Source: https://stripe.com/docs/disputes

A dispute arises when one of your customers questions your fees with his bank or credit card company. Banks usually ask customers for a reason for the dispute.


Following the client's complaint, most banks tend to align with the client without any further investigation and initiate a formal challenge. This can be quite frustrating, but there is a dispute resolution process, and in many cases you can prove that the charge was valid. Stripe will provide you with the details of the challenge and will work with you to fight any disputes you find unjustified.


Challenge Process


When you are informed of a dispute, you have several options:


  • If you have contact information about the customer, you can contact him to understand the reason for his dispute. It is possible (perhaps even probable) that the customer simply did not recognize the transaction; communicating with him can often help solve the problem quickly. If the dispute is the result of a misunderstanding, the customer may ask his bank to withdraw the dispute. Even if your client cancels his challenge, it is still important to provide evidence.


  • You can answer the challenge. To do so, simply visit the litigation page (in the email address sent by Stripe) and provide the appropriate evidence according to the category of disputes. You can also submit evidence via the API. Stripe will guide you through the different pieces of evidence appropriate to the type of challenge. Stripe will also provide you with any information you need to provide to your client's credit card company and keep you informed of the findings of the investigation.


  • You can choose to accept the dispute - concretely, accepting the repayment of the transaction by the bank. This is what will happen if you do nothing.


It is important that you respond to a Stripe payment challenge within 15 days otherwise you may lose the case automatically and there is no way to contact the credit card issuing bank of the disputing customer. 


The dispute is between the issuing bank and you, Stripe only serves as an intermediary for the exchange of information.


If you lose the dispute, a $ 15 fee will be charged to your Stripe account by the issuing bank to cover its costs.


It is therefore important that you be informed of an email dispute. Normally, your Stripe user account activates this notification, but to verify use this link to see the Notifications section and the Disputes option.


You can also add other users to your Stripe account so that they are also informed. You can give these people restricted or full access to your Stripe account. To add users to your Stripe account, go to the Business Settings menu (left) and the Teams submenu and make sure new users will be notified of any disputes.


Contact us if you need help with Stripe, which is in English only.


Your response to the challenge must be clear and direct. It all depends on the dispute. Here are typical examples, but beware: the reason that will be indicated in the dispute may simply be that the customer has not received the good in question, or any other standard messages. So it's better to include more than one explanation.


  • Challenging your terms of purchase

Simply indicate that the customer must accept the terms and conditions during the transaction by ticking a box and that the terms are automatically presented to him in a dialog box that he must close before finalizing the transaction. Also indicate that the terms at the time of purchase are written on his order and attach a copy of his order in a PDF.


  • The customer says he did not make the purchase

It is unlikely that a fraudster will use a stolen card to make a purchase that will be consumed later. This is most likely the case of a client who lies to dodge charges. In this case, indicate that the customer who made the purchase online is named "First Name and Last ", and that his email is such and that the person with this email has received his confirmation and possibly his electronic tickets for an event that is X days after the transaction. If you have proof (ticket scan) or checked the receipt box in the MaitreD/Reception page (if this feature is available for your activity) then you can say that people have come forward to get the product in question.


Here is the article produced by Stripe to explain how to go about various types of protest.