NO MORE REFUND POLICY on my ebooks!

50 replies
Am I the only one who thinks it might be more beneficial to remove my refund policy?

I used to have a 30-day no questions asked refund policy on my website but felt several buyers were abusing it. Some people said things like, "I'm having a baby so I want my money back." or even "I just want my money back." None of the refunders could dare say that the product wasn't amazing.

I decided to remove the refund policy and feel it's been a wonderful thing. I've discouraged the scammers from buying and I've never had a legitimate refund request because the product really does deliver. No harm done to the real buyers and I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of.

I'm just curious to see if others have gone through the same experience. Are there other methods you would recommend to avoid refund fraud?
#ebooks #policy #refund
  • Profile picture of the author wfhblueprints
    Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

    Am I the only one who thinks it might be more beneficial to remove my refund policy?

    I used to have a 30-day no questions asked refund policy on my website but felt several buyers were abusing it. Some people said things like, "I'm having a baby so I want my money back." or even "I just want my money back." None of the refunders could dare say that the product wasn't amazing.

    I decided to remove the refund policy and feel it's been a wonderful thing. I've discouraged the scammers from buying and I've never had a legitimate refund request because the product really does deliver. No harm done to the real buyers and I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of.

    I'm just curious to see if others have gone through the same experience. Are there other methods you would recommend to avoid refund fraud?
    Although I empathise with the abuse of refunds (which seems to be a hot topic recently) would this policy cause problems with your payment processor?

    I am certain that PayPal requires you to have a refund policy as do other processors.

    It might also have an affect on your conversions....

    Yes you may cut out the serial refunds...

    But you may be losing out on sales that might have been sealed by your refund guarantee.

    I agree that refunds in some industries seem to be on the high side....but I see a good refund policy as a deal clincher in some respects.

    My 2 cents...


    Chris
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    • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
      I am certain that PayPal requires you to have a refund policy
      They don't. Speculation is dangerous.

      The amount of extra sales you get by having a solid refund policy in place will almost always far outweigh the small number of refunds that happen as a result of having that refund policy in place.
      I've tested this and found it not true that not having a unconditional refund policy decreases conversion rates.

      I think a lot depends on the product, price, and niche. For instance, for non-IM or high priced products I often have a no questions refund policy. For inexpensive IM reports and software I do not - it is either conditional or no refunds, and that has been one of the best decisions I've made.

      There is way too much fraud. Frankly, if you want to protect your PayPal account by not having a lot of refunds being recorded, the best policy may be not to offer refunds. Protecting your account is more important than worrying about squeezing out an extra sale.

      You're also not trying hard enough if you think a 30-day, no questions asked policy is the only refund policy to have.

      For example, if your ebook promises a solution, offer a money-back guarantee if the solution cannot be delivered. This could be a lifetime guarantee. That way the buyer is protected if the solution does not work.

      You can research my WSO offers and find an amazing array of guarantees, warranties, and refund policies - none of which involve a no questions asked refund policy. There is a middle ground you can find that provides buyer reassurance, weeds out serial refunders, and avoids refund fraud.

      Another name for "refund fraud" is "theft." I can't think of any legit business that throws up its hands and says theft is fine and just a cost of doing business. Rather, they seek ways to minimize or eliminate theft.

      Finally, just because you do not have an unconditional refund policy does not mean you do not give out refunds. There are an infinite number of situations that arise, and it can be wise to use good discretion. Money can be returned. Free product can be provided. Much can be done for good customers while not falling victim to the masses of fraudsters.

      .
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    • Profile picture of the author FirstSocialApps
      Originally Posted by wfhblueprints View Post


      I am certain that PayPal requires you to have a refund policy as do other processors.
      Well you would be wrong then. PayPal does not require a refund policy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Elion Makkink
    Yes we all have gone through the same experience. Add them to your blacklist and they will never buy from you again.

    Besides, I would still recommend having a refund policy since buyers can still put a PayPal dispute or negatively respond in your thread. And it still lowers the risk of buying so you will get a better conversion rate.

