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Glance at the spreadsheet. Cringe in response. You’ve seen it before, and there it is again: chargebacks. Those money-sucking, every-present, blood pressure-raising losses that seem to creep up all the time.

A chargeback occurs when a merchant is forced to return to the consumer’s credit card account the amount of a purchase that was already transacted. This can result in a staggering and unforeseen loss to a merchant account. For online merchant accounts, whose sole income is provided through card transactions, chargebacks are even more common. When a merchant’s bank takes on the responsibility for that merchant’s transaction, it is also opening itself up to the risk of chargebacks, and may embark upon arm-twisting negotiations that leave the merchant between a rock and hard place, gasping for relief. It’s not just the chargeback itself that stings, it’s the bank processing fee that comes along with it—anywhere from $15-30 per chargeback. These amounts add up, and regardless of the rules, regulations, reason codes, or retrieval requests, chargebacks remain a big problem.

Which leads to a very obvious question: how do you reduce chargebacks, or at least soften the jarring blows? Here are three strategies you can employ to fight back at the damage that chargebacks may cause.

Be Organized

One major cause of chargebacks is when the merchant cannot provide the proper documentation for copy requests. Being organized can reduce the risk that you will be delayed or unable to produce these records. Even Internet merchant accounts should maintain meticulous records of credit card charges and sales. As part of being organized, you should only charge a consumer’s account once the item has shipped and the customer has been notified of the shipment. This will alleviate any alarm that a consumer has when he or she sees a credit charge, but has not received the product.

Be Memorable

One major cause for chargebacks is when a consumer cannot remember the transaction for which he was charged. For this reason, strive to be memorable. It is quite simple to do so. First, make sure that your DBA (Doing Business As) merchant account is the same as your actual business name. Second, follow-up with the customer, notifying him or her of the just-completed transaction, the date, the amount, your company contact information, and your DBA. You may even go so far as to state, “this will appear as a charge from [merchant DBA].”

Be Clear

Some chargebacks may be fraudulent. Others are simply a result of confusion. Strive to reduce confusion, and you will likewise reduce chargebacks. Specifically, you should be clear regarding your return policies. Any merchant account, even online merchant accounts, should have clear policies that stipulate terms regarding credit, in-store credit, exchanges, and returns. Why? Because any confusion or variance from these policies can spark chargebacks.

Chargebacks will be part of business. Accept it. But taking the simple steps of staying organized, being memorable, and striving to be clear will clear up that spreadsheet, and keep your company in the black.