Chargeback Response Examples
Real-world examples of winning and losing dispute responses. See exactly what evidence was submitted, what the bank analyst evaluated, and why the outcome went the way it did.
The difference between winning and losing a chargeback often comes down to evidence quality, not whether the merchant is right or wrong. Most chargebacks that merchants lose are winnable disputes where the evidence was incomplete, poorly structured, or submitted too late. The examples below illustrate exactly what separates a winning response from a losing one.
Each example includes the dispute details, the evidence that was submitted, the key factors in the outcome, and actionable takeaways you can apply to your own disputes. While specific names and transaction details have been anonymized, the evidence patterns and outcomes are representative of real Stripe disputes.
Example 1: Fraud Dispute with 3D Secure
Reason: Fraudulent — $287.00 — E-commerce (physical goods)
The Dispute
A customer purchased a pair of wireless headphones for $287. Three weeks after delivery, the cardholder contacted their bank claiming the transaction was unauthorized. The merchant received the dispute notification via Stripe webhook and responded within 4 hours.
Evidence Submitted
Why This Won
The 3D Secure authentication was the decisive factor. When the customer completed 3DS verification during checkout, they authenticated through their bank's own security system. This shifts fraud liability from the merchant to the issuing bank under card network rules. The bank analyst reviewing this dispute could see that their own institution's authentication process confirmed the cardholder's identity.
The supporting evidence strengthened an already strong position. The AVS and CVC matches confirmed the customer had physical possession of the card. The IP geolocation matching the billing address undermined the "unauthorized" claim. The post-purchase support contact proved the cardholder engaged with the merchant about the product, which is inconsistent with an unauthorized transaction.
Takeaway: 3D Secure is the single most effective tool for winning fraud disputes. If you sell online, configure Stripe Radar to require 3DS for transactions above your average order value. The slight increase in checkout friction is worth the near-automatic win on fraud chargebacks.
Example 2: Product Not Received with Delivery Chain
Reason: Product not received — $156.50 — E-commerce (physical goods)
The Dispute
A customer ordered a kitchen appliance for $156.50. Two weeks after delivery, they filed a chargeback claiming the product was never received. The merchant had delivery confirmation from FedEx, including a photo of the package at the customer's door.
Evidence Submitted
Why This Won
The delivery chain was complete and verifiable. The merchant provided the carrier name, tracking number, ship date, and delivery confirmation date from FedEx. The bank analyst could independently verify the tracking number through FedEx's public tracking system, confirming that the package was delivered to the address the customer provided at checkout.
The photo proof of delivery added a visual element that made the evidence compelling. While not required, it provided undeniable proof that a package was placed at the customer's address. The shipping address matching the billing address further established that the delivery location was correct.
Takeaway: Always use a shipping carrier that provides delivery confirmation with timestamps. For orders over $100, consider requiring signature confirmation. The small additional cost is insurance against "not received" chargebacks.
Example 3: Subscription Dispute with Usage Logs
Reason: Subscription canceled — $49.00/mo — SaaS (digital service)
The Dispute
A customer subscribed to a project management SaaS tool at $49/month. After four months of active use, they disputed the most recent charge claiming they had canceled the subscription. The merchant's records showed no cancellation request, and the customer had logged into the platform 12 times in the month after the disputed charge.
Evidence Submitted
Why This Won
The usage logs were the decisive evidence. The customer claimed they canceled, but the merchant showed 12 logins during the disputed billing period, including active use of the product (creating projects, inviting team members). This behavior is completely inconsistent with someone who believed their subscription was canceled. If the customer thought they had canceled, they would not have continued using the service.
The renewal reminder email sent before the charge demonstrated that the merchant notified the customer about the upcoming billing. The clear cancellation policy with a URL the bank analyst could verify showed that the merchant provided an easy way to cancel. The absence of any cancellation request in the system completed the picture.
Takeaway: For subscription businesses, server-side access logs are essential. Log every login, feature use, and session with timestamps and IP addresses. Send billing reminder emails before each charge. These two practices alone can win most subscription disputes.
Example 4: No Evidence Submitted in Time
Reason: Fraudulent — $412.00 — E-commerce (physical goods)
The Dispute
A customer ordered electronics for $412. The order was shipped and delivered. Three weeks later, the cardholder filed a fraud dispute. The merchant received the Stripe notification email but assumed the dispute would resolve on its own. By the time they attempted to submit evidence, the response deadline had passed.
Evidence Submitted
No evidence submitted. Response deadline expired.
