Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

What's the point of a chargeback when they just ask the merchant whether they owe money to the buyer?
The point of a chargeback is to force merchants to do the paperwork. Many merchants don't, and are easy targets for chargebacks, even when they have, in fact, provided the good or service. You used a tax prep service. They may have given you poor (technical) advice, but such firms are usually very good about doing the paperwork. That's why you lost.