Dispute reasons and what to do

What it means: The cardholder claims that they were charged multiple times for the same product or service.

What you can do: Search your booking history to determine whether the customer was incorrectly charged at any point. You can search using first name, last name, email address, etc. to find any duplicates.

• If the customer was in fact incorrectly charged multiple times, the easiest thing to do is accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If you see that the customer has two or more transactions that are each valid, we recommend contacting the customer to clarify. You may be able to explain any misunderstandings and get the customer to withdraw the dispute. If they no longer wish to dispute the charge, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It’s beneficial that you explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • Each payment was for a separate product or service.
  • You already issued a refund to your customer.

What it means: The cardholder claims they didn’t authorize the charge. We can make a distinction between (criminal) fraud and friendly fraud. Criminal fraud occurs when a bad actor uses stolen credit card information to purchase goods and services fraudulently. Friendly fraud, or accidental fraud, occurs when a customer makes a legitimate purchase but doesn’t recognize it on their bank statement. Fraudulent charges are the most common reason for a dispute, and also the most difficult to win.

What you can do: We highly recommend getting in touch with the cardholder to understand their claim. In doing this, you can help the customer identify the charge and potentially resolve the issue directly.

• If the customer realizes that they did in fact authorize the charge and wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you come to the conclusion that the charge was unauthorized, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence. Even if the charge was made using a stolen credit card, unfortunately you will need to accept the dispute. Credit card networks assign liability for accepting fraudulent transactions to you, the business.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It’s beneficial that you explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • That the legitimate cardholder—or an authorized representative (such as an employee or family member)—did in fact make the payment.
  • You already issued a refund to the cardholder.

What it means: The cardholder claims that the product or service they received was defective, damaged, or not as described. For example, they may be dissatisfied with a tour they went on, or bought a retail item that was damaged in some way.

What you can do: We first recommend getting in touch with the customer to understand why they’re dissatisfied. You can use this as an opportunity to work out any misunderstandings and potentially get the customer to withdraw the dispute.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It is beneficial to explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • The product or service was delivered as described. If the customer made no attempt to return the product or cancel the service, or if you provided a replacement product or service, make sure to note that as well.
  • That the product or service was accurately represented prior to purchase.
  • That the product wasn’t damaged or defective.
  • You already issued a refund to your customer.

What it means: The cardholder claims that they did not receive the products or services they purchased.

What you can do: We recommend first finding the booking in question to review the transaction and booking history. We also encourage you to get in touch with the customer to understand exactly why they filed the dispute. You might be able to work out any misunderstandings and get the customer to withdraw the dispute.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It is beneficial to explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • The customer received their service or product prior to the date the dispute was initiated.
  • The product or service isn’t expected to have been delivered yet (for example, the agreed-upon delivery date is still in the future).
  • You already issued a refund to the cardholder.

What it means: The cardholder does not recognize the charge appearing on their card statement.

What you can do: Find the booking in question and review the payment history on the booking overview. Sometimes, customers simply forget about charges they make, or do not recognize the transaction description in their bank statement. In other cases, someone authorized to use the customer’s card—their spouse, for example—may have made the charge and they were unaware of it at the time. In instances like these, you may be able to help the customer to correctly identify the charge and withdraw the dispute.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you find that there is a legitimate reason for the dispute and wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It is beneficial to explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • That the legitimate cardholder—or an authorized representative (such as an employee or family member)—did in fact make the payment.
  • You already issued a refund to the cardholder.

What it means: The cardholder claims that the transaction was canceled and they did not receive a refund.

What you can do: Find the booking in question and review the activity history on the booking overview to see if the customer was in fact refunded. In some cases, the customer may have cancelled their reservation but was not entitled to a refund (for example, if they cancelled their reservation on the day of the activity, and you have a 24-hour cancellation policy).

We also recommend getting in touch with the cardholder to understand their claim. In doing this, you can potentially resolve the issue directly.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank.

What it means: The customer claims they were charged after services were cancelled.

What you can do: Search your booking history to determine when the booking was cancelled and when the charge occurred.

We recommend getting in touch with the customer to understand their claim. You might be able to work out any misunderstandings and get the customer to withdraw the dispute.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank.

What it means: This is an uncategorized dispute. However, we’ve seen that most “general” disputes are fraudulent, meaning the customer claims they didn’t authorize the charge.

What you can do: See the section on Fraudulent disputes

What it means: This is an uncategorized dispute, or the dispute reason is unknown.

What you can do: Contact the cardholder directly for more information on why the dispute was issued. You might be able to work out any misunderstandings and get the customer to withdraw the dispute.

• If the customer wishes to drop the dispute, you’ll want to make sure you get an email stating their intent to withdraw the dispute, and forward the email to us. When submitting evidence to the customer’s bank, we’ll include the written statement from the customer to help ensure the dispute is closed in your favor.

• If you wish to give the customer a refund, you should accept the dispute. The customer will be automatically refunded, and you will not have to submit any evidence.

• If the customer still wants to dispute the charge but you do not believe the claim is justified, let us know you’d like to fight the dispute. We will work with you to gather as much evidence as possible and submit an evidence packet to the customer’s bank. It is beneficial to explain and demonstrate one or more of the following:

  • That the legitimate cardholder—or an authorized representative (such as an employee or family member)—did in fact make the payment.
  • You already issued a refund to the cardholder.