On my side
So, a couple of weeks ago I was looking at my credit card bill and noticed a charge from 'Privacy Assist'. I immediately had flashes of some shady companies online that charge credit cards without you knowing and refusing refunds (I also heard they can also make charges to your phone number which have less consumer protections, sorry no links.) Anyway, their website clearly had the 'no refunds for services rendered' clause, but I was sticking by the 'I never ordered from you' line. I called the company first, internationally with skype on a wifi connection which added fun. They wanted to verify my identity, but I wasn't happy to give them too much information since I never wanted to do business with them in the first place and had no clue how legitimate they are. They suggested I get transferred through the credit card company to them.
So, I called the credit card company to request a chargeback (a wonderful consumer protection mechanism for disputing fraudulent charges - most sites online are about how to avoid getting chargebacks taken against you as a business owner). I requested this, and they contacted the company. It was great, because now I had a credit card representative on my side. A three way conference call ensued with the odds now in my favor. My favorite line:
Privacy Assist Rep: Okay we'll process your refund and it should be posted...
CC Rep: (with attitude) Ma'am, I've already removed the charge.
It's good to have someone on your side.
So, I called the credit card company to request a chargeback (a wonderful consumer protection mechanism for disputing fraudulent charges - most sites online are about how to avoid getting chargebacks taken against you as a business owner). I requested this, and they contacted the company. It was great, because now I had a credit card representative on my side. A three way conference call ensued with the odds now in my favor. My favorite line:
Privacy Assist Rep: Okay we'll process your refund and it should be posted...
CC Rep: (with attitude) Ma'am, I've already removed the charge.
It's good to have someone on your side.