The New Year always starts out with the best intentions; people resolve to lose weight, eat better and live healthier. Some people commit to a lifestyle change while others go another route and incorporate nutraceuticals into their lives, and that can cause issues for merchants as people don’t see the results they are expecting fast enough.

These types of supplements aren’t regulated by any government office, and the claims they make aren’t substantiated by any regulatory board, so that’s where the problem lies for merchants according to Chargebacks911.

Without a solid lifestyle change that includes proven diet and exercise plans, and not allowing enough time to take effect, many impulse nutraceutical buyers demand a chargeback blaming the merchant’s product and not their lack of effort and determination.

 The nutraceutical industry has a reputation — justified or unjustified — of being “high-risk” for most credit card processors, and merchants in this industry can even have trouble getting merchant services at all. According to Chargebacks911, this is made more difficult when merchants don’t dispute chargebacks to keep a customer happy.

Monica Eaton-Cardone, COO of dispute remediation leader Chargebacks911, says data shows that merchants have little standardization in their chargeback processes and are, for the most part, unequipped to deal with chargeback fraud or even "the customer is always right" bias which cardholder institutions have towards consumers. "Many retailers aren't even aware of chargeback triggers, which may mistakenly be built into their businesses policies," she said.

Humboldt Merchant Services prides itself on not shying away from high-risk merchants and has been working with the nutraceutical industry for years. We understand the uniqueness of the nutraceuticals marketplace and will help you customize a solution that is the perfect fit for a merchant's business. If you need it, certain payment solutions with Humboldt include daily chargeback reports and real-time online reporting, so you can stay on top of what may cause chargebacks and get help in disputing them.

For more information on how Humboldt can help you with your card processing needs, visit our website and see how we bring more than 20 years of experience when working with high-risk merchants.