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Original poster

I've been reported for fraud...

62 replies

Whatryourthoughts · 25/02/2023 19:54

I provide a service in the beauty industry. Have my own business. At Christmas I advertised a special offer for a service. I don't want to be too outing and say what this was, but as a similar example let's say it was 4 lash extension sessions for the price of 3. So the buyer would bulk buy the sessions at a discount, like a package. In the ad it said the purchase was non-refundable.
A lady booked the package and also booked in her first 'session' for lashes in January. On the day of the session she messaged me less than an hour before her session to cancel due to being ill and asked to rearrange. I said this was fine.
She has last week asked me for a refund for the money she paid for the package. I politely reminded her that the Christmas special offer was non-refundable and offered her a variety of slots to book herself in.
Today my card was blocked by my bank... having contacted them, it turns out I've been reported as a scam by this woman!
I explained my side to them and they said to go to the bank on Monday morning and just show my booking T&Cs and the correspondence between myself and this woman and they will unfreeze my account. However this had really freaked me and I'm really upset/angry/depressed that this has even happened. I partly wish I'd just given her the refund now, did I do the wrong thing?

OP posts:
Justmeandthedog1 · 25/02/2023 21:32

She’s paid and now regrets it and hopes you’ll refund her. She’s probably done this before, hence why she knew who to contact.
Stay calm, you’ve done nothing wrong. Show your bank the T&Cs and emails to and from her. You went out of your way to help and describing your offer as a scam is ridiculous ( and maybe slanderous)

Bollindger · 25/02/2023 21:52

Show them her texts, as it proves she purchased your services.

Original poster
Whatryourthoughts · 25/02/2023 22:49

Hi all,
It's not a business account but the bank didn't seem concerned by this at all. They just said that I've been reported as a scam and when I explained the transaction and what actually happened the lady just said to bring evidence of T&Cs in on Monday and it would be unfrozen. So hopefully that will put pay to it. I'm simply astounded that she has done it, and further that my whole account has been freezed.

OP posts:
bamboonights · 25/02/2023 23:00

I have a small bis ness and you do get the odd customer that is just AWFUL. Sorry this has happened to you-it's hard enough being a single mum trying to survive these days without this shit.

Duckingella · 26/02/2023 09:16

I'm sorry this happened to you.I run a little sideline selling things,it's more of a hobby than a business but the extra cash helps;I had a customer buy things from me in 4 separate transactions over a few months and paid via PayPal then lie to her bank saying she didn't recognise The Paypal transactions to me.She got her money refunded and I was left in debt in my Paypal account.I hit the roof and told her I'd be reporting it to the police as fraud in order to obtain a crime reference number to PayPal to get my account out of debt;she shat herself and sent me a bank transfer for the missing money owed.

Original poster
Whatryourthoughts · 27/02/2023 09:42

On way to bank now all. Got my evidence but so nervous. Will update how it goes.

OP posts:
SpecialK2023 · 27/02/2023 10:18

dont feel bad - id go with the attitude I’d been hugely inconvenienced without good reason!

Original poster
Whatryourthoughts · 27/02/2023 10:32

All sorted, card unfrozen. Said the lady has clearly done it maliciously and unfortunately it happens a lot to small businesses.
Thank you everyone for your supportive comments! Been so stressed.

OP posts:
LaRitournelle · 27/02/2023 10:41

Glad it's sorted, try not to let it get you down (I know I would be upset too) unfortunately some people are just like that and can't always be avoided.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 27/02/2023 10:56

I think you’d have a right to say that she was trying to scam YOU and damage your business and ask that they freeze HER account!

it’s ridiculous that banks can just do that on a verbal say so of a random member of the public. They should at least contact you first to say they will freeze the account unless you can provide evidence.

HermioneWeasley · 27/02/2023 11:02

Glad it’s sorted. What an absolute cow

NotDavidTennant · 27/02/2023 11:09

I'm not sure it's fair to have blanket policy of not refunding. Charge her for the session she missed, yes, but I don't see what basis you have for keeping the money for the other sessions. I can understand why the customer would think this unreasonable.

Ndd135632 · 27/02/2023 11:09

CurlyhairedAssassin · 27/02/2023 10:56

I think you’d have a right to say that she was trying to scam YOU and damage your business and ask that they freeze HER account!

it’s ridiculous that banks can just do that on a verbal say so of a random member of the public. They should at least contact you first to say they will freeze the account unless you can provide evidence.

Agree. Innocent until proven guilty. They MUST know how stressful this would be over a whole weekend.

museumum · 27/02/2023 11:11

I'm pleased for you. Claiming through your bank is a legitimate thing to do if it is a genuine scam. Obviously her claim wasn't.

I was advised to try this with a cowboy garden landscaper who took £2,000 from me and buggered off but his bank rejected it!!! So he's still out there on all the sites (trusted trader - hah!) scamming people by taking deposits then pretending to go bankrupt.

YellowDaffodillie · 27/02/2023 11:31

When you drew up your offer, did you get your paperwork checked by a solicitor?

Lots of small business owners in the hair & beauty industry run offers and take deposits without ensuring that their contractual terms are legally watertight.

