Contents
Please note, the information below pertains to new Merchant Portal features and capabilities that are currently being tested before being released to all our merchants. Don’t worry if you don’t see any changes to your portal just yet - Expect an email with more details to come soon!
Disputes Overview
For each transaction, Affirm processes the order payment and the merchant processes the order fulfillment. If a customer experiences an issue with their order and contacts Affirm, Affirm will initially direct the customer to you, the merchant, for a resolution. If a resolution cannot be reached between you and the customer, Affirm will help to facilitate one.
The general resolution process:
- Customers can open a dispute within 60 calendar days of capture, during which time they are not responsible for making payments.
- Both customers and merchants have 15 calendar days to provide evidence to substantiate their claims.
- After all evidence has been provided or the window for doing so has closed, Affirm will notify the customer and merchant of a decision within 15 calendar days (if a Virtual Card was used for the transaction, the customer will be notified within 90 calendar days).
Disputes can now be viewed, tracked, and managed from the Disputes tab in the Merchant Portal. You will still receive an email notification when a customer opens a dispute, but actioning disputes in the Merchant Portal helps to keep all relevant details in one place and eliminates the risk of sharing sensitive information over email.
Within the Disputes tab, you are able to:
- View and track all of your open disputes in one place;
- Automatically refund your customer for the disputed amount;
- Provide information and upload PDF attachments to defend an active dispute; and
- Directly contact our dispute resolutions team with any questions.
Note: Affirm reserves the right to modify our dispute resolution procedures at our discretion with prior 30 days written notice to the merchant.
Types of Disputes
Types of Merchant Disputes include, but are not limited to:
|
Dispute type |
Description |
|
Product not received |
The customer claims they have not received a product they purchased on the merchant's website. |
|
Product unacceptable |
The customer claims that a product they received is incorrect, damaged, or otherwise fails to conform to the product description on the merchant's website. |
|
Cancelation or return not processed |
The customer claims that they were charged for a product or service they canceled or returned in a manner consistent with the merchant’s stated refund and return policy in effect at the time of customer’s purchase. |
|
Incorrect charge |
The customer claims that they were charged an incorrect amount. |
|
Duplicate charge |
The customer claims they were charged multiple times for an item or an order. |
Investigating Disputes
Affirm will use industry standard best practices to resolve Affirm Disputes that Affirm has elected to investigate directly with the customer.
Customers will have 60 days from the merchant's capture of a transaction to request that a Merchant Dispute be initiated by Affirm. After initiating a Merchant Dispute, the following procedure will be followed:
- Affirm will promptly inform the merchant of the Merchant Dispute via email. The dispute will also be visible in the Disputes tab of the Merchant Portal.
- Affirm will withhold the disputed amount until the Merchant Dispute is resolved.
- Both the merchant and customer will have 15 days from the initiation of a Merchant Dispute to respond and/or provide supporting evidence.
- Affirm considers all evidence provided by the merchant and customer within the dispute time frame above in our investigation of Merchant Disputes.
- After completing our investigation, Affirm will have 15 days to review the Merchant Dispute and communicate the resolution to the merchant and customer.
