The Merchant Risk Council Announces New Best-Practice Templates for Responding to Disputes and Chargebacks

Merchant Risk Council

Developed by industry experts, the new resource provides practical guidance to help merchants strengthen dispute responses and improve evidence submissions.

REDMOND, WA, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Merchant Risk Council (MRC), a global non-profit membership association for payments and fraud prevention professionals, has announced the release of Best-Practice Templates for Responding to Disputes and Chargebacks, a new resource designed to help merchants strengthen dispute responses, improve evidence submission practices, and support greater consistency across the payments ecosystem.

Developed by the MRC Dispute Working Group through collaboration among leading global merchants, issuers, and card networks, the resource provides practical guidance and structured templates to help merchants prepare more effective dispute responses. Drawing on industry expertise and real-world dispute management challenges, the templates offer actionable frameworks for organizing relevant evidence, streamlining reviews, and reducing unnecessary financial losses. The newly released templates have also been reviewed by card networks, which confirmed their alignment with applicable requirements.

Building on similar templates already in use by major merchants, the resource reflects established industry practices that have demonstrated measurable results, including reported increases in dispute win rates of 5% or more. Standardized evidence submissions also benefit issuers by making relevant information easier to locate, allowing their teams to focus more efficiently on reviewing and resolving cases.

"Effective dispute management requires clear communication, relevant evidence, and collaboration across the payments ecosystem," said Julie Fergerson, CEO of the Merchant Risk Council. "These templates reflect the collective expertise of our members, the merchants, issuers, acquirers and card networks and their commitment to developing practical resources that help merchants navigate common challenges while strengthening consistency between merchants and issuers."

The resource provides structured templates covering five key dispute categories:

• Digital Goods and Services Not Received – Guidance for documenting digital delivery, customer access, transaction details, and proof of usage.

• Physical Goods Not Received – Templates for presenting shipping records, delivery confirmation, tracking information, and fulfillment evidence.

• Goods or Services Not as Described – Frameworks for documenting product descriptions, customer complaints, returns, and supporting evidence.

• Unauthorized Transactions and Fraud-Related Disputes – Guidance on presenting authentication records, transaction history, device information, and other relevant fraud-related evidence.

• Processing Errors and Merchant Policy Disputes – Templates for organizing transaction records, billing details, refund and cancellation policies, and customer communications.

By providing practical recommendations for organizing and presenting dispute evidence, the templates aim to help merchants build more consistent response processes while supporting greater alignment between merchants and issuers.

The release reflects the MRC's ongoing commitment to advancing industry collaboration, sharing practical expertise, and developing educational resources that help payments and fraud prevention professionals address evolving challenges.

To access Best-Practice Templates for Responding to Disputes and Chargebacks, visit the MRC website.

About the MRC

The MRC is a non-profit 501(c)(6) global membership organization connecting payments and fraud prevention professionals through educational programs, online community groups, conferences, and networking events. Encompassing 775+ companies, including merchants and solution providers, it provides education on fraud prevention, payment optimization, and risk management. For more information, visit merchantriskcouncil.org.

Donna Ball
Merchant Risk Council
pr@merchantriskcouncil.org
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