Likewise, a good fraction of credit card disputes end up being resolved in favor of the merchant, not the customer.
> involves a lot more work on their part
I already told you submitting an FTC or BBB complaint is no more work than submitting a credit card chargeback.
> It also requires that the company screw up repeatedly
True if you go to the FTC. Not true if you go to small-claims court: it will be investigated even if only 1 screw-up occur. Yes going to small-claims court is more work than filing a credit card dispute, but then if it is not worth your time given the transaction amount, it kind of proves that being refunded isn't THAT important to you. In this case you would complain to the FTC, and write off the small amount lost.
> You dismiss completely the possibility that this is because of the existence of chargebacks?
I acknowledge chargebacks incentivize merchants to act honestly. But I will repeat for the third time: this is not the only thing that incentivize merchants. FTC, BBB, legal actions, etc.
> Google tiger direct bitcoin refund
I did and I found 2 stories, both resolved in favor of the customer:
- "Edit: The situation is resolved" from http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1wesnv/beware_of_ti...
- "He personally verified my address again for the shipment as well as a "care package"" from http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/1wi95l/another_tige...
This proves my point that most merchants act honestly and that most disputes get resolved without chargebacks :)
> having the funds available again in a few minutes
No. When credit card issuers refund you instantly, it is always a TEMPORARY refund (check the fine print of your credit card agreement) - you still need to submit a full package usually within 60 days with evidence of the dispute (tracking numbers, product descriptions, pictures of what was received, etc) for the credit card issuer to investigate and either make the refund permanent, or resolve in favor of the merchant. That's why I keep explaining t you that submitting this evidence of the dispute is similar in complexity to submitting a complaint to the FTC as they ask the same things a credit card issuer would ask.
Out of curiosity: how many credit card disputes have you ever filed? What proportion were resolved in your favor, and in the merchant's favor?