Hello everyone. I'm currently selling an e-book for $59.99 which is selling quite well. The problem I have is that I'm getting asked for a refund about 8% of the time. My product is unique and solves a very specific health issue. It took me literally months to research and it's really very high quality. I'm thinking that most people who ask for a refund do it whenever they can, regardless of the product's quality. So far I have been refunding everyone who asks me for one, but recently I saw my e-book being shared by someone who asked for a refund (I stamp every e-book page with my customers' info so I know who did it). What do you guys do about refunds? Should I remove the refund policy altogether or is it worth it? Advice is appreciated.
Your refund policy should be "No refunds are given due to the nature of the goods, that being digital in nature and there is no way to return an item as copies can be made easily, we only issue a refund if the product is not fit for purpose or is not as described."
you better set a agreement check box on checkout page, the agreement with the refund policy, but even you have policy, the buyer still can ask refund or dispute the payment.
I agree with the other two posters you should have something that people can't argue against like a check box that they have to opt-in to at checkout, if they click it and they are not happy then they have no real grounds to argue on.
My refund policy is that I sell digital goods, they in my mind are like underwear, once downloaded / worn it can not be refunded. I don't refund customers unless my payment providers tell me to. If I have to I lose out as each sale costs me royalties etc. Just make sure your arse if covered on the site that way any disputes are much more likely to swing to your side. I'd be concerned with an 8% refund rate though, there's either a problem with the product or a problem with the mind set of your customer base. I reckon it's most likely a problem with the product, does it deliver what you say it does? I'm not asking you to answer but you could get an outsider without bias to answer to see if the product can be improved. I'd not have a tick box as it's something you're asking the visitor to do and that by default is a hurdle, you should remove all hurdles to conversion but at the same time make it clear that by ordering you are agreeing to the terms of xy and z. For example: I run this site http://detectmobilebrowsers.mobi/ which states at the bottom: This has saved me a few refunds, PayPal have sided with me in all cases and not the customer as it's the customers fault, not mine, also subsciptions with PP are handled diferently on the dispute system, maybe a one off subscription payment might be the way to go over buy now buttons as it gives you better protection as a seller. Is there something similar you could do to protect yourself?
What does the law say regarding refunds where you live? In certain countries you have to offer a refund (it is illegal to say no refunds - but you can always deny a refund request). Personally, i would never buy from a site (regardless whether it sells tangible or intagible goods) if there is no clear refund policy in place. There is always going to be a genuine refund request. It's part of every day business. You just need to work out a decent policy that is going to protect you from scammers but also offer genuine customers a peace of mind. There is nothing worse than putting off potential customers.
Thanks for the feedback. What I did is simply dedicate a paragraph to saying that refunds will be given only on very special cases (program not working etc...).
The problem with a no refund policy is that the buyer can go to their card issuer and make a chargeback. Chargebacks on digital goods are virtually impossible win as a seller. It's far more proactive and cheaper to issue a refund than to get hit with a chargeback. I don't really have the answer on how to handle the situation, but I can definitely say the repercussions of a no refund policy can be nasty and expensive. Also, you could try posting the no refund policy, but then actually issue a refund if a customer is genuinely upset. This may at least prevent a chargeback.
Jestep I totally agree with you. A no refund policy can spell disaster for you in different ways. Here are some good points to follow: 1. People WILL NOT buy from you as much if they can't get their money back. It's been proven that adding a good refund policy dramatically increases sales 2. As Jestep said they can easily do a charge back and for those of you that don't know... YOU DON'T EVER WANT CHARGE BACKS!! These are bad news for your company... trust me. 3. A good refund policy gives you more 'creditability' and people feel more comfortable recommending you to others. Also, 8% is NOT a lot. Not for electronic goods. I've worked for huge companies that sold electronic goods at almost 50% refund rates! Of course they sold millions of dollars worth, but most people were just trying to get free stuff. They offered this 100% money back 30 day policy because it increased their overall profits. Yes, their refund rate went up several points, but they were selling almost 250% more because of it.
One idea might be to offer a refund policy, but charge a restocking fee. That's what we do. That way the people don't just buy stuff to wear and return. If they do we charge them 10% for restocking so they basically 'rented' it lol.
It's always better to refund and not concern yourself with them.... There are always some who will do anything to upstage your efforts for whatever reasons.. Just continue to focus on providing high quality offers and excellent customer service.The number of people you are actually able to help with appreciate you even more.