La réponse courte
Chargeback evidence should be captured when the sale happens, not gathered after a dispute arrives. A dispute does not ask whether you delivered; it asks whether you can prove it before a short response deadline, often a matter of days once your processor passes the notice to you. CELER Merchants recommends that small, mid-size and enterprise businesses set up their terminal, POS or payment gateway so the key records attach to each transaction automatically: the receipt, the chip or tap record, delivery confirmation, and a timestamped record of what the customer agreed to.
Why disputes are lost on paperwork
When a cardholder disputes a charge, the card issuer decides the case on the file in front of it. If you shipped the order, served the customer or delivered the work but cannot show it in writing, the outcome can go against you anyway. The clock adds pressure. Card network rules give the acquirer a set number of days to respond, and processors usually give merchants a shorter internal deadline so they have time to assemble the file. If the receipt sits in the POS, the tracking number in a shipping account and the signed agreement in someone's inbox, that window can close before the file is complete.
See the full timeline: How long do chargebacks take?
Evidence your setup can capture at the sale
The right record depends on how you sell. The table below lists the records that most often answer a dispute, and the system that usually holds them. Most of these can be stored automatically with each transaction, so nobody has to remember to keep them.
| Sale type | Record worth capturing | Where it usually comes from |
|---|---|---|
| In person, chip or tap | Chip or contactless read, authorization record, PIN or signature where collected, itemized receipt | Terminal and processor reports |
| Online or phone order | Address and security code check results, IP address and device details, billing and shipping addresses, order confirmation | Payment gateway and online store |
| Shipped goods | Carrier tracking with delivery confirmation, signature on delivery for higher-value orders | Shipping software linked to the order number |
| Services and deposits | Signed or click-accepted agreement with a timestamp, scope of work, cancellation terms, proof the service was delivered | Booking, invoicing or e-signature tool |
| Abonnements | Record of the customer accepting recurring terms, renewal reminders sent, cancellation requests and when they were handled | Billing platform |
Make the record attach itself
Ask five questions about your current setup. Does the gateway store the address check, security code check and device details with each transaction, and for how long? Does the POS keep digital receipts you can find by date, amount and the last four digits of the card? Is shipping tracking linked to the order number, not just stored in a separate account? Does your booking or invoicing tool record the time and date a customer accepted your terms? And does your processor's dispute portal let you upload these records, or pull transaction data into the response for you? Some processors, gateways and terminals do this automatically; others leave it to you. Features and fees vary by provider, so ask yours in writing what is captured and what is included.
Show your terms before the customer pays
Evidence of an agreement only helps if the customer saw it. Put your refund, cancellation and delivery terms where the customer meets them before paying: on the checkout page with a box they tick, on the invoice or booking confirmation, and on the receipt. For in-person sales, print the key terms on the receipt and post them at the counter. A timestamped record that the customer accepted clear terms answers many disputes about cancellations and refunds.
Keep records long enough, and keep them safe
Customers can dispute some charges months after the sale, so keep transaction records for the full dispute period of every card network you accept. Your processor can confirm the periods that apply to your account. Store records in one place, indexed by date, amount, authorization code and order number. Never store full card numbers or security codes to build a dispute file; the last four digits and the authorization code are enough to match a record to a transaction, and keeping more creates a card data security problem of its own.
What changes for small, mid-size and enterprise businesses
A small business can usually cover most cases by turning on digital receipts, asking for delivery confirmation on higher-value orders, and keeping signed agreements in one folder per month. A mid-size business with several channels should link the POS, online store, shipping and booking tools so each record carries the same order number, and give one person ownership of every dispute deadline. Multi-location and enterprise merchants should centralize dispute handling, track win rates by reason code and by location, and ask their acquirer about automated responses and data feeds. Larger online sellers should also check whether they can use Visa's Compelling Evidence 3.0 for card-not-present fraud disputes.
For card-not-present fraud disputes: Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0: October 24 changes
Test your setup before the next dispute
Pick three recent sales of each type you handle and try to build a dispute file for each one in fifteen minutes, using only what your systems already stored. Whatever you cannot find is the gap to close. Then look at what disputes cost you on your statement: dispute fees, lost sales and the staff time spent. If that number is growing, the setup is worth fixing now, not during the next dispute.
When a dispute does land: How to win a chargeback: building the response
Points clés à retenir
- A dispute is decided on the records you send, not on what actually happened
- Your processor's response deadline is usually shorter than the card network's
- Most useful evidence can be captured automatically at the sale
- Match the record to the sale type: in person, online, shipped, service or subscription
- Test your setup on a few recent sales before the next dispute lands
Guides connexes
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