Chargeback credit reversed: what should I do?
Ask the issuer for the supplier's defence, its reason for reversing the credit and any remaining response deadline. Submit a focused rebuttal and budget for the money being back at risk. Complain separately if the issuer mishandled your evidence or communications. Factory evidence can be organised with Cambridge China Bridge.
Establish what the issuer has decided
Save the original payment, provisional credit and reversal entries, together with the issuer's messages. Ask whether it has closed the dispute or is awaiting further evidence. Request the supplier's defence and attachments, the reason for reversal, the response deadline and the submission channel. If it cannot share an attachment, ask for a clear account of the allegation you need to answer.
Do not treat the reversal notice alone as an explanation of what happened at the factory. Separate the supplier's account, the issuer's assessment and the missing evidence. Our supplier fraud or quality dispute guide helps frame the underlying problem.
Answer the supplier's actual defence
For each disputed point, state what the supplier says, what you dispute and which document supports your reply. If it relies on delivery tracking, check the destination, recipient and goods covered. If it relies on sample approval or an inspection pass, identify the approved specification and explain the particular defect that remains disputed.
Address awkward evidence directly. Explain any acceptance message, delayed complaint, use of the goods or declined return offer rather than leaving the issuer to infer its meaning. Distinguish goods never received from goods received with defects. Avoid describing an authorised purchase as an unauthorised payment.
Submit a readable response pack
Provide a dated chronology, order and invoice, agreed specification, relevant correspondence and evidence of the requested remedy. Label photographs by batch and defect; attach inspection or test findings where relevant. Keep originals and provide translations alongside Chinese documents. Explain how each attachment answers the defence instead of sending an unexplained message archive.
Ask the issuer to confirm receipt and whether anything else is needed before its stated deadline. Keep the submission acknowledgement. Ask what further review, if any, remains available rather than assuming that resubmitting the original claim will reopen it. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can help organise factory evidence; the issuer assesses the card dispute.
Plan for the renewed cash exposure
Update your cash forecast using the reversed credit, replacement stock, inspection, storage and return costs. Ask the issuer what payment is now due and how interest, fees or an overdraft will be handled while you challenge its decision. Seek written confirmation of any arrangement; do not budget on the assumption that a complaint suspends payment.
Record any supplier refund, platform refund or replacement agreement and tell the issuer about it. Avoid accepting a settlement whose effect you have not understood. Use our working capital guide for the wider cash plan and supplier payment guide before funding another order.
Complain about handling where appropriate
A useful handling complaint identifies a specific failure: evidence apparently overlooked, contradictory instructions, an unanswered submission or unclear warnings about the provisional credit. Attach the relevant messages and explain the resulting loss. Request a reasoned review and correction of any charges caused by the alleged failure, rather than simply repeating that the supplier supplied poor goods.
Follow the issuer's complaints procedure. GOV.UK says complaints can usually then go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the response is unsatisfactory. For a business purchase, check eligibility and the applicable referral deadline before relying on that route; our business payment complaint guide covers that separate check. Keep the supplier evidence response moving while pursuing the handling complaint.
Frequently asked questions
Does a reversed chargeback mean the supplier was right?
Ask which evidence and reason led to reversal. Compare that explanation with the agreed order and your records; the account entry alone does not explain the factory dispute.
What if the supplier says tracking proves delivery?
Check the destination, recipient and shipment contents. If your complaint concerns defects, explain those separately and attach evidence tied to the delivered batch.
Should I stop paying my card while I complain?
Ask the issuer what is due and request a written payment arrangement if needed. Do not assume that challenging the reversal pauses payments, interest or fees.
Can my business complain about the issuer?
Use its complaints procedure and identify the handling failure. Check business eligibility and referral deadlines before pursuing the Financial Ombudsman Service.