    The refunds shouldn't be affecting your refund policy or you're doing something wrong.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoodFE
    Well if it's working then great! But personality, I would be dubious about buying a product that wouldn't give me a refund.
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    The amount of extra sales you get by having a solid refund policy in place will almost always far outweigh the small number of refunds that happen as a result of having that refund policy in place.

    Refunds are just a cost of doing business. Don't take them to heart. If you offer a refund policy you are always going to get them. Just process them and move along with your day knowing that those people who do refund are almost never going to be successful.

    As someone else also noted above, payment processors like Paypal expect you to have some type of refund policy in place.
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    • Profile picture of the author Elion Makkink
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      The amount of extra sales you get by having a solid refund policy in place will almost always far outweigh the small number of refunds that happen as a result of having that refund policy in place.
      This is exactly what I meant to say.
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    • Profile picture of the author talfighel
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      The amount of extra sales you get by having a solid refund policy in place will almost always far outweigh the small number of refunds that happen as a result of having that refund policy in place.

      Refunds are just a cost of doing business. Don't take them to heart. If you offer a refund policy you are always going to get them. Just process them and move along with your day knowing that those people who do refund are almost never going to be successful.

      As someone else also noted above, payment processors like Paypal expect you to have some type of refund policy in place.
      Yeah, but some people are professionals in this. They buy a product and have the intention to get a refund no matter how good the product is. They do this everywhere and they should get banned.

      But you know what, at the end of the day everyone should expect 1-3 refunds out of every 20 customers who buy.
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      • Profile picture of the author robestrong
        This is one of the reasons why I make software -- you have an access key. If they want a refund -- no problem, I just delete their key. Simple and easy solution.

        On the occasions that people have asked for a refund, I just make sure that I have a policy that doesn't say "for everything", and then give it to anyone who asks. This way most people won't ask if it asks them to put in some work, and the ones that do probably won't be turned away. It's never worth arguing with people for a couple (or even quite a few) bucks, so then I just refund.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      Refunds are just a cost of doing business.
      James Schramko does $10M a year, and one of the first things he said to me when I mentioned how annoyed I was with intentional refunders, was "Don't offer refunds - I don't". He said it so casually, as he sipped his $12 caramel latte from across the table. As if he didn't have a care in the world.

      This whole, self entitlement for refunds is out of control. It's being abused - we all know it. Encouraging it doesn't help.

      In traditional business, you don't just walk into a shop, buy something, then demand your money back AND keep the product. It's ridiculous.

      Google Adwords doesn't offer refunds, neither does Itunes. I think those guys know what they're doing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom B
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        Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

        He said it so casually, as he sipped his $12 caramel latte from across the table. As if he didn't have a care in the world.
        He must have blown on the latte to cool it if he didn't have a care in the world. Burning your tongue can cause some restless nights.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          "Don't offer refunds - I don't". He said it so casually, as he sipped his $12 caramel latte from across the table
          That's not the same as saying "don't give refunds". Many marketers rely on a bold refund policy to get more sales - so they're stuck with the refunds by choice.

          You can issue refunds as a seller without using a big old seal about a money-back guarantee as part of your sales spiel and some top marketers do that.

          Top marketers don't worry about "what everyone else does" because others are following what they do.
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      • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
        Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

        In traditional business, you don't just walk into a shop, buy something, then demand your money back AND keep the product. It's ridiculous..
        You know that in Australia it is illegal to state you do not have a refund policy and that any implication or portraying to a client that there is no refund policy does land you in some very deep water.

        Consumers are protected by the law regardless of your saying you have one or not.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Atkins
      Originally Posted by WillR View Post

      The amount of extra sales you get by having a solid refund policy in place will almost always far outweigh the small number of refunds that happen as a result of having that refund policy in place.

      Refunds are just a cost of doing business. Don't take them to heart. If you offer a refund policy you are always going to get them. Just process them and move along with your day knowing that those people who do refund are almost never going to be successful.

