Cin7 Pay disputes guide
If a customer disputes a payment, you have a short window to respond, and what you submit decides whether you keep the money. This guide explains what disputes are, what happens when you get one, and how to respond in Cin7 Pay.
This guide provides general information, not legal or financial advice.
Before you start
You’ve set up Cin7 Pay
You have the Money → Cin7 Pay permission
What is a dispute?
A dispute, also called a chargeback, happens when a customer asks their bank or card issuer to reverse a card payment instead of asking you for a refund. The bank then reviews the payment and decides who is right.
A refund is not a dispute. With a refund, you decide to return the money. With a dispute, the bank decides, and you can accept the dispute or counter it with evidence.
Disputes are less common in B2B than in retail, but they do happen. Customers dispute payments for several common reasons:
Unrecognized charge—The customer’s statement shows a payment processor name, or the person who placed the order isn’t the person who reviews the card statement.
Delivery problem—The customer says the order never arrived, arrived late, or arrived damaged or incomplete.
Disagreement over the order—The goods don’t match what the customer says they ordered, or the customer says they canceled.
Billing mistake—For example, a duplicate charge or an amount that doesn’t match the invoice.
Unauthorized use—A card was used without the cardholder’s permission. This is true fraud, and the cardholder is often unaware their card was used.
When you receive a dispute
Your money
As soon as a customer opens a dispute, Stripe, which processes Cin7 Pay payments, withdraws the disputed amount from your balance. The funds are held while the dispute is reviewed.
If you don’t have enough funds in your balance to cover the amount, Stripe withdraws the funds from your default payout bank account.
A dispute fee may apply. Stripe charges a fee for each dispute received, and charges an additional fee if you counter it. Stripe returns the countering fee if you win. Cin7 Pay does not collect fees for receiving a dispute or for countering a dispute.
Cin7 can’t prevent or change the withdrawal. We can help you respond to disputes, but we can’t change the withdrawal of funds.
Next steps
You get an email—Cin7 Pay sends an automated notification to your default and additional email addresses. It gives you the basic information about the dispute, including the deadline to respond. Make sure someone checks these addresses regularly.
You prepare your response—Log in to Cin7 to view the full details of the dispute. You have a limited time to respond. Deadlines are set by the card networks and are usually between 7 and 21 days. The exact deadline appears with the dispute in Cin7 Pay. Respond to the dispute. If you counter, prepare your evidence first.
The bank decides—After you submit evidence (or the deadline passes), the customer’s bank reviews the case. This can take up to about three months. The issuing bank (the bank used by the customer) decides the outcome, not Cin7 nor Stripe.
Respond to a dispute
If you accept a dispute or don’t respond before the deadline, you lose the dispute and the money. This is why we encourage you to always respond to disputes.
You can accept or counter a dispute from the Cin7 Pay dashboard. Either way, respond before the deadline, which is shown with the dispute in Cin7 Pay and in the email we send you.
Accept—Choose this if the customer is right. For example, you made a billing error or never shipped the goods. You lose the disputed amount, but you resolve the dispute. In many cases a refund would have been the better route.
Counter—Choose this if you delivered what was ordered and can prove it. This is your only chance to win the money back.
If you counter, prepare your evidence first, because you can submit evidence only once.
Go to Money → Cin7 Pay.
Open Payments, refunds, and disputes.
Select the disputed payment.
Click Accept dispute or Counter dispute.
If you counter, follow the on-screen instructions to explain your case and submit evidence.
Prepare your evidence
You can submit evidence only once. Gather everything before you submit. Don’t send a partial response and plan to add to it later.
If you counter a dispute, it’s important to prepare your evidence. Winning a dispute matters for two reasons:
You get the money back—The disputed amount returns to your balance.
You protect your merchant account—Card networks and Stripe monitor the share of your payments that end in disputes. A high dispute rate can lead to extra fees, holds on your funds, or, in serious cases, closure of your merchant account. Disputes you don’t contest or lose count against you. Responding well keeps your account in good standing.
Your evidence matters because the bank decides based on what you submit. A short, unsupported statement ("the customer received the goods") rarely wins. Specific, organized documents often do.
What evidence to include
Match your evidence to the reason the customer gave. Common items include:
Evidence |
What to include |
Best for |
|---|---|---|
Proof of the order |
The signed quote or sales order, purchase order, or email confirming the order and the price |
Doesn’t recognize the charge, disagreement over the order, unauthorized use |
Proof of delivery |
Carrier tracking showing delivery, a signed delivery receipt, or a proof-of-delivery photo. Include the delivery address and date |
Delivery problem |
The invoice and payment record |
Showing the amount, date, and that the customer paid through your Pay Online link or agreed to the payment |
Doesn’t recognize the charge, billing mistake, unauthorized use |
Communication with the customer |
Emails or messages in which the customer confirmed the order, acknowledged receipt, or didn’t raise an issue |
Doesn’t recognize the charge, delivery problem, disagreement over the order |
Your terms |
Your terms of sale, return policy, and cancellation policy, along with proof the customer saw or accepted them |
Disagreement over the order |
Proof the customer is the cardholder’s business |
If the claim is unauthorized use, show the customer relationship: repeat orders, prior successful payments, matching names and addresses |
Unauthorized use |
Refund history |
If you already refunded part of the payment, include proof so the customer isn’t credited twice |
Billing mistake |
Tips
Respond early. Don’t wait until the last day.
Be factual and brief. Write a short timeline: order date, payment date, ship date, delivery date. Skip emotion and accusations.
Be organized. Label each document and say what it proves.
Answer the customer’s actual claim. If they say "not received," lead with proof of delivery.
Use clear, legible files. Screenshots and PDFs should be readable and show dates and amounts.
Avoid disputes
Make sure your business name on card statements is recognizable to customers.
Send order confirmations and invoices promptly.
Keep tracking numbers and delivery confirmations for every order.
Get written confirmation for large or custom orders.
Respond quickly to customer complaints and refund when it’s the right call. A refund costs you less than a dispute.
Keep your terms of sale clear and visible at checkout and on invoices.
Get help
Contact Stripe Support.