There has been many posts re: return policies/restocking fees when buying with a credit card and there have been posts claiming that credit card purchases can force a merchant to accept returns and can force merchants to not charge a restocking fee.
I posed the following questions to AMEX,Visa and MC and I include their response. The credit card name was changed for each issuer but the questions were the same.
1 If merchant labels sale final sale can item be returned if VISA was used
2. If VISA is used to pay for merchandise at auction like Ebay either directly with seller or through PayPal/Billpoint can item be returned if customer wants to.
3. Can a seller/merchant required a restocking fee for returns if VISA was used to pay.
4. Does VISA have any stated policy in regard to returns and the rights of the merchant as well as the cardholder.
This is MasterCard response:
Thank you for your inquiry to MasterCard International.
Whether it includes a restocking fee or not, merchants are allowed to set
their own return policies for purchases made at their store.
Best regards,
MasterCard International
Customer Service Center
jmb
This is AMEX's response:
From: [email protected]
Dear Leonard Eckian:
In response to your e-mail, I have located the following information.
1. If a merchant's sales policy is Final Sale then the merchandise cannot be
returned regardless of how it was paid for.
2. Once again, the return policy is based on the seller whether you paid the
seller directly or through PayPal/Billpoint.
3. A seller can require a restocking fee for returns regardless how the
merchandise was paid for.
4. Return policies are determined by each individual merchant
This is the response I received from Visa:
Thank you for your communication concerning a merchant's return and refund
policy for a Visa transaction.
Although Visa does not dictate what a merchant's return and refund policy
must be, our regulations do require merchants that accept Visa cards to
disclose their policy to the cardholder. If you feel that the policy was not
disclosed to you, your next step should be to contact your Visa card Issuer
directly and ask them to assist you in obtaining a credit to your account.
Let us explain why.
Visa U.S.A. is a membership corporation made up of over 16,000 financial
institutions. These institutions issue their own Visa cards and sign up
their own merchants to accept Visa cards. They also set the terms and
conditions for their merchant relationships and handle any customer service
matters relating to them. Visa does not have access to cardholder accounts
or merchant records; and, as a result, we cannot contact merchants to
resolve cardholder complaints.
Your Visa card Issuer has established procedures to address complaints about
merchant practices and will be happy to assist you. You'll find the address
for matters of this nature on your Visa statement.
We hope this information proves helpful, and we thank you for using Visa.
[This message has been edited by leckian (edited 06-21-2001).]
I posed the following questions to AMEX,Visa and MC and I include their response. The credit card name was changed for each issuer but the questions were the same.
1 If merchant labels sale final sale can item be returned if VISA was used
2. If VISA is used to pay for merchandise at auction like Ebay either directly with seller or through PayPal/Billpoint can item be returned if customer wants to.
3. Can a seller/merchant required a restocking fee for returns if VISA was used to pay.
4. Does VISA have any stated policy in regard to returns and the rights of the merchant as well as the cardholder.
This is MasterCard response:
Thank you for your inquiry to MasterCard International.
Whether it includes a restocking fee or not, merchants are allowed to set
their own return policies for purchases made at their store.
Best regards,
MasterCard International
Customer Service Center
jmb
This is AMEX's response:
From: [email protected]
Dear Leonard Eckian:
In response to your e-mail, I have located the following information.
1. If a merchant's sales policy is Final Sale then the merchandise cannot be
returned regardless of how it was paid for.
2. Once again, the return policy is based on the seller whether you paid the
seller directly or through PayPal/Billpoint.
3. A seller can require a restocking fee for returns regardless how the
merchandise was paid for.
4. Return policies are determined by each individual merchant
This is the response I received from Visa:
Thank you for your communication concerning a merchant's return and refund
policy for a Visa transaction.
Although Visa does not dictate what a merchant's return and refund policy
must be, our regulations do require merchants that accept Visa cards to
disclose their policy to the cardholder. If you feel that the policy was not
disclosed to you, your next step should be to contact your Visa card Issuer
directly and ask them to assist you in obtaining a credit to your account.
Let us explain why.
Visa U.S.A. is a membership corporation made up of over 16,000 financial
institutions. These institutions issue their own Visa cards and sign up
their own merchants to accept Visa cards. They also set the terms and
conditions for their merchant relationships and handle any customer service
matters relating to them. Visa does not have access to cardholder accounts
or merchant records; and, as a result, we cannot contact merchants to
resolve cardholder complaints.
Your Visa card Issuer has established procedures to address complaints about
merchant practices and will be happy to assist you. You'll find the address
for matters of this nature on your Visa statement.
We hope this information proves helpful, and we thank you for using Visa.
[This message has been edited by leckian (edited 06-21-2001).]
