Chargeback instructions from CMI

In an email from CMI today, we were provided the following information when requesting a charge reversal. We strongly encourage you to contact your bank immediately if you have not already done so. If your bank has denied your reversal request, please contact them again and provide them the below information. 

We recommend the following text “Due to problems with our online registration company, Count Me In Corporation, we need you to contact your credit card company and reverse the charges for their services.  The reason for the chargeback is that the services were not rendered. Under the terms of your cardholder agreement and most state laws they must reverse the transaction if you ask them to. The time periods are 12 months for credit cards and 60 days for debit cards. Don’t agree to contact Count Me In Corporation directly as that won’t work. Once the credit card company processes the chargeback you will receive an email advising you of the details including how to “repay” the same amount by credit/debit card or check.”  

Thank you for your assistance.

FAQ's regarding Count Me In

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Count Me In Corp. not Paying Player Registration Fees to LCYO and Credit Card Challenges by Parents

Why am I having to challenge my credit card payment? – Your credit card payment was made to Count Me In (CMI), the online registration and league management software vendor LCYO has used without problem since 2004. CMI has not paid LCYO and says it’s looking for new investors so it can pay LCYO and its other clients. It is estimated that CMI owes scores of sports leagues, schools and other organizations more than $5 million. We have no assurance of receiving any funds owed us by CMI.

 

In order to organize the 2009 Spring baseball and softball seasons LCYO needs your help. As LCYO hasn’t received payment for your son’s/daughter’s registration we have no choice but to ask parents to challenge the payment and then pay LCYO by check. Many parents have already succeeded in challenging the payment, received credit and paid LCYO by check. Other CMI clients are instructing their parents to do the same thing.

 

What if my bank denies my challenge? – CMI has not disputed any of the credit card challenges so that shouldn’t happen. In fact, CMI has sent LCYO and its other clients an e-mail on how to handle challenges administratively, essentially encouraging us to use this strategy. However, if it does and you provide LCYO with documentation showing your challenge has been denied LCYO will not charge you for your son or daughter to play.

 

When do I need to challenge the payment – Immediately. The more time that elapses between the initial charge and the challenge, the longer it may take for your dispute to be resolved. Also, three sports leagues that haven’t been paid have sued CMI to force it into involuntary bankruptcy. Should that occur we don’t know if the credit card challenges will continue to be successful.

 

My bank has given me a provisional credit but said it will take some time before I can be assured I won’t be recharged. I don’t want to pay LCYO until I know I won’t be charged again. – If your registration and/or sponsorship charges are later charged back to you, LCYO will refund you that amount.

 

I’ve challenged my credit card payment but my bank has yet to credit my account. Should I pay now? – LCYO asks that you pay as soon as you’re comfortable your bank will refund your fees. Again, if your bank later reinstitutes the charges LCYO will reimburse you later.

 

I paid by debit card. Will that be a problem? – Banks have responded differently regarding debit cards. However, it is our understanding that even the debit card payments should be backed by Visa or MasterCard protection plans. We ask that you insist upon talking to a manager. If you are unsuccessful and provide us with documentation of the denial LCYO will not ask you for payment.

 

My bank said I can’t challenge the payment to CMI because too much time has lapsed. What should I do? – Again, banks have responded differently on this issue so we ask that you be assertive and insist on speaking with a manager or supervisor. It may take longer but you should still be able to challenge it successfully.

 

What will happen if I don’t challenge my credit card payment and I don’t pay LCYO? – We regret the inconvenience but prior to the start of games LCYO will need to receive your son’s or daughter’s registration payment or documentation that your bank has denied your credit card challenge. Quite simply, without parents challenging these payments and then paying LCYO we will not have the funds to operate the league this year. If you do not challenge the payment or pay LCYO we will have no choice but to cancel your son’s or daughter’s registration and hope CMI refunds you the money directly so you can then pay LCYO. We don’t know if this will work. If your child’s registration is cancelled he/she will not be covered by our insurance and we will not be able to put him/her on a team. Many divisions are waitlisted so your son/daughter could also lose his/her spot if a delay occurs.

 

My bank has asked for documentation that CMI hasn’t paid LCYO. – Please visit our website at www.lcyo.org where you can find such documentation, including news articles and letters from the league president regarding this issue.

 

Why didn’t LCYO use Pay Pal to collect registration fees – CMI does more than collect registration fees. It is a full league management software program that allows us to create teams, schedule games, send e-mails to parents by division or team, and much more. LCYO has used CMI without incident since 2004. Many other sports leagues and clients of CMI are facing the same problem and also asking parents to challenge their credit card payments.

 

Does LCYO expect to make budget cuts – Your volunteer Board of Directors is hoping that if all parents challenge the credit card payments we will be able to recoup the vast majority of the money due us and we will not have to make cuts that lessen the experience your son or daughter receives.

 

What can I do to help? – Besides challenging your credit card and paying LCYO ASAP, you can help by sponsoring a team or finding someone to sponsor a team. Our goal is to get two sponsors per team this year. Also, you can participate in the LCYO golf tournament April 24.

Financial Situation Update

Dear LCYO Parents,

 

As President of La Costa Youth Organization, I am writing to update you on the financial situation caused by LCYO not receiving more than $180,000 owed to us by Count Me In (CMI), the online registration and league management software company we have used since 2004.

 

Please take a moment to read this article as we are asking you to take action prior to player evaluations on January 10 and 17!

 

Most importantly, let me assure you the 2009 spring season will go on as scheduled.  Player evaluations begin this weekend and all preparations are under way for another successful season of baseball and softball.

 

As you should know by now from previous e-mails, LCYO is asking parents who paid by credit card to challenge that payment to CMI. This strategy is being used by other unpaid clients of CMI and has proven quite successful. Many LCYO parents have received credits for the disputed charges and already have paid LCYO via check (including me). Time is critical in the dispute process and if you haven’t already challenged the payment, it is of utmost importance you do so immediately.

 

In order to secure the needed funds to operate, LCYO will require parents who paid by credit card to either:

 

• Pay LCYO the registration (and/or sponsorship fees) upon a successful challenge of their credit card payments.
• Provide documentation that their bank has denied the challenge of the payment to CMI.

 

LCYO has made it clear from the beginning of this issue that we will NOT charge parents twice for their sons or daughters to play in the Spring. However, given the critical nature of this issue your Board of Directors believes it is essential and reasonable to require all parents to challenge the credit card payment and provide documentation if the challenge is unsuccessful. Prior to the issuance of uniforms in late February, team managers will need to confirm payment has been made for each of their players or that the parents’ challenge has been denied.

 

You can pay at evaluations – At evaluations January 10 and 17, we will have LCYO volunteers there to inquire upon the status of your dispute if you paid by credit card. If your challenge was successful, or if you received a provisional credit, we hope you will pay LCYO via check at that time. In the event the provisional credit is reversed and the charge reinstated, LCYO will reimburse you.   If your challenge has been denied we ask that you bring a copy of the correspondence from your banking institution. If the challenge has yet to be resolved, we will make note of that for future reference.

 

We are quickly reaching a point where the LCYO Board of Directors will need to make decisions regarding any financial cuts that might be needed. As such, it is essential we get a good indication from the player evaluations in the next two weeks as to the revenues we can expect this season.

 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

 

Respectfully,

 

Phil Urbina

President, La Costa Youth Organization