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Resolve disputes quickly
Learn the basics about how to handle disputes.
Protect your business
Learn the basics. Although most sales transactions are processed, posted and paid for with few problems, Visa has an efficient process for settling disputes.
Safeguard your business with the right information
Disputes refer to the reversal of the value (in whole or in part) of a transaction by the card issuer to the acquirer, and usually, by the merchant bank to the merchant. Disputes can be costly for merchants—you could lose both the amount of the transaction as well as the related merchandise, and may also incur internal handling costs.
Responding to a dispute
Provide accurate information, swiftly.
Step 1: A cardholder disputes a transaction
Step 2: Find the transaction receipt
Step 3: Send a copy to your acquirer
Avoiding disputes
Here are a few tips.
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State your policies clearly at the time of transaction. Your policy should be pre-printed on your sales receipts, if not, make sure to add the policy information on the sales receipt near the customer signature line before the customer signs. Be sure that the policy is legible on all copies of the sales receipt. Failure to disclose such policies at the time of transaction could be disadvantageous should the customer try to return the purchase.
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Deposit your sales and credit receipts within one to five days of the transaction date—do not hold on to them. Failure to deposit receipts in a timely manner can result in “late presentment” disputes.
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Ensure that incorrect sales receipts are voided and that transactions are processed only once. Entering the same transaction into a terminal more than once, depositing both the merchant copy and the bank copy of the sales receipt with your acquirer or depositing the same transaction with more than one merchant bank can all result in “duplicate transaction” disputes.
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If delivery of the cardholder’s purchase will be delayed, let the cardholder know about the delay as well as the new expected delivery or service date.
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Don’t deposit transactions with your merchant bank until you have shipped the related merchandise. If customers see a transaction on their monthly Visa statement before they receive the merchandise, it could lead to a preventable dispute.
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For the clearing and settlement of a transaction, an acquirer should submit the merchant’s name that is most prominently displayed by that merchant and by which cardholders recognize the merchant. The merchant’s name is an important factor that helps cardholders recognize a transaction. Using the most prominently displayed name should minimize disputes resulting from unrecognizable merchant names.