Last editedApr 20222 min read
As a business owner, experiencing payment reversals can be very frustrating. However, there are a number of ways to avoid them. In this post, we’ll define what’s meant by the term “payment reversal” and run through the various ways you can tackle them.
Payment reversal definition
Payment reversal is an umbrella term describing when transactions are returned to a cardholder’s bank after making a payment. They can occur for the following reasons:
Item sold out before it could be delivered
The purchase was made fraudulently
The customer changed their mind about the purchase after paying
The item differed to the description given
The vendor charged an incorrect amount for the item
The transaction was duplicated meaning the customer paid twice
Types of payment reversal
There are three common types of payment reversals. These are authorisation reversals, refunds and chargebacks. Let’s explore each in more detail.
Authorisation reversal
Authorisation reversals involve reversing a payment before it has been fully completed. If either a consumer or a vendor notices something is wrong with the payment, they can contact the bank to stop the transaction going through. This is typically the payment reversal type which involves the least hassle for both customers and businesses.
Refund
Refunds involve the reversal of a payment after a transaction has been completed. It is usually carried out because the customer is unsatisfied in some way with the item or service they received. A refund is initiated by a customer in direct communication with the vendor. It requires the acquiring bank to reimburse the cardholder. As well as leading to businesses losing a sale, it also runs up additional fees, such as interchange fees.
Chargeback
Chargebacks involve a customer contacting their bank in order to file a dispute against the transaction. They may do this because they mistakenly believe it was the work of a fraudster, or because the item they ordered never arrives, among other reasons.
Chargebacks are more inconvenient for businesses than simple refunds as they incur extra chargeback related fees and can lead to penalties from card networks.
How to avoid payment reversals
Understanding what causes payment reversals is key to preventing them in future. Below are some tips for keeping reversals to a limit in your business.
Analyse reversal trends
If your business is suffering a number of reversals, it can be very helpful to look at what the most common reasons cited for the reversals are.
For example, if you run an ecommerce store and a number of customers are asking for refunds because the item they received either doesn’t fit or match the description online, think about how you can better display the item accurately on your website. You may also want to consider incorporating detailed size guides.
Make sure you ask for feedback or an attributing reason for each refund so that you can use the information to avoid the same thing occurring in future.
Make sure payments are secure
Chargebacks often occur due to fraudulent payments. You can reduce this by having additional payment security measures. This might involve implementing 2-step authentication and 3D Secure.
Be attentive
Authorisation reversals often occur due to human error. For example, when the amount charged to the customer is incorrect, or the item paid for is not actually available. You can avoid this by being attentive to inventory and stock levels, and making sure the correct amount is always charged. Essentially, make sure employees are on the ball when taking payments from customers.
We can help
GoCardless helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of admin your team needs to deal with when chasing invoices. Find out how GoCardless can help you with ad hoc payments or recurring payments.
