ZocumentsOn this page
- Read the claimWhat does the customer say happened?
- Test your recordsDo they directly contradict that claim?
- Choose a responseAccept, challenge, or pause and check.
There are three sensible responses
The claim is accurate, your records support the customer, or the promised refund or cancellation was not completed. Accepting is a response to the facts, not a failure to try.
The transaction appears legitimate, the claim is inaccurate, and you have specific records tied to this customer and transaction that address the reason.
You disagree, but your explanation is stronger than the proof you can attach. Find the missing record before deciding, while keeping the processor deadline in view.
The 30-second case check
Before you choose challenge
- Do I understand exactly what the customer is claiming?
- Do my records contradict that specific claim?
- Can I connect those records to this exact transaction and customer?
- Are the records stronger than my explanation alone?
- Can I submit them before the deadline shown by my processor?
Mostly yes means you may have a case worth challenging. Mostly no means gather the missing records before deciding, or consider whether accepting is appropriate. This is a decision aid, not a prediction of the bank's outcome.
What the records can change
| Customer claim | Records you have | What that suggests |
|---|---|---|
| The order never arrived. | Carrier tracking shows delivery to the order address. | A specific disagreement may be worth challenging. See proof of delivery. |
| I was charged twice. | Your ledger shows two captures for the same order. | Your records support the claim; investigate and consider accepting or refunding through the processor. |
| I did not authorize this payment. | You have transaction-linked authorization, account, or 3-D Secure records. | Those records may support a challenge, but fraud rules and the processor's requested fields still control. See authorization evidence. |
| I cancelled before this recurring charge. | The cancellation came after the renewal, or you cannot show when it happened. | Check the billing timeline before challenging. Subscription evidence explains what to assemble. |
If you challenge, start with the claim
Do not start by collecting every file you have. Open the reason that matches the notice, then use its evidence map to decide what belongs in the response.
Delivery, tracking, address match, pickup, access, or service-completion records.
The listing, order, fulfillment details, customer messages, and return or refund record.
Authorization, account activity, payment checks, delivery, and customer communication.
The order and payment records that show whether two captures represent one sale or two.
The refund record, amount, date, destination, and any communication about the credit.
Cancellation request, terms, renewal date, access or usage timeline, and billing history.
The mechanics depend on your processor
Shopify lets you accept a valid chargeback without submitting evidence, or save and submit evidence for the claim; it says the displayed due date controls and that early submission ends further editing. Shopify's current admin guidance explains those choices.
Stripe presents Accept dispute and Counter dispute in the Dashboard. Stripe says a formal dispute must be addressed before its deadline, usually 7–21 days depending on the network, and that a counter response has one submission opportunity. Stripe's response guide explains the current workflow.
Square's dispute form lets you return the funds or challenge with supporting documentation. Its guidance shows the exact deadline in the dispute form and says the card-issuing bank makes the decision. See Square's dispute walkthrough and document request guide.
If the records support a response
Choose the reason on your notice, answer a few factual questions, and map only the records that answer that claim. Build a chargeback packet in Zocuments when you are ready; you review it, download it, and submit it through your processor. If the processor has already marked the case lost, read what to do after a lost chargeback instead of resubmitting the same files.
