Customer Filed False Chargeback After Receiving Product — $4,200 Gone

I sell custom furniture online. A customer ordered a $4,200 dining table, received it (I have delivery confirmation with signature), and then filed a chargeback claiming "item not as described." The table was built exactly to their specifications with photos at every stage.

Stripe sided with the customer after "review" and took $4,200 plus a $15 chargeback fee from my account. I have delivery proof, build photos, and email approval of the design. What are my options?

First: fight the representment. You have 30 days to submit evidence through Stripe's dashboard. Include: delivery confirmation with signature, all email correspondence, build photos, the customer's design approval, and a clear timeline. Stripe's initial decision isn't final — it goes to the card network (Visa/MC) for final arbitration.

Beyond the representment process, you have legal options:

1. Small claims court: In most states you can sue for up to $5,000-$10,000. File against the customer for breach of contract and/or fraud.
2. Demand letter: Sometimes a formal demand letter from an attorney gets the customer to withdraw the chargeback. The cost of a demand letter ($200-500) is worth it for $4,200.
3. Police report: If the customer received the goods and lied to get their money back, that's theft by deception in most jurisdictions. File a police report — you may not get prosecution but it creates documentation.

I submitted the representment with all the evidence. How long does the card network review typically take?

Usually 30-75 days for the card network to decide. Visa tends to be faster than Mastercard. The win rate for merchants with strong evidence (delivery confirmation + email approval) is around 40-60%. Not great odds but worth fighting.

I've dealt with this 4 times in the last year. Won 3 out of 4 on representment. The key is organizing your evidence clearly with a cover letter explaining the timeline. Card networks review hundreds of these daily — make it easy for the reviewer to see you're right.

For future protection: require a signed contract for custom orders over $1K that explicitly states the refund policy and chargeback consequences. Include a clause that the customer agrees to pay attorney fees if they file a fraudulent chargeback. It doesn't prevent chargebacks but gives you stronger leverage in court.

Update: Won the representment! Visa reversed the chargeback after reviewing the delivery confirmation and email trail. Got the $4,200 back (minus the $15 fee which Stripe won't refund). Now implementing signed contracts for all custom orders over $500. Thanks everyone.