Amex reason code C04
Amex C04: Goods/Services Returned or Refused
What the cardholder is claiming
The cardholder says they returned the merchandise or refused delivery, and you never issued the credit.
The evidence that actually wins
Bank analysts skim responses in minutes against a checklist for this exact code. Lead with the strongest fact; never make them dig.
- ✓Receiving and inventory records showing no return ever arrived at your warehouse, plus the absence of any inbound tracking event
- ✓Carrier delivery confirmation showing the goods were accepted, not refused, ideally with signature
- ✓Your return policy with proof of disclosure and acceptance at checkout, such as a required checkbox on final-sale items
- ✓Records showing the attempted return violated the policy: outside the window, missing return authorization, or wrong condition
- ✓Proof a credit was already processed for the return, with date and reference number
The honest read
The analyst is really asking one question: did the goods come back to you? If tracking shows a completed return delivery to your address and no credit on your books, refund it today, because that fight is already lost. Your fightable ground is when nothing was returned, delivery was accepted rather than refused, or the return broke rules the cardholder had to acknowledge before buying. A no-refunds line buried in your terms carries little weight with Amex; it needs to have been in front of the buyer at the moment of purchase.
Nobody can promise you a win; the cardholder's bank decides. What you control is submitting the strongest complete case your records support, on time. Our plain-language guarantees say exactly what that means.
Fighting a C04 right now?
Send us the dispute and a person builds the complete, submission-ready response: the narrative mapped to C04, your evidence compiled and ordered, and the field-by-field walkthrough. 24-hour rush available. If our review says yours isn't worth fighting, we tell you for free.