Recourse for Billpoint

[sethdallob]

I am absolutely incensed at BillPoint...after I received payment and shipped the product, I get this email...

Dear Seth,

In regards to:

Order Reference ID: YKAUDC2
Order ID: YYEA6SCH
Invoice Sent: 2001/03/06 13:00
Paid: 2001/03/07 13:52
Description: Hercules 3D Prophet DDR-DVI
Item ID: 1217668884
<http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1217
668884>
Placed On: 2001/03/07 13:52

We regret to inform you that after further review, the above transactions
have been found to be unauthorized by the true cardholder and will be
reversed. It is our recommendation you hold shipment of all items involving
this individual. If you have shipped the item already, please contact your
local carrier and ask them to stop the package and return it to you. If you
have any additional information that you feel may assist us in our
investigation, please feel free to forward it to Billpotr@wellsfargo.com
<mailto:Billpotr@wellsfargo.com> .

Please re-list your merchandise at your own convenience. You may request a
refund of eBay fees at
http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?CreditRequest
<http://cgi3.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?CreditRequest> You will not be
paid for this transaction(s). Please do not attempt to refund the
transaction yourself, we will adjust your Billpoint account balance for the
amount of this transaction and will also credit any associated Billpoint
fees.

To view our tips on ways to detect and prevent fraud and chargebacks, please
visit the following page:
http://www.billpoint.com/help/sellerguide/fraudtips.html#top
<http://www.billpoint.com/help/sellerguide/fraudtips.html#top> .

If you have any questions about this e-mail, please feel free to contact us
at riskmanagement@billpoint.com <mailto:riskmanagement@billpoint.com> . We
would also like to remind you that you have up-to-the minute access to all
your Billpoint activity on your Billpoint Deposits $ Fees Report, which you
may access from the Billpoint home page at http://www.billpoint.com
<http://www.billpoint.com> .

I thank you for your cooperation to this matter.

Betty
Risk Management
Wells Fargo Bank/Billpoint

I sent it out the day before the email via USPS, so I can't "stop" the mailing. I am out the card and the money...and they will not reimburse me! It's not my fault that it was a fraudulent use of the credit card. I'm ready to put my hand through a wall in frustration. I called them and got nowhere. They said, in essence, tough tushie. Can I do anything??

[Duck Duck Goose]

Sorry, I'm not following this. You sold something to somebody, who paid for it with a stolen credit card, but you didn't find out that the credit card was stolen until after you'd shipped the item? And Billpoint won't reimburse you? Are they supposed to reimburse you, in a case like this? I don't patronize e-Bay, I don't know how it works.

This:
. If you
have any additional information that you feel may assist us in our
investigation...
--sounds to me like they're working on getting your money back from somewhere.

Oh, well. [shrug]

< bump from page 2 >

[sethdallob]

I thought that they should have some sort of insurance, or just eat the cost. After all, I'm paying them for the right to process the transaction. I didn't know that he was using his card fraudelently, yet I get penalized.

[Tretiak]

I don't really know how it works either. Did you get some sort confirmation from Billpoint which they later reversed?

[bare]

From one of the links you provided from Bill Point:

While the vast majority of Billpoint transactions go smoothly and most people are honest, the acceptance of credit cards involves the risk of fraud and chargebacks. Billpoint takes measures to help prevent fraud and chargebacks, but the seller is ultimately responsible for each credit card transaction.

Use Pay Pal from now on, your deals are insured. E bay also has insurance now, you might check it out.

[Arjuna34]

Don't merchants usually eat the cost of chargebacks with standard credit cards? In fact, I thought that a merchant who gets too many chargebacks can have his merchant account revoked.

Arjuna34

[Tretiak]

BTW, I think you should still inform USPS of the situation. They may or may not be able to do anything, but if this was a stolen CC number then this person is also engaging in mail fraud. The USPS will be very interested to know that.

[Evnglion]

Even though the cc was stolen, why does that matter to you?...I thought that if it was stolen, the payment went through, and Visa or Mastercard had to take it up with the thief and rightful owner of the card.

[kanicbird]

most CC's are making too much money with interst and late fees to investigate fraud. I think you are stuck. :(

you should notify the USPS of it however

[Duck Duck Goose]

Oooh, lookie what I found! Ignore most of it, look at the good stuff at the bottom.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/mailalrt.htm
To report mail fraud, contact your state Attorney General, call your local postmaster or the toll-free Mail Fraud Complaint Center at 1-800-372-8347.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the online complaint form. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Your Tax Dollars At Work. It's worth a try.

Also http://www.seniors.gov/consumer.html Lots of consumer/fraud links.

[sethdallob]

Hey, thats a nice find! I'm still not optimistic, but thanks!

[handy]

Wheres the mail fraud? Looks more like credit card fraud to me.

"Use Pay Pal from now on, your deals are insured. E bay also has insurance now, you might
check it out."

Yeah, haha, I just went through that & it sucks!...paypal insists you ask ebay first, ebay then said since paypal is a credit card based system, ask your credit card comp first. But I didn't use the credit card!....arggg....but used the money that paypal said you should keep in your acct cause we pay you interest on it. ha!

Thats after I made a copy of many forms & auction notices & mailed to ebay insurance, now Ihave to do it again.

[Jeremy's Evil Twin]

Any crime that involves using the USPS is mail fraud. Watch The Firm sometime. :)

J.E.T.

[Fear Itself]

Welcome to the world of credit card sales. The bottom line is the seller pays for everything. Chargebacks suck, but that's the way it goes; if you want the convenience of accepting credit cards, you bear the risk of chargebacks. You should also be aware that not only will you get screwed by stolen credit card chargebacks, you can get screwed when legitimate card holders change their mind, and tell VISA/MC to chargeback on the purchase. Credit card companies always accede to all chargeback requests, sticking the seller with the losses until after the investigation. Nine times out of ten, the chargeback stands, the buyer keeps the merchandise, and the seller eats the loss.