Your return policy can save you a lot of time and money

As the calendar turns to 2017 and the holiday shopping season comes to a close a new season begins: return season. Like many of your fellow merchants you probably don’t like to take a return back after you sold the item but it is a part of the modern American economy. There are a few things that you can do to help the process go more smoothly and to minimize any blowback on you.

The first thing to do is to set your return policy. If you are not going to offer exchanges make sure that is known, same with if you are offering store credit only or a full exchange. Make sure any fees, like a restocking fee are known and make sure your customers know what their timeframe is to make a return. Print these on a receipt and have this and any other important information placed near a customer’s signature when using a credit card so they cannot miss it.

If using a card-not-present system make sure the policy is placed front and center and not just buried in the legalese since most customers don’t read over that. (It is actually required to have this policy displayed on the header of the website) Decide on important decisions like if the original receipt is required and who will pay for return shipping. It can help by placing yourself in your customer’s shoes and trying to think how they are thinking. Not everyone is out to rip you off.

By doing this you can hopefully avoid a chargeback fee. If there is a dispute the customer must attempt to resolve it with you, the merchant, first. If the issue is not resolved to the customer’s satisfaction they can dispute the charge with their credit card issuer. The issuer will look at your return policy to see how clear it is and how prominently it is displayed. If anything seems in doubt the issuer can take back the entire transaction, or chargeback, from you leaving you high and dry. If the customer goes directly to their issuer you must provide documentation that they are aware of the return policy. Also don’t forget if issuing a refund or getting a chargeback to request the interchange fee be refunded or charge a restocking fee to cover it. It may only be a few dollars but there is no point in paying for a transaction that was refunded.

If a customer has a bad experience a negative review will spread like a wildfire as they will share it with anyone who will listen. Having a proper return policy and making it known is one of the easiest steps to good customer service and can keep your money where it needs to be. Honesty is the best policy.