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A chargeback gets answered in days, not whenever you get to it

Know what to keep from the first charge and what to submit when the chargeback comes in, so you don't lose the order and the money at the same time.

By Yodai · Published on September 6, 2026 · Updated on October 12, 2026

A customer disputes a charge from three weeks ago with their bank. The moment a chargeback opens, the funds are pulled from your account and you get a window to respond: with Stripe, for example, that's usually 7 to 21 days depending on the card network. If you don't respond, or respond late, you lose the dispute and the money doesn't come back. Here's what to do once the chargeback has landed and the clock is running.

Here's the difference from a regular refund: a refund is your call, based on your own policy and whatever the law requires (in Spain, for example, a distance sale lets an individual customer back out within 14 days under the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users, with some exceptions). With a chargeback, the customer's bank decides, based on whatever you send them: Stripe, for instance, points out that you have no say in the outcome, it's entirely up to that bank. And you only get one shot to send your evidence. Send too little, or send it late, and you lose even if you were right.

What counts in your favor with the bank

The bank won't take your word for it that the customer received the order or showed up for the appointment. It'll believe you if you back it up with something dated and with their name on it: Stripe's evidence guidelines ask for a short summary of what they bought, when, and when they received it, plus the document that proves it. You need to have that saved before the chargeback shows up, not go hunting for it the day it lands.

A confirmation email with the date and the service booked. A signature or a message from the customer saying they received the order. A check-in record for the appointment, even just your own note with the time. If you sell through WhatsApp, the conversation itself is evidence (Stripe accepts message screenshots as proof of what you discussed with the customer): save it, and don't delete it after a few months. Card networks usually give the customer 120 days to open a dispute, sometimes more, and if they paid in advance for an appointment, that window usually starts on the appointment date, not the payment date, according to Stripe's documentation.

What to tell the customer in the meantime

Don't message the customer on WhatsApp to argue about the chargeback while you're responding to the bank. A short message is enough: "We saw the dispute on your card. We're sending the bank proof of the service, which we already emailed you on [date]. If something doesn't look right, let us know and we'll sort it out directly; if we fix it, all you'd need to do is ask your bank to withdraw the dispute."

That last line is often what breaks the logjam: not every chargeback comes from bad faith, some come from a misunderstanding, like a customer who doesn't recognize the charge on their statement. According to Stripe, settling it with the customer and getting them to withdraw the dispute is the best way to win it. That said, it won't speed things up or let you skip responding: the whole process can still take 2 to 3 months, and even if the customer withdraws it, you still need to submit your evidence within the deadline, since many banks treat silence as acceptance.

If you've had the evidence saved from day one, responding takes an afternoon. Without it, in the example above, just tracking it down eats up more than half of a 7-day window, and you might still not find it in time. That's why the habit isn't "gather evidence once a chargeback shows up": it's saving every confirmation and every completed appointment as if a chargeback were coming. Usually, it won't: the card industry already considers it excessive to see disputes on more than 0.75% of charges, according to Stripe.