Manage disputes with GoDaddy Payments
Here's how you can manage disputes from your GoDaddy Payments dashboard:
- What are disputes?
- How do I know if I have a dispute?
- What can I do if I have a dispute?
- Accept a dispute
- Challenge a dispute
- Check the status of a dispute
- What are dispute fees?
- I don't see an option to handle disputes from my GoDaddy Payments dashboard
What are disputes?
Payment disputes are a form of cardholder protection that allows cardholders to dispute possible unauthorized charges.
The cardholder can initiate a dispute for a variety of reasons, including:
- Item not received: Customer claims they didn’t receive the product they ordered and paid for.
- Item not as described: Customer says the item they received is different than what they expected based on the description.
- Unauthorized transactions: Customer claims that the purchase was made without their autorization.
Once a payment dispute is initiated, the cardholder’s issuing bank immediately debits the disputed amount and holds the funds while the review is underway. This is why you'll see GoDaddy Payments debit the funds from your account at the start of the dispute process.
If you choose to challenge the dispute, the bank will begin an investigation. If it determines that the cardholder’s claim is valid, the funds will be permanently returned to them. However, if the dispute is resolved in your favor, the held funds will be returned to your account.
You can manage and respond to all disputes directly through your GoDaddy Payments dashboard.
How do I know if I have a dispute?
When one of your customers files a dispute, we’ll send you a notification email with the details. A link to your GoDaddy Payments dashboard will be included within the email where you can go to Accept or Challenge the dispute. You can also check to see if you have new disputes in your GoDaddy Payments dashboard at any time by going to the Transactions tab and selecting Disputes.
What can I do if I have a dispute?
You have two options:
- Accept Dispute: If you accept the dispute, the disputed amount will automatically be refunded to the cardholder. You will lose both the disputed amount and the additional dispute fee.
- Challenge Dispute: If you challenge the dispute, you need to provide evidence by the deadline that the dispute is unfounded. You will be able to view this deadline and submit evidence in your GoDaddy Payments dashboard. The bank that processed the transaction will investigate, and rule either in your favor or the cardholder’s favor.
Accept a dispute
If you agree that the dispute is valid, you can accept the dispute by following the steps below. The disputed amount will automatically be credited back to the cardholder. The timeline of this refund is dependent on the card network that processed the transaction. If you accept a dispute, you will lose both the disputed amount and the additional dispute fee.
- Sign in to your GoDaddy Payments Dashboard (use your GoDaddy username and password).
- In the left nav, select Transactions, and then Disputes.
- Select the dispute marked with NEEDS RESPONSE in the Status column or find it by searching by the Dispute ID.
- Under Actions for that dispute, select Accept Dispute.
- In the pop-up window, select Accept Dispute.
Once you accept the dispute, the status of the dispute will change from NEEDS RESPONSE to LOST in your GoDaddy Payments dashboard.
Challenge a dispute
If you think the dispute is unfounded, you can challenge it by providing the details and evidence to support your case. To challenge a dispute, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your GoDaddy Payments Dashboard (use your GoDaddy username and password).
- In the left nav, select Transactions and then Disputes.
- Select the dispute marked with NEEDS RESPONSE in the Status column, or find it by searching by the Dispute ID.
- Under Actions for that dispute, select Challenge Dispute.
- Once the details and evidence are fully prepared, go back to the Challenge Dispute page to enter those details and attach any relevant documents.
- After you enter the details and attach the documentation, select Submit Evidence. You can only submit evidence once.
Required: Please ensure that you attach and submit all of the supporting documentation by the deadline listed in the Dispute Details section of the Challenge Dispute page. After the date provided, you will not be able to make a submission.
After you see the Evidence Submitted screen, the status of your dispute will change from NEEDS RESPONSE to IN REVIEW.
Check the status of a dispute
With the option to manage disputes from your Payments dashboard, you'll be able to track the progress of your dispute by checking its status in the dashboard. Your dispute status can be one of the following:
- NEEDS RESPONSE: You need to accept or challenge the dispute after you receive the dispute notification.
- IN REVIEW: You have submitted evidence to challenge the dispute. The cardholder's bank will review this evidence to come up with a decision. It can take up to 3 months for a decision to be made.
- WON: The bank resolved the dispute in your favor, and the disputed amount will be credited back to your account.
- LOST: The bank resolved the dispute in favor of your customer, and you will lose the disputed amount.
Here's how to check the status of your dispute:
- Sign in to your GoDaddy Payments Dashboard (use your GoDaddy username and password).
- In the left nav, select Transactions.
- Select Disputes. The Status column shows the status of each dispute in the list.
- Once the cardholder’s bank investigates, the dispute will either be ruled in your favor or the cardholder’s favor. If a dispute is resolved in your favor, it will show a status of WON. If a dispute is resolved in the cardholder’s favor, it will show a status of LOST.
What are dispute fees?
If your customer files a dispute, you will incur a fee that is charged to cover the administrative costs of processing the dispute.
Like other GoDaddy Payments fees, the fee will be subtracted from the amount you receive in your next payout. If you are not scheduled to receive a payout on that day, the fee will be subtracted from your GoDaddy Payments account balance. The dispute fee is non-refundable. You will be able to view the fee in the Fees section of your payouts report.
I don't see an option to handle disputes from my GoDaddy Payments dashboard
The option to handle disputes directly from your GoDaddy Payments dashboard is currently only available as a beta version on some accounts. If you don't see the features mentioned in this article, it's not live on your account yet.
But don't worry, we'll let you know if you have a dispute and work with you to get it resolved. We'll send you a notification email that will include details of the transaction in question and a request to provide additional information.