Chargebacks and disputes: when a bank challenges a payment
In short
- If a player disputes a payment with their bank, openmatch automatically opens a dispute with a fixed deadline and sends you a push message straight away.
- You respond through a four-field form. Once submitted it is fixed and cannot be changed.
- Miss the deadline and the card network decides automatically in the player's favour legal review pending, which is why openmatch reminds you twice before it comes to that.
What happens when a player objects
A chargeback only means that the player's bank has flagged the payment. It says nothing about whether anything went wrong at your end. As soon as Stripe reports the case, openmatch automatically creates a row on the Disputes screen with the amount, the reason and a clear deadline (the evidence deadline), usually seven days from the moment of the chargeback. You get a push message immediately.
The four-field form
On the dispute screen you fill in four fields. Three of them also accept an attached PDF or image up to 8 MB, where a document works better than prose; only "Additional notes" is pure free text:
| Field | What belongs there |
|---|---|
| Communication with the customer | Emails or messages showing the service was provided |
| Receipt | Payment receipt or other proof of the transaction |
| Proof of service | Evidence that the booking took place (a photo, booking confirmation, signature) |
| Additional notes | Anything else that supports your case |
You do not have to fill in all four; only the fields you fill go to Stripe. As soon as you tap Submit evidence, the form becomes read-only: no revisions, no second attempt. That is deliberate. openmatch locks the form after submission so that you assemble your evidence carefully before sending it.
The deadline is hard, hence the two reminders
If you miss the deadline, the card network decides automatically in the player's favour legal review pending: the money is gone, plus a fixed €15 Stripe handling fee. So openmatch reminds you twice before it gets critical:
| Stage | When | Push message |
|---|---|---|
| First reminder | 48 hours before the deadline | "Evidence due in 48 hours" |
| Final warning | 6 hours before the deadline | "URGENT: evidence due in 6 hours" |
Clear evidence improves your chances in a dispute. A chargeback is an administrative step by the bank, not an accusation. For payment and refund questions the Terms are what binds, not this article.