Rejected transactions showing up as debits on donor's bank accounts

Amanda Tindale · January 2021

We've been getting more and more complaints from donors that we've taken their money several times, and asking for refunds. When I log into BBMS, I see that all but one of their attempts to donate were rejected (usually they're entering their address or verification code wrong), so there is nothing for us to refund.

I'm told it's due to the donor's bank holding the money as pending, and it takes several days before the bank decide we're not going to claim the money and they credit the donor's account again. I've asked Blackbaud a few times and they say there is nothing that can be done about it as it's the donor's bank (actually it appears to be Visa who are the main culprit).

My question is - has anyone else encountered this problem? If it's a Visa issue and not a Blackbaud issue then surely it would happen with any website you use a Visa card and enter the details in wrong, but from our testing, that's not the case, so it must be something to do with Blackbaud.

Does anyone know if there is a way to automate an email to donors when their transaction hasn't gone through successfully - at least then we could make them aware straightaway that we didn't receive their money?

It's becoming a real headache - this week I had to help a panicking donor who couldn't afford to pay his rent because of the problem, and it took a lot of calls and emails to the bank to fix it.

Tara Dustrude · January 2021

Hello Amanda,

I'm not aware of any email settings to let people know their transaction has declined. They should see a decline on the page when the card is declined (indicating it did not go through) but that won't include any language to let them know they could see a pending charge. While this can happen with any type of decline, I do I think it's more commonly seen with the AVS (address verification) or CSC (3 digits on the back of the card) declines that you mentioned. Since you are seeing Visa as the main culprit, it's likely a specific bank is the common factor here.

Something you could consider is putting language on your page to let people know that 1) Declined transactions can show as pending on their bank statement but ultimately will not go through 2) After one or two declines to contact your organization for assistance and/or 3) Make sure they know to use the billing address for their card.

I'm so sorry you are seeing this! I wish I had more suggestions.

Tara

Amanda Tindale · January 2021

Yes, I've edited the AVS and CSC settings to see if that reduces the amount of rejections.

Good tip about explaining on the website. We've got a lot of live OLX forms, so I just need to make sure my colleagues who maintain the website find them all. I'm still curious to know if anyone else has encountered this. I'm not convinced it's happening to all Visa users on all sites - I'm sure it must have something to do with Blackbaud. But it's hard to know how often it's happening unless the donor tells you!

Thanks

Amanda

Rejected transactions showing up as debits on donor's bank accounts

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