      As someone else also noted above, payment processors like Paypal expect you to have some type of refund policy in place.
      What he said. I used to get angry when people requested refunds
      for no reasons at all but later on I got used to it for the reasons
      mentioned above.
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  • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
    Refund policy: Yes, sure.

    Give always refunds: no way!

    Check out my WSOs and see how I do it. Not my original idea by the way. A lot of smart marketers do the same.

    Yes, it is true that you can increase sales if you have a "no question asked, 60 day refund policy". It is also true that one network (Clickbank) that enforces that policy has refund rates between 5% and 15%. That does not mean that all products there are bad.

    It means they have conditioned the customers that they get a free lunch.
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    • Profile picture of the author wfhblueprints
      Originally Posted by hpgoodboy View Post

      Refund policy: Yes, sure.
      Yes, it is true that you can increase sales if you have a "no question asked, 60 day refund policy". It is also true that one network (Clickbank) that enforces that policy has refund rates between 5% and 15%. That does not mean that all products there are bad.

      It means they have conditioned the customers that they get a free lunch.
      You make a fair point about Clickbank refunds... although I'd love to see the breakdown by product type....
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  • Profile picture of the author Loader
    You could make it "Refunds for VALID reasons." That way, if people just ask for refunds, they must state a valid reason.
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    • Profile picture of the author msu
      There are plenty of good reasons above for keeping a refunds policy, all of which I'd agree with. Especially when, presumably, a buyer can revoke the payment via their credit card company to get a "refund".
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      Originally Posted by Loader View Post

      You could make it "Refunds for VALID reasons." That way, if people just ask for refunds, they must state a valid reason.
      If my rent is due, and without the refund I'll be on the streets - is that not a valid reason? :p
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    • Profile picture of the author Ben Gordon
      Originally Posted by Loader View Post

      You could make it "Refunds for VALID reasons." That way, if people just ask for refunds, they must state a valid reason.
      That can be just as easily abused as a no questions asked refund policy.
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  • Profile picture of the author aizaku
    Some people here have given some pretty good reasons to keep the guarantee.

    I say test your idea and compare the before and after.

    After all, it's testing that sharpens our techniques..
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  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    I have a solid refund policy. Just a part of doing business. I'm in for the long-haul. I welcome the scammers, often they lead me to the places where my products are being sold illegally.

    Serial refunders are a part of retail, whether that me online, offline, digital or brick and mortor. You did realize you are in retail right? Even some of the best car-salesmen have a return every once in awhile.

    Offer the iron-clad refund policy and laugh all the way to bank.

    Just MFO.

    BP
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      You might want to actually extend your refund period. When a friend of mine changed from a 30-day refund window to a lifetime guarantee, conversions went up a bit and refunds actually went down to almost nothing. The 'almost' covered the serial refunders and such.

      Originally Posted by Loader View Post

      You could make it "Refunds for VALID reasons." That way, if people just ask for refunds, they must state a valid reason.
      A man went to his neighbor's house and rang the bell. When the neighbor came to the door, they had the following dialogue:
      Man: Can I borrow your lawn mower?

      Neighbor: Sorry, but the train leaves at noon.

      Man: What does the train leaving at noon have to do with me borrowing your lawn mower?

      Neighbor: It's my lawn mower and I don't want to lend it to you. One reason is as good as any other...
      In this case, in the buyer's mind, "I want a refund" IS a valid reason, and payment processors and credit card companies tend to agree...
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      • Profile picture of the author BIG Mike
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom B
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          Originally Posted by BIG Mike View Post


          I've tried and tested a "No Refund Policy" for years now and it's never had a measurable impact on sales...period.

          No, that's not quite true - it stopped a lot of sales from serial refunders and tire kickers, saving me a lot of time and aggravation.
          I said the same thing and was told I was lying and don't have a clue about direct marketing. haha

          http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...sellers-6.html

          I got the idea from you, so thanks for that.
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          • Profile picture of the author Tom B
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            Originally Posted by drunkenmonkey View Post

            I've gotta say,

            And not just because Jason says so or not, I don't know the guy.

            But...

            I've tested it.

