Disputes (also known as chargebacks) are a challenging but inevitable part of e-commerce. They arise when a customer queries a transaction with their card issuer. The issuer creates a formal dispute which immediately reverses the payment, debiting your account for both the payment amount and a dispute fee (e.g., £15 for merchants in the United Kingdom).

It's important for you to monitor such disputes and respond to them as quickly as possible — thankfully, we've made the workflow simple.

Step 1: Payment charged back

A dispute results in a debit to your account, unless that payment has already been refunded (in which case we resolve it for you) or the issuer reverses the dispute (in which case you'll be repaid the disputed amount).

Step 2: Submit evidence

If you wish to argue your case, you need to submit evidence to us so that we can pass it on to the card scheme. It's best to respond to a dispute as soon as possible.

Step 3: Await the outcome

Once you've submitted your evidence, you'll have to wait up to 55 days for the issuing bank to make a decision.

Outcome A

• If they accept your evidence, you will be credited back the disputed amount. Congratulations, you've won the dispute!

Outcome B

• If they reject your evidence, you have lost the dispute. There are no further financial implications.

There are several reasons a customer might dispute a payment, but the most common are fraudulent charges. The following section outlines all possible dispute reasons, as well as the type of evidence we recommend submitting to make your case. What you provide to us should be the most relevant evidence to the specific case.

Fraudulent

The customer claims they didn't authorize this payment. This can be the result of a lost or stolen card. It is not easy to win this kind of dispute and the evidence listed below is only relevant in specific cases. Sometimes, however, buyers simply forget about purchases they've made. So, if possible, try to contact the cardholder and ask them to withdraw their dispute.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "fraudulent".

Unrecognized

The customer does not recognize this payment on their bank statement. Similar to fraudulent cases, the evidence below is relevant only for specific cases. Buyers occasionally forget about a purchase they've made, or they don't recognize your billing descriptor, so you could try to contact them and ask them to withdraw their dispute.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "unrecognized".

Canceled subscription

The customer claims that they've been charged for a canceled subscription. It's possible they forgot about your cancellation policy and expected charges to be terminated. The cancellation policy can be a useful piece of evidence to provide here.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "canceled_recurring".

Product / service not received

The customer claims they never received the products they were charged for. In this case all evidence to prove that the buyer received the product or service can prove helpful.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "product_service_not_received".

Not as described

The customer claims the item does not have the agreed features or is broken or damaged. Evidence that proves that the product/service provided was the agreed one would help in this matter.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "not_as_described".

Credit not issued

The customer claims that the product or service had been returned and no refund/credit was issued. If you have in fact refunded the customer, make sure to provide that evidence. If your customer was not eligible for a refund, you could provide your refund policy as evidence.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "credit_not_issued".

Duplicate

The customer claims they have been charged more than once for the same purchase. Convincing evidence in this case would be proof that two separate products/services have been purchased.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "duplicate".

Incorrect amount

The customer claims that they have been charged the wrong amount. Indicating that the correct amount has been charged by providing the receipt or invoice would prove helpful. If available and relevant, any customer communication may also be of use.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "incorrect_amount".

General

If we are unable to map the dispute to any of the reasons listed above, we consider it to be a general dispute.

In the API, this will be displayed as "category": "general".

Thanks for using Checkout.com. If you need any help or support, then message our support team at [email protected].