Automatic restitution of transaction fees, punishment of non-paying bidders, and management of appeals

Abstract

A method and system for resolving disputes between parties involved in a network-based transaction is described. One aspect of the present invention seeks to automatically facilitate the restitution of value to parties of the transaction, for example, facilitated by a network-based commerce platform or involving a network-based payment service, where a dispute has arisen with respect to the transaction.

1 . A method comprising:
 receiving a complaint from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated with the transaction on a network-based commerce facility, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee relating to the transaction;   determining, one or more processors, that the complaint includes a valid reason to provide restitution of the transaction fee;   sending a request to a second party to the transaction, the request including the reason, the request requesting from the second party a notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent; and   based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party within a predetermined amount of time, providing restitution of the transaction fee to the first party.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first party is a seller of an item listed on the network-based commerce facility and the second party is a bidder on the item. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the valid reason does not include any of the following reasons: (1) the bidder paid for the item, but then returned the item and received a refund from the seller, (2) the seller and the buyer mutually agreed not to complete the transaction, or (3) the bidder bid an amount that was lower than the final high bid for the item. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the valid reason includes one of the following reasons (1) the bidder did not provide payment for the item, (2) the bidder provided a fraudulent form of payment for the item, or (3) the bidder falsely claimed that the item was not received by the buyer. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party in the predetermined amount of time, increasing a count associated with the second party, the count representing a number of failed transactions in which the second party was at fault, and suspending the second party from participating on the network-based commerce facility based on the count reaching a threshold count. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising receiving a valid reason for an appeal from the second party, making a determination to grant the appeal, and based on the making of the determination to grant the appeal, decreasing the count associated with the second party and reinstating the second party to participate on the network-based commerce facility based on the count falling below the threshold count. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the valid reason for the appeal includes an assertion by the second party that the complaint received from the first party is false. 
     
     
         8 . A system comprising:
 one or more modules implemented by one or more processors, the one or more modules configured to:   receive a complaint from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated with the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee relating to the transaction;   determine that the complaint includes a valid reason to provide restitution of the transaction fee;   send a request to a second party to the transaction, the request including the reason, the request requesting from the second party a notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent; and   based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party within a predetermined amount of time, provide restitution of the transaction fee to the first party.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the first party is a seller of an item listed on the network-based commerce facility and the second party is a bidder on the item. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the valid reason does not include any of the following reasons: (1) the bidder paid for the item, but then returned the item and received a refund from the seller, (2) the seller and the buyer mutually agreed not to complete the transaction, or (3) the bidder bid an amount that was lower than the final high bid for the item. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the valid reason includes one of the following reasons (1) the bidder did not provide payment for the item, (2) the bidder provided a fraudulent form of payment for the item, or (3) the bidder falsely claimed that the item was not received by the buyer. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more modules are further configured to, based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party in the predetermined amount of time, increase a count associated with the second party, the count representing a number of failed transactions in which the second party was at fault, and suspend the second party from participating on the network-based commerce facility based on the count reaching a threshold count. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more modules are further configured to receive a valid reason for an appeal from the second party, make a determination to grant the appeal, and based on the making of the determination to grant the appeal, decrease the count associated with the second party and reinstate the second party to participate on the network-based commerce facility based on the count falling below the threshold count. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the valid reason for the appeal includes an assertion by the second party that the complaint received from the first party is false. 
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 receiving a complaint from a first party to a transaction, the complaint being associated with the transaction, the first party being obligated to pay a transaction fee relating to the transaction;   determining that the complaint includes a valid reason to provide restitution of the transaction fee;   sending a request to a second party to the transaction, the request including the reason, the request requesting from the second party a notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent; and   based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party within a predetermined amount of time, providing restitution of the transaction fee to the first party.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first party is a seller of an item listed on the network-based commerce facility and the second party is a bidder on the item. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the valid reason does not include any of the following reasons: (1) the bidder paid for the item, but then returned the item and received a refund from the seller, (2) the seller and the buyer mutually agreed not to complete the transaction, or (3) the bidder bid an amount that was lower than the final high bid for the item. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the valid reason includes one of the following reasons (1) the bidder did not provide payment for the item, (2) the bidder provided a fraudulent form of payment for the item, or (3) the bidder falsely claimed that the item was not received by the buyer. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , the operations further comprising, based on the notification specifying that the complaint is fraudulent not being received from the second party in the predetermined amount of time, increasing a count associated with the second party, the count representing a number of failed transactions in which the second party was at fault, and suspending the second party from participating on the network-based commerce facility based on the count reaching a threshold count. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , the operations further comprising receiving a valid reason for an appeal from the second party, making a determination to grant the appeal, and based on the making of the determination to grant the appeal, decreasing the count associated with the second party and reinstating the second party to participate on the network-based commerce facility based on the count falling below the threshold count.