Young business owner's fury over customer's cruel act on Facebook Marketplace: 'Take this is as a serious warning'
A small business owner has called out a deceitful customer who received a refund for an online order - despite having received the goods - and later trying to sell the items on Facebook Marketplace.
Emma Diedrichs, who runs online business called LuxeLittleOne selling baby backpacks and nappy totes, said she was left nearly $250 out of pocket after the customer told her bank she didn't recognise the charge in her bank statement.
The customer had purchased two luxury baby bags in February. But shortly after the items were delivered to her address, the same customer quietly claimed a 'chargeback' on her credit card to secure a refund.
It's a process where a credit or debit card issuer reverses a transaction and returns the funds to the cardholder, typically when a customer disputes a purchase.
Chargeback fraud is one of the latest scams affecting small businesses across Australia - and the worst part is, dodgy customers are getting away with it.
Despite proving that the items arrived at the shopper's doorstep, Emma said the bank sided with the customer, so she lost the sale and was hit with an additional $25 fee.
'It's so disheartening for me. I'm a single mum, this is my livelihood. This took money off the table for my family... $250 was taken out of our bank account and (refunded) back to the customer. It really hurt me,' the business owner said in a video.
To make matters worse, Emma said she saw her products being advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace - leaving her furious.
'Fast forward to last week, I was scrolling on Facebook Marketplace and found our two luxury baby bags,' Emma said in disbelief.
Upon seeing the ad, she quickly realised it had been created by the same customer received the refund four months ago.
'X2 LittleLuxeOne baby bags. One pink and grey, the other grey and black. Only used for a few months. Near new condition with no wear and tear,' the ad read.
'Currently on sale for $119.90 for one. RRP $239.80 each. Cash and pink up only.'
Furious, Emma said she began looking up the seller's Facebook profile.
'It's the exact same name of the lady that placed the order and the lady that put the chargeback through,' she said.
'Honestly, this is so frustrating for me, so frustrating. I work so hard in this business, this is my full-time job. This puts food on the table for myself and my son.
'I'm working day in and day out to provide for my family. It's just me. This is my income. You wouldn't go to somebody's workplace and take $250 off them.'
At the time the customer claimed the chargeback, Emma said the woman never raised any issues about the items with her business.
'This customer did not contact us whatsoever... I assumed everything was normal,' Emma said.
'Me being naïve and receiving my first chargeback, I didn't know what to do, so I just kind of disputed it. But the bank decided to favor with the customer.
The mum said she wanted to share her experience on social media to prevent dodgy customers from scamming business owners.
'If you ever think that you want to put a chargeback through to a little Aussie small business, just think again, maybe contact the company or the business directly and resolve the issue,' she said.
'If I had known what to do and tried to contact the customer first, I would have done that but I just didn't know what a chargeback was at the time and I was already just so disheartened that she thought our company was fraudulent. We are not fraudulent.'
Emma said what the customer did to her small business was, in fact, fraudulent.
'I'm p***ed off,' she explained.
'And I just wanted to come on here and rant to you guys because I know our community are amazing.
'And just don't, please don't do a chargeback on small businesses... it just hurts. And when you see them selling it on Facebook Marketplace, like what f***?'
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