What Went Wrong
This is the most common way merchants lose chargebacks: they simply do not respond. The merchant had the evidence to mount a defense. AVS and CVC matched, delivery was confirmed by UPS, and the customer had provided a valid email and phone number at checkout. Had this evidence been submitted, the dispute had a reasonable chance of being won.
The merchant made three critical errors. First, they did not have webhook-based dispute alerts, so they only learned about the dispute from a Stripe email that was overlooked in a busy inbox. Second, they assumed disputes would resolve themselves or that the bank would see the delivery confirmation without it being formally submitted. That is not how the dispute process works. Third, they had no automated system in place. By the time a team member investigated, the 21-day window had closed.
The $412 was lost permanently, along with the $15 dispute fee, the cost of the product, and the shipping costs. Total loss: approximately $500. This happens roughly 40% of the time across all Stripe merchants.
Takeaway: A non-response is an automatic loss. Even partial evidence submitted before the deadline is better than no response at all. Set up Stripe webhook alerts to notify you immediately when a dispute is created. Better yet, use an automated tool that responds for you.
The Anatomy of a Winning Dispute Response
Across hundreds of disputes, winning responses share a consistent structure. They do not ramble, they do not plead, and they do not attack the customer. They present evidence methodically, address the specific claim, and make it easy for the bank analyst to reach a favorable decision.
Lead with your strongest evidence
Open with the single most compelling data point. For fraud disputes, this is 3D Secure authentication. For product not received, this is delivery confirmation. The bank analyst may only read the first few lines of your response. Make them count.
Address the specific claim directly
State what the cardholder is claiming and present the evidence that contradicts it. "The cardholder claims the transaction was unauthorized. However, the transaction was authenticated via 3D Secure, which requires verification through the cardholder's banking app."
Present supporting evidence in order of strength
After your lead evidence, layer in supporting data points: AVS/CVC match, IP geolocation, device consistency, delivery tracking, post-purchase interactions. Each data point should reinforce your lead evidence.
Highlight contradictions factually
If the cardholder's behavior contradicts their claim, state it without editorializing. "The cardholder contacted our support team on [DATE] regarding product usage, four days before filing this dispute" is more powerful than "the customer is obviously lying."
Fill every relevant evidence field
Beyond the narrative, populate the structured fields: customer_purchase_ip, shipping_tracking_number, service_date, product_description, and any reason-specific fields. Empty fields suggest missing evidence even if you mentioned the data in your narrative.
Attach supporting documents
Upload a well-formatted PDF with organized sections, clear headers, and highlighted key evidence. Include screenshots of delivery confirmation, authentication records, and customer communications. Keep it under 10 pages.
Why Timing Matters More Than You Think
The speed of your dispute response has a measurable impact on your win rate. Disputes responded to within 24 hours of creation consistently show higher win rates than those submitted days or weeks later. There are several reasons for this. First, early responses signal to the card network that the merchant takes the dispute seriously and has evidence readily available. Second, the evidence is fresher. Transaction logs, server records, and delivery confirmations are easier to compile while they are recent. Third, early submission gives the card network more time to process your evidence before their own internal deadlines.
Most merchants respond to disputes 5 to 10 days after creation, often because they do not have real-time alerting set up and rely on periodic checks of the Stripe Dashboard. By the time the dispute is noticed, evidence is gathered manually, formatted by hand, and submitted through the Dashboard, valuable days have been lost.
Automated dispute defense tools eliminate the timing problem entirely. Webhook-based detection catches disputes within seconds of creation. Evidence is gathered programmatically from transaction records, shipping APIs, and authentication logs. AI generates the response narrative. Everything is submitted to Stripe in minutes, not days. The speed advantage compounds: faster response plus better evidence plus consistent formatting equals a dramatically higher win rate.
Automated vs. Manual Response Comparison
Win rate data based on CertNode dispute analysis across multiple merchant categories. Individual results vary by industry, transaction type, and evidence availability. See our chargeback calculator for personalized projections.
Respond to Every Dispute in Under 60 Seconds
CertNode Reflex detects disputes instantly via webhooks, gathers evidence from your transaction history, generates AI-powered defense narratives, and submits everything to Stripe automatically. No manual work. No missed deadlines. You only pay 15% when you win.
Related Resources
How to Win a Stripe Chargeback
Complete guide covering evidence strategies, 3D Secure, Visa CE 3.0, and common mistakes.
Dispute Evidence Templates
Copy-paste templates for every Stripe dispute type with field-by-field guidance.
Chargeback Cost Calculator
See how much chargebacks cost your business and what you could recover.