Homeowners looking for spray gun replacement parts, construction contractors shopping for painting equipment, and manufacturers seeking sandblast rooms and recovery systems for their plants turn to Pittsburgh Spray Equipment. The company’s inventory ranges from consumer painting equipment priced under $100 to engineered sandblasting facilities in the $50,000 to $65,000 range.
The business has decades of experience serving clients in person across eastern Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. However, when they set up their ecommerce store to expand their market across the U.S. and into Canada, they got a crash course in card-not-present fraud. “When we started our online selling journey, we had some large fraudulent orders charged back to us. We didn’t realize before that online fraud was such an issue, but it’s a big risk and a liability that's hard to control on your own,” said Vice President Patrick Harmon. “We started working with ClearSale after that and stayed with them for several years because we enjoyed their expertise and quality of service.”
99.22%
Average Monthly Approval Rate (Nov. 2020 – May 2021, Nov. 2021)
$120K
More than $120K Fraud Prevented (Nov. 2020 – May 2021, Nov. 2021)
Faster
Faster, More Helpful Service
The Challenge: Prevent Fraud Without Hurting Customer Experience or Wasting Time
In 2021, Pittsburgh Spray Equipment tried a new approach. As a savvy business leader, Harmon saw an opportunity to save money on fraud prevention when a ClearSale competitor approached him and offered better rates for what they presented as a better service.
Pittsburgh Spray Equipment switched to the competitor in June 2021, but after a few months of slow responses to their inquiries, delays in order approvals, and more in-house time spent managing fraud, the company switched back to ClearSale — even though that meant paying for the rest of a one-year contract with the competitor they weren’t going to use.
“We had assumed that the service would be comparable, but right away they showed their true colors. When we had order inquiries about possible fraud and we needed them to confirm, their responses were much slower and less straightforward. We were saving money on the service but spending more time dealing with the work we were paying to outsource,” Harmon said.
The Solution: ClearSale Total Guaranteed Protection
Because much of the equipment Pittsburgh Spray Equipment sells is so expensive, even one fraudulent chargeback could cost the company tens of thousands of dollars. With ClearSale Total Guaranteed Protection, that’s something Pittsburgh Spray Equipment doesn’t have to worry about.
ClearSale’s comprehensive fraud protection started with the CNP fraud prevention industry’s first chargeback guarantee, but it didn’t stop there. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, the expertise of more than 1,500 specialized analysts, and proven proprietary statistical technology, ClearSale’s AI and machine learning tools are always learning more about how Pittsburgh Spray Equipment’s good customers behave.
That means ClearSale is always getting better at separating good orders from fraud attempts. This ability to get smarter frees Pittsburgh Spray Equipment to ship costly equipment with confidence. It also helps them deliver excellent customer experiences that build loyalty and generate repeat business.
ClearSale gives Pittsburgh Spray Equipment:
- Rapid order decisioning, so good customers don’t have to wait.
- Virtually no false declines, so good customers keep coming back.
- Custom-tailored fraud controls that match the risk profile of the company’s industry, channels, markets and customer profiles.
- A dashboard with easy-to-use real-time metrics and customer reports.
- Data security compliance, to guard against breaches and maintain customer trust.
ClearSale also communicates quickly and clearly with customers, so businesses don’t have to leave customer orders waiting in approval limbo or spend internal resources trying to screen orders for fraud. That gives companies like Pittsburgh Spray Equipment peace of mind, keeps their customers happy, and saves everyone time.
The Results: 99%+ Approval Rates, More Responsive Service
In the seven months leading up to the company’s switch to a ClearSale competitor, ClearSale approved more than 99% of all orders every month — and they resumed that high approval rate as soon as Pittsburgh Spray Equipment came back to them. During those periods, ClearSale was able to maintain that high approval rate even when fraud attempts spiked above $32,000 in one month.
Just as important was the improvement in service when Pittsburgh Spray Equipment started working with ClearSale again. While pricing was a consideration, Harmon said, “at the end, your experience with the service is significantly important.”
ClearSale’s merchant-friendly month-to-month terms make it easy for businesses to get industry-leading chargeback prevention and customer service without locking into a long-term contract – something Harmon values now more than ever. Returning to ClearSale was worth it, “even though I still have to pay the other guys for a service that I’m not using.”
Now, though, Pittsburgh Spray Equipment is free to sell more of its specialty equipment without worrying about fraud. Their family business is free to focus on providing great service and growing their business because they don’t have to spend so much time managing fraud or their fraud prevention provider.
- 99.22% Average Monthly Approval Rate (Nov. 2020 – May 2021, Nov. 2021)
- More than $120K Fraud Prevented (Nov. 2020 – May 2021, Nov. 2021)
- Faster, More Helpful Service
“ClearSale’s service is better than the competition by leaps and bounds, especially when it comes to getting information about why orders are being flagged for fraud, updates on order reviews, and urgent decisions on approval,” Harmon said. “ClearSale is lightyears ahead.”
See how ClearSale helps other businesses win the fight against fraud.
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