How Do I Prove a Charge is Valid?
You need to provide strong written evidence to support your case and enlist the help of the student/registrant, if at all possible.
In general, you either want to provide written evidence from the student themselves confirming that the original charge was valid, or you have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the registrant got what they paid for, was fully refunded, or agreed to a policy that states you do not need to refund them.
What evidence you provide depends on the individual situation. Most disputes fall into two general categories: Misunderstandings or issues with Refunds.
If the dispute is a misunderstanding or the cardholder didn’t recognize the description on their credit card statement:
Obtaining the assistance of your student/registrant is the best solution. Ask them to contact their bank and withdraw the dispute. Get a written statement (email) from them stating that the original charge is “valid” and should be processed, as well as saying that they have withdrawn the dispute.
If you cannot contact your student or you are unable to obtain a written statement from them, the next best evidence is anything that proves they took the class/attended the event, etc. This may include sign-in sheets, screenshots of the student from virtual classes, photos, written reviews of the class, etc. Rosters from the CourseStorm system are not the best evidence, but can be used as a last resort.
If the dispute is related to a refund:
Provide a copy of any check refunds or documentation that you have given the student a credit toward a future class or transferred them to another class.
NOTE: If you have not yet sent a refund check DO NOT SEND ONE NOW that the dispute has been started. You run the risk of a duplicate refund to the student if you lose the dispute. You would be better off just accepting the dispute instead and refunding them that way.
Provide a copy of your refund/cancellation policy that states you do not refund students (in part or in whole) AND a waiver that documents the student agreed to this policy.
You may submit the policy without the waiver, but the bank is likely to side with their customer if you cannot prove that they agreed to abide by it. A quick way to ensure this is to add a Custom Form question to your registration form with a checkbox stating that they have read/agree to the policies.
More information about submitting evidence can be found in this article: How Do I Submit Evidence? / What is Strong Evidence?