If they dispute it with the bank, don't argue with them: document it for the bank
You'll recognize a chargeback the moment it lands, with the proof the bank asks for already on hand to rule in your favor.
By Yodai · Published September 6, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
You get an alert from your payment system: "charge disputed." The customer didn't contact you. They didn't ask you for anything. They went straight to their bank and said they don't recognize that charge.
This isn't a refund. It's a chargeback: the customer's bank returns the money to them without asking you first, then takes it back from you. If the customer says they didn't authorize the charge, the Royal Decree-Law on payment services requires their bank to refund it right away, no later than the end of the next business day, unless it suspects fraud. And it can land weeks or months after the charge, even if you've already delivered the entire service: according to Stripe, card networks usually allow 120 days from the payment date, and if the customer prepaid for an appointment, that window usually starts on the day of the appointment.
When a customer asks you directly for a refund, you can grant it or turn it down, with a clear message either way. The difference here is something else: there, you were the one making the call. With a chargeback, the bank decides, and all you can do is submit evidence to try to change its mind.
You don't win this by explaining things well. You win it by already having the proof the bank asks for, before it asks.
What happens as soon as the alert comes in
The money disappears from your account right away, not once the dispute is over: according to Stripe, the card network pulls the amount from your balance as soon as the dispute opens and holds onto it for as long as it lasts. If you win, you get it back, but the whole process can take two to three months. And whether you win or lose, the system you use to collect payments may charge you a separate fee: in the US, Stripe charges $20 for every dispute you receive, and it won't refund that even if you win. If you go on to respond to the dispute, it charges another $20, which it does refund if you win.
That alert comes from the gateway you use to take card payments. Stripe, for example, notifies you by email and in its dashboard, which gathers every dispute in its own tab, Disputes, along with the reason the bank gave for each one. That's the signal that the clock has already started, even if you haven't done anything yet.
And the window to respond is short: Stripe usually sets it between 7 and 21 days, depending on the card network, and warns that if you don't respond by the deadline, you automatically lose the dispute. That's why the minute you see the alert matters more than whatever response you write afterward.
The first ten minutes
- 1Find the exact charge
Look up the date, the amount, and the exact name the payment was made under. The claim is about that specific payment, not the name you have saved for the customer. - 2Gather proof that you delivered the service
The appointment or order confirmation, the message where you agreed on the time, a signature or a photo if there was a physical delivery. - 3Save the entire conversation
Screenshots of the whole exchange with the customer, with the date visible, from the first message to the last. - 4Don't refund anything on your own
If the chargeback is already open, refunding it yourself won't close it. The bank keeps running its own process, and you could end up losing the money twice. - 5Respond within the deadline
Your payment system gives you a specific number of days to upload your evidence. Once that deadline passes, the bank rules without hearing your side.
What evidence actually counts
Saying the service was provided isn't enough. The bank wants something with a date and the customer attached to it, not just your word. If the customer says they don't recognize a payment made remotely, Visa's rules accept photos or emails that link whoever received the service to the cardholder, or that show they have it or are using it, as evidence.
What carries the most weight: the message where they confirmed the booking, the receipt with the exact date and amount, and, if it was in person, something that shows they were there. A signature at the time of delivery. A photo. A later message from them saying thanks, or complaining about something unrelated to the charge, which already shows they received what they paid for. That's what the Stripe evidence guide asks for in most disputes: the receipt sent to them, messages showing they received the service or were satisfied, and any document with their signature.
At a hair salon, that's the appointment confirmation on WhatsApp and, if you have one, the photo of the result the customer asked for. At a shop that ships orders, it's the tracking showing delivery to their full address and the message confirming it arrived.
What doesn't work: screenshots with no visible date. And an internal note of yours that the customer never actually saw carries little weight on its own: pair it with something that came from them or that they received. The same Stripe guide recommends sorting evidence by date, so the story of the charge is clear from start to finish, and warns that the bank won't review a response with illegible text or data.
If the customer writes to you first, that's better for both of you: you settle it using the judgment you already have, and you skip the dispute fee. If they went straight to the bank, it's no longer about convincing them. It's about convincing the bank with paperwork.
What to say to the customer
Don't argue the chargeback with them over WhatsApp. It's already in the bank's hands. If it was all a misunderstanding, the customer can tell their bank they're withdrawing the claim, but even so the Stripe guide recommends that you submit your evidence anyway, so the bank knows you don't accept the dispute.
Write to them once, in a neutral tone: put on record that the service was delivered, and give them an out, in case it was a mistake on their end or their bank's.
With this, you recognize the alert the moment it comes in and know what to save from the first minute. What you upload to the bank to win the dispute, within the deadline it gives you, is the last piece, and that's the next lesson.
- You recognize a chargeback the moment the alert arrives, without waiting for the customer to write to you
- You have the list of what to save in the first ten minutes: the exact charge, proof of the service, the full conversation
- You know what not to do: refund the money on your own while the dispute is still open
- You already have the one message you send the customer written.
Test yourself
Answer before opening each one. If one gives you trouble, go back to the section that explains it.
1. You get the chargeback alert and notice that, two days earlier, the customer had written to thank you for the service, without mentioning the charge. What do you do with that message?
You save it as evidence. A later message from them with no complaint about the charge carries weight with the bank, even if it doesn't mention the chargeback directly: it shows they received the service and were satisfied.
2. The chargeback's been open for four days, and to get it off your plate fast, you're thinking about refunding the customer yourself. Should you?
No. The dispute follows its own separate process, and if the bank rules against you, you end up losing the money twice: once when the dispute took it, and again when you refunded it yourself.
3. You check the notice, and the name on the payment doesn't match the name you have saved in your customer's file. Which detail do you use to identify the charge with the bank?
The exact name and amount the payment was made under, not the ones on your customer file. The claim is about that specific payment, not whatever you call the customer.
You already know which detail identifies the charge with the bank. What's left is the race against the clock: what you save from the very first charge, and what you submit before the deadline to respond closes.
Sources
- Royal Decree-Law 19/2018, of November 23, on payment services and other urgent financial measures. Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE), Article 45, 2018.
- How disputes work. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Responding to disputes. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Dispute evidence best practices. Stripe documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Pricing and fees. Stripe Spain, accessed October 2026.
- Visa Core Rules and Visa Product and Service Rules. Visa, April 18, 2026 edition, sections 11.2.1 and 11.5.1 (pages 668 and 677).