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A dispute (also called a chargeback) occurs when a customer contacts their bank or card issuer to reverse a completed payment. OwnPay tracks each dispute through its full lifecycle and records the financial impact on your ledger.

Dispute lifecycle

Viewing disputes

Navigate to Reports > Disputes. The table lists all disputes with these columns:

Responding to a dispute

1
Click the dispute row to open its detail view.
2
Review the customer’s dispute reason and the original transaction details.
3
Under the Evidence section, upload supporting documents - delivery receipts, service logs, communication records, or any proof of fulfillment.
4
Add internal notes for your team. These notes are private and not sent to the bank.
5
Click Submit Response before the deadline expires.
Missing a dispute deadline almost always results in an automatic loss. Set up webhook notifications for the dispute.opened event so your team is alerted immediately.

Dispute outcomes

Won

  • Disputed amount is returned to your ledger balance
  • No additional fee from the gateway (varies by provider)
  • Transaction status reverts to completed

Lost

  • Disputed amount is debited from your ledger
  • A dispute fee (charged by the card network) is also debited
  • The transaction is permanently marked as disputed

Prevention best practices

  • Use clear payment descriptors so customers recognize charges on their statements
  • Provide order confirmations and delivery receipts proactively
  • Respond to customer inquiries before they escalate to chargebacks
  • Keep detailed records of every transaction accessible for evidence submission
  • Transactions - View the original payment behind a dispute
  • Refunds - Issue refunds proactively to avoid disputes
  • Audit Log - Track all dispute-related actions by staff
  • Webhooks - Set up real-time dispute alerts
Last modified on August 25, 2026