ChargebackDesk · Reason codes · Visa 13.5
Visa reason code 13.5: Misrepresentation
The cardholder says what they bought was misrepresented — the product, its terms, or what it would do for them wasn't what they were told at the time of sale. For courses, coaching programs, and software, this code is about your sales page and terms, not about whether the customer liked the product.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Network | Visa |
| Family | Consumer dispute (13.x) |
| In Stripe | Stripe shows its own reason label; the network code is on the dispute where Stripe exposes it (network_reason_code) |
| Network timeframe | Under Visa's current rules, typically 120 calendar days from the processing date or from when the cardholder received the goods or services (60 days from first notice in some cases) |
| Your deadline | The due-by date on the dispute in Stripe |
What it means
13.5 is close to "not as described" (13.3), but the claim is about the sale, not the product: the cardholder says the way it was presented to them — features, results, price, renewal terms — was misleading. Under Visa's current rules as generally described, 13.5 is allowed only in specific situations. The ones digital sellers meet most: a trial, promotional, or introductory offer (or one-off purchase) where the cardholder wasn't clearly told about later charges; software or technical services sold with inaccurate online ads; and business opportunities that suggest the buyer will earn income. A dispute solely about quality typically isn't valid under 13.5, and the amount is generally limited to the unused portion of a cancelled service or the value of returned goods. That puts the as-sold record at the center. You win by showing what the customer was actually told, and that what they received matches it.
Response deadline
- The deadline that binds you is the evidence due-by date on the dispute in Stripe (
evidence_details.due_by). If you don't respond by then, you automatically lose the dispute — work to this date, not to the network's own limits. - Evidence is effectively a single submission — submit a complete packet, because you generally cannot add to it afterwards.
- Work backwards: aim to submit at least 72 hours before the due-by date.
What evidence wins
- The sales page and terms as they were on the purchase date. A dated archive, version-controlled copy, or Wayback capture. Today's edited page is not evidence of what the buyer saw.
- What was delivered, matched to what was described. Module list against the curriculum promised; feature list against the plan they bought; files against the listing.
- The buyer's use. Lessons completed, features used, files downloaded — evidence that they received the described product and engaged with it.
- Disclosure of the terms they're disputing. If the claim is about price, renewal, or refund terms: how and where those were shown at checkout, reconstructed from your real checkout flow.
- The support record. If they complained before disputing, the complete thread and your answer.
Digital-goods specifics
- Courses and coaching: outcome language ("replace your salary in 90 days") is where 13.5 cases come from. If your page promised results, a dispute about results is hard to rebut with delivery logs alone.
- SaaS: the plan comparison table as of the purchase date is the key exhibit. Show the feature they claim was missing was not in their plan, or that it was there and was used.
- Downloads, templates, presets: listing screenshots and file manifests. Previews that match the delivered files are strong evidence.
- Memberships: what the membership was said to include (calls, community, content cadence) and the record of it being delivered during their membership.
The minimum checklist
We run 13.5 on the same minimum as our product-unacceptable guide:
- ME-U1 — the as-purchased product description is available.
- ME-U2 — at least one, sourced: the complaint was investigated and answered, OR there was meaningful use after the complaint, OR a refund was refused under a documented, pre-disclosed policy.
- ME-U3 (refusal cases only) — the policy as shown, how it was disclosed, and a specific refusal explanation.
Common mistakes
- Submitting the current sales page. If it changed after the purchase, it doesn't show what the buyer saw — and the difference can count against you.
- Arguing the product is good. Quality isn't the question here. What matters is whether it matched what you said.
- Quoting testimonials as proof. Other customers' results don't address what this buyer was told.
Fight or accept?
Fight it when
- You have the sales page and terms as they were on the purchase date, and the delivered product matches them.
- The buyer used the product substantially before disputing.
- The disputed term (price, renewal, refund policy) was clearly shown at checkout and you can reconstruct how.
Accept it when
- The page made specific outcome promises the product can't be shown to have met.
- You can't produce what the page said on the purchase date.
- The delivered product is missing something the page listed.
Accepting a chargeback in Stripe closes it (accepting an inquiry doesn't resolve it — answer it with evidence or a full refund instead). Don't try to refund an open chargeback — the disputed amount has already been withdrawn from your balance, and Stripe doesn't allow refunds outside the dispute process while the dispute is open.
Got it as an inquiry? (Rare — Stripe notes Visa no longer uses that stage; Amex and Discover do.) Answer it with a narrative plus the single strongest exhibit: the as-sold sales page or plan description, dated, set beside what was delivered. If the cardholder is right, a full refund resolves an inquiry with no Stripe dispute fee; accepting an inquiry doesn't resolve it.
Want the packet built for you? Start a case. You get a finished, sourced packet, and nothing is submitted without your approval — today you submit it yourself in Stripe, with no Stripe login and no integration. Our fee is 20% of what you recover, charged only if you win. If you lose or we decline, our fee is $0. Stripe's own dispute fees are separate. If a case isn't worth fighting, we'll tell you before you spend time on it.