It’s a rookie mistake to draft your own T&C’s if you don’t have legal training as you’re likely to come unstuck when someone decides to cancel and request their deposit back or proportion of the unspent payment to be returned. 🤷🏻‍♀️

ArcaneWireless · 27/02/2023 11:44

There are scammy arseholes everywhere. Sorry you met one OP.

I wouldn’t even goodwill refund the bugger after those shady shenanigans. I would stick to my terms rigidly.

I've been reported for fraud...
nofluffsgiven · 27/02/2023 12:04

It sounds like she's just contacted her bank and tried to get her money back, told them her side of the story and making out she's a victim and the bank have put it down as fraud, but the woman hasn't given a thought about the implications of this for you. She's purely just doing it for selfish reasons to get her money back from the bank. It's actually her that is commuting fraud, she's spend money on something and doesn't want to accept she has lost the money so she's trying to trick the bank

GiltEdges · 27/02/2023 12:25

YellowDaffodillie · 27/02/2023 11:31

When you drew up your offer, did you get your paperwork checked by a solicitor?

Lots of small business owners in the hair & beauty industry run offers and take deposits without ensuring that their contractual terms are legally watertight.

It’s a rookie mistake to draft your own T&C’s if you don’t have legal training as you’re likely to come unstuck when someone decides to cancel and request their deposit back or proportion of the unspent payment to be returned. 🤷🏻‍♀️

And yet if the issue here was the customer deciding that the T&Cs they'd agreed to weren't legally watertight, the correct thing for them to do would have been to raise a small claim and allow the courts to decide, not report OP to their bank as a scam artist, which she blatantly isn't.

WeAreTheHeroes · 27/02/2023 12:28

That's good news for you OP, I'm pleased the bank has been sensible. Make sure you block this person on all social media, etc.

Whataretheodds · 27/02/2023 12:32

SpecialK2023 · 25/02/2023 20:05

This is a matter for your bank though - is it? It’s a civil matter, it’s not for the bank to police the policies of your business so I can’t see why they need to “see your T&C’s” she’s not been scammed, it was a genuine business transaction that’s now in repute but that doesn’t make the circumstances surrounding it the banks business.

Hope that makes sense. I am surprised at your banks approach seems completely disproportionate.

Of course you'd expect a bank to take action is they suspect you're using your account with them to commit a crime. It's in THEIR Ts&Cs.

SpecialK2023 · 27/02/2023 13:04

Whataretheodds · 27/02/2023 12:32

Of course you'd expect a bank to take action is they suspect you're using your account with them to commit a crime. It's in THEIR Ts&Cs.

Show quote history

If whose suspects?

They shouldn’t freeze t account on the basis of unsubstantiated, malicious claims.

Weepingwillows12 · 27/02/2023 13:12

It's really common for people who can't get refunds to claim it was a fraud transaction. It obviously hits small business owners hard but I have a friend in a payables team at a big company and she spends a lot of time having to justify transactions were real to credit card companies in order to get the money they are owed. I think this lady has just tried to scam her money back and hadn't thought of the consequences for you.

Wonder if she will now try and book in her missing sessions. That won't be awkward....

LittleTiger007 · 27/02/2023 13:16

Go to you bank calm and business like and explain the situation. It’s hideous and I feel for you but you are not in the wrong so don’t let this get you down.

strawberry2017 · 27/02/2023 13:33

Glad you got it sorted OP, just shows how careful you need to be.

YellowDaffodillie · 27/02/2023 13:34

GiltEdges · 27/02/2023 12:25

And yet if the issue here was the customer deciding that the T&Cs they'd agreed to weren't legally watertight, the correct thing for them to do would have been to raise a small claim and allow the courts to decide, not report OP to their bank as a scam artist, which she blatantly isn't.

Show quote history

Firstly, I’m pleased the OP has resolved this situation with her bank this morning.

I also agree that the customer appears to have acted unreasonably in this situation by suggesting that the OP’s terms of business equate to a scam or fraud, when that seems highly unlikely, but not impossible.

Here’s an example of a potentially similar scenario for you:

Supposing just before Christmas that ‘Jenny’ agrees to sign up for a course of 5 treatments costing her £250 in total and she pays a deposit of £50. She leaves it a few weeks until after Christmas then contacts the business to make her first appointment and discovers that the business owner has changed their opening hours so they now only open for a couple of hours on a Tuesday and Thursday morning, which is when Jenny is working. The business owner says, “sorry but it was made clear when you signed the agreement that your deposit is non refundable”.

Would Jenny be unreasonable to feel upset and to tell her friends that she feels scammed by the Business Owner (BO) in this situation? Taking the BO to court will cost her more money and take time to get her money refunded so she mentions it to her bank and asks if there’s anything they can do to help her get her money back.

Has Jenny been unreasonable at this stage?

My previous post was to point out that there’s a chance that the customer IS ENTITLED to her money back if the T& C’s were not carefully drafted in the first place. Too many small business owners wrongly believe that they can competently write up a simple agreement, maybe adding the odd bit of legalese, and if it sounds reasonable to them then that’s all that’s required.