Forum Moderators: buckworks
On one transaction on April 29th I pressed the wrong button on the phone for the automated transaction system. So, instead of billing the customer's credit card $190, I issued a credit to his card of $190. I noticed the mistake last month, called the credit card company, and they reversed the credit.
However, I'm still out the cost of the merchandise, as the customer has no more room on his card for an additional $190 charge.
Learned my lesson, right? Nope. Back on June 16th I called in a name and address verification with American Express. But I forgot to charge the customer's card! Since I have my database set up to delete credit card information after two days, I have no way of getting the card number, other than to contact the customer.
While the majority of my customers are honest, it just so happens that these two are the type to take free stuff and run. They won't return calls or emails.
My head hurts from banging it on the wall.
Send a letter. Not that email thingy, the one with the stamps on it. Explain what happened and politely tell them to pay either by bank-transfer or with a cheque or whatever or to contact you. Set a fixed term for the payment. After the period expires, send another. If they still don't pay, send a third and threaten legal action. Than hand over the case to a money collector or go to court.
I've already put together a full report for the police for the April 29 order. Now I just need to gather all of the necessary information for the June 16th order.
The June 16th order has been a real bear. The phone number that was supplied along with the billing address is no longer in service. I did a search for the customer's name, and found another phone number, but that one didn't work, either.
Finally I decided to pay a few bucks for one of those sites that gives you all sorts of information about people. In this case, there are only four people in the US with the last name of my customer, and they're related: father, mother, son and daughter. It was the father's name on the order, but all phone numbers I found for him were not current.
I called the son, explained the situation, and asked if there was a way I could contact his father. He assured me that his father didn't have an American Express card, and wouldn't order the type of item that was on the order.
I called American Express and found some interesting information. Not only does the father have an American Express card that matches the name and address I verified, but the son and daughter also have cards issued on the same account.
I then called the son back, told him this, and told him that he should be expecting a call from the police in the next week or so.
I hate people like this.
It could also be a good idea to have a collection agency at hand if you plan to stay in business for longer. There are some out there that also do small sums and were you only have to pay when the collection was succesfull. You simply fill in an online form and they start collecting.
I have long ago given up on relying on the credit card companies when a payment is disputed. As soon as someone issues a chargeback I start collecting the money myself. Same when I make a mistake and accidently forget to charge.
When I have to prepare my balance sheet for the tax man at the beginning of the year I find forgotten charges every time. Mistakes happen. So I write a polite letter explaining the case and usually get at least part of the open claims - even if the order was several month ago.
Try to develop a standard procedure for cases like that. Prepare sample collection letters and so on. Then you can try to collect even small amounts without much effort.
he should be expecting a call from the police
What's the crime? Looks like a civil matter to me.
