Have you ever inquired about a charge on your credit card statement? Maybe you needed a customer service representative to explain an unrecognizable merchant or a price that didn’t match your receipt. Perhaps you had an issue with a purchase and you wanted a refund, or you suspected some fraudulent activity.
The team at Instabill’s customer service department can resolve a wide range of issues on any given day, and they understand what callers are experiencing. The five most common reasons why merchants’ customers call the service team — and how the team may resolve the issue — are listed below.
A product or an order purchased has not been delivered
Some companies batch their sales transactions together and then ship them all when they receive the goods from a supplier. If a merchant uses batched order processing, customers may see that they were charged, but the items haven’t shipped.
A customer can log back in and check an order status to see if the merchant provided details regarding an expected delivery. If the merchant’s site shows that the order was shipped, a tracking number should be noted. This is needed when making an inquiry. An Instabill customer service agent can email the merchant with the order and tracking number and get the customer a shipping update.
When a merchant needs to contact a customer, and if there is no timely response, an Instabill team member will contact the seller again. The second contact may result in the merchant being given a deadline to deliver the product in order to avoid a refund. If an Instabill customer service agent issues a refund, the customer usually sees it on his or her next credit card statement.
A credit card statement shows an unexpected foreign transaction fee
Financial institutions have the authority to charge an additional fee when a purchase is made through an overseas company. Also known as an international transaction fee, a credit card issuer may require this charge with each non-U.S. purchase. In this case, the final purchase price could appear slightly higher than the original sales price.
Because the charge needs to convert between U.S. dollars and a foreign currency, the fee helps to make up for a price discrepancy. A typical foreign transaction fee costs 3% or less. Credit card purchasers may avoid the additional charge by finding a card issuer that waives international fees. Overall, it’s a good idea to check the terms of a card agreement before traveling or making an international purchase.
A statement has an unrecognizable transaction or charge
Cardholders can dispute an unknown charge if they find one on their statement. If an account holder didn’t authorize a purchase, most major credit card issuers provide their users with protections against liability. This means that a cardholder will not have to pay for a charge made in error, by mistake or through fraud.
When purchasers contact Instabill’s customer service group regarding an unrecognizable charge, a team member will help determine its legitimacy. It’s possible that a smaller merchant company uses its owner’s personal name or operates under a parent corporation.
Conducting a search online or contacting Instabill for assistance could help a purchaser recognize the company that a purchase was actually made from. If the source of the charge remains unknown, a team member will contact the merchant and request a resolution. In some cases, a refund will be issued, which Instabill can also take care of for the cardholder.
The product was damaged during shipping, or a different item arrived
It is not uncommon for customers to call requesting a refund for an item damaged during shipment. While a merchant usually has its own procedure for processing returned-item refunds, a purchaser may find it confusing or troublesome to follow. If, for example, a great deal of effort is required to send the product back, the purchaser may prefer to resolve the issue by calling Instabill.
When a delivered item is different than what was purchased, the customer has the right to a refund. According to the Federal Trade Commission, purchasers are not required to pay for an item they did not order.
The Instabill team will contact a merchant to request that someone get in touch with a customer to resolve the issue. If the merchant does not contact the customer or refuses to provide a remedy, a team member can help the purchaser begin the dispute process. Instabill is committed to ensuring that customers do not pay for damaged goods or items they did not intend to purchase.
A merchant’s URL was lost or changed.
Under certain circumstances, a website may have changed its URL and a technical glitch failed to update customers regarding the new location. A company could have also been bought by another organization, which could cause a URL and website location to change. Either circumstance or a customer losing their browser’s saved bookmarks list could make it hard for a former purchaser to place another order.
A merchant’s site-access information, however, can be found in Instabill’s payment gateway system. If the company has changed its website or owner, a customer service team member can look up its history and find out what happened. The team can also ask the merchant to contact a customer directly so that he or she could make another purchase.
