Hey Everyone,
I just wondered if you have had a great experience with your credit card processor? I have been using a company that is now charging for refunds and that will impact business. I would love to hear of another great company.
Thanks
Lindsay
I've had no issues and good customer service with Lynnbrook, but they don't refund the processing fee on a refunded transaction. (However, they also don't charge an extra fee on a refund, which I have seen some other processors do.)
If you're looking for one that will actually refund the fee on the original transaction if you refund it, that's not easy to do--but they do exist. Someone in another thread here on the OR forums recently mentioned specifically that, but I don't recall who it is. I didn't bother to look into it because I think my total loss on processing fees due to COVID cancellations was only around $50. (I'm now up to like 80% of my business through Airbnb, for better or for worse--well, actually clearly for the worse. :P)
Years ago Stripe did, but they stopped offering new accounts with that feature a long time ago, and earlier this year they took it away from those who already had it.
We are not aware of any provider that is currently offering new accounts that refund their fees on refunded amounts. If anyone knows of one, please let us know!
I am curious if anyone tries to collect the credit card processing fee from the guest by withholding from their refund on a canceled booking? My clients have been losing money on all of their Covid-19 cancellations/refunds because the credit card processor does not refund the fees on payment refunds.
I've done a little research to try to figure out if it is even legal to withhold the amount of credit card processing fees from refunds on canceled bookings, but no luck.
I use Stripe and have generally been happy with them. I know they won't refund my fee so I have something in my Rental Agreement that a $50 processing fee will be withheld if someone cancels (even if they're entitled to a full refund). Have not had any complaints.
I did hold the "lost fees" - where basically nobody made any money, we just didn't lose money. Folks were pretty flexible on those considering the policy would not typically allow for a refund, but I was trying to do what in my mind was the right thing. Since folks pretty much have an idea there is a pandemic going on, we are not seeing much for cancellations, more just verification that folks can come out and a rapid increase in bookings.
