On Stripe, a card dispute usually runs two to three months from the first notice to the bank's decision. You control about two weeks of it.
Those two weeks decide the outcome. This page lays out the steps as Stripe documents them, and what the team does at each one. It is operating guidance, not legal advice.
What happens at each step of a dispute?
| Step | Typical timing | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment | Day 0 | Client pays for the program | Record the call, send the agreement, start onboarding |
| Dispute filed | Usually within 120 days | Amount plus a dispute fee leave your balance | Read the claim and the reason the same day |
| Response window | Usually 7 to 21 days | You build and submit evidence, once | Pull the client row; submit before the due date |
| Bank review | Usually 60 to 75 days | The issuing bank decides | Nothing; you cannot add evidence |
| Decision | About 2 to 3 months after filing | Won: money returns. Lost: it stays with the client | Log the outcome against the closer and cohort |
What should you do in the first 48 hours?
- Read the dispute reason and any claim documents the bank attached in the Stripe dashboard.
- Open the client row: agreement, sales call, onboarding note, progress, messages.
- Listen to the sales call. Decide whether the claim is true.
- Contact the client in writing if it may be a misunderstanding, and keep that message.
- Decide: counter with evidence, or accept.
Stripe recommends contacting the customer, since it can explain the complaint. Keep the tone plain and stay in writing. Every message becomes part of the record.
If the claim is true, accept the dispute and log why. If the closer oversold, play the call to them that week, so the next client does not hear the same promise.
Can you just refund the client once they file?
No. While a dispute is open, Stripe does not let you issue a refund outside the dispute process. The bank has already returned the money to the cardholder. Your choices are to accept the dispute or counter it with evidence.
If a client says they withdrew the dispute, Stripe still asks you to submit evidence so it closes in your favour. A withdrawn dispute still counts toward your ratio, because the networks count disputes received.
Chargebacks can happen any time. It depends on who you let in, what you charge and how things are framed. With a recorded call and a contract that says no refunds, a chargeback is simple to fight.
How long after paying can a coaching client dispute?
Stripe says card networks usually allow disputes within 120 days of the payment, with more time in some situations. For a service paid in advance, the window can start on the service date instead of the payment date.
For a coaching program that runs six months, that means risk lasts beyond the last call. Keep the delivery records at least that long. PayPal and other wallets set their own rules, often up to 180 days.
What about inquiries before a dispute?
Some networks, mostly American Express and Discover, send an inquiry first. It usually means the cardholder did not recognise the charge. Answer it immediately with evidence, or refund. An unanswered inquiry can become a chargeback that is very hard to win.
Most inquiries come from a statement descriptor the client does not recognise. Set it to the program name they bought, and many never arrive.
Who owns the dispute deadline?
One person, the same one who takes refund calls and keeps the refund and dispute log. They get the dispute email, log the due date, build the pack and submit it. The founder sees the decision to counter or accept, not the paperwork.
Set an internal deadline five days before the processor's, and put it in the shared calendar. Disputes arrive at bad times, during launches and holidays. The first pack always takes longer than anyone expects.
Diego Miescher
