The “Disputes” view lists chargebacks. Use it to check where a case stands, hand over evidence to fight it, or let it stand.
Note
The PAYMENTS page is only there for customers who moved to the new iClassPro payments platform. To open this view, staff need Admin Access, or the Payments Page and View Disputes permissions set to Full.
What the “Disputes” view shows
The “Disputes” view shows chargebacks your customers filed inside a date range you set. Returned eChecks are not here. They have their own view.
Filters at the top of the page narrow the list:
- Date — filters by the date the chargeback was processed. It defaults to the past 90 days.
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Status — filters by status. Each choice covers more than one underlying state:
- Open — Unresponded and Undefended.
- Reviewing — Pending and Responded.
- Lost — Lost, Accepted, and Expired.
- Won — Won.
- Payment Method — filters by the method used for the first payment. Each card issuer is listed on its own.
- Reset All filters — a button beside the filters.
Totals at the top of the screen cover the filtered results. Two are shown: Total Disputes and Total Disputed Amount.
Each chargeback in the table below shows:
- Transaction ID, Dispute ID, and Amount.
- Status and Reason.
- Family Name and Email.
- The “Disputed On” date and the “Respond By” date.
- An evidence indicator. It shows whether evidence has been uploaded.
A Past Due badge in the “Respond By” column means the time to defend that chargeback has run out.
The Pagination control sits in the upper right, above the table. Change it to show more results on one page.
Opening one chargeback
Click the pencil/edit icon at the left of a row to open that chargeback. The pencil is on every row.
Beside the pencil is an X icon. That is Accept Dispute, and it gives the chargeback up. It only appears while a chargeback is still Open and can still be fought. Use the pencil to look at a chargeback. Use the X only when you have decided not to fight it.
The chargeback details show:
- Status indicator, Dispute ID, Payment ID, “Created At” date, and Disputed Amount.
- Evidence management. This holds the “Respond By” date and Upload Files. There you pick a defense reason and add a file.
- Customer Dispute. This is the reason the cardholder gave for the chargeback.
- Customer Info. This holds the original payment details.
- Chargeback Timeline. The events run newest first.
Fighting a chargeback
Staff with permission to open this area can fight a chargeback. Add your files to the Your Evidence part of the chargeback details.
Important
Submit Dispute is the green button that sends your evidence and fights the chargeback. Accept Dispute is the red button that gives it up. It marks the chargeback as lost, returns the money to the customer, and cannot be undone.
Pick a Defense Reason. Your pick sets which documents you must upload. The card processor decides which reasons are offered for each chargeback, so the list changes from one chargeback to the next. Two you may see are:
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Merchandise Received — proof the goods or services reached the cardholder, plus the date the merchandise shipped.
- For point of sale items handed straight to the customer, the shipped date is generally the date of purchase, unless the item was bought online and picked up later.
- Services Provided — proof the goods or services reached the cardholder.
You can still change your mind while you are uploading. Delete a file and it comes back off the list. Once the reason you picked has all the documents it needs, the screen locks. To change the reason after that, delete the evidence you have already added.
Your files then show up under Current Evidence. Three buttons sit at the bottom of the screen:
- Back — leaves the screen. Nothing is saved and no files are sent.
- Submit Dispute — sends your files and fights the chargeback. It appears once your defense reason has every document it needs.
- Accept Dispute — gives up the chargeback and closes the case.
Send your evidence before the “Respond By” date. Once you press Submit Dispute, you cannot change it or add to it.
Warning
A fee is charged for every chargeback that is actually charged back against your account. You pay it whether you win or lose, so only fight one when you have strong evidence.
How chargebacks appear on the family ledger
Each chargeback is recorded on the family ledger for you. You do not need to delete or adjust the payment.
- Chargeback (Dispute Opened) and 2nd Chargeback — add a chargeback entry under the original payment. The disputed amount comes off the charges that payment paid.
- Chargeback Reversed — adds a reversal entry. The returned amount goes back on the payment as unapplied credit.
