Chargeback

[LancashireLad]

Hi

Just wanted some advice if possible. We are a B2B business and have recently a customer register with us and place orders with in the region of nearly £10k. We corresponded with quotes etc before the orders through a business email on their part and all 3 orders were delivered to the registered business address at companies house via a recorded courier service. However we have just recieved our first chargeback for the first order for nearly £2k with the bank stating the card used is saying they didnt authorise this payment and i expect the same will happen with the other two payments.

I have reported this fraud action line but nothing will happen through them. Is their anything i can do as it is a massive amount of money to lose as a business to either take action those who have carried out this fraud or try and retrieve funds? any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
LL

 

[fisicx]

Get in the van and drive to the customer’s property and get you stuff back. If they didn’t pay for it they don’t get to keep it.

If they argue, get them to do a bank transfer while to are there.

Take the biggest blokes in the factory to add support.

 

[LancashireLad]

Thanks for your reply. It has crossed my mind to go down and create a fuss so even if the cops are called out they would have to do something. I just find it so hard to take that nearly £10k will be taken from us through such a fraud absolutely gutted. The other option is to take them through the small claims court and try to get it back that way.

 

[Socio South West]

It appears you have not engaged with the customer to discuss what has happened, and why - To me that is the natural first step.

Obviously if you get no feedback from them, or you are not able to contact them, then fisicx's solution becomes the option to pursue.

Have you searched the delivery/registered address so you can see how many other companies are registered there?

 

[LancashireLad]

Thanks for your reply. I did engage with the customer, the lady who organised it has denied all knowledge and said she works from home and doesnt know any of her co-workers. I have contacted the guy who is in charge of the address where the items were delivered as it is a virtual business office and he said he will speak to the director of the company which is registered there and collected from there. The guy who is in charge of the business space acknowledges he signed for all 3 orders but then it was collected by a designated person from the company.

I spoke to the police today and at first they logged the information and said they had enough information for lines of enquiry, however then messaged me after a few hours saying they had reviewed the information it was a civil case and go through action fraud (which i have already reported). Doesnt seem i have many if any options to get this resolved.

 

[ethical PR]

Thanks for your reply. It has crossed my mind to go down and create a fuss so even if the cops are called out they would have to do something. I just find it so hard to take that nearly £10k will be taken from us through such a fraud absolutely gutted. The other option is to take them through the small claims court and try to get it back that way.

I'm pretty shocked that you allowed a new customer to have goods for that value before making sure you received the money as cleared fund. If they don't have any money it's pointless trying to take them through small claims. Did you credit check the company before letting them have the goods? Go and get the goods before they disappear.

 

[fisicx]

Go and get the goods before they disappear.

^^^This!

As I said in my earlier post: get in the van and go get the goods. You could have left last night and been outside their doors before they opened.

 

[LancashireLad]

Unfortunately it isn’t a case of the goods being there. The address they were delivered to is a virtual office address where the guy who is in charge of the office space took all 3 deliveries and he told me he passed them on to the designated person for that company.

In regards to the orders it isn’t unusual for us to have large orders. The issue was they paid using stolen credit cards so the funds cleared in to our account after a day and then 2 weeks later a charge back was lodged by the actual owner of the account. They actually tried to place another order for £4800 which I refused as it didn’t feel right. As for the company they had a good credit rating and healthy turnover / bank balance so it all seemed legit. All the correspondce was from a company email etc.
I actually spoke to the lady who set all the orders up and she said it was the company director who set it all up and she was someone working from home and didn’t know about it.

 

[IanSuth]

Unfortunately it isn’t a case of the goods being there. The address they were delivered to is a virtual office address where the guy who is in charge of the office space took all 3 deliveries and he told me he passed them on to the designated person for that company.

In regards to the orders it isn’t unusual for us to have large orders. The issue was they paid using stolen credit cards so the funds cleared in to our account after a day and then 2 weeks later a charge back was lodged by the actual owner of the account. They actually tried to place another order for £4800 which I refused as it didn’t feel right. As for the company they had a good credit rating and healthy turnover / bank balance so it all seemed legit. All the correspondce was from a company email etc.
I actually spoke to the lady who set all the orders up and she said it was the company director who set it all up and she was someone working from home and didn’t know about it.

Then go and doorstep the virtual office - if they have enough power to sign for they have enough power to contact and you sat outside their office may get the contact details/address of that designated person for you.

DON'T BE AGGRESSIVE OR THREATENING

just turn up and demand the return of the goods that you have been informed were erroneously delivered (you have that legally as that is the basis of the chargeback) - say you will not leave without your property.

If they call the police tell them you are there to collect and that they have already told you it is a civil matter but action fraud say nothing to do with them - you are just there to collect the unwanted goods you have no intention of creating a breach of the peace the guys with you are to carry £10k's worth of goods into the van.

 

[LancashireLad]

Yes i agree, i think that will be the best course of action. I have speaking to the guy who signed the products and handed them over and doesnt seem too fussed. He promised he would speak to the companies director yesterday and let me know before end of play yesterday but nothing. He definitely knows who he gave the stuff to so it seems like a case of going down there and trying to resolve that way otherwise sod all will be done about it.

 

[fisicx]

@LancashireLad - in future, only accept bank transfers for large orders.

 

[LancashireLad]

in future, only accept bank transfers for large orders.

Thanks i will be implementing that policy going forward dont want to get stung like this again.