            And I sold more with the refund policy than when I didn't have it.

            My refunds float at about 30% right now, but I sell a lot more than I'm refunding.
            My main point... it isn't a black and white thing. It needs to be tested. To blindly say a guarantee substantially racks up sales is not true. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. For me, my profits were pretty much the same.

            Anyone who has to worry about refunds imo aren't selling that much.
            Depends on how much support is given. Software can be support intensive and you will be losing a lot more money than the cost of a refund.

            Not everyone is selling info products.

            Besides, I am not sure I would want to risk merchant problems with a 30% refund rate. Seems high to me.
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            • Profile picture of the author GlenH
              Originally Posted by drunkenmonkey View Post

              ^I don't understand that biz model.

              Software is the most savage business to be in to my mind. Customers screaming all day long. I don't get why anyone would do it.

              But I unbderstand no refunds on that, because support is time invested, skype'ing and all that BS.

              I sell my own software, and I have a refund policy on every product.

              If you sell a quality product, there are really no refund issues, and customers certainly aren't 'screaming all day".

              If a customer asks for a refund within the specified refund period, I gladly give it to them, and the I promptly lock them out of accessing the software ever again.

              Simple
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

    Am I the only one who thinks it might be more beneficial to remove my refund policy?
    Are you blind and deaf? NOPE! they thought about this like thousands of years ago. Give me a break.

    I used to have a 30-day no questions asked refund policy on my website but felt several buyers were abusing it. Some people said things like, "I'm having a baby so I want my money back." or even "I just want my money back." None of the refunders could dare say that the product wasn't amazing.
    Yeah, I doubt NONE could! The "abusers" may have simply fell for hype, felt you could deliver what they needed, etc....

    I decided to remove the refund policy and feel it's been a wonderful thing. I've discouraged the scammers from buying and I've never had a legitimate refund request because the product really does deliver. No harm done to the real buyers and I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of.
    But NOW, you may be taking advantage of THEM. Some companies, like paypal, clickbank, visa, mastercard, american express, don't like that. Policies range from raising rates to blackballng you, depending on how many chargebacks you get. SOME, like clickbank may cancel your account for just stating the idea on your site.

    I'm just curious to see if others have gone through the same experience. Are there other methods you would recommend to avoid refund fraud?
    You should look at the threads. I have seen at least 6 just like yours, and probably dozens talking about it. They talk not only about this amazing epiphany they supposedly had(like you), but get upset when people go to their bank, etc... to complain and cause them grief.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
    Wow! I'm really surprised by the amount of feedback on this subject. In case anybody cared to know how I came to this conclusion...here's my story:

    - I have a really loyal following
    I'm not an IM marketer or a random guy with a long sales page promising all sorts of rewards. I have a large site with hundreds of helpful free articles and a growing Youtube/Facebook following. I've been giving out free information for years and very happy to continue doing so. My FREE CONTENT is better than premium products out there. My site is popular and my name comes with a lot of credibility and so my readers trust me 100%. I don't need to offer a 30-day guarantee to win over their trust.

    - My product is really good
    I don't guarantee instant weight loss, overnight success, or anything like that. My sales page is hardly even a sales page. I outline the chapters and contents, and use maybe 3 paragraphs to describe the product. And then you see about 100+ positive testimonials in the comments section. People will buy it because there's nothing else like it and because they really like the way I explain things.

    - I tested this for over 2 months
    Removing the refund policy did not affect my sales at all. It's not that I have a "No refund policy" stated on the website, I just don't talk about refunds at all and nobody seems to care. I'm well trusted and a really nice guy on the site so the trust is assumed. The readers who don't know me and aren't comfortable are free to consume all the free content until they're ready to buy!

    I'm really happy with the results and as crazy as it sounds, it worked perfectly well for my situation. Deep down I knew that I was doing something drastically different from other IM's out there and so I went on here to share and learn about other possible ways.