- Part of a payment — a customer can dispute only part of a payment. Then only the disputed amount comes off.
- An open chargeback — a payment cannot be refunded while its chargeback is open or lost.
For details, see How Are Chargebacks Recorded on the Family Ledger?
Chargeback timeline stages
The Chargeback Timeline in the chargeback details names the stage a case has reached.
▶ What each timeline stage means
- Chargeback (Dispute Opened) — a customer has disputed a payment. The money is held back from your account while the case is looked at. If you send nothing, or you give the chargeback up, the case ends here.
- Information Supplied (Response Submitted) — your files went to the card issuer. You cannot change them or add to them now.
- Chargeback Reversed (Under Review) — the money is back in your account while the card issuer looks at your files. If the issuer agrees with you, or does nothing in time, the case ends here.
- Pre-Arbitration (If Applicable) — the card issuer did not agree with you and has moved the case up. The card processor decides what happens next.
- 2nd Chargeback (Final Outcome) — the last stage. The money is taken back out, and you cannot send any more files. The case is closed.
Building your evidence
Open the section below to see what to gather, how to word your rebuttal, and which file types work.
▶ Evidence guidance
▶ When is it worth fighting a chargeback?
You will usually fight a chargeback when both of these are true:
- You have strong evidence for the chargeback reason code.
- The amount is large.
Evidence only counts if you send it before the “Respond By” date. It also has to meet what the reason code asks for.
▶ What evidence should I gather?
This is general advice from the card processor. It is grouped by what the customer bought, and it is not the same list as the Defense Reasons on screen. It covers chargebacks where the customer says they did not get what they paid for.
For every group: proof that the customer never got in touch to sort the problem out. One example is a screenshot of an empty email or phone queue with their details filled in.
For merchandise, also gather:
- A description of the goods.
- DHL-signed proof of delivery and an AVS match.
- A message where the customer says they have the goods.
- A note on why the order was late, if it was.
For digital goods, also gather:
- The confirmation email.
- A description of the digital goods, and when they were bought and downloaded.
- A record of earlier payments the customer did not dispute.
For services provided, also gather:
- The confirmation email.
- Proof that the customer got the service at the agreed date and time.
- Messages with the customer after the payment.
▶ Example rebuttal template
The text below is a template, not required wording. Copy it, swap everything in square brackets for your own details, and edit the evidence list to match what you send.
It is written in formal language on purpose. This is what the bank reads, so leave the wording as it is.
[COMPANY NAME] is a [TYPE OF BUSINESS] (for example, a gymnastics facility or a swim school).
This transaction was initiated through our website. The customer must tick a checkbox to agree to our terms and conditions before they can complete the purchase, and the cardholder’s order summary is fully disclosed before the payment starts. The authentic cardholder received their services, as described, and is not due credit.
We request the reversal of the chargeback based on the following evidence:
As per issuer regulations, the cardholder must attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant before opening the dispute. The cardholder failed to do so, which invalidates the dispute. We are submitting compelling evidence which remedies this dispute and invalidates the cardholder’s claims. The evidence provided is information collected from our internal system. Please see the attached documents.
Evidence attached (edit this list to match the documents you are providing):
- Description of the goods
- Any record of contact with the cardholder
- Proof that the cardholder did not adhere to terms and conditions / refund and cancellation policy
- Screenshot of the checkout page showing that the shopper agreed to the terms and conditions at the time of payment
- Copy of invoice / confirmation email
- Terms and conditions + refund / cancellation policy
- Company information
▶ What file types and sizes are accepted?
- Send clear, high-quality documents that relate to the case.
- Upload one file for each document asked for.
- Only JPG, TIFF, and PDF files work. A PDF can be up to 2MB. A JPG or TIFF can be up to 10MB.
- Got several documents? Combine them into one PDF.
Related: What is the PAYMENTS > “eCheck Returns” view? · How Are Chargebacks Recorded on the Family Ledger? · What is a Chargeback? · What Do the Chargeback Reason Codes Mean?