Chargeback Response Outlines
- Start with the customer's claim and the exact reason code on your notice
- Gather your records first, then fill in the brackets
- Number each exhibit and say what it shows
- Use the reply-by date and submission route on your case
These are structures to fill in, not letters to paste unchanged. A generic letter can't prove what happened in your transaction. That's why Winning Evidence warns against boilerplate.
Keep only the records that answer the claim. Delete unused prompts and leave missing facts unknown. Don't invent a log, signature or customer message. If the case is already lost, check what's still open before preparing another response.
| What's on your notice? | Start here |
|---|---|
| They kept it, or it was a course, download or call | Find the actual claim, then fill the outline |
| It never arrived, or the box was empty | Non-receipt outline and checklist |
| It wasn't as described | Product or service complaint outline and checklist |
| They didn't authorize the payment | Authorization claim outline and checklist |
| They cancelled recurring payments | Recurring cancellation outline and checklist |
Need the code's guide? Match your notice in the reason-code hub. These checklists help you gather records. They aren't a complete network eligibility test or a promise of recovery.
They kept it, or it was a course, download or call
"They kept it" and "it was a course" don't name the filed claim. Read the allegation first. Is it non-receipt, not as described, an unauthorized payment or recurring cancellation? Use that claim's checklist too.
For a course or download, use the product-specific digital records. For a completed call or other work, use the service records. Account activity alone doesn't establish who used it.
Response outline
Claim: [the customer's actual allegation on the notice]
Reason code: [the exact reason code on your notice, with any subreason]
Case: [case ID] | Transaction: [reference, date and amount]
Purchase: [item, course, download or agreed service]
Our response: [brief facts answering that allegation, with exhibit numbers]
Exhibit 1: [order, purchase record or signed scope, tied to this transaction]
Exhibit 2: [existing delivery, download, content-access or service-completion records, with dates]
Exhibit 3: [relevant customer messages, with dates and context]
Exhibit 4: [other records required for the actual claim, and what each shows]
Requested outcome: [reversal supported by these records]
Prepared by: [name and role]Evidence checklist
☐ Record the actual claim, exact reason code, subreason and reply-by date
☐ Match the purchase and account references to the disputed transaction
☐ For a course: pull content accessed, watch time and progress records you kept
☐ For a download: pull download and activation records you kept
☐ For completed work: pull the agreed scope, delivery records and any sign-off
☐ Keep relevant customer messages with their dates and context
☐ Add the actual claim's checklist; record any missing evidence
☐ Explain what each record shows without assuming who used an accountIt never arrived, or the box was empty
Start with the order and what was due. Match the records to the delivery method: a parcel, a digital product or completed work. The non-receipt reference and Visa 13.1 guide list records to check. For Mastercard, confirm the 4853 sub-claim.
An empty-box claim needs care. A delivery scan doesn't show what was inside. Keep genuine packing records and customer messages you already have, and ask your processor which subreason was filed.
Response outline
Claim: [the non-receipt or empty-box allegation on the notice]
Reason code: [the exact reason code on your notice, with any subreason]
Case: [case ID] | Transaction: [reference, date and amount]
Order or service: [what was purchased and when delivery or work was due]
Our response: [what the existing records show about the alleged non-receipt]
Exhibit 1: [order or agreed scope, including the delivery address or account where relevant]
Exhibit 2: [carrier tracking, signature or delivery photo; digital access or download logs; or service-completion records]
Exhibit 3: [relevant customer messages and genuine packing records, if held]
Exhibit 4: [any credit already issued, with its reference, date and actual status]
These records show: [brief explanation tied to the claim and exhibit numbers]
Requested outcome: [reversal supported by these records]
Prepared by: [name and role]Evidence checklist
☐ Match the notice, payment, order and disputed amount
☐ Save the promised delivery or service date and relevant order details
☐ For a parcel: save tracking, address, delivery date and any signature or photo collected
☐ For digital goods: save product-specific access, download or activation records
☐ For services: save the work order, completion records and any customer sign-off
☐ Save relevant customer messages and any genuine packing records already held
☐ Label unsigned delivery records accurately; don't treat a scan as proof of box contents
☐ If a credit was issued, record its reference, date and actual statusIt wasn't as described
Put the exact complaint beside what you promised at sale. Then show what you supplied. Use the not-as-described checklist, Visa 13.3 or the Mastercard sub-claim that matches the notice.
For work you've performed, compare the agreed scope with the actual deliverables. A completion record doesn't answer every quality complaint. Keep the specific complaint in view.
