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Watch your refunds

Started by KarenH, December 23, 2011, 19:16

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KarenH


http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=338731

Another bug?   Refunds where the entire amount of the purchase (not the royalty) is taken back???   Of course, we won't know if it's an isolated occurrence, or a bug in the wild, because the threads get locked.

Sean Locke Photography

He/She should have gotten an email with the amount listed.  What did it say?

ShadySue

Quote from: sjlocke on December 23, 2011, 19:35
He/She should have gotten an email with the amount listed.  What did it say?
Is that a rhetorical question? The thread has been locked.

Sean Locke Photography

Quote from: ShadySue on December 23, 2011, 19:38
Quote from: sjlocke on December 23, 2011, 19:35
He/She should have gotten an email with the amount listed.  What did it say?
Is that a rhetorical question? The thread has been locked.

It was more of a request in case that OP reads here...

ShadySue

Quote from: sjlocke on December 23, 2011, 21:25
Quote from: ShadySue on December 23, 2011, 19:38
Quote from: sjlocke on December 23, 2011, 19:35
He/She should have gotten an email with the amount listed.  What did it say?
Is that a rhetorical question? The thread has been locked.

It was more of a request in case that OP reads here...

Good thinking, Batboy.

Carl

#5
I was just notified of a refund of $11.00 on a file for which I only received $7.10 initially, and it was sold on September 2 - almost four months ago!  What the H is going on here???   :o

Sean Locke Photography

A refund removes the record from the history.  Are you sure the now gone record wasn't for $11?

Carl

The email message reads as follows:

"We regret to inform you that a refund has been issued for a purchase of your file #7101268:
This is in reference to the file downloaded on 02/09/11 for the amount of 11.00."

If the retail price of the file were $11.00, I certainly wouldn't have received $7.10.  (It's a video file, not a photograph.)  At 20% royalty rate, I would receive $2.20.

They gave me $7.10 initially for the sale, then took back $11.00 for the refund.  How does that work???  Maybe I'm in the wrong business!   :P

ShadySue

Quote from: csproductions on December 24, 2011, 11:02
The email message reads as follows:

"We regret to inform you that a refund has been issued for a purchase of your file #7101268:
This is in reference to the file downloaded on 02/09/11 for the amount of 11.00."

If the retail price of the file were $11.00, I certainly wouldn't have received $7.10.  (It's a video file, not a photograph.)  At 20% royalty rate, I would receive $2.20.

They gave me $7.10 initially for the sale, then took back $11.00 for the refund.  How does that work???  Maybe I'm in the wrong business!   :P

I don't think, even with old credits and discounts, that you can buy a video for $11. I'm guessing the $11 was your share of a larger gross value.
I had a recent EL refund and that was the wording, and the amount quoted was the amount I originally got for the file.

Carl

I don't think you can buy a video for $11.00, either.  My royalty from the sale of the video was $7.10, but they took back $11.00 for the refund.  If I can do the same thing - give someone X dollars and take back X+Y dollars - sign me up!!!   :P

ShadySue

Quote from: csproductions on December 24, 2011, 15:12
I don't think you can buy a video for $11.00, either.  My royalty from the sale of the video was $7.10, but they took back $11.00 for the refund.  If I can do the same thing - give someone X dollars and take back X+Y dollars - sign me up!!!   :P

I guess you'll get a reply from CR, if you take out a ticket, some time in mid-January.

Sean Locke Photography

Quote from: csproductions on December 24, 2011, 15:12
I don't think you can buy a video for $11.00, either.  My royalty from the sale of the video was $7.10, but they took back $11.00 for the refund.  If I can do the same thing - give someone X dollars and take back X+Y dollars - sign me up!!!   :P

Again, how do you know the royalty was for $7.10?  The record disappears when they make the refund.  Are you sure the now removed sale didn't net you $11?

Karimala

#12
Quote from: sjlocke on December 24, 2011, 16:00
Quote from: csproductions on December 24, 2011, 15:12
I don't think you can buy a video for $11.00, either.  My royalty from the sale of the video was $7.10, but they took back $11.00 for the refund.  If I can do the same thing - give someone X dollars and take back X+Y dollars - sign me up!!!   :P

Again, how do you know the royalty was for $7.10?  The record disappears when they make the refund.  Are you sure the now removed sale didn't net you $11?

Your question leads me to believe the sites should preserve and disclose all of our records onsite instead of just sending an email.  Fotolia, Alamy and I think Bigstock provide refund reports in our stats and don't remove the sale.  If the sale's record disappears, how can anyone verify the site made a mistake?  All the sites provide downloadable stats spreadsheets, but not everyone is disciplined enough to download them every month (or even realize they are available).  

Sean Locke Photography

I'm certainly not going to argue with you that ISs reporting abilities are lacking :) .

KB

Quote from: csproductions on December 24, 2011, 15:12
I don't think you can buy a video for $11.00, either.  My royalty from the sale of the video was $7.10, but they took back $11.00 for the refund.  If I can do the same thing - give someone X dollars and take back X+Y dollars - sign me up!!!   :P
Sort of OT, but actually a video could be bought for $11. A Small Web costs only 15 credits, so that would be a per credit price of 73.33 cents. I think the cheapest I've had was for around 77 cents per credit, but I've definitely had plenty of photo sales at far less. So I'm sure somebody could buy a Small Web for $11.

Still, I agree with the others here. Unless there really was an error on iStock's part (always possible), you probably did receive $11 for this sale.