Card chargeback evidence pack: respond to the reason given

Build your chargeback response around the reason in the provider's notice. Match each factual statement to a dated record, submit before the stated deadline and save the confirmation. A long bundle of unrelated documents is harder to assess than a short chronology with the right evidence. Your submission can support a response, but it cannot guarantee the bank's decision.

This checklist helps you organise an existing card dispute. It does not decide whether a customer has a legal refund entitlement or whether you should challenge a particular claim.

Identify the dispute status and deadline

Open the case through your provider account, record the reason and amount, and distinguish a request for information from a dispute awaiting your response. Save the precise deadline, including its timezone. Allocate the task to someone who can obtain the documents in time.

Square's Australian evidence guide states a seven-day submission window. Use the deadline on your actual notice and query any discrepancy immediately. Other providers and dispute stages may work differently; don't calculate a deadline from a blog example.

Match documents to the claim

Claim to address	Relevant evidence	Factual response
Goods not received	Order, dispatch record and carrier delivery event	Parcel for WEB-204 recorded delivered on the date shown
Amount incorrect	Accepted order and receipt	Order total $240; payment PAY-204 $240
Duplicate processing	Both payment IDs and separate orders, or refund record	Explain whether the payments relate to one or two purchases
Credit not received	Refund ID, amount and provider status	Refund RF-204 initiated; current status recorded separately

Original ASBG worksheet. Use only the row relevant to the actual reason; fictional examples are not evidence.

For a service, evidence could include the agreed scope, appointment record and dated completion notes. Explain what each document establishes and where it falls short. A booking confirmation supports a booking; it does not by itself prove that every service was delivered satisfactorily.

Write a chronology that can be checked

Use event dates, references and short sentences. For example: “12 September: order WEB-204 accepted for $240. 13 September: dispatch record DIS-81 created. 15 September: carrier event records delivery.” Attach the actual documents rather than adding an invented signature or certainty the record does not support.

Square asks for factual, clear evidence suited to the dispute. Keep customer correspondence in context. Do not crop out a relevant complaint or alter a document to make the sequence look stronger. Highlight a passage in a copy while retaining the original.

Check refunds and sensitive information

Before making a separate refund, check the open dispute with the provider so the same amount is not returned through two processes. If a refund already exists, include its reference and current status. Do not claim that an initiated refund has reached the customer unless that is established.

Remove unrelated customer details and card credentials from the pack. Use the provider's secure submission route and keep access to the working folder limited. A dispute response is not permission to retain card security codes.

Consumer remedies remain a separate question. The ACCC refund guidance explains that store terms cannot remove consumer guarantees. Use the consumer-guarantees guide or obtain advice where rights are disputed; a provider dispute form does not replace that assessment.

Save proof that the response was submitted

Check file readability, page order and upload limits before the deadline. Save the submission timestamp, case reference and exact pack supplied. Record the next review date so a request for further evidence is not missed. Keep the record-keeping guide beside your filing process, and use the payments hub for related exceptions.

Key takeaways

• Answer the reason in the notice with dated evidence.
• Use the actual case deadline and preserve submission proof.
• Keep refunds, consumer rights and dispute status separately traceable.

Where to get help

• Square: documents for a dispute
• ACCC: repairs, replacements and refunds