A chargeback is a formal request from a credit cardholder to their bank to reverse a charge made on their credit card.
There are three main reasons why a credit cardholder might request a chargeback:
A dispute is a disagreement between a tourism operator and a credit cardholder about a charge. Disputes can be resolved informally, through direct communication between the operator and the cardholder, or they can be escalated to a formal chargeback process.
There are a number of steps that tourism operators can take to fight chargebacks and disputes.
These include:
Statement of Events
On January 1, 2023, John contacted my company to request a custom-made wedding cake. He paid the full amount before I started the work. On January 2, 2023, I sent him a hand-drawn design, which he approved. He then paid the invoice for the cake. My refund policy states that I do not offer refunds for custom products. John agreed to these terms when he paid the invoice.
On January 23, 2023, I notified John that the cake was ready and I asked when he would be available for delivery. He replied the same day and told me I could drop it off the following day.
On January 24, 2023, I arrived at John’s home with the wedding cake. He smashed one of the tiers and demanded a refund, saying that he wanted a different flavor of cake. I explained that he had approved the hand-drawn design and that the custom-made cake was non-refundable. I left the remaining tiers of the cake with him.
Reasoning
I believe that the dispute should be ruled in my favor because John approved the hand-drawn design of the wedding cake before I started the work. He also agreed to my refund policy, which states that I do not offer refunds for custom products. Additionally, he smashed one of the tiers of the cake after he received them, which further indicates that he was satisfied with the product.
At the time of booking, tourism operators should take the following steps to help prevent chargebacks and disputes:
At the time of the guest’s arrival, tourism operators should take the following steps to help prevent chargebacks and disputes:
In addition to the steps outlined above, there are a number of best practices that tourism operators can follow to fight chargebacks and disputes:
By following these steps, tourism operators can help to fight chargebacks and disputes and protect their businesses.
Wherewolf creates a guest record for each guest, allowing operators to identify their guests and attach images to the waivers from the staff-facing manifest (such as scanned copies of the ID). Having files such as this can be crucial when contesting chargebacks. If you’re missing these details when submitting evidence against disputed payments, chat to our team today!
© 2023 Wherewolf Designed and Developed By Chalkncheese