The Dreaded Chargebacks

If there is one word most Internet marketers quiver at the sound of, it is Chargebacks. A chargeback is a dispute over a charge - usually an unauthorized or fraudulent charge- between the customer and the company. The merchant must pay back the entire amount along with any credit card fees. This amount is automatically deducted from your merchant account.

There are three main problems about chargebacks that concern the merchant:

1. They lose the payment and also the inventory if it was sent,

2. Fees associated with every chargeback are between $15 to $25, and worse of all

3. Chargebacks don’t look good, and you may lose your merchant account. Merchant services are pretty finicky; they do not just hand out accounts to anyone.

The customer could either be dissatisfied with the product, or there could be a duplicate order, or it could be fraud. Whatever the reason may be, it is crucial to your online business to keep chargebacks to a minimum. One way to stop chargebacks is to stop fraudulent orders by checking to make sure the order seems legit. This may mean you may have to call each customer to confirm the order. You do not want to accept an order if it appears fraudulent. Be suspicious, because in the end, receiving too many chargebacks will damage your profit line.

If, on the other hand, your customer is simply dissatisfied with the product, give them a call and send them an email. Ask them what it is they didn’t like about the product. Ask them if there is anything you can do for them to satisfy them. If they still seem reluctant to drop the chargeback, your last resort would be to ask them if they wouldn’t mind dropping the chargeback and you can offer them a full refund. Most people wouldn’t mind this option. You will find that a simple phone call to the upset customer may actually turn things around in your favor.

Saving Money by Avoiding Impulse Spending

The questions below will help determine whether one is an impulse spender. Don’t cheat so be honest with your answers.

1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?
2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you previously thought?
3.) Do you have more shoes & clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?
4.) Do you own every new gadget before it has time to collect dust on a retailer’s shelf?
5.) Do you buy things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display in a store?

By having answered “yes” to any two of the above questions, you are an impulse spender & be prepared to indulge yourself in retail therapy.

This is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving money for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement. You must set some financial goals & resist spending money on items that really don’t matter in the long run. Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances but your relationships, as well. To overcome the problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your needs from your wants.

Advertisers flood us with their hype & product promotions 24/7. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned to buy. When you go shopping, make a list & take only enough money to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home.

When seeing something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide its legitimacy. Is it really something you need or something you can easily do without? By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences & your relationship as well.

Think Twice before Doing Travelers Checks

Travelers Checks was a good way to bring a large amount of money with you overseas without the risk of your money being lost or stolen. The key word is “was”. Nowadays, atm/debit/credit cards offers the same safety & convenience but with better acceptability. Just look for the sign like Cirrus, Mastercard, Visa or Plus for example at the ATM (auto teller machines) where your card is accepted & you can easily withdraw your cash overseas. Travelers Checks is a thing of the past.

In some countries you would be considered lucky to find banks or money exchangers who would want to accept the Travelers checks. There is one story where a woman bought some Travelers checks from a particular bank in New York & went to vacation overseas. Unfortunately, all the money exchangers & banks she went to did not accept Travelers checks. She then even went to the same bank franchise in the country of destination but she received the same response. Think twice before changing your money into Travelers Checks.

BSN Does Western Union Transactions Too!

The lady at BSN told me that I should come back at 2pm when the WU system would be back online. Well, it was splendid of her to tell me about it since the folks at the previous two other banks just told me to try another day or at another bank. I had 1 hour to burn so I stood under a tree by the roadside, looking about, thinking how I should spend another hour waiting. I decided to browse about a computer shop inside Ampang Point & possibly buy a new decent keyboard. I did not find a good one which I liked & before you know it its already ten minutes before 2 pm!

So I returned back to the BSN bank with a photocopy of my identification card (IC). Note: you would need a photocopy of your IC to do the WU transaction at BSN bank. My ticket number was called & I gave the BSN lady bank clerk the WU form I filled out previously along with the photocopy of my IC. She looked at my IC & told me that she can only complete the WU transaction for me once because the BSN bank system uses the new MyKad IC. I told her I would have my MyKad IC made it for future WU transactions. It was kind of her to give me a break!

Bank Hopping To Find Western Union System

One full day after Google had posted the Western Union payment details in my Adsense account, I went over to the CIMB which does such WU Quick Cash transactions. I was unfortunate in the beginning to be told that the WU system was offline in the afternoon. The lady at the CIMB bank told me to try again early in the morning the next day.

