HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee for merchants

The following policy applies to purchases made on third-party sites using HAQM Pay. For A-to-z Guarantee protection details for purchases made on the HAQM website, see Represent your side in an A-to-z Guarantee claim.

HAQM has built a base of millions of satisfied customers by being responsive to their concerns and acting quickly to resolve these concerns. The customer trust extends to merchants using HAQM Pay services through the HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee program. This guarantee allows customers to obtain a full reimbursement for their purchase or cancel their authorized payment if dissatisfied using HAQM Pay.

HAQM Pay encourages you to answer all customer inquiries within 24 hours of receipt. Good communication with customers, promotes positive feedback for merchants.

Most customers won’t need this program, but for those who do, the guarantee provides confidence and trust when shopping from merchants using HAQM Pay.

When can a customer file an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim for an HAQM Pay transaction?

Customers can file an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim when one of the following conditions applies:

• They don’t receive an item.
• The item arrives after the maximum estimated delivery date you provided.
• The item they received is defective, damaged, lacks parts, or differs materially from your description.
• They return the item in agreement with you, but you don’t reimburse them after receiving the.
• You don’t accept the item’s return in accordance with the return policy posted on your website.
• They believe you charged more than the authorized purchase amount.

To see the HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee information that customers see on the HAQM Pay website, see HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee for buyers.

What should I do to avoid a claim?

To help mitigate the risk of an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim:

• Ship promptly with a reliable delivery method.
• Provide tracking information to customers.
• For orders with a high value, require a signature upon delivery (recommended, but not mandatory).
• Insure high-priced items.

For more information, see Customer service policy and Customer service best practice tips.

How do I view and manage claims?

HAQM Pay sends an email with details for every claim, requesting a response. This allows you to present your perspective on the issue. Respond to a claim by replying to the email notification with the requested information. You can also manage your claims proactively by visiting the A-to-z Guarantee Claims page in Seller Central (in the Performance section).

What are my obligations when a claim is filed?

• You have 7 calendar days to respond to HAQM Pay's notification, but it is a best practice to reply immediately. Within this period:
  • Issue a refund to the customer or represent your case to HAQM Pay.
  • If the item hasn’t been shipped, cancel that portion of the order.

  Note: If you don't respond within this timeframe, HAQM automatically assigns the claim to you, reimburses the customer, and debits your account or cancels any future payment.

• For an Item Not Received or Item Received Late claim:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to HAQM Pay’s email.
  • Provide verifiable shipment tracking number or proof of shipment date, carrier, method, and class if non-traceable.
  • Provide the email indicating the delivery estimate(s) sent to the customer.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Materially Different claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to HAQM Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Describe the disputed item and provide the URL of the detail page.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Returns or Refund claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to HAQM Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Provide the URL of the page describing your returns policy and return address.
  • Provide a copy of the return label sent to the customer, if any.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.


• For Charged more than expected claims:
  • Explain your side in the Seller Central form or by responding to HAQM Pay’s email.
  • Provide the order confirmation email showing: purchase date, shipping address, total price, charges, taxes, item description, quantity, and, if it isn’t new, item’s condition.
  • Include details of any communication with the customer outside of Seller Central.

Note: If you fail to provide a sufficient response, violate the HAQM Payments, Inc. Customer Agreement, or if it’s determined you were at fault, HAQM Pay will reimburse the customer and debit your account for the refund amount, including item price, tax, and shipping. HAQM Pay might also cancel any future payment for the disputed order.

How does HAQM Pay determine whether an item isn’t received by a customer?

The claims for an Item Not Received will be processed according to the following policies:

• Products shipped without tracking
  A merchant is liable for a claim if the estimated delivery date has passed and the order was shipped without tracking information. This applies to all orders, including those shipped by media mail.


• Products shipped with tracking - in transit
  If tracking shows expected delivery soon and the product was shipped by the promised ship date (2 business days after the order date), the claim is denied and the customer must wait. The merchant will not be liable. If tracking information doesn’t show expected delivery in a reasonable timeframe, the claim is granted and the merchant is liable. This covers packages lost in transit.


• Products shipped with delivery confirmation tracking where tracking shows delivery but the customer claims non-receipt
  HAQM Pay will investigate the dispute and might contact the customer to confirm non-receipt. If no receipt is confirmed, the merchant might be liable for lack of fulfillment - HAQM Pay won’t cover service errors like loss, theft, or postal/shipping issues. However, it protects merchants from fraudulent customers and HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee abusers.


• Products shipped with signature confirmation tracking where tracking shows delivery but the customer claims non-receipt
  If the signature confirmation matches the customer, the claim is denied. If the signature doesn’t match the customer, the claim is denied and the customer must follow up with the signee. Claims are denied for packages signed for by a freight forwarder or the customer’s agent (for example, receptionist or family member). However, if an investigation determines the customer didn’t receive the order due to a shipping error beyond their control, the merchant might liable, though rare.

Am I required to allow returns for items that the customer believes are materially different, defective, or damaged?

As a merchant, you're responsible for managing returns process of materially different, defective, or damaged items. This includes providing customers a way to return and promptly processing the refund. Failure to handle returns might result in a debit to your HAQM Payments merchant account if the customer is refunded under an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim, even without the item’s return. You might also be held responsible for not responding to an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim or declining a valid return request.

Do customers see the information I provide to HAQM Pay to investigate a claim?

Customers don’t see comments you submit to HAQM Pay via the representation form email responses, they are solely for HAQM Pay investigators. However, customers can see comments you make on the A-to-z Guarantee claims page under Contact Buyer.

How do HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claims affect my account?

Excessive HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claims can lead to warnings, suspensions, or account termination. These claims affect your Order Defect Rate, used to calculate your reserve. For details, see our Reserve Policy page. Minimize the number of claims granted against your account. Issue a refund to resolve the problem.

How does HAQM Pay prevent customers from filing both an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim and a chargeback?

HAQM Pay denies an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim under review when it receives a chargeback from the card issuer. If the claim is already granted to the customer for the full transaction amount before receiving a chargeback, HAQM Pay will represent the chargeback to the issuer.

How does HAQM Pay handle an HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee claim when I have already issued a refund?

HAQM Pay denies an A-to-z Guarantee claim if you’ve issued a full refund for the items through HAQM Pay, providing necessary information to track it.

If you resolve the issue outside HAQM Pay’s knowledge and it grants the claim, HAQM Pay can’t guarantee fund recovery. In such cases, summarize the resolution and send it to the customer via Seller Central following these steps:

1. Sign in to Seller Central with your HAQM Payments merchant account.
2. Click Menu ☰, then click Performance, and then click A-to-z Guarantee Claims.
3. Find the corresponding order, then click Contact customer, and then click Other.
4. Enter a summary on how you resolved the issue and these steps for the buyer to withdraw the claim:
   1. Sign in to the HAQM Pay website with your HAQM credentials.
   2. On Your HAQM Pay Activity page, find the corresponding transaction, and then click Details & Support.
   3. Click Withdraw claim
      

      Note: After the customer has withdrawn a claim, the order is recharged and your account subsequently credited.

   4. Click Send.

Note: If you face any issues by sending the message via Seller Central, you can also contact the buyer directly with the steps on how to withdraw the claim.

How can I appeal a claim granted against me?

If the claim is decided against you, you have up to 30 calendar days to appeal that decision from Seller Central. During the appeal process, HAQM Pay might request additional details about the transactions from you. If HAQM Pay reverses the decision, your account will be credited.

What if I have more questions?

If you have more questions about the HAQM Pay A-to-z Guarantee for merchants, contact us.