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Client Requesting Refund On Paypal?

by The Copy Warriors
8 replies
So, here's a weird little situation I got myself into.

A client who already paid me has requested a refund on Paypal. The money has been temporarily excluded from my balance, but as of right now, it's just being held until the end of the dispute.

So far I haven't heard anything from the client... Just that "what was received was significantly not as described."

They gave me a template to work with, tons of background information, everything, and what I handed in followed it to a letter... I can make a pretty freaking solid case that I gave them EXACTLY what they asked for. They have no right to demand this.

The only thing I'm wondering is, if I do dispute this, will Paypal count that as a strike against me or something? I have heard so much about marketers being suspended from Paypal and I just can't afford that. It would ******* kill me to give in to them over this, they are blatantly trying to rip me off, but I really don't want to put my Paypal account in Jeopardy.

What would you do in this situation?
#client #paypal #refund #requesting
  • Profile picture of the author Mr Bill
    No, PayPal wants to hear your side of the story. If every time we defended ourselves PayPal gave us a strike we'd be in a lot of trouble. Handing out too many refunds might raise one eyebrow but you must defend yourself against this Cretan who won't even raise an issue with you before calling for his mummy.

    He's shown what sort of person he is. State your case clearly and flood Paypal with evidence. Do you have a refund policy? If so, show them the page and what it says clearly. If not then all you've got to offer is your side of the story. If he has a problem he should have raised it with you. Make sure you tell Paypal that and be strong in being absolutely clear that they do not deserve a refund.
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  • Profile picture of the author TMGG
    I've been in that boat. I had a client take my work and get some bonus work then turn around and play the "not as described card" with Paypal.

    I even offer 30 days for clients to digest work product and come back for rework or with issues.

    His refund request came on day 32!

    No emails, phone calls or nothing from them just a case raised with Paypal...very shady!

    Personally I wasn't having a bar of it, because I was in the right. I gave Paypal all my notes, the work brief, the conditions, summary of the communication, the terms of the sale and in the end stated quite simply "the customer has received the product as promised and is now trying to obtain a refund they are not entitled to by abusing Paypal's system".

    In my case Paypal sent me a nice apology note, released the funds and closed the case. No issues with them in the past year since that happened.

    I think the key is to stick to the facts, don't be overly emotional and just act like a professional. The mug who is trying to fleece you probably isn't going to act professionally and if it comes down to evidence well if you are in the right you probably have enough to justify your position.

    I'd assume not defending a refund "product did not match description" is going to have a greater negative impact on your relationship with Paypal than defending it and losing.

    That said...my case was for a reasonable sum of money worth enough for me to spend the hour or so to communicate with Paypal.

    Good luck - sometimes the good guys do win!
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  • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
    Banned
    Defend it. Even though, by rights, it's a digital product and therefore the client isn't covered. He can't play the "significantly not as described" card - that's only for physical goods. You will win. Problem is, it may take PayPal weeks to resolve it - locking your account. If you can find someone at Paypal to talk to over the phone - and good luck with that - they can resolve it while you're on the line to them. And yes - I've been there. My account was locked for 6 weeks but after finding someone in Ireland to talk to it was resolved in minutes. They even sent me a swag-bag of goodies for mucking me around.
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    • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
      Originally Posted by The Copy Nazi View Post

      Defend it. Even though, by rights, it's a digital product and therefore the client isn't covered. He can't play the "significantly not as described" card - that's only for physical goods. You will win. Problem is, it may take PayPal weeks to resolve it - locking your account. If you can find someone at Paypal to talk to over the phone - and good luck with that - they can resolve it while you're on the line to them. And yes - I've been there. My account was locked for 6 weeks but after finding someone in Ireland to talk to it was resolved in minutes. They even sent me a swag-bag of goodies for mucking me around.
      Mal is right... if you work with paypal, they're usually pretty good about working with the marketer.

      The only time I've ever had issues with Paypal was when a client paid me $10,000 up front for a large project and Paypal decided to put a hold on it for a very long time.

      So, I started using Square because of that.... but found a LOT more issues with Square.com than Paypal.

      I've had ZERO luck with customer service at Square, helping to resolve issues. With paypal, they work with you as much as possible to help.

      Also, OP... in the mean time I'd use Copyscape and Google Alerts to make sure your stuff isn't put up online. The client, if they are trying to rip you off, may try to post your stuff online and use it.

      so, just keep an eye out for it appearing online, using Copyscape, Google Alerts, and a few other ways to find your content.

      If you do see it online, you can contact their host/ISP and report a theft of copyright. Since they don't want to pay you, they don't own the work so may sure it's not put up online.

      I had that happen once, a client charged back some work I did, and I found it online the next month. It was a pleasure watching their site get shut down.
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      • Profile picture of the author Raydal
        Originally Posted by shawnlebrun View Post

        The only time I've ever had issues with Paypal was when a client paid me $10,000 up front for a large project and Paypal decided to put a hold on it for a very long time.
        That's what wire transfers are for. There is no way that I would accept
        such payment through Paypal. (Just for the big chunk of fees they
        take out). I have limit as to how much I receive through Paypal.

        -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author Quality Copywriter
    Paypal will accept proof of delivery, as in regestered mail.
    might be worth it for big digital projects where some one can claim non delivery and take their cash back using a cr card.
    might be worth trying here.

    having a good coversation with a client before hand will usually ring the a-hole alarm though.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    This as a very simple case. Paypal would not refund for a
    SERVICE. All depends on how the client paid. If you
    sent a bill or they sent you money directly then there is
    no way Paypal will side with this client.

    You simply have to indicate that it was payment for a
    service and ESCALATE the case so Paypal decides.
    May take a couple weeks but you will get the money
    released.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Always make sure you draft a contract/agreement with every single client.

    They need to know EXACTLY what they're receiving. I spell out that I never guarantee specific conversions. But invite them to secure me on a backend retainer (if one isn't established in the negotiation process.)

    You also want to make sure and specifiy the project begin and ending dates. Your clients need to know when your deadline is. And you need to ALWAYS keep your deadlines - whether you're writing the copy or pawning it off on your juniors.

    If a client disputes your copy as not being what was promised, just refer to your agreement, email/IM correspondence, etc. PayPal is AMAZING at getting things sorted out - if the truth is on your side. A lot of people hate on them, but I always just consider the source.

    Mark
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