I already paid for car parking at the Ampang Point area so I wanted to make my trip worthwhile. Although the lady at CIMB said that the nearby RHB, which also was a WU agent, would be experiencing the same WU system being offline, I went on to find out for my self. She was right & the system was offline. Well, I did not give up. I walked over to the BSN bank nearby as the man at RHB bank suggested & asked about WU transactions. BSN is a WU agent too!

New USD $5 Bill with More Security Features

The new USD $5 bill looks like the image on the right. Well, minus the SPECIMEN watermark, of course. *chuckle* ;-)The bill is already in circulation by the US Treasury & includes new security features like a large number 5 that will appear on the right of President Lincoln’s portrait when one holds the bill up to a light. Also can be seen are a column of three number 5 on the left side of the president’s portrait.

The most profound & perhaps awkward looking feature on the new bill is the very big purple colored number 5 on the below right of it. Dollar bill critics will cry fowl over its humongous size. Well, it’s certainly not the Mona Lisa. For me, a legal tender bill & not counterfeit, then its good cash (not referring to the current value of the USD) regardless of how it looks. After all, its just money!

Bad Credit Loans & Credit Cards Online

You may not have heard about bad credit credit cards. What are they? Basically, bad credit credit cards are the type of credit card offered by credit card suppliers to the people who have bad debt. One way to find offers on bad credit credit cards is to go to a good site online where one can find bad credit loans too. The perfect place to find both type of bad credit offers is at BadCreditOffers.com.

Curbing Excessive Credit Card Debt

Don’t let yourself fall into bad debt because of excessive credit card debt & other non affordable debts. A person with bad credit will find it difficult to apply for a Secured Loan & other forms of credit. Some people swap credit cards, moving on from one credit card to another that offers a better deal while maintaining existing credit cards. Such credit card users also use the credit cards to help pay each other off. While it can be seen as clever usage of juggling credit cards, having debt on all of the owned cards could prove unwise; propelling the user ever closer to serious debt problems.


The British Bankers' Association figures have been cited to indicate that £30.4 billion is owed on credit cards by the UK's borrowers. A lot of people are going into debt while credit card suppliers seem to be more concerned with making new products & having customers to buy their products. One possible way of curbing excessive credit card debt would be to develop a system for calculation of applicable credit card limit at the individual level. Also, mechanisms that provide proactive warning based on user’s credit card usage & even imposing early restrictions would help avoid excessive credit card debt. Perhaps some day it would be mandatory for credit card applicants to attend compulsory seminars about the dangers of excessive credit card debts before being given a successful credit card application.

Bad Credit Credit Cards for Financial Help

Credit cards can be useful to make payments for items when one does not carry sufficient cash. Folks who often use credit cards could find themselves in an uncomfortable situation without the credit card privilege due to bad credit. They should consider acquiring credit cards for bad credit. Even folks with bad credit can apply for credit cards to help them out of a tight financial situation & receive a second chance. Its all at BadCreditOffers.com.

Do You Require a Debt Management Solution?

My plan to avoid debt is to make as little purchases that include loans as possible. However, I am unsure whether I can buy a house or apartment without having to take a loan from the bank. Perhaps I can earn enough money per month to buy my new home with cash. Hey, who am I kidding? Come on, I'm not Bill Gates. Another part of my plan is to earn more money so that the monthly mortgage payment for my new home is not going to take a significant chunk out of my monthly income. The second part of my debt management plan sounds more realistic.

While I am babbling about the topic of debt, you may want to take a look at the Debt Solutions website at AbacusFinance.co.uk. For folks facing bankruptcy & other major debt problems, they can visit the website to seek some help. For folks who are unsure whether they need debt help or not, or whether they qualify to be helped by AbacusFinance.co.uk; they can take the simple 1 minute test where they will answer a few basic questions regarding their finance. The website uses large fonts which makes the site easy to read. Hence it is easily shown on the main page where one can go to talk to the experts & receive free advice.

View "Bad Credit" Options at BadCreditOffers.com

BadCreditOffers.com is the place to go for people with bad credit rating. On the website, there are bad credit related categories like credit cards, bad credit loans like home loans, auto loans, & personal loans. People experiencing bad credit may want to visit the website & view what is available for them in the Credit Report & Score section. Also they can see what options they have under the Credit Repair category.

Choose the Best Cash Back Credit Cards at CreditCardSearchEngine.com

You can apply for credit cards at CreditCardSearchEngine.com. The various types of credit cards on the website include cash back credit cards. The cash back cards offered are like Blue Cash from American Express, Capitol One, Bank of America Cash Rewards Credit Card, & etc. Look at what the Cash Back Cards can offer you. Each card has different offers & rewards.

