beginning to end) to clear from the See Tickets system. If the customer still wants to attend the event, they need to repurchase a ticket(s) with a different card and email address. If they do repurchase, we cannot refund the original order until the chargeback clears in See’s system and they have placed a new order.

Do tickets become valid again when a chargeback resolves in See’s favor before the event date?

Yes, tickets are valid if the chargeback is resolved in your favor and the chargeback status is removed from the order details. A refund is due unless the customer wants to use the tickets. While we aren't required to issue a refund, it is often the best course to avoid a second chargeback. Another chargeback is expensive for the client and See's. Sometimes it is necessary to refund the customer who lost their service related dispute. Especially in cases where the client is offering refunds. This rule is applied for “Service” or “friendly fraud” chargebacks that have resolved in See’s favor pre-event.

Will tickets purchased with shipping still be mailed when the chargeback status has been removed?

No, tickets do not ship if they are in chargeback status or even when the chargeback has resolved in your favor. For security, the order is reissued to Will Call pick-up. If the customer wants to go to the event, they must show identification and the credit card to pick up their tickets and gain entry.

How are orders on payment plans handled when a chargeback is entered?

To prevent further chargebacks, Payment Plans are void when a chargeback is entered into the order details. This is to avoid each installment being contested as individual charge backs. *The $25 client Chargeback Fee is issued for each chargeback that is entered on the order.

If a chargeback dispute is won in my favor and the status removed, can a customer reinstate their incomplete payment plan?

No, as a security measure the platform does not allow this, so customers must repurchase.

Can a refund be issued on an order in chargeback status?

This is not recommended as the cardholder was already provided a credit from their bank or credit card. Refunding would result in a second credit, as the dispute already provided a refund to the customer through a chargeback.

Mitigating Chargebacks and Fraud - What See Tickets Does

See Tickets automatically challenges every chargeback claim. During the period from when the claim is made until we win or lose that challenge, the accounting will show the lost funds from your account as a chargeback. While we cannot guarantee a win rate as it is all dependent on circumstances, we do win many chargeback challenges.

Customer Chargeback Notification Emails

Our system is set up to notify you anytime you might have a chargeback claim. You might see a lot of these, but not every notification means you’re losing. During the period from when the claim is made until we win or lose that challenge, the accounting will show the lost funds from your account as a chargeback.

This is an example of a Customer Chargeback notification email (updated June 2023):

Screenshot

Fraud Prevention

We use a software called Minfraud that scans all incoming transactions. It assesses their level of risk and gives each order a score. We then review the orders that were flagged, and decide if an order is "high-risk" and whether or not the order should be reversed (refunded). Minfraud looks at the following criteria:

  • Billing information entered at checkout
  • Proxy Score
  • Where the order was placed
  • Its distance from the billing zip code
  • Order velocity
  • IP address

We also have our own in-house screening called Fraudit which reads and analyzes data we have within our own platform such as:

  • Previous order history
  • Linked accounts
  • Blacklisted credit cards
  • Previous chargeback disputes

At times we are able to take this a step further by reaching out to the cardholder's bank and verify customer information.

Fraud Reversals

When we reverse (refund) an order that is suspected to be fraudulent, we notify the client AND the customer is sent an automated email notification. Details on reversals for your account are available upon request.

What does it mean to blacklist an account?

When we suspect the high likelihood of fraud from a customer, we sometimes blacklist an account via the customer’s dashboard or the order’s Fraudit page. This blocks the same credit card from being used again on our platform. They could still purchase on the same blacklisted account with a different card. However, any new order placed with a different credit card will be flagged for a second look in the Fraudit queue and usually reversed as high-risk.

Mitigating Chargebacks and Fraud - What can I do?

How can I tell which chargebacks have been won or lost?

You will get a notification email when a chargeback has been recorded on the platform, letting you know it is under review with the bank. The email will not note whether the dispute has been won, lost, or if it is still under review. If you are looking for a historical report to reference the outcome of any of those chargebacks, you will need to reach out to your Account Manager or CSM and they will be able to assist with providing you a status update.

What can I do to minimize chargebacks and win challenges?

You can influence our win-rate by delivering the event as advertised, communicating effectively with your ticket buyers, and scanning in tickets at entry.

  • Lower ticket limits, especially VIP tickets in the days leading up to the event.
  • Utilize Delayed Delivery.
  • Turn on phone number collection at checkout.
  • If your event has Box Office/Will Call capabilities, switching to Will Call or Box Office only the day of the event or the week leading up to the event will allow us extra time to screen orders/discourage fraudsters.
  • Have a flexible refund policy.

How can I use the reporting tool to see what the real story is with chargebacks on my account?

Clients are able to see all of their orders currently in "chargedback" status by pulling an "Event Sales Summary by Order Date" report. 

  1. Access this report by going to your Client Dashboard > ANALYZE menu section > Stats/Reports > Event Sales Summary by Order Date.
  2. Enter the date range starting from the on-sale date.
  3. Once downloaded, you should sort the sheet by Category in column A. Filter for the status "chargedback". This will not denote whether the chargeback has been won or lost.

chargeback

 

How is Ticket Inventory affected?

Are tickets from orders in “chargeback” status returned to inventory?

Yes, tickets from orders in chargeback status are returned to inventory. The new inventory numbers are reflected in the Live Stats.

Are tickets that have been reversed for Fraud returned to inventory?

Yes, tickets reversed as high-risk are returned to inventory. The numbers are reflected in the Live Stats.

Does a chargeback void the tickets in the order?

Yes, tickets are automatically invalidated when a chargeback is entered into the order details. Both the ticket and order statuses will reflect as "chargedback" and they will no longer scan successfully. However, if the dispute is won by us and the “chargedback” status removed prior to the event, the tickets will scan successfully.

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