When a guest questions a card payment with their bank, it moves through a few predictable stages before any money changes hands twice. Here's what each stage means, when you need to act, and how to do it from your Back Office.
What is a payment dispute?
A payment dispute happens when a guest asks their card-issuing bank to look into a payment made at your venue, usually because they don't recognise the charge, dispute the amount, or claim the payment was unauthorised. The bank investigates and, if it sides with the guest, reverses the payment. This reversal is called a chargeback.
Most disputes give you a chance to respond before any money is taken. That's why it's worth understanding each stage: some require nothing more than reading a notice, others need action from you within a set number of days.
How a dispute typically unfolds
A dispute doesn't jump straight to a chargeback. It usually passes through some or all of the following stages, in order.
Fraud alert
No money moved.
A guest's bank flags the payment as potentially fraudulent, before any chargeback has been raised. This is an early warning, not a formal dispute.
What to do: Review the payment in the Disputes section of your back office. If something looks off, consider refunding the guest yourself rather than waiting for a chargeback to follow.
Request for information
No money moved yet.
The guest's bank wants more detail about a payment before deciding whether to escalate it into a chargeback. This is not a chargeback yet, but ignoring it usually leads to one.
What to do: Go to the Disputes section and submit the requested information before the deadline shown there.
Chargeback notification
Not yet deducted.
The bank has told us a chargeback is on its way for a specific payment. The money hasn't been taken from your account yet, but this is the moment your defense window opens.
What to do: You don't need to wait any longer. Open the Disputes section, review the case details, and submit your defense and supporting evidence before the deadline.
Chargeback
Amount deducted.
The payment has now been formally charged back, and the disputed amount has been deducted from your account.
What to do: If you haven't already, you may still be able to contest it. Check the Disputes section. If a defense option is still available there, submit it along with any evidence that supports your case (receipts, delivery confirmation, guest correspondence, and so on).
Possible outcome: Chargeback reversed
Amount returned.
Your defense was successful and the disputed amount has been returned to your account. This is good news, but it isn't always the final word: the guest's bank can still choose to review the outcome again.
What to do: Nothing for now. We'll let you know if the bank re-opens the case.
Possible outcome: Second chargeback
Deducted, final.
The guest's bank has reviewed your defense and rejected it. The disputed amount is permanently deducted and the case is closed, with no further right of appeal.
What to do: No action is needed. This case cannot be reopened.
Good to know: Not every payment goes through every stage. Many are simple: a chargeback notification followed by a chargeback, or a fraud alert with no chargeback at all. Whichever stage you're looking at, treat any deadline shown in the Disputes section as firm. Most dispute rules don't allow late responses.
Using the disputes section of your Back Office
Every dispute affecting your venue appears in one place, so you're never hunting through emails to find the details.
Open your Tebi back office and go to Disputes.
Select the case you want to review. You'll see the payment details, the reason given by the guest's bank, and, where relevant, a countdown to the response deadline.
If a response is needed, use the on-screen prompt to submit it, attaching any evidence that supports your side: a signed receipt, delivery or collection confirmation, a booking record, or correspondence with the guest.
Once submitted, the case status updates automatically as the bank makes a decision. You'll be notified of any change.
Reducing the number of disputes you see
Respond to fraud alerts and information requests quickly. Acting early is usually easier than defending a chargeback that's already gone through.
If a guest complains directly, resolving it with a refund is often faster and cheaper than the dispute process.
Want to understand exactly why a specific chargeback was raised? Every case includes a reason code. See the guide to dispute reason codes for what each one means and how to respond to it: dispute reason codes and defense requirements
Have a case that doesn't match any of the stages above, or a question the Disputes section can't answer? Contact [email protected] and we'll help you through it.