Response outline
Claim: [the specific product or service complaint on the notice]
Reason code: [the exact reason code on your notice, with any subreason]
Case: [case ID] | Transaction: [reference, date and amount]
What was promised: [listing, specifications or agreed scope shown at sale]
What was supplied: [facts answering the complaint, with exhibit numbers]
Exhibit 1: [dated listing or signed scope and relevant acceptance record]
Exhibit 2: [actual item photos, specifications, work photos or deliverables]
Exhibit 3: [customer messages, complaint and your response, in context]
Exhibit 4: [return, inspection, repair, replacement or credit records relevant to the complaint]
Requested outcome: [reversal supported by these records]
Prepared by: [name and role]Evidence checklist
☐ Record the specific complaint and exact reason code or subreason
☐ Save the listing or scope the customer saw at sale
☐ Keep relevant accepted terms and the acceptance record
☐ Match photos, specifications or work records to the actual complaint
☐ Include relevant pre-sale and complaint messages with dates and context
☐ Save return instructions, inspection records or return documentation where relevant
☐ Separate a repair, replacement or refund offered from what actually happened
☐ Explain the match between what was promised and what was suppliedThey didn't authorize the payment
This claim asks who authorized the card payment. A delivery record may show where an order went. An access log may show account activity. Neither identifies the cardholder on its own.
Use the fraud evidence checklist and the code on your notice: Visa 10.4, Mastercard 4837, Amex F29 or Discover's guide. Ask your processor to confirm any authentication or purchase-history route for this case.
Response outline
Claim: [the authorization allegation on the notice]
Reason code: [the exact reason code on your notice, with any subreason]
Case: [case ID] | Transaction: [reference, date and amount]
Our response: [what the records establish about this payment, with exhibit numbers]
Exhibit 1: [purchase and payment records tied to the disputed transaction]
Exhibit 2: [authentication data and AVS/CVV verification results, if collected]
Exhibit 3: [relevant device, IP, account and prior-transaction records, with dates]
Exhibit 4: [customer correspondence acknowledging the purchase and relevant delivery or use records]
Route confirmed by processor: [applicable route and records requested, or not yet confirmed]
Requested outcome: [reversal supported by these records]
Prepared by: [name and role]Evidence checklist
☐ Match the case and disputed payment references
☐ Pull authentication records and ask the processor which route applies
☐ Keep AVS/CVV verification results, not the card security code
☐ Pull relevant purchase-time IP, device and account records already collected
☐ Keep relevant prior transactions and purchase acknowledgments with dates
☐ Describe delivery and account activity only as far as the records support
☐ Record missing data and any identity or account-sharing limits
☐ Ask the processor to confirm eligibility before relying on a special evidence routeFor a Visa purchase-history response, use the full CE 3.0 requirements. These blanks don't establish eligibility.
They cancelled recurring payments
Keep the signup, disputed charge and cancellation dates separate. Compare the actual request with the charge. Use the recurring-payment records and the notice's code guide, such as Visa 13.2 or Mastercard's recurring sub-claim.
A missing request in one inbox doesn't describe every channel. Say which records you checked. Keep accepted terms and notices with the timeline rather than pasting a generic cancellation policy.
Response outline
Claim: [the recurring-cancellation allegation on the notice]
Reason code: [the exact reason code on your notice, with any subreason]
Case: [case ID] | Transaction: [reference, date and amount]
Timeline: [signup and consent; disputed charge; cancellation request and confirmation, if any]
Our response: [facts answering that timeline, with exhibit numbers]
Exhibit 1: [original recurring consent and terms accepted, with date and available acceptance records]
Exhibit 2: [cancellation requests, confirmations and communication logs actually checked]
Exhibit 3: [disputed billing record and relevant renewal or pre-billing notices]
Exhibit 4: [relevant usage, customer messages and any credit actually issued]
These records show: [what was agreed, when the charge happened and what cancellation records show]
Requested outcome: [reversal supported by these records]
Prepared by: [name and role]Evidence checklist
☐ Record the actual recurring-cancellation claim and exact reason code
☐ Pull the original consent, accepted terms and signup timestamp or IP if held
☐ Save cancellation requests and confirmations with dates and times
☐ List which support channels and account records were checked
☐ Compare the disputed charge date with the request and billing terms
☐ Keep relevant renewal or pre-billing notices and their delivery records
☐ Add relevant usage records without treating activity alone as authorization
☐ Keep any refund reference, date and actual status separate from a promised creditBefore you send it
Check the evidence quality and case requirements and submission checklist. Confirm the case ID, readable exhibits, requested format and reply-by date. Save exactly what you sent and the submission confirmation.
Need an explanation after a loss? Use the Ask support script with your existing case record.