StormPay Purchaser Protection Program
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At StormPay, the integrity of your on-line experience is of paramount concern to us. For that reason, we are pleased to announce the implementation of the StormPay Purchaser Protection Program. This program is provided as part of our constant and continuing effort to make StormPay your safest and securest online payment processing option.

With the StormPay Purchaser Protection Program, most qualified purchases will be eligible for up to $250.00 USD coverage at no additional cost. Additional protection is available to those StormPay members when using their United States checking account to fund their StormPay account. The details of this additional protection are outlined in the StormPay Purchaser Protection Policy.

When a purchaser experiences problems with an online vendor, we provide a claim process through which StormPay works with both the purchaser and the seller to gather the details of the transaction. Our Risk Management team will investigate the specific facts and relevant circumstances of the case and make every effort to come to a fair and reasonable conclusion. This process can give you additional security knowing that a proven claim management policy is in effect.

The StormPay Purchaser Protection Program will allow StormPay customers to shop with confidence and avoid a lot of the perils that exist when transacting with unknown vendors across the state or across the world. To qualify for this program, your original transaction must be with a NetIBA (www.netiba.com) Certified Seller. The seller must be a NetIBA (www.netiba.com) Certified seller at the time your transaction is initiated. Before filing a claim, we encourage you to work with your seller since our experience reveals that most issues can be resolved through direct communication between the parties.


Transactions Covered by StormPay Purchaser Protection Program

If you paid for a product and never received it or received an item that was significantly not as described, your transaction must meet each of the following requirements to be eligible for StormPay Purchaser Protection Program:
The vendor you transacted with must display their NetIBA (www.netiba.com) certification on their website or auction listing;
Your purchase must be a physical item -- services and intangible items are not covered;
You must have made an effort to resolve the dispute with the vendor before seeking assistance under the Purchaser Protection Program;
StormPay Purchaser Protection Rules
You may only file one claim per StormPay payment;
Claims must be filed within 45 days of the StormPay payment;
You may not file a claim if you are simply disappointed with the item you have received. Items must be significantly not as described or never received;
You are limited to three StormPay Purchaser Protection refunds per calendar year;
You must be willing to provide information during the investigation process. If we are unable to obtain the necessary information, your case may be cancelled without a refund. For specific terms and conditions please review the StormPay Purchaser Protection Policy set out below;


StormPay Purchaser Protection Program Policy
This Policy was last modified on April 5, 2005.
General. StormPay’s Purchaser Protection Policy provides a method for purchasers to make formal complaints regarding goods paid for through StormPay but never received, and regarding goods purchased through StormPay auctions and paid for through StormPay that the purchaser receives but that are significantly not as described by the seller. This program should be viewed as a back-up to direct communication between the purchaser and the seller, and as a way to encourage such communication, and to help maintain a safe on-line experience.


Eligibility. Purchaser complaints must be filed within 45 days of the payment. Even if the purchaser’s claim is justified, the purchaser will receive a recovery only if there are funds in the seller’s account. RECOVERY OF YOUR CLAIM IS NOT GUARANTEED.

The Purchaser Protection Program only applies to payments for tangible, physical goods which can be shipped, and excludes all other payments, including but not limited to payments for intangibles, for services or for licenses and other access to digital content. In addition, items prohibited in the StormPay User Agreement are ineligible for coverage. To be eligible for this coverage you must have made your purchase from a merchant who has an auction listing or website that is NetIBA (www.netiba.com) Certified.

An item is 'significantly not as described' if the seller clearly misrepresented the details of the item in a way that affects the products’ value in a material way or the intended and expected usability of the product. Please note that this does not include cases where the purchaser is merely disappointed with the item or where the item did not meet all the purchaser's expectations. If you file a claim for a 'significantly not as described' item, you will generally be required to return the item to the seller at your expense.

If your purchase is made with your United States checking account as opposed to a credit card StormPay will double the typical coverage limits to $500 per transaction.


Filing a Claim. Before we will consider your claim, you must present proof of your attempt to communicate your dissatisfaction to the seller. It is incumbent upon you as the purchaser to make a good faith attempt before invoking this claim procedure. If you are unable to resolve the dispute in this manner, you can file a claim in StormPay’s Claim Center here. You can access the Claim Center through the Account Overview page that is presented to you when you log in to your StormPay account.


Claim Procedure. StormPay will contact the seller and investigate your claim. If the claim involves non-delivery of goods, the seller must present appropriate proof of shipment to the purchaser’s specified address. If the claim is granted, StormPay will seek to collect from the seller by debiting the seller’s StormPay account. StormPay may also limit the seller's access to his or her StormPay account. If there is more than one claim against the same account, we will process the claims in the order they are received, and will pay out on each granted claim up to the amount of funds in the seller’s account at the time the claim is awarded, but not more than the amount of the claim. However, there may not be sufficient funds in the seller’s account to pay any of your claim. RECOVERY OF YOUR CLAIM IS NOT GUARANTEED.

Claims must be filed no later than 45 days from the date of payment. Only one claim may be filed per StormPay transaction. StormPay will seek to resolve the claim within 30 days of the date the claim is filed, though such time frame may be extended at StormPay’s discretion to accommodate the investigation. StormPay will contact the seller and investigate your claim. If the claim involves non-delivery of goods, the seller must present appropriate proof of delivery to the buyer’s specified address. If the claim is granted StormPay will reimburse you up to the maximum amount specified above, and will use reasonable efforts to collect from the seller any additional amount you paid above the maximum. StormPay may also limit the seller's access to his or her StormPay account. StormPay will credit the amount to your StormPay account balance.


Other terms and provisions. StormPay encourages all purchaser disputes that cannot be resolved directly with the seller to be filed and resolved through the StormPay Claim Center. StormPay reserves the right to terminate or limit account access privileges of purchasers who misuse the claims process to get their money back and keep the goods, or to recover payment twice for the same dispute, or who file three or more claims per 12-month period that are ruled invalid by StormPay Inc. StormPay reserves the right to ask for identity verification from buyers and sellers and refusal to provide this information will be a key factor in the claim resolution process. We reserve the right to cancel or suspend any accounts that fail to provide us any information we request to investigate a complaint.

If a claim is initiated by a purchaser, whether as a result of a dispute with the seller or for any other reason, the purchaser and seller agree to provide to any requesting party on a timely basis any and all necessary documentation to resolve the dispute. StormPay DOES NOT act as the agent of either party in any transaction or resulting dispute, though StormPay does decide the outcome of disputes initiated through the Purchaser Complaint process. StormPay reserves the right to change or discontinue the Purchaser Protection Program for any reason, at any time and for any duration at its sole discretion. Pending claims at the time of any such discontinuance will continue to be processed under the existing program rules until a final decision is reached. Unless otherwise stated, all amounts in these Terms and Conditions are in U.S. Dollars. StormPay may access shipping information from the courier on your behalf to verify shipment status.