Disputes (chargebacks)

A dispute (chargeback) happens when a cardholder asks their bank to reverse a payment. When that happens on a VezmoPay transaction, the disputed amount (plus a dispute fee) is held from your balance, and you get a window to respond with evidence. VezmoPay tracks the full dispute lifecycle, notifies you in real time, and lets you respond — all white-label, with your VezmoPay references (never raw processor ids).

How to respond to a dispute

Disputes are managed from your dashboard, not the API — evidence often includes files (receipts, delivery proof, correspondence), so responding by API isn't supported. Go to VezmoPay → Disputes, open the dispute, and either:

• Submit evidence — a guided 2-step wizard (product/service details, customer communication, refund policy, shipping/delivery proof, and file uploads). Submit before the bank's evidence-due date.
• Accept the dispute — concede the chargeback (you forfeit the amount + fee, but avoid spending effort on an unwinnable case).

Our team can also file evidence on your behalf when you raise it through your To-Do / compliance requests. You're never left to navigate a processor dashboard — everything happens inside VezmoPay.

Stay in sync with webhooks

Subscribe to these events (Developer Settings → Webhooks) so your system reacts to chargebacks automatically — revoke access, flag the order, notify your team. Each is HMAC-signed and carries your VezmoPay transaction reference:

• dispute.created — a new dispute was opened on one of your payments. Payload includes the disputed amount, the reason, the linked transactionId, and the evidenceDueBy date.
• dispute.updated — the dispute changed (e.g. evidence submitted, status moved to under-review).
• dispute.closed — the dispute reached a final outcome. The payload's status is won (funds returned) or lost (the amount + dispute fee are debited from your balance).

Related: payment.refunded fires if you refund proactively to avoid a dispute. See the Webhooks guide for signature verification, retries, and delivery logs.

Dispute statuses

• needs_response — open; submit evidence before the due date.
• under_review — evidence submitted; the bank is deciding.
• won — resolved in your favor; the held funds return to your balance.
• lost — resolved against you; the disputed amount + dispute fee are debited (a clawback if the funds were already paid out).

Reduce disputes

• Use a clear statement descriptor so customers recognize the charge on their statement.
• Refund questionable payments early — a refund is far cheaper than a lost dispute (which also carries a fee and counts toward your dispute rate).
• If enabled, VezmoPay's pre-dispute alerts (RDR / CDRN / Ethoca) can auto-refund flagged payments before they become chargebacks — ask us to turn on Pre-Dispute Protection.