Responding by reason

Each section below covers one dispute reason — what the claim means, whether to fight or accept, and the primary evidence that makes a strong case. Every counter-dispute is built from three layers of evidence:

1. Mandatory documents — required on every counter-dispute, whatever the reason: customer communication and the payment invoice.
2. Reason-specific primary evidence — the evidence tables in each section below.
3. Secondary evidence — the same supporting set applies to every reason.

​

Fraudulent, unrecognized & customer-initiated

Applies to fraudulent, unrecognized, and customer_initiated. The claim: The customer says they didn’t make or don’t recognize the purchase. Fight or accept? Work out which of three situations you’re in:

• Genuine fraud — the card was used by an unrelated third party. Usually not winnable; accept and treat as a fraud signal.
• Authorized use — the legitimate cardholder, or someone acting for them (an employee, family, or household member), actually made the payment. Winnable if you can show the link.
• Friendly fraud — a real customer disowning their own purchase. Winnable; the tell is prior, undisputed purchases from the same customer.

Compelling evidence (primary): What you send depends on the angle you’re challenging on:

• Customer withdrew the dispute — written confirmation, or acknowledgement that they recognize the charge and filed in error.
• You already refunded — the refund reference, date, and amount.
• An authorized person made the payment — evidence linking the buyer to the cardholder (e.g. a family/household member or authorized employee), or that the cardholder is in possession of and using what was bought.
• The purchase was legitimate (friendly fraud) — a prior relationship: two or more earlier transactions from the same customer that weren’t disputed, plus proof they received and used what they bought.

Primary evidence by challenge reason × product type: No prior purchase history? When the customer is new and you can’t show a prior relationship, you’re relying on showing the transaction had the hallmarks of a genuine purchase. In order of strength:

1. AVS + CVV result — strong support, not a waiver. A full AVS match (billing address matches the issuer’s record) and a CVV match are compelling supporting evidence, but a match does not remove your liability — you may still have to argue the case and can still lose. For physical goods, shipping to the AVS-verified billing address is stronger still. A useful twist: if the CVC was presented but the issuer authorized the charge despite a failed check, or never verified it, that points liability back at the issuer. Store the CVV result (match / no-match), never the CVV value itself.
2. IP, device & session data — supporting. IP geolocation near the billing address, device geolocation at the time of the transaction, a recognized device ID / fingerprint, and session / login data build the picture that the genuine cardholder transacted. On their own they rarely win a true-fraud case, but they strengthen an AVS-backed response.

​

Credit not processed & subscription canceled

Applies to credit_not_processed and subscription_canceled. The claim: The customer expected a refund/credit, or says you charged them after they cancelled. Fight or accept? Only fight if the refund isn’t owed or you already issued it. If it’s owed, refund instead. Compelling evidence (primary):

• If already refunded: refund reference, date, and amount.
• If cancelled: records showing the actual cancellation date versus the charge date.
• If not eligible: your refund / cancellation policy and a note on why this case is excluded.

​

Duplicate

Applies to duplicate. The claim: The customer was billed more than once for the same purchase. Fight or accept? Only fight if the charges are genuinely separate orders; otherwise refund the duplicate. Compelling evidence (primary):

• Proof that each charge backs a distinct, valid order — description, quantity, price, and delivery/service detail for each.

​

Product not received

Applies to product_not_received. The claim: The customer says what they paid for never arrived. Fight or accept? Fight if you can show delivery or availability. Compelling evidence (primary):

• Physical: delivery confirmation (signed if possible), tracking, shipping address, ship date, stated delivery timeframe.
• Digital: access/activity logs showing the customer’s IP and access dates.
• Service / booking: a service receipt with description, date, and signature, plus cancellation terms.

​

Product unacceptable

Applies to product_unacceptable. The claim: The customer received the item but says it’s damaged, defective, or not as described. Fight or accept? Only fight if the claim is unfair; if genuinely defective, accept. Compelling evidence (primary):

• Terms describing the product condition and refund policy.
• An explanation of why the dispute is invalid against the terms the customer agreed to.
• Where relevant, proof the item matched its description (photos, specs, listing).

​

General

Applies to general. The claim: Unspecified. Fight or accept? Contact the customer first to learn the real complaint, then gather evidence addressing it. Compelling evidence (primary): Any document that directly addresses the clarified concern.