Choose the best one for you. There are also many other credit card types available for comparison on the website. CreditCardSearchEngine.com is one of the leading credit card comparison companies on the internet. Hence, you can feel confident that the available credit cards for comparison on the website had been carefully selected for your benefit.

Find Credit Cards for People with Bad Credit

BadCreditOffers.com facilitates search for Auto Loans, Credit Cards, & bad credit loans by people who are experiencing a phase of less than perfect credit rating in their lives. The services at BadCreditOffers.com are free to use. The company does not charge fees & is not a credit provider. BadCreditOffers.com is a bad credit offers comparison website. The company ensures, with its vast experience that you receive the best bad credit offers online. Inclusive of Credit Report & Credit Repair services comparisons, you can find BadCreditOffers.com to be a valuable resource for people with bad credit.

Folks with bad credit should know that BadCreditOffers.com is the bad credit offers comparison website to visit. For queries not related to the offers shown on the website, you can contact BadCreditOffers.com through the contact form on the website. Otherwise, it is recommended that you contact the particular company providing the offer directly. Also, BadCreditOffers.com can help you recover your good credit rating. Make payments as required & you are on your way out of bad credit.

PB Visa Electron: RM 150 deposit for Gas Purchase

I called the PB card support recently & I only had around RM 64 in my card.

Eerrr…:O

I swore I put in additional RM 200 in it. The lady told me that RM 150 deposit was taken for the gas purchase & it is a normal procedure. Additionally, the deposit minus the gas cost shall be returned to me. You folks want to use the PB Visa Electron for a gas purchase; then make sure you have enough money in it too. ;)

Public Bank Electron Visa Debit Card May Have a "ChargeBack” Feature

Ambank nexG cannot help with the “ChargeBack” situations so you got to request refund from the merchant yourself. Your money is considered "burn" in a situation where merchant fails to provide you with your purchased product or service.

However, you can request to cancel the payment before the merchant receives it at Ambank. The merchant has seven days to pick up your debit/credit card payment from the bank.

On the other hand, for Public bank Electron Visa debit card, you got to provide the documents regarding the purchase to facilitate what may be a "ChargeBack” feature. I was told by Public Bank support that the investigation to results process takes about a month.

No Idea about "ChargeBack" Feature

So I asked about any “ChargeBack” features for both my Ambank nexG prepaid credit card & my new Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card. The Ambank support person eventually told me that it was an issue to be resolved with the merchant by the card user & not the bank.

Basically both support persons had no idea about “ChargeBack”. I had to explain to them that it is a way to have my money returned to me after paying for something to a merchant but not receiving the product or service.

3 Weeks Wait for a PB Visa Electron ATM Pin

Now I am still waiting for the ATM (Auto Teller Machine) pin for my Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card. It takes around 3 weeks for you to receive the ATM pin. The lady from the PB card services told me it is in process & I would receive it after 2 to 3 weeks of receiving the Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card itself. Also note that you can make withdrawals via the Public Bank counters while waiting for the ATM pin.

Many Types of Loans Available at BestLeadingLenders.com

You can apply for many types of loans on the BestLeadingLenders.com website. There are Payday Loan, Auto Loan, Home Loan, & even applying for a credit card. All categories are conveniently accessible on the website through the side bar on the right. You can from $100 up to $1500 amount for a payday loan.

On the other hand, for a Personal Loan , you can apply for a loan ranging from $100 to $15,000. Additionally you can take a look at the special BestLeadingLenders.com program specializing in Bad Credit Loans . Also, there are some interesting articles on the website to help you be acquainted with various types of loan related topics.

Applying for Public Bank e-banking Facility Password

You can download the application for the Public Bank e-banking facility from the pbebank.com website but you still got to submit it to the bank counter. Alternatively, you can go directly to any Public Bank branch, fill the application form, present your Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card or etc, & receive your e-banking password. It is good to be able to use the e-banking facility because then you can see your Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card monthly statement online.

Public Bank Offer Online Shopping Card Safety

You do not have to call Public Bank card services to use your Public Bank Visa Electron Debit Card internationally or for making payments on the internet. I was surprised because it could be like an added security feature as Ambank nexG requires it.

On the other hand, Public Bank employs a different approach for added safety (especially for online shopping) to its range of cards. You can request a free Verified By Visa (VbV) and MasterCard SecureCode personal pin at no extra charge which helps prevent unauthorized use of your card online.