A chargeback reverses a card payment through the buyer's bank after the buyer disputes the charge. Digital products can be disputed for reasons such as an unauthorized payment, a product not received, or a product that doesn't match its description. A downloaded file or a refund policy doesn't prevent a buyer from raising a dispute. The reason determines which evidence matters, as explained in Stripe's dispute categories(opens in a new tab).
A chargeback is separate from a refund request to the seller. Stripe handles the dispute process, and the buyer's bank decides the outcome. Stripe's dispute lifecycle(opens in a new tab) explains that division of responsibility.
A formal chargeback becomes a payment dispute in Stripe, which debits the disputed amount and a dispute fee from your Stripe balance.
The Console's Sales page shows when the dispute opened, its amount, reason, status, and response deadline, with a link to the dispute in Stripe. Read the claim and confirm the deadline in the Stripe account that received the payment. If Kurodyne has no deadline recorded, check Stripe directly.
You prepare and submit your response in Stripe. Kurodyne doesn't prepare evidence, submit a response, or decide the case. You remain responsible for the deadline under the Chargebacks and Risk Management terms.
An inquiry is an earlier request for information from the buyer's bank, most often on American Express and Discover cards. An open inquiry keeps the sale Disputed; its dispute details show whether a response is required or the inquiry is under review. Answer it in the Stripe Dashboard with evidence, or issue a full refund there; either can resolve it without a dispute fee. Accepting an inquiry doesn't resolve it, and an unanswered inquiry can escalate to a chargeback that is hard to win. If it escalates, respond to the chargeback by its own deadline. See Stripe's inquiry guidance(opens in a new tab).
A chargeback can cost you the disputed amount plus Stripe's dispute fees, which can exceed the price of a low-cost digital product.
Stripe charges a fee when you receive a dispute and, in most countries, another fee when you counter it. Stripe returns the countering fee if you win but keeps the fee for receiving the dispute, even after a win, unless its regional rules or your Stripe agreement say otherwise. Accepting a dispute avoids the countering fee but not the fee for receiving it. Check Stripe's dispute fee rules(opens in a new tab) and the current pricing for your account before deciding whether to counter.
Dispute fees are separate from the platform and processing fees on the sale. The platform fee rules explain when Kurodyne returns its fee. Compare the amount you could recover with the countering fee, the evidence you have, and the time needed to prepare a response.
Gather records that connect the payment, the product promised, and what happened after purchase to the specific claim in Stripe. Useful records include:
- Purchase and payment: The sale and receipt, purchase date, amount, currency, product, and relevant Stripe payment details. Include any refund already issued and its status.
- Product description: The listing, previews, requirements, and instructions that applied to the purchase. Explain how they relate to the buyer's complaint; a changed listing isn't a record of what the buyer saw.
- Delivery and use: Relevant access or usage records you hold for a service you operate, or messages where the buyer describes receiving or using the product. State what each record shows without treating access as proof of payment authorization.
- Communication: Messages about the problem, troubleshooting, a correction, or an agreed resolution. Keep the dates and enough context to make each exchange understandable.
For a claim that the product wasn't received, focus on delivery or use. For a claim that it didn't match the listing, connect the advertised features to what was supplied. For an unauthorized-payment claim, follow Stripe's authorization evidence requirements. A receipt or a refund policy alone doesn't answer all three claims. See Stripe's evidence guidance by dispute reason(opens in a new tab).
While a dispute is open, its details on the Sales page show how many buyer download links Kurodyne generated in the last 180 days, with the first and last generation times. This records link generation, not receipt of the link or a completed file download. An empty history doesn't establish that the buyer never accessed the product, and the summary doesn't cover earlier activity.
Kurodyne Relay conversations are downloadable as text files with participant names and UTC timestamps. Kurodyne keeps messages for 180 days, but once the buyer's account is deleted, the conversation leaves your inbox and can't be downloaded. Download a conversation about a problem with a purchase when the problem comes up. A transcript records attached images but doesn't include them. Keep the original text file and relevant images, then prepare excerpts with enough context to explain each exchange.
Accept or counter the dispute in the Stripe Dashboard before the displayed deadline. Accept it if you agree with the claim or choose not to contest it; acceptance isn't treated as an admission of wrongdoing. Counter it when you have evidence that addresses the reason given.
In Stripe's response form, choose the product type that fits the purchase, such as a digital product or service, and provide the requested evidence. Write a short timeline, explain what each record establishes, and keep the submission focused on the claim. Put screenshots and documents in the submission itself, because the bank doesn't follow links to your listing or external files. Stripe takes one file per evidence type, so combine records of the same type, such as Kurodyne Relay excerpts and emails with the buyer, into one readable PDF. Stripe accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files; follow the current size and page limits in Stripe's evidence formatting guidance(opens in a new tab).
Review everything before the final submission. You can't edit or add evidence afterward. Confirm that Stripe shows the response as submitted and the dispute as under review; a saved draft isn't a submitted response. Missing the deadline without a response means losing the dispute. See Stripe's response instructions(opens in a new tab).
Some disputes can't be challenged. If Stripe offers no response option, check the explanation on the dispute; Stripe's rules for unchallengeable disputes(opens in a new tab) describe those cases.
You can't refund a payment while its formal dispute is open, but you can ask the buyer to withdraw the dispute after you resolve a misunderstanding. Stripe allows no separate refund until the bank decides in your favor, so the money moves through the dispute. If you agree the buyer should get the money back, accept the dispute. Asking them to withdraw it in exchange for a refund delays the refund, and a withdrawn dispute still counts toward your dispute rate.
Once a payment has any dispute, including an inquiry, the Sales page no longer offers a refund for it; issue any refund Stripe still allows in the Stripe Dashboard. If you refunded the payment before the dispute opened, include the refund record and its status in your response. Stripe's dispute fee guidance(opens in a new tab) explains why a prior refund doesn't always prevent a dispute or its fee.
The buyer withdraws the dispute through their bank, and their message saying they withdrew it doesn't close the case in Stripe. Submit evidence by the deadline even if they say it is withdrawn, include confirmation of the withdrawal if available, and wait for Stripe's recorded outcome. See Stripe's dispute withdrawal guidance(opens in a new tab).
If you win, Stripe returns the disputed amount; if you lose or accept the dispute, you don't recover it through the dispute process. Stripe updates the dispute status when the bank decides. See Stripe's dispute outcome guidance(opens in a new tab).
A pending dispute doesn't itself revoke the buyer's Kurodyne access. A full refund still ends access unless it has been restored. Winning a dispute doesn't automatically restore access that a full refund ended.
When a dispute closes in the buyer's favor, including one you accept, Kurodyne revokes access and ends the license. Kurodyne stops displaying the buyer's review when no purchase still grants them access to the product. You can't restore access after that outcome. Kurodyne can't take back files, keys, or links the buyer already copied or used. The refund and access rules explain these effects, and the Kurodyne Commercial License governs further use.