Reference pagesProof types
Reference
Proof types
The kinds of proof a dispute response can carry, and where each one comes from. Which of these a dispute asks for depends on its reason and on whether the order was physical or digital.
Tracking number
We fetch itThe number the carrier gave your order so it can be followed on its way.
Your payment provider asks for a tracking number by name on disputes about physical goods, and it is one of the first things that answers a claim that an order never arrived.
Delivery confirmation
We fetch itProof the order actually arrived, with the date it was delivered.
A tracking number shows an order was sent. This shows it arrived, which is the question a customer is disputing.
When only a tracking link is available and no delivery date, this counts for less.
Customer email
We fetch itThe email address on the order.
It ties the order to a real person the cardholder’s bank can check against their own records, which is why nearly every dispute type asks for it.
Customer name
We fetch itThe name the customer gave when they ordered.
On a digital order there is nothing to ship, so who the buyer was carries more of the argument.
Billing address
We fetch itThe billing address the customer entered for the card.
When someone says they did not make the purchase, an address that matches their card is one of the plainest answers to that.
Shipping address
We fetch itWhere the order was actually sent.
It shows where the order went, which matters most when it went to the same place the card is registered.
Refund history
We fetch itA list of refunds already issued on this order, with dates and amounts.
When the dispute is about a refund the customer says they never got, the record of the refund is the whole answer.
Policy acceptance
A record that the customer saw and accepted your refund or cancellation policy before they paid.
When a dispute turns on what the customer was told they were agreeing to, this is what answers it.
Your refund and cancellation policies live in your Shopify settings, and our read access does not reach them. Add the policy as a file on the row and it counts.
Product description
We fetch itWhat the product listing said the customer was buying.
When a customer says an item was not as described, the listing is the thing being compared against.
Signature
A signature captured at delivery.
It is strong delivery proof, but carriers keep it in their own systems, so we cannot fetch it.
Prior order history
We fetch itOther orders this same customer has placed with you before.
Earlier orders on the same card that the customer did not dispute are one of the arguments card networks accept against a fraud claim, and Visa gives them extra weight when they meet its rules.
If the customer is new, this is simply absent and costs you nothing.
Checkout IP
We fetch itThe internet address the order was placed from.
On an order with nothing to ship, where the purchase was made from is one of the few things that ties it to a person.
An address that identifies nobody, such as a private network address, counts for less.
Fulfillment date
We fetch itThe date the order was sent.
It puts the shipment on a timeline the customer's own claim has to fit.
Access activity
You can add itYour own records showing this customer logged in, downloaded, or used what they bought.
On something delivered online there is no parcel and no signature, so a record of the customer actually using it is the closest thing to proof of delivery.
On an open dispute, Add records lets you paste your own access log, one event per line. Once records are saved the control reads Edit records. Until you add any, the item is not held against you.
The other charge
We fetch itThe other payment the customer believes is a copy of this one.
A duplicate dispute is a claim that two charges are the same purchase, so naming the other charge is what makes the comparison possible.
Why the charges differ
We fetch itA short explanation of why the two payments are separate purchases rather than one charged twice.
Naming the other charge shows the two exist. This is the part that says they are not the same order.
Customer communication
You can add itMessages between you and the customer about this order.
Paste the conversation, or add a file such as a screenshot or an email.
Anything else
A place for anything that does not fit the categories above. It never counts against you when it is empty.
Do The Proof drafts dispute responses for Shopify stores.
You pay when a dispute is won. Not before.