The Process
Critical Rules
- ⏰ Keep records for at least 180 days — a chargeback can be filed up to 180 days after payment.
- ❗ Always respond to an inquiry. Funds haven’t moved yet — this is your best chance to close the case before money is pulled.
- ➡️ Write a rebuttal letter for every dispute. The reviewer doesn’t know your business. A short cover letter tying your evidence to the reason code dramatically increases your win rate.
- ❌ Missing the dispute deadline = automatic loss. The funds stay with the customer and cannot be recovered.
- 💲 $25 chargeback fee per dispute, billed when the dispute is created — whether you win or lose.
- ⭐ Your four strongest evidence types (capture these on every job): signed work order · before/after photos · dispatch/GPS records · customer texts & emails.
- ➡️ First-round evidence is everything. You rarely get a meaningful second chance, so make your initial submission airtight.
Reason Codes & What to Submit to Win
Chargeback Prevention Checklist
- ✅ Get a signature on every job. A signed estimate before the work, plus a signed invoice or completion form after.
- ✅ Photograph everything. Before/after photos, ideally timestamped and geo-tagged.
- ✅ Use a clear billing descriptor. Show your DBA — the name homeowners recognize, not a parent company.
- ✅ Document change orders. Get written or texted approval whenever scope or price changes.
- ✅ Collect deposits on large jobs. A signed deposit agreement sets expectations and creates a paper trail.
- ✅ Spell out your policies. Cancellation, trip-charge, and refund terms in writing — acknowledged by customers.
- ✅ Be easy to reach. A responsive phone line or text thread means customers call you before they call their bank.
- ✅ Keep dispatch records. Scheduling and GPS logs prove your tech was on-site when it counts.
Chargeback FAQs
How do I prevent chargebacks? Use the prevention checklist above. The biggest levers are clear documentation (signatures, photos, written policies), a billing descriptor customers recognize, and being easy to reach so issues come to you before they go to the bank. What are the fees? FieldPulse Payments charges a $25 chargeback fee per chargeback to cover processing and investigation. It’s billed when the chargeback is created and applies whether or not you win. How are chargeback funds pulled from my account? When a chargeback enters the dispute phase, your next-business-day deposit is adjusted down by the chargeback amount plus any fee. If you later win, the recovered funds appear in a future deposit. What happens if I don’t respond? If you don’t respond to an inquiry, the customer can escalate it to a dispute and the funds are pulled. If you don’t respond to a dispute, you forfeit it. Always respond — even a simple, well-documented package can win. Can I just accept a chargeback? Yes. If the customer is right, or it’s not worth contesting, you can accept the chargeback. That returns the funds to the customer and closes the case. The $25 chargeback fee still applies.Have additional questions? Contact us at support@fieldpulse.com or use the chat feature in the bottom right corner of your screen.