Banks need to do a better job of communicating with their customers when dealing with chargeback requests.The Code Compliance Monitoring Committee this week published the results of a study (including a shadow shopping exercise) of how well banks meet their chargeback obligations.A consumer can apply to have a credit card debit reclaimed if a transaction has been duplicated, the transaction was unauthorised or fraudulent, or the purchased goods were not received.The chargeback rules are part of the Code of Banking Practice, which the CCMC monitors.The sample month for the study was March last year, when banks received more than 90,000 chargeback requests.The CCMC found there were only a small number of complaints about the banks' handling of chargeback requests. It also found there was a good level of compliance.However, card-holders were often given open-ended time-frames for processing their applications, without being told that their right to a chargeback may be lost if a referral is not made within a specific time. Advice on time-frames was, at times, inconsistent with the advice given under the credit card's terms and conditions. The CCMC said banks needed to be clearer about time-frames and should also make sure reasons for refusal were understood. It suggested that banks include a statement on chargebacks in monthly account statements.