The table below illustrates common examples of evidence that a merchant may present in order to support its claim(s):
|
Dispute type |
Merchant rebuttal evidence |
|
Product not received |
Proof of delivery by a carrier that bears the date the item was shipped, the recipient's address and proof that the recipient's address matches the address provided by the customer during checkout. Examples include shipping/tracking details from UPS, USPS or FedEx that show the product(s) arrived at the correct address. Formal claim filed by the merchant with a carrier regarding incorrect, improper or failed delivery. |
|
Product unacceptable |
Proof that the product delivered to the customer was not materially different than the advertised product. Proof of a genuine product or certificate of authenticity provided by the issuer or sealed by a reputable appraiser or auction house. Statement that the merchant shipped to the customer product that was merchantable and that the product shipped did not materially differ from the advertised product. |
|
Cancelation or return not processed |
Copy of the merchant's standard refund/return policy including screenshots, if posted on the merchant's website. Statement identifying the merchant's relevant refund/return policy provision(s) and specifying the reason(s) the customer did not qualify for a refund/return. Proof of delivery to the customer. Statement stating that the customer did not return the product. |
|
Incorrect charge |
Screenshot of website or other documentation reflecting the price of the product advertised on the date of purchase. Itemized invoice reflecting all taxes, shipping charges, and discounts that the merchant applied to the customer's purchase. |
|
Duplicate charge |
Screenshot of website or other documentation reflecting the price of the product advertised on the date of purchase. Itemized invoice reflecting all taxes, shipping charges and discounts applied to the customer's purchase. |
|
Other |
Documentation reflecting information in dispute, copies of relevant policies and procedures, proof of delivery, an affidavit by the merchant regarding the product or service in question, itemized invoices and any other evidence. |
Dispute Resolution
Affirm will resolve all disputes in favor of the party that best substantiates their claim(s).
If Affirm resolves a dispute in favor of the merchant, the merchant will not be liable for any amount of principal or interest related to the disputed transaction. Any funds withheld related to the disputed transaction will be released.
If Affirm resolves a dispute in favor of the customer, Affirm will refund the disputed amount to the customer. In such an event, the merchant will reimburse Affirm for the amount refunded.
If the merchant thinks an error was made in adjudication and wishes to contest the outcome of a dispute, they can do so directly from the Merchant Portal by clicking into the details of the dispute from the Disputes page and then clicking Contest Decision. From there, the merchant will be able to provide any additional information or supporting evidence for our team to review.
FAQ
Q: How will I be notified when a customer initiates a dispute?
A: If resolution for an order issue cannot be reached between you and your customer and a dispute is opened, you will receive an email notification from Affirm with all relevant details. You can also view and manage any disputed loans within the Merchant Portal by clicking Disputes from the navigation menu.
Q: How long will I have to provide details and supporting documentation to defend a dispute?
A: You and your customer will both have 15 days from the initiation of a dispute to provide supporting details and evidence. You can submit this information directly to our resolutions team by clicking on the disputed loan from the Disputes page in the Merchant Portal.
Q: How can I refund my customer for a disputed loan in the Merchant Portal?
A: If you wish to refund your customer for a disputed loan, you can do so directly from the Merchant Portal by clicking into the details of the dispute from the Disputes page and then clicking Refund Loan. You will then be prompted to confirm the amount being refunded and the status of the dispute will change from Active to Refunded.
VCN merchants cannot take any action in the dashboard and have to go through their OMS to ensure that the signals are sent through the credit card network. Charge actions are not available for VCN merchants.
Q: What happens if I refund a customer on my own for a loan that is in a dispute status?
A: If you wish to refund your customer outside of the Merchant Portal, please note that the status of the dispute will not be updated immediately. We will resolve the dispute accordingly once the 15-day collection period has passed.
Q: What happens when a dispute is adjudicated in my favor?
A: If Affirm resolves a dispute in your favor, you will not be liable for any amount of principal or interest related to the disputed transaction. Any funds withheld related to the disputed transaction will be released.
Q: What happens when a dispute is adjudicated in favor of my customer?
A: If a dispute is resolved in favor of your customer, Affirm will refund the disputed amount to the customer. In such an event, the merchant will reimburse Affirm for the amount refunded. If you think an error was made and wish to contest the outcome of a dispute, you can do so directly from the Merchant Portal by clicking into the details of the dispute from the Disputes page and then clicking Contest Decision. From here, you will be able to provide any additional information or supporting evidence for our team to review.
Please note, processed refunds are not reversible. Be sure to confirm the amount being refunded prior to submitting. If you would like help refunding your customer an amount other than what is shown as being disputed, please contact us directly from the Disputes page with details regarding your request.