Defend

Overview

The defend method submits your formal argument against the customer's chargeback claim. This presents your case to the bank with a reason code and supporting evidence.

Business Use Case: After submitting delivery proof, you now submit your formal defense stating the chargeback is illegitimate because the customer received and signed for the package.

Purpose

Why use defend?

Reason Code	Use When
product_or_service_provided	Customer received what they paid for
customer_withdrew_dispute	Customer contacted bank to withdraw
duplicate_charge_doc	Charge is legitimate and not duplicated
cancellation_policy_disclosed	Customer agreed to terms

Request Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
dispute_id	string	Yes	The connector's dispute ID
reason_code	string	Yes	Defense reason code
explanation	string	Yes	Detailed explanation of defense
submit_evidence	bool	No	Whether to submit attached evidence

Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
dispute_id	string	Connector's dispute ID
defense_submitted	bool	Whether defense was accepted
status	DisputeStatus	Updated status: UNDER_REVIEW
status_code	int	HTTP-style status code

Example

SDK Setup

from hyperswitch_prism import DisputeClient

dispute_client = DisputeClient(
    connector='stripe',
    api_key='YOUR_API_KEY',
    environment='SANDBOX'
)

Request

request = {
    "dispute_id": "dp_xxx",
    "reason_code": "product_or_service_provided",
    "explanation": "Customer ordered product on 2024-01-10. Package was delivered on 2024-01-15 to the customer's verified billing address. Customer signed for delivery. Delivery confirmation and signature captured. Customer never contacted support about issues.",
    "submit_evidence": True
}

response = await dispute_client.defend(request)

Response

{
    "dispute_id": "dp_xxx",
    "defense_submitted": True,
    "status": "UNDER_REVIEW",
    "status_code": 200
}

Defense Reason Codes

Code	Description
product_or_service_provided	Product/service was delivered as described
customer_withdrew_dispute	Customer withdrew with their bank
duplicate_charge_doc	Charge is not a duplicate
cancellation_policy_disclosed	Customer accepted terms at purchase
merchandise_or_service_not_as_described	Product matched description
credit_not_processed	Refund was already provided

Next Steps

• get - Check dispute status after submission

• accept - Consider conceding if defense is weak

• Wait for bank decision (typically takes 60-75 days)