    I care more about discouraging serial refunders than I do about withholding people's money. I have no problems giving out refunds for legitimate (or even illegitimate) reasons. My site continues to be a success with or without the refunds. Thank you all for the helpful feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I believe if you don't have a refund policy, you may face problems. But you can make it conditional. There may be serial refunders but it's a price we all have to wear. I have not had to do it often and each time has been a valid reason.
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  • Profile picture of the author kencalhn
    I've ran my business fulltime successfully for over 13 years online and have a no-refunds policy. I offer great preview content, videos and webinars, so people can see a sample of the quality of what they get before they buy, and that works fine for me. Amazon also doesn't allow refunds of opened DVDs or videogames or similar, from what I know, and that's to prevent the serial "buy/copy/refund" from thieves.
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  • Profile picture of the author davidvidgen
    Hi Blacklion

    Most payment providers do require you to have a refund policy. I'm not sure what the policy is in the USA, but here in the UK the internet comes under distance selling rules where you must offer a refund within 7 days of the user receiving the goods. They have the right to change their mind, particularly because at purchase they were not in a position to view or test the product/service.

    Having a policy that states no refunds are permitted because digital files can easily be copied before return, is in itself a refund policy. I own a website that sells digital files and the policy is no refunds. I do however give refunds if they have experienced problems with downloads or errors on my part - but this is at my discretion. You need to weigh up the risks of having a disgruntled customer, particularly when internet feedback and reviews is becoming more and more common and is beginning to dictate search engine rankings for your site i.e. Google+

    It may pay you to have a refund policy that permits an individual to have a refund within 48 hours of purchase.

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  • Profile picture of the author shulink
    My product is listed under Clickbank, so it is required to have 60-day refund period, but I have a pretty low refund rate. I think it is a good idea to have a refund policy otherwise you may turn off potential buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author thomasjs02
    It may be hard to look at it this way, but even a client that ask for a refund is better than a client that never approached you at all. And having a refund policy is what help many people to get over the fence.

    Just like selling tickets at a sporting event. A lot of times, teams find ways to give away free tickets just to fill open seats because even if a person is not paying upfront, their is value of them coming to you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Blades
    People will always abuse, so save yourself the headaches, and refund no matter what. You will drive yourself crazy if you let it bother you. People will just do a charge back, so give them their refund and send them on their way...
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  • Profile picture of the author ejm7788
    "if you DON'T have a 10% refund rate you aren't selling hard enough" - Dan Kennedy

    Refunds are a cost of doing business. Just make sure you sell enough to offset refunds.

    You could aslo have partial refunds and your reason being that information can be consumed immediately so it's not economically visible to give full refunds on info products.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by ejm7788 View Post

      "if you DON'T have a 10% refund rate you aren't selling hard enough" - Dan Kennedy

      Refunds are a cost of doing business. Just make sure you sell enough to offset refunds.

      You could aslo have partial refunds and your reason being that information can be consumed immediately so it's not economically visible to give full refunds on info products.
      I wonder how many refunds Kennedy really gives...:rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    It's all well and good to say "No refunds," but paypal and credit card companies don't protect the seller. Paypal explicitly does not protect information product orders. So as long as the buyer opens a disputed within 60 days, there's nothing you can do.

    Credit cards are even worse. Claims can be made up to a year after purchase.

    I had a Mexican buyer claim his credit card was used for unauthorized purchases, one of which was mine. My IP tracking showed he had viewed the product many times over several months, and the only way he could have gotten the access was through his email address. Yes, it's possible that both his email and card # were compromised, but unlikely in my opinion.

    The refund wasn't the problem I really took issue with: the credit card company charged me double the amount as a penalty. How was the order my problem? How could I in any way have protected myself from this situation? Except for not allowing any orders?

    As soon as I can, I'm moving to physical products shipped and signed for, and paid for by check.
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    • Profile picture of the author lotsofsnow
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      It's all well and good to say "No refunds," but paypal and credit card companies don't protect the seller. Paypal explicitly does not protect information product orders. So as long as the buyer opens a disputed within 60 days, there's nothing you can do.
      It's the other way around.

