How can I contest a chargeback resolution without receiving returned merchandise?

[Schaer123]

We received a chargeback resolution where the bank cited with the client, despite we never received the merchandise back. The client didn't provide a signature of the person who received the merchandise and we need to contest this chargeback. Shopify does not give the merchant the option to contest a chargeback. How do we do that ?Our order number is #6497

[Andrew]

Hi @Schaer123,

Hyde here from Shopify.

I totally understand your frustration! I've been there (many of us at Shopify have) and it can be bewildering and irritating.

Really with any online store your best recourse is preventative: trying to prevent orders being placed on your store that are potentially fraudulent. Because after the bank has made its decision, there is no appeals process - and Shopify doesn't really have a say in that. Shopify's role is purely transactional when it comes to chargebacks. Here is some more information on chargebacks and the granular process for you to go over.

Your best way of preventing fraudulent orders is a combination of Shopify's own fraud analysis algorithm, which cross-references billing and shipping addresses with card details and names to try to ascertain the credibility of the buyer, your own investigative efforts by using our Fraud Prevention Tips and using the Fraud Filter app.

Another thing you could try doing is ensuring you are manually authorizing your orders, instead of doing it automatically. This will give you the opportunity to have a look at the order to see if anything seems off to you. You could cross-reference with the fraud prevention tips I listed above. You'd change this setting by going to Settings > Payments:

 
You could then once again place details from the suspicious orders into your Fraud Filter app. 

If you're based in the US, you may also be eligible for our Fraud Protect feature, which is a type of insurance against chargebacks. Only businesses that meet certain criteria are eligible for Fraud Protect. For example, your business must be based in the United States and must use Shopify Payments. If you see a Fraud Protect section on the Shopify Payments page in your Shopify admin, then you are eligible for Fraud Protect.

I hope this all helps, but do let me know if you have any further questions.

All the best, Hyde.

[Schaer123]

Thank you for your response. However, it seems moe like a standard response which doesnt apply to our case. There has been no fraud here. What happened is that the return shipment got lost in transit which means , we have no merchandise but the client received his money back. Thats wrong! The client never provided a signature of who received the merchandise and he probably received monies through the shipping insurance. How do we get this contested ? American Express allows an appeal. I also like to see the response from American Express.  Thank you 

[Andrew]

That is a difficult situation. As we mention in our help documentation, the chargeback decision comes from the bank - and Shopify has no influence over that. The bank offers no appeal process through Shopify. Shopify also does not have any influence over the shipment (as we do not fulfil the orders for our store owners) so we cannot offer any insight into what happened to the shipment. 
Finally, we cannot provide customer bank information for data protection and privacy reasons. 

In this case, Shopify will be unable to help further as it is outwith our control. I can only empathize with your frustration and inconvenience in this case, and provide you with ways to avoid similar issues in the future. 

All the best, Hyde.