How Chargebacks Hurt Our Newsletter
Happy New Year!
Today, instead of talking about speaking opportunities, I want to have a conversation about the amount of chargebacks we had in 2024, and how they negatively impact us as a small business (because at the end of the day, this is a business). But before I go there, I want to take a moment and thank you for being a loyal subscriber to our newsletter. I’m probably talking in the wind since you are reading this and are still a part of our tribe. Your support is truly appreciated.
Deep sigh…But if you ever decide to leave us please keep this in mind
In 2024 we had several paid subscribers to call their bank/credit card company and dispute their subscription charge to our newsletter. Some where yearly disputes, while others were only for one month. And yes, the majority of these individuals had opened our emails and clicked the links to learn about speaking opportunities.
When a paid subscriber files a dispute with their financial institution, not only do we have to provide supporting evidence that you in fact willingly subscribed to our publication and we didn’t have access to your credit card, but the funds are removed from our bank account until the dispute is settled. If your bank decides to move forward with the dispute despite our evidence, we are also fined anywhere from $10 to $20 and our Stripe account (which Substack payments are processed through) in addition to the refund you receive. Additionally, our Stripe accounts will also be flagged if there are too many disputes.
Many people file disputes with the Substack newsletters they are paid subscribers to because they simply want to cancel their subscription. No one has stated they didn’t recognize the name on their charge - Dr Carey Yazeed.
How To Cancel Your Paid Subscription
If, for whatever reason you are unhappy with your subscription to ANY Substack newsletter, here's how you can cancel your subscription vs disputing the subscription fee with your credit card company/bank.
Log into your Substack account via your computer or the app. Use the email address that you are receiving the publication.
Click on your profile picture
Select Settings
Your will see a list of all of the publications you are subscribed to
Click on the paid publication you want to cancel your subscription to.
Scroll to the Account actions section of the subscription and click on the link next to “To Cancel Your Paid Subscription, Click Here”.
Next, select “Cancel Subscription”
Now, if you decide to move forward with a dispute, please note that it still doesn’t cancel your subscription. Instead, once we receive the dispute claim, we will go into our newsletter dashboard and cancel your entire subscription (you will not receive the free version either).
Let’s start 2025 off the right way. If you are no longer happy with our publication or haven’t found it helpful in your speaking career, use the steps listed above.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Carey Yazeed