      Paypal explicitly does not protect information product orders and as a result the buyer does not get the money back from Paypal unless the seller wants to give it back.

      Originally Posted by blackli0n View Post

      Further notes:

      I always win the Paypal disputes. My products are digital and so Paypal for some reason always sides with me on every Paypal dispute (which are few and far between).
      Exactly.
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  • Profile picture of the author Folusho Orokunle
    For my company's web development and coaching, we have a 72 hour refund policy. After that, no refunds are issued. Our guarantee is that: if they aren't happy with will work with them until they are for up to two years!

    Now, when selling ebooks and memberships, we refund right away if someone wants one because they have proven that they won't be an ideal long term customer. And because you have to protect your brand from complaints, your merchant account, your paypal account, online reviews, etc...

    For clients paying over $500, we have them sign a contract so they know what they're getting.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andy Money
    Good for you. WSO section is jam-packed full of trolls and serial refunders, pretty amazing it hasn't been cracked down on yet one way or another.
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    • Profile picture of the author WillR
      Originally Posted by talfighel View Post

      Yeah, but some people are professionals in this. They buy a product and have the intention to get a refund no matter how good the product is. They do this everywhere and they should get banned.

      But you know what, at the end of the day everyone should expect 1-3 refunds out of every 20 customers who buy.
      You should not be expecting 1-3 refunds for every 20 sales. 1 refund in 20 sales would mean a 5% refund policy which is far too high. You shouldn't even be happy with 1 refund in 100 sales.

      Originally Posted by kindsvater View Post

      They don't. Speculation is dangerous.
      I had quite long discussions with a guy at Paypal in the risk department (not one of the parrots on the phone) and one of the questions he kept asking was, what sort of recourse do your buyers have if something goes wrong. Although not compulsory I definitely came away from that call knowing that Paypal do want their customers to have some form of recourse and that is most easily given with a solid refund policy.

      Originally Posted by John Romaine View Post

      James Schramko does $10M a year, and one of the first things he said to me when I mentioned how annoyed I was with intentional refunders, was "Don't offer refunds - I don't". He said it so casually, as he sipped his $12 caramel latte from across the table. As if he didn't have a care in the world.
      Horses for courses. Refund policies can be different and varied. A refund policy doesn't mean you have to necessarily accept change of mind type refunds. I don't. The refund policies I offer on my products are an 'it works as advertised' type refund policy. So people can only get their money back if the product does not work as it was advertised... and I shouldn't have any problem giving people their money back if something does not work as I advertised it.

      My refund rates are super low, almost non-existent, but I still have a published refund policy. So having a refund policy is not the cause of a high refund rate. It's the type of refund policy you have that is important.
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      • Profile picture of the author kindsvater
        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        I had quite long discussions with a guy at Paypal in the risk department (not one of the parrots on the phone) and one of the questions he kept asking was, what sort of recourse do your buyers have if something goes wrong. Although not compulsory I definitely came away from that call knowing that Paypal do want their customers to have some form of recourse and that is most easily given with a solid refund policy.
        Good to know. I always pay attention when someone talks to a PayPal employee beyond the phone crew. It is obviously in PayPal's interest to not have chargebacks, and they certainly want sellers to try and work out an amicable resolution instead of PayPal spending employee time on disputes.

        Originally Posted by WillR View Post

        A refund policy doesn't mean you have to necessarily accept change of mind type refunds. I don't. The refund policies I offer on my products are an 'it works as advertised' type refund policy. So people can only get their money back if the product does not work as it was advertised... and I shouldn't have any problem giving people their money back if something does not work as I advertised it.
        We're of the same mind. I avoid serial refunders and buyers have an assurance the information / service / product is not only good, but will be good for a certain period of time. It may not be as strong as a no questions asked policy, but it seems appropriate for certain products.

        If something doesn't work it is very embarrassing, and I can't imagine someone would not want to issue refunds.

        .
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  • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
    Further notes:

    I always win the Paypal disputes. My products are digital and so Paypal for some reason always sides with me on every Paypal dispute (which are few and far between).

