I recently had a terrible experience with a business service provider. I had an issue with the service and the customer support was awful. Additionally, they were not upfront about their sales practices and wanted to charge me money for getting the issue resolved. They wanted to keep me locked into the service in order to keep getting my money. To say that I was furious would be an understatement.
Fortunately, since I’m a financial writer, I know what my options are. Additionally, at my former job I had to deal with terrible stuff from a business service provider on behalf of my boss all the time. That means I’ve learned a thing or two about how to get your money back.
Call your credit card company immediately.
One of the reasons I pay for my business expenses with a credit is because if I ever have a dispute with a business service provider, it’s much easier to get the issue resolved. As soon as I realized this company was not transparent and simply wanted to take my money, I immediately called my credit card company to put a stop payment on the merchant. If that doesn’t work then I’m disputing the charges as soon as they hit my credit card account.
Credit card companies are typically awesome about this because it’s their job to keep you happy. If you have a solid history with them (which I do) and explain the situation, they’ll tell you what your options are so you can get your money back after dealing with a terrible business service provider.
Always use the customer support chat so you can have proof.
If I have to end up escalating the issue to a merchant dispute, I’m ready to send my credit card company the conversations I had with customer support via chat. These conversations prove that the company was not transparent with me. Because I have this proof, it’s going to be way easier to get my money back.
Moral of the story: Get those chats emailed to you, screenshot them, do whatever it is you need to do to have proof just in case a business service provider turns out to be terrible.
Talk to the supervisor.
Sometimes when you’re dealing with a bad business service provider, you just need to be assertive and ask to speak with the supervisor. They have more power than customer service reps do, they just don’t want you to know that.
Warn other people.
This may not have much to do with getting your money back from a terrible business service provider, but it is powerful. I took to my personal Facebook page and let all of my blogger friends know that they should not use this company. At the very least, I can save someone else the headache I’ve been through.
Use the experience to your advantage.
While I would never cause drama on my business social media pages, I can turn this experience into content for my clients and blog readers. Remember, I write about money for a living and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had an experience like this. While this action may not get me my money back, it sure as heck can help me make more money and help other people in the process.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, the chances are high that at some point you may deal with an unethical business service provider. The key is to know what your options are and use it as a teachable moment.
