"Visiting the website" is the method. It's nonsense to say that visiting from a different location is a different method. I don't care if you won those disputes, you did a bad thing and screwed over your customers.
> Visiting the website" is the method. It's nonsense to say that visiting from a different location is a different method.
This is a naive view of the internet that does not stand the test of legislative reality. It's perfectly reasonable (and in our case was only path to compliance) to limit access to certain geographic locations.
> I don't care if you won those disputes, you did a bad thing and screwed over your customers.
In our case, our customers were trying to commit friendly fraud by requesting a chargeback because they didn't like a geoblock, which is also what the GP was suggesting.
Using chargebacks this way is nearly unique to the US and thankfully EU banks will deny such frivolous claims.
The ancestor post was about being unable to get support for a product, so I thought you were talking about the same situation. Refusal to support is a legitimate grievance.
Are you saying they tried a chargeback just because they were annoyed at being unable to reach your website? Something doesn't add up here, or am I giving those customers too much credit?
Were you selling them an ongoing website-based service? Then the fair thing would usually be a prorated refund when they change country. A chargeback is bad but keeping all their money while only doing half your job is also bad.
If you read back in the thread, we're talking about the claim that adding geoblocking will result in chargebacks, which outside the US, it won't.
> Are you saying they tried a chargeback just because they were annoyed at being unable to reach your website?
In our case it was friendly fraud when users tried to use a service which we could not provide in the US (and many other countries due to compliance reasons) and had signed up in the EU, possibly via VPN.
> If you read back in the thread, we're talking about the claim that adding geoblocking will result in chargebacks, which outside the US, it won't.
As a response to someone talking about customers traveling and needing support. But yeah geoblocks can occur in different situations with different appropriate resolutions.
> In our case it was friendly fraud when users tried to use a service which we could not provide in the US (and many other countries due to compliance reasons) and had signed up in the EU, possibly via VPN.
If you provided zero service at all, they should get their money back. And calling a chargeback in that situation "friendly fraud" is ridiculous.
If they weren't even asking for a refund and using a chargeback out of spite, that's bad, but that's a different problem from fraud.
For someone that did sign up via VPN, would they be able to access the cancellation page via VPN?
> If you provided zero service at all, they should get their money back. And calling a chargeback in that situation "friendly fraud" is ridiculous.
No, if a company upholds their side of a contract, the customer must too, within the bounds of the law.
A chargeback in that situation is the _definition_ of "friendly fraud" and is actual criminal fraud.
> If they weren't even asking for a refund and using a chargeback out of spite, that's bad, but that's a different problem from fraud.
That's also criminal fraud.
US consumer are often shocked that "customer is always right" customer service doesn't extend beyond their borders and that they can't chargeback their way out of contracts they've signed.
> For someone that did sign up via VPN, would they be able to access the cancellation page via VPN?
It doesn't matter. If our terms prohibited VPN use to avoid geoblocking (which they did), it's irrelevant whether your VPN can or cannot access the cancellation page on a given day. You can email or write to us. All perfectly legal, lawful, and backed by merchant account providers.
> No, if a company upholds their side of a contract, the customer must too, within the bounds of the law.
The company upholding their side by... doing nothing? Just give a refund if you're not providing service. And what is this about upholding your side if you're legally unable to provide the service in the first place?
> A chargeback in that situation is the _definition_ of "friendly fraud" and is actual criminal fraud.
They have to get the thing and then chargeback. Your definition is nonsense if it doesn't include them getting the thing.
> That's also criminal fraud.
It might be if they lie about something. But this isn't worth going on a tangent.
> It doesn't matter. If our terms prohibited VPN use to avoid geoblocking (which they did), it's irrelevant whether your VPN can or cannot access the cancellation page on a given day. You can email or write to us. All perfectly legal, lawful, and backed by merchant account providers.
Do they know who to email while the site is blocked? At least that's something.
But I'm not even asking about things fluctuating from day to day, I'm worried about a situation where a VPN can sign up but the same VPN at the same time can't be used to cancel.
What was inaccessible to them: The service itself, or any means to contact the merchant to cancel an ongoing subscription?
I can imagine a merchant to win a chargeback if a customer e.g. signs up for a service using a VPN that isn't actually usable over the same VPN and then wants money for their first month back.
But if cancellation of future charges is also not possible, I'd consider that an instance of a merchant not being responsive to attempts at cancellation, similar to them simply not picking up the phone or responding to emails.