    I don't find any value in having a customer come to me because my site is the best (and one of the only) of its kind. Whether free or paid, readers in my industry will eventually pass through my site. I'm sure this attitude would have to be ditched if a competitor ever showed up but I don't see this happening any time soon.

    I don't like the idea of offering a totally open refund policy because ALL the refunds have been from serial refunders, whereas as everyone else has written in amazing feedback telling how much they loved my product, etc, etc. I'll put it this way, about 5-10% of my sales come from people who don't even need what I sell. They just want to give me money because they love what I do and want to support the cause.

    Last but not least, I'm not against refunds. I'm just against posting a refund policy that can be used against me. I'll always be a fair businessman to my readers and have always given refunds when requested. I love my readers and create products that they beg me to make. I don't try to sell through sales copy and I don't try to guarantee a cure to cancer. People buy because they KNOW it's good, even when I don't tell them.
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  • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
    I have to agree that refunds are indeed very time-consuming. Especially when you don't have an automatic refund system. You still have to read the email, log into paypal, hit refund, go back to your ecommerce software and hit refund and/or lock them out as well. It can be a lot of work especially if you get many refunds and/or the refunds are for low-priced items.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gengis
    Believe me that i've gotten refund requests for the dumbest things but whatever i just go right over to paypal and issue the refund asap.. Then i add them to my blacklist on Warriorplus which is a simple click of a button and they could never buy from me again..

    Good luck,

    Gengis
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  • Profile picture of the author edd666666
    I know it kills you to give refunds when a certain portion of them are ripping you off, but if you set your emotions aside and look at it as strictly a business decision, you will be money ahead. Also if you make your refund good for a year, you will have less refunds than with a 30 day refund, as people aren't in a rush to refund and tend to forget about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author GamingOn
    Just have a refund policy where you ask why.
    That's a simple tip that will help you I think.
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    • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
      Originally Posted by GamingOn View Post

      Just have a refund policy where you ask why.
      That's a simple tip that will help you I think.
      I worry that having a policy that says, "I'll refund you if I feel like it." sounds even more sketch that not having one in the first place. I guess it all comes down to how well I word it to make it friendly enough but not too easy to take advantage of.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bryan Zazz
    hey guys, great feedback on this topic. keep-em coming...

    I believe that not having a refund policy makes you less professional, so just
    for your image, you should have one.
    As I prepare a launch on my side of the pond, my bigger concern would not be
    for trolls abusing my "generosity" as much as the time I may be sucking in solving
    potential disputes. Luckily with digital products the cost of reproduction is a big nada,
    so the real loss is not in product or money, but in time.
    Plus, there's Karma:
    big abusers of others, I believe, will one day get hit by a bus, or something,
    so better behave and respect others' work,
    or risk getting chewed and spit out by the system ...
    eventually ...
    not that I wish such an outcome to anyone ...
    Peace!
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    • Profile picture of the author blackli0n
      Originally Posted by Bryan Zazz View Post

      hey guys, great feedback on this topic. keep-em coming...

      I believe that not having a refund policy makes you less professional, so just
      for your image, you should have one.
      As I prepare a launch on my side of the pond, my bigger concern would not be
      for trolls abusing my "generosity" as much as the time I may be sucking in solving
      potential disputes. Luckily with digital products the cost of reproduction is a big nada,
      so the real loss is not in product or money, but in time.
      Plus, there's Karma:
      big abusers of others, I believe, will one day get hit by a bus, or something,
      so better behave and respect others' work,
      or risk getting chewed and spit out by the system ...
      eventually ...
      not that I wish such an outcome to anyone ...
      Peace!
      As strange as it sounds, I think my site benefits from the fact that I don't look completely professional. It has the appearance of a one-man show and makes people want to "help out the nice guy". Having the refund policy starts to make me sound like a salesman when it's practically assumed that the "nice guy" will probably give you your money back.

      In regards to the bad karma, I agree dishonest people will get it coming. I just prefer to protect myself from them. Let them take their bad karma elsewhere because I don't have time for them